It wasn’t just he lost, but it was the way that he lost. By now, almost everyone who didn’t see the game has at least saw the blunder that J.R Smith made at the end of the game. The infamous play of J.R grabbing the rebound and dribbling away from the rim has been replayed a several times. Not to mention it has been turned into several funny memes. The culmination of LeBron’s frustration after the play, the team’s performance in overtime and his news conference after the game and the next leads me to believe his spirit has died. I would be really surprised if LeBron and the Cavs come out with the same gusto that they did in game one.
Not only did it take a lot out of them as a team, but from an individual standpoint, LeBron has known to getting little pouty and passive when he gets frustrated and disinterested. Going back to 2010, when he was defeated by the Boston Celtics in the Conference Finals, LeBron exhibited this behavior. It was like he knew he didn’t have a chance to win, plus it seemed that he knew he was leaving the team. Fast forward to 2018, and LeBron is facing a similar scenario. He is on a inferior team that he has carried on his back. He is once again facing free agency and the speculation is once again he will be leaving for another team. Basically he has nothing more to play for. He knows if he put up 70 points and he still might lose. He knows that general public regards him as the best and doesn’t hold him accountable for his teams failures.
With those factors, I expect LeBron not to necessarily give up, but not go as hard if they would have won game one. He might put up a fight, but he is already watching for the hook.