LeBron James shook the hand of each Golden State player who was on the floor when he exited Game 6 with about 10 seconds left Tuesday night, one final, shining moment for him in a personally brilliant series.
James was serenaded by a loud ovation from the crowd, but the disgust and disappointment was already setting in. Cleveland was on its way to a 105-97 loss, and Golden State was heading for champagne popping and its first NBA championship in 40 years.
James turned in the best individual Finals series performance statistically in history, and for what? It only netted him two wins in six games in a series that ended with three consecutive losses by the Cavs — two at home.
For James, that’s four Finals losses out of six and two in a row, though his latest loss can hardly be blamed on him. For the city of Cleveland, the 51st anniversary of a pro sports championship (Dec. 27) just came a lot closer to reality.
Losing. Fair or not, it’s a burden James and Cleveland still share. James already owns two titles, but the latest one that slipped away weighed on him heavily.
“I always look at it, would I rather not make the playoffs or lose in The Finals? I don’t know,” James said. “I’ve missed the playoffs twice. I lost in The Finals four times. I’m almost starting to be like I’d rather not even make the playoffs than to lose in The Finals. It would hurt a lot easier if I just didn’t make the playoffs and I didn’t have a shot at it.”
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