CLEVELAND — With a roar and a rip, LeBron James pulled his warmup top off. The national anthem was moving through its last bars, but James could not wait. He screamed, testing the buttons of his wine-colored jacket as he pulled it apart in a manner befitting Superman; hands to the middle then yanked outward.
James calmly said Tuesday that Game 3 of the NBA Finals had moved to a must-win level, knowing that history and common sense supported his theory. The Cavaliers were down 2-0. Information hinted more at a sweep than a comeback, with the series on the way to being another element in Cleveland’s downtrodden athletic lore.