LeBron James Accepts Blame For Game 1 Loss To Chicago Bulls

USA Today

Coming into their second-round playoff series against the Chicago Bulls, the Cleveland Cavaliers had the disadvantage of losing star forward Kevin Love for the season with a shoulder injury and J.R. Smith to a two-game suspension. Even though having LeBron James always makes the Cavs dangerous, the four-time NBA MVP struggled in Game 1 against the Bulls on Monday night.

LeBron admitted to having an off game even after putting up impressive numbers, via ESPN:

“I did have an off game,” James said. “If I have a great game my numbers will be a lot different. For me that’s an off game just from the standpoint I’m a very efficient player as far as my shooting and to be 9-of-22, that’s unacceptable. What everybody else says I don’t really care what everybody else thinks.”

In the Game 1 against the Bulls, LeBron scored 19 points, ripped down 15 rebounds and dished out nine assists. Any other player on either squad would take this numbers any day, but obviously LeBron wasn’t content with starting the series with a loss at home in Cleveland.

Although the Cavaliers fell to the Bulls in Game 1, the odds heading into Game 2 are favorable with Cleveland considered the favorites with a -5.5 point spread, according to Sportsbook.ag. The loss of Love and Smith has proven costly, but the team can get right back on with a win before heading to Chicago for Game 3 and 4.

It’ll be interesting to see if LeBron and Kyrie Irving can help get the team back on track in order to avoid going 0-2 when the series shifts to Chicago. The Bulls proved they can get the job done on the road, but it’d be safe to say the Cavaliers will come out with a different intensity in Game 2.