LOS ANGELES - LeBron James' second stint in Cleveland - the four NBA Finals appearances, the first championship in franchise history that snapped a 52-year title-less drought for the city -- was an unabashed success.
But it came at a cost.
While James was brilliant in those postseason runs, he played 81 games in the playoffs - an entire extra regular season's worth - in the last four years. When James left for Los Angeles, there were people within the Cleveland Cavaliers' organization that privately joked that "the tread is off his tires.