CLEVELAND — The statistics say LeBron James has never received less help in the N.B.A. playoffs from a group of teammates than he did in this first-round marathon against the Indiana Pacers.
The reality of Sunday’s wild Game 7 at Quicken Loans Arena is that James’s much-maligned supporting cast had to help keep its hobbled king propped up in the most stressful quarter of a chaotic season — and they somehow managed to pull it off in Cleveland’s 105-101 triumph.
In the seventh Game 7 of his playoff life, James made his first seven shots and played at his brilliant best until he was hit with what was reported to be a bout of leg cramps late in the third quarter.