CLEVELAND—In the heat of Game 7, LeBron James disappeared. He vanished down the tunnel with a trainer in tow, and his team’s lead—once as large as 14 points— was all but gone. This was the first time that James had exited the game since it began. And if the larger trends of the series offered any indication, the whole thing—and Cleveland’s season—could be effectively over by the time he returned.
The first round had been a systematic demonstration of all that the Cavaliers lack. They were blown out in their minutes without LeBron on the floor over the first six games because their offense made such little sense without him.