INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- After taking a commanding 3-0 series lead with an overtime victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night, TV cameras appeared to catch a member of the Boston Celtics asking, "Where the hell LeBron at?"
The answer, in a literal sense, was more than 430 miles away, as the Cleveland Cavaliers were preparing to take their own 3-0 series lead in their own Eastern Conference Quarterfinals matchup with the Toronto Raptors, courtesy of a LeBron James game-winner.
Considering no team in NBA postseason history has ever overcome a 3-0 series deficit, it appears to be a matter of not if, but when the Cavs and Celtics will meet in an Eastern Conference Finals rematch. Both teams will have the opportunity to advance there on Monday night when they take part in their respective Game 4s.
But rather than looking ahead -- just as the Celtics already appear to be doing -- James remains focused on Toronto. Asked what has impressed him about Boston, which is currently without All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, the Cavs megastar admitted to having watched the Celtics this postseason, but declined to discuss specifics.
“I don’t really want to talk about Boston right now, just yet,” James said. “I still gotta lot of work to in this series.”
Although Cleveland's series with the Raptors may only have 48 minutes left, James isn't wrong.
Through the Cavs' first 10 games of the 2018 postseason, the 4-time MVP leads his team in points, blocks, steals, assists and of course, minutes played. Dating back to the team's opening-round, seven-game series with the Indiana Pacers, James is averaging 34.8 points per game -- his highest postseason average since the 2009 playoffs.
Furthermore, even with the Raptors on the brink of being eliminated by the Cavs for the third consecutive spring, James is expecting the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference's best shot on Monday night.
“It’s the playoffs. I wouldn’t expect anything less of that,” James said. “I go into a game thinking physicality from the beginning, so my mindset doesn’t change.”
But should the Cavs finish off their sweep, the 14-time All-Star will be more than happy to turn his attention toward a likely opponent that already appears to be eyeing him.
"If we happen to be fortunate enough to win this series," James said, "I'll give you a lot of insight into what I feel about Boston."
