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NBA Playoffs: LeBron James is Superman but Pacers may be his kryptonite

By Patrick Schmidt

CLEVELAND, OH - APRIL 15: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers shoots the ball against the Indiana Pacers in Game One of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 15, 2018 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - APRIL 15: LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers shoots the ball against the Indiana Pacers in Game One of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 15, 2018 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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LeBron James is Superman on the basketball court but the Pacers may represent his kryptonite.

LeBron James is 48-7 for his career in the first round of the NBA Playoffs entering Sunday’s Game 1 vs. the Indiana Pacers. It’s now 48-8, snapping his personal record of 21 straight wins in the first round. The Pacers won 98-80 as this was the first time his team lost a game in the first round since 2012, and it could end up being the first time his team is eliminated in the first round.

James owns a career 12-0 record in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, but perhaps more than ever, that streak is in jeopardy against a hungry Pacers team that has often been victimized by James in the past.

Led by Victor Oladipo, the Pacers dominated the game from the opening quarter where they jumped to a 33-14 lead after the opening 12 minutes. Of course, the NBA is a game made up of runs so it was still too premature to crown the Pacers the winners of this game because you can’t count out LeBron from going all LeBron on the opposition.

The Cavs made it a single-digit game in the fourth quarter but that was as close as they could get as the Pacers. Cavs fans began streaming for the exit with a few minutes remaining in the fourth quarter as the outcome was decided and the Pacers stole home-court advantage from the Cavs.

It wasn’t LeBron’s fault, who had a triple-double, after having 18 in the regular season. He didn’t play great despite the triple-double, but what makes LeBron so vulnerable is his supporting cast.

There’s no Kyrie Irving to help with the offensive production, Kevin Love is a shell of his former self, albeit still a capable rebounder and outside of J.R. Smith providing some shooting help off the bench, the rest of the roster is not championship-worthy.

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Without LeBron playing like Superman, the Cavs are a very ordinary team. They can still regain control of this series if they can find a way to slow Oladipo who looks like a full-blown superstar in the making.

But for the first time in a long time, LeBron looks like he’s met his kryptonite in the form of the Pacers.

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