Tough going for the King

It's kind of like Maine. As in, ``as Maine goes, so goes the nation.'' That's how the Cleveland Cavaliers feel about LeBron James. As James goes, so go the Cavs? Where's that getting the underdogs in the Eastern Conference Semifinals?

Nowhere, because LeBron James, the fourth-best basketball player on the planet, if you believe recent MVP polls, is stuck in a whirlpool - or is that a cesspool? - usually reserved for the common player. In two games he's now shooting 8-for-42, and, perhaps worse, he's thrown in 17 turnovers. His 6-for-24, 19-point, seven-turnover effort in his team's startling 89-73 loss to the Celtics last night are shocking by any standards. Heck, Damon Jones could have done that.

To say that James is frustrated is an understatement, but it's not just the shooting that's got him concerned.

``I'm not frustrated,'' James said. ``With me, missing shots I know I can make can be frustrating. I'm more frustrated with my turnovers. Seventeen turnovers in two games - I know I can protect the ball. I'm more frustrated with that.''

Nobody has played the superstar better than the Celtics this season, and they've taken him right off his game with a tremendous defensive game plan that he's been smothered when he tries to shoot from outside as well as outside. The Cavs had planned to get James off after his horrendous 2-for-18, 10-turnover Game 1 by springing him on quick pick and rolls that would enable him to run at the basket. The Celtics snuffed it out at every turn. Even when James did have a good crack at the hoop, he'd often miss. That's pretty much what happened in the closing seconds of Game 1 when he got by James Posey and got into the lane.

``I think defensively, they're very, very aggressive,'' he said of the Celtics. ``They're very good. I'm just missing shots that I normally make. So I'm going to stay positive and get my way through.''

Now, there's certainly every expectation that the James game will turn around when the teams meet again in Cleveland tomorrow night. For one thing, the Celtics will have to overcome some demons of their own, witness three losses in Atlanta during the first round. If they can't beat Atlanta, what's going to happen in a building where the Cavs played NBA Finals games last season? Also, that's the building where the Cavs erased a 0-2 deficit to the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals by winning four straight games.

Yet, James never had to come off anything like this, where the NBA's best defensive team has hounded him from baseline to baseline. It's not just Paul Pierce. It's not just James Posey. The Celtics' defensive schemes are so strong that they've become almost impenetrable once they get going. They've now limited Atlanta to 65 points in Game 7 and Cleveland to 72 and 73.

``We have our defensive principles and we stick by them,'' said Leon Powe. ``And that is not let him get into the paint, by any means necessary. If that means that all the bigs have to pull over and keep all eyes on him, that's what we have to do. We try not to let him get into the paint. If he hits some jumpers, do be it.''

Yet, James hasn't even been able to do that.

``I am a little shocked that he's 8-for-42,'' said Pierce, who was 7-for-13 for 19 points, ``but this is what we work on. When we go on to the scouting report, when we go to practice, we work on trying to contain him. It's not me. It's everybody, man. It's Kevin, it's Perk, it's mostly the big guys stepping up, showing the help. When you've got guys who are 6-10, seven feet, putting their arms out, showing on the pick and roll, crowding him on traps, it makes it rough for him.

Perhaps it shows just what the Cavs are. As goes LeBron, so go the Cavs, and the only offense they received in this game was from center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who after hitting each of the first four Cavs baskets finished with 19 points. Szczerbiak added 13 but no other Cav reached double figures.

The beauty of this one for the Celtics is that when Ray Allen started slowly, as did Rajon Rondo and Perkins, Cassell came in to shoulder an offensive load, as did Powe and Posey. They ran with the energy that the starters didn't have early on.

``I thought they were lackadaisical,'' said Cassell.

And then the starters picked it up again, just blasting the Cavs in every way. Without James to stem the flow with his offensive output, the visitors were helpless.

Meanwhile, four Celts reached double figures, including Allen, who made it a point to be aggressive. After his 0-for-4 Game 1 he went 4-for-10 but scored 16 points. The Celtics bench was huge, outscoring the Cavs', 34-17.

In the end, James didn't lose faith or hope. He spoke of his team's victory over Detroit last season, and he even did something that seemed rather odd under the circumstances when he helped each of his teammates and the coaches off the bench in the closing minutes of the game.

``We've been in this situation before,'' he said. ``I've got to let them know that I'm not frustrated and I'm not getting down on this series. ``Being down, 0-2, that's a tough hole to dig yourself out of, but we're going to have to do it if we want to move on. So me being the team leader, I can't look like I'm down on the series or down on my play or down on my team's play. We've got to continue to be positive.''

The Celtics know this and know it well. They talked after the game about the challenges of playing in Cleveland, but if they can key in on once again containing the one man that makes the Cavs go, they're in darned good shape.