LeBron James Says ‘The Honeymoon Is Over’ After The Cavs’ Third Straight Loss

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For the past six months, everything has gone well for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The team famously overcame a 3-1 deficit to triumph over the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals and, since then, LeBron James and company have basked in an extensive afterglow. In fact, that goodwill extended to the start of the 2016-2017 season, as Cleveland compiled a 13-2 record that included the No. 1 spot in various NBA power rankings around the internet. On Friday, though, James declared that “the honeymoon is over” for the Cavaliers.

It comes as no surprise that James would be frustrated on Friday evening, as the Cavaliers suffered a 111-105 defeat at the hands of the Chicago Bulls that doubled as the team’s third straight defeat. For many NBA teams, three straight losses would probably qualify as a blip on the radar, but the reigning NBA champions operate in a different stratosphere of attention, and that is even more true with regard to the best player on the planet.

In the six-point loss to the Bulls, James put together a strong individual performance with 27 points (on 13 of 22 shooting) to go along with 13 assists and five rebounds in 45 minutes of court time. However, Cleveland’s centerpiece committed eight turnovers in the game while attempting zero free throws, and that likely added to his level of frustration. Beyond that, counterparts Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving combined to make just 14 of their 35 field goal attempts and, perhaps more importantly, Chicago was able to get most shots they desired throughout the 48-minute game.

This singular quote from James is the textbook example of something that will be magnified simply because he is the one that uttered it to the media in the heat of a postgame interview. Still, the Cleveland Cavaliers are showing signs of weakness for the first time in a long while, and LeBron James just shed the spotlight on those blemishes for all to see.

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