The LeBron James Supporting Cast Excuse is Old, But They've Been Awful

LeBron James hasn’t been good enough in the first two NBA Finals games for the Cavaliers to win –not with his supporting cast playing average basketball and certainly not with everyone else doing their best disappearing act.

Judging by the lofty standards he’s set and supported with his confident words, King James’ seventh foray into the Finals has been a giant disappointment. It appears his legacy (whatever you believe that to be) will be further devalued.

James is scoring 22 points, grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing out 9 assists per game. He’s also turned the ball over a series-high 11 times and has a plus-minus of -28. He’s looked frustrated and, at times, not assertive enough.

Frustration with his teammates has also been on display.

LeBron’s detractors long ago tired of hearing his supporters make excuses on his behalf. At a certain point it has to stop being about the supporting actors and start being about the leading man.

But it’s impossible to escape the fact that the Warriors are throwing productive player after productive player out there and the Cavaliers can’t count on anyone not named LeBron James to perform.

Kyrie Irving (-36) is averaging 18 points per game but is 12-for-36 from the floor. He’s made only one of his seven three-point attempts and committed more turnovers than created assists.

Kevin Love (-16) is averaging 11 points and 8 rebounds but is also misfiring (9-for-24). He suffered a possible concussion in Game 2 and has looked totally over-matched physically.

J.R. Smith (-35) Has scored 8 total points on 9 shots in almost 70 minutes of court time. A total non-factor.

Tristan Thompson (-15): Has been one of the few aggressive Cavaliers but is averaging 9 points and 8.5 rebounds.

Richard Jefferson (-25): Has made the most of his minutes, contributing 7.5 points per game. In Game 2 he converted four of his six shots and was a bright spot for the Cavaliers. That last sentence should tell you all you need to know.

Outside of James, perhaps only Irving is among the 10 most productive players of the young Finals.

Currently (and unscientifically), that list looks something like this:

Draymond Green
Andre Iguodala
LeBron James
Shaun Livingston
Steph Curry
Klay Thompson
Kyrie Irving
Leandro Barbosa

After that, you could conceivably slot Tristan Thompson or Kevin Love into the Top 10, but it’s certainly not clear. Has Thompson really been better than Andrew Bogut? Has Love really been better than Harrison Barnes?

If Love and Irving continue to play as poorly as they have, there’s nothing James can do to compete in this series. Are the Cavaliers winning if James is scoring 35 points in a triple-double fashion? Not without any help.

If anything, the lack of production from his teammates is doing James a favor. There’s no debating that the Cavs have been very, very bad. So bad, in fact, it feels like the pendulum has swung all the way over to “hey, the Warriors are just historically good” groupthink. The silver lining for James if this continues is that many will acknowledge that he was climbing an impossible mountain with no friend to belay him.

So, yes, the supporting cast as fall guy is a bit tired. But, hey, it’s what’s happening, plain as day for everyone to see.

Images via USA Today Sports