Staying with the cold symbolism, James placed the stat sheet on top of the ice water between his ankles.
"Combine me with Paul [Pierce] and we were 4 for 32 with 16 turnovers," said the 23-year-old superstar. "0 for 9 on 3-pointers. Not two All-Star numbers there."
James was remarkably composed. He'd just played one of the worst games of his professional career. He'd missed two drives down the stretch. Nothing worked. But he wasn't angry or mute. He was mature and confident. Maybe that's what it's like when you are as good as LeBron James. You know you're going to get them next time. Bet Bill Russell was the same way after a horrible game at the start of a playoff series.
"He tried to attack the rim," said Cleveland coach Mike Brown "Guys have tough nights like that. He very seldom has a game like that, but I'm sure he'll bounce back. He had a tough night and he's definitely entitled to it.
"I'm not worried about him. He'll definitely bounce back in Game 2."
Earlier in the day, James learned that he finished fourth in MVP voting. He was the man everyone was talking about before the start of the series. He scored the first basket of the game. Then he didn't score from the floor again until the latter half of the final quarter. A long time between baskets. Meanwhile, he turned the ball over. Again and again. And he missed shots. Every kind of shot.
"Team credit," said Celtics center Kendrick Perkins. "We did it good as a team. But we know he is going to try to come back and be a lot more aggressive."
LeBron's only sanctuary was the foul line. James gets more calls than any 23-year-old in the history of basketball. His head snaps back like Cosmo Kramer and the officials seem to go for it every time. He took 10 free throws in the first half and was able to induce a flagrant foul (tagged on Sam Cassell) when he should have been assessed two minutes for diving.
"He's a great player, and if there was an easy way of solving him, he wouldn't be a great player," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "There's nothing we're going to do that he hasn't seen."
Pierce, James Posey, and Ray Allen took turns on James. All had considerable success, but a lot of James's misses were shots he normally makes.
