Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James played the last three games in their 4-0 NBA Finals loss to the Golden State Warriors “pretty much with a broken hand”. The injury was a result of James punching a blackboard in an outburst after Game 1.
James said he suffered the “self-inflicted” injury after the Game 1 loss which led to him playing the remaining games with a damaged shooting hand. James, a three-time NBA champion, said that his outburst after Game 1 came as a result of anger at “calls made throughout the course of the game.”
"I let the emotions get the best of me and pretty much played the last three games with a broken hand," James said at press conference on Friday, where he appeared with his right hand in a cast.
Game 1 had seen officials change a key decision to rule against James when the Cavaliers were 104-102 up with 36 seconds left. The resulting free throws allowed the Warriors to tie the game, and they went on to win in overtime, despite James scoring 51 points.
James’ future at the Cavaliers is now in doubt, with the 33-year-old a free agent from next month.
After Friday’s defeat he said he had "no idea” if he had played his last game for the team with whom he won the NBA title in 2016, and that he would consider the interests of his family when making the decision on his next steps.
The Golden State Warriors repeated as NBA champions with a 108-85 victory over LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday to extend a stunning run that has included three titles in the last four seasons.
Warriors forward Kevin Durant was named NBA Finals MVP, after averaging 28.8 points for the series, including a stunning Game 3 in which he scored 43 points and made seven assists.
