LeBron James on 2017 Warriors: 'Most firepower I've ever seen'
LeBron James was lost for words Wednesday after his Cleveland Cavaliers gave up a 3-0 lead in the 2017 NBA Finals to the red-hot Golden State Warriors. After the 118-113 defeat, James conceded that the Warriors boast of the "most firepower" he has ever seen during his illustrious NBA career.
James is making his seventh consecutive NBA Finals appearance and eighth overall. If the Cavs lose during Friday's Game 4, James would suffer a 4-0 sweep for the second time in his Finals career (after getting routed by the San Antonio Spurs in 2007) and go 3-5 overall with his three championships coming in 2012, 2013 and 2016.
"I said it after we won the Eastern Conference finals that we're getting ready for a juggernaut. It's probably the most, most firepower I've played in my career. I played against some great teams, but I don't think no team has had this type of firepower," James said after Wednesday's loss.
Are the 2017 Warriors the greatest team ever?
The 2017 Warriors boast of four All-Stars and four-All NBA players in Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson. No other team in NBA history has featured two Most Valuable Players in their prime (under the age of 30). While the 2014 Spurs featured four future Hall-of-Famers in Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard, three players were past their prime.
"Even when you're playing well, you got to play A-plus-plus, because they're going to make runs and they're going to make shots and they got guys that's going to make plays. So we made enough plays tonight to still win the ballgame, but they made a couple more," added James, via ESPN.
Unlike the first two games of the series, the Cavs stayed competitive through most of Wednesday's Game 4 until the Warriors went on a late 11-0 run in the fourth quarter to seal the deal. Durant, who controversially joined Golden State during last year's Free Agency, made a go-ahead three-point basket to silence the crowd at the Quicken Loans Arena. Wile James finished with a near- triple-double tally of 39 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists, Kyrie Irving, the hero of last year's Game 7, piled on 38 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists. But those efforts didn't prove enough as the Warriors kept chipping away before their final quarter explosion.
"We had some really good looks. It's a miss-or-make league. We make a couple, they miss a couple, and it's the other way around. But it didn't happen that way. For me personally, I gave everything I had tonight. So win, lose or draw, you live with the results," added James, when asked to break down the final few minutes.
The 2017 NBA Finals will continue on Friday as the Cleveland Cavaliers host the Golden State Warriors for Game 4. After the teams won a finals apiece over the last two years, the Warriors are primed to win the trilogy. No team in NBA history has rallied back from a 3-0 deficit in the championship round.
