The Cleveland Cavaliers and a legion of fans panic are trying to come to grips with this disturbing and upsetting an uncertain future in the work of James, the city's biggest sports icon.On the night of Tuesday, the Cavaliers were humiliated by the Boston Celtics, 120-88, and pushed to the brink of elimination from the playoffs. James was strangely passive and ultimately ineffective. Took 14 shots, missed 11, and into and out of the infringement. Sometimes it seemed oddly separate from the game and his teammates.
It was not what was expected of a most valuable player twice and star par excellence of the league - not with the Cavs' title hopes at stake and James's future hanging in the balance.
Terry Pluto, a columnist for The Plain Dealer of Cleveland, called James a "passive" and "emotionally distant. "In a poll on the newspaper's Web site, 53 percent of the fans of James blamed for the loss. (Coach Mike Brown was a distant second, with 23 percent of the vote.) The gap between James and his adoring public has never been greater.
The Celtics have a 3-2 lead in this series of second round and could close on Thursday night in Boston. Fans already thinking about the potential apocalypse: Cavs lost, James leaves, franchise dies.
"It's a panic," James said Wednesday after a film session and team practice. It casts a fresh confidence - indeed, an emotional distance - on all topics, from the state of his injured right elbow to the consequences of defeat in a series. He said it was "who I am", which was not necessary to show too much.
"I mean, do not know if I'm angry or not," said James. "I not going to show that I'm angry. For me, if I show a sense of panic, as you say, you guys follow my example.
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