This is how you know the Cavs are doomed: the game is in the hands of The Man, and everyone in the house knows he is going to spot up and shoot a three. The Spurs know they have to foul him before he can get the shot off. This can go several different ways - 1.) James is fouled before shooting, putting him on the line for two and forcing an attempted miss and rebound on the second shot, 2.) He's fouled during the act and has to hit three free throws, or 3.) he hits the shot and sends the game to OT.
Or, if you're Cleveland, you get option 4 - he gets fouled while shooting, it doesn't get called, the shot doesn't fall, and the series is, for all intents and purposes, over.
Winning Game 3 was imperative for the Cavs, which would have created the need to take 3 out of the next 4 - unlikely, but not impossible. Obviously, there is no way anyone is winning 4 straight against the Spurs. I know that's a bold statement, but I'll stand by it.
The kicker is that LeBron really did have a great game - he was creating numerous open shots for his teammates, but unlike Game 6 against Detroit, they weren't falling. Once he took over and starting going hard to the hoop, he put his team in position to grab the game at the end.
Predicted scoring line for King James for Game 4: 30-58 FG, 20-27 FT, 85 pts, 0 assists. Cavs lose 87-86.
(photo: Getty images)
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