Cavaliers play without LeBron James for second straight game

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ supposed romp to an NBA title was slowed even further, as LeBron James will sit out Wednesday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks with a recurring sore knee.

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Remember when we all thought the Cleveland Cavaliers would go 68-14, pillage the Eastern Conference and then maul the team that survived the Western Conference en route to the NBA Title?

Well….

Cleveland ain’t rocking these days, less so now that LeBron James will miss a second straight game as the Cavs welcome the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night. The King’s royal left knee remains sore, which will keep him sidelined again. James missed Tuesday’s loss to the Atlanta Hawks, which dropped their record to 18-13 overall, the fifth-best record in the East.

James’ knee has bothered him since late in the Christmas afternoon loss at Miami, where he went into the locker room momentarily after diving for a loose ball. He played in Cleveland’s next two games, yet the issue has continued to flare up.

Losing James’ 25.2 points, 5.3 assists and 7.6 rebounds will be more daunting since it looks like he will have friends in street clothes sitting next to him. Kevin Love’s back spasms and Shawn Marion’s ankle will keep them sidelined as well against a Bucks team that has played well beyond expectations en route to a 16-16 record.

Joe Harris, Matthew Dellavedova and James Harris will see plenty of minutes on Wednesday, which is a far, far (and we do mean far) cry from the visions of James, Love and Kyrie Irving rolling through opponents like a steamroller.

Yes, it’s only December 31 and that the Cavaliers will still have 50 games remaining, yet it’s becoming obvious this team is a long way from being the elite team everyone pegged them for when James came home in July and Love was added at month’s end. With all three of their stars being sidelined with injuries and the less than inspiring play at times, expectations have been way off base.

Cleveland will be a playoff team, and there’s reason to believe they will shake off the early doldrums and become the squad that was a mortal lock to win the Finals. As of now, the Cavs will have to not only get better, but also contend with Toronto, Atlanta, Chicago and Washington, each of which has shown they can match up against King James and company.

LeBron’s return to Cleveland was the NBA story of 2014. Cavs fans hope a postseason pratfall won’t be the NBA story of 2015.

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