Everybody knew LeBron James was going to be aggressive from the start. The Cavaliers certainly knew it; his triple-double notwithstanding, they felt he was passive and deferential to their detriment in their last match, and thus wanted him to go into attack mode early and often. The Pacers knew it: having dealt him the first series-opening loss of his career, they prepped for a more determined effort from him in Game Two. And the fans knew it; with the wine and gold practically in a must-win situation, they figured he would be in high gear from the get-go.
Faced with the daunting task of meeting extremely high, of unrealistic, expectations, James, needless to say, delivered. He carried the Cavaliers throughout the set-to. He schooled the Pacers from opening tip, personally going on a 16-one binge and outscoring them 20 to 18 in the first quarter alone. And when an outcome that seemed certain midway through was on the line in the crunch, he proved to be a beast under pressure; he scored four points in the last 22 seconds, within the last of 40 minutes of frenzied activity, and on the line where he is typically weakest. His stat line said it all: 46 markers on 17-of-24 shooting from the field, a contest-high 12 rebounds, and five assists.
No doubt, James’ virtuoso performance underscored his otherworldly capacity to shape narratives to his favor. The Cavaliers were down and seemingly in disarray; up against the unfazed Pacers, who matched up well against them and hitherto won four of five outings, they wanted — or, to be more precise, needed — to come up with adjustments that, at the very least, tempered their weaknesses. For all the tweaks head coach Tyronn Lue made, however, victory was possible only because of the trump card that was the four-time Most Valuable Player.
Unfortunately, the Cavaliers’ triumph yesterday mimicked the all-too-familiar story of their 2017-2018 campaign. They require James to be a beast — anytime, all the time. And because he is who he is, he will succeed as only he can. Then again, even the best-sculpted bodies and the sharpest of minds have breaking points, especially when juxtaposed with predictability. At some point, even he at his finest won’t be enough, and they’ll have to do their part. In any case, it’s clear to all and sundry that they’ll keep walking a tightrope from here on, and as far as their acknowledged leader will take them.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994.
