By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
The “King” ended the series averaging 33.6 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists but took the fifth Finals loss of his career as the Golden State Warriors clinched the title with a 129-120 victory.
“I left everything on the floor every game, all five games,” James said. “So for me personally, I have no reason to put my head down. I have no reason to look back at what I could have done or what I shouldn’t have done or what I could have done better for the team. I left everything I had out on the floor every single game for five games in this Finals, and you come up short.”
“How would you feel? You know, so you wouldn’t hold your head down, but you would be like, ‘OK, it’s just not my time.’ So Golden State is a worthy opponent, obviously been the best team in our league for the last three years, the best team this year, and they showcased that throughout the postseason, and we were another opponent in their way.”
James stopped short of calling this his finest performance in his extensive Finals career. He averaged 29.7 points, 11.3 rebounds and 8.9 assists in the Cavs seven-game series win over the Warriors in 2016, finishing it with three of the greatest games of his career in succession.
He averaged 25.3 points, 10.9 rebounds and seven assists in 2013, another year he won the Finals with a command performance in a Game 7, that time with the Miami Heat. Before this series, his best performance in a series defeat was probably from the 2009 Eastern Conference finals, when the Cavs lost to the Orlando Magic in six games despite James averaging 38.5 points, 8 rebounds and 8.3 assists.