Adversity is always relative for LeBron James.
It’s been years and years since James has faced anything resembling April panic. His Heat and Cavaliers teams swept through the first round of the playoffs every season from 2013 to 2017, and he entered Sunday’s Game 1 against Indiana riding a 21-game winning streak in the first round.
The Pacers not only snapped that streak with a 98-80 road win, they did so in convincing fashion: They doubled up the score in the first quarter, withstood a James-led second-half rally and held the Cavaliers to their second-lowest point total of the season.