Siefried, the world\u2019s preeminent hypnotist, proudly steps into the Cavaliers locker room after game three and says, \u201cWhere is LeBron? I\u2019ve come to accept his congratulations.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cI\u2019m right here, you charlatan,\u201d says the star, stepping close and looking down.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cI beg your pardon. Can you not count?\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cI count fine. We just lost by eight and trail three games zip.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cStephen Curry, who had scorched you from downtown in game two, misfired his first nine three-pointers. I sent him into a shooter\u2019s nightmare despite having a devil of a time getting him to sit still and look at my gold watch swinging on a golden chain.\u201d <\/p>\n
\t\u201cI\u2019m not concerned with the difficulties of your job. That\u2019s why I paid you five million.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tTyronn Lue, his face tight, is standing nearby, listening. He approaches and asks, \u201cWouldn\u2019t that be against league rules, LeBron?\u201d <\/p>\n
\t\u201cI\u2019ve never heard of any no-hypnosis rule, Coach. This guy just didn\u2019t get it done.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cTry to be fair, LeBron,\u201d says Lue. \u201cHe did shut down Curry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cBut he didn\u2019t do squat about Durant.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cI tried,\u201d says Siegfried. <\/p>\n
\t\u201cFor another five million, I expect better.\u201d <\/p>\n
\t\u201cThe task proved impossible.\u201d <\/p>\n
\t\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cI was starting to entice him to the other side when Draymond Green ran over and snatched my watch.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cWhy the hell didn\u2019t you tell me?\u201d asks LeBron <\/p>\n
\t\u201cI decided it better not to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cSo you could protect your fee.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cThat\u2019s not entirely true, LeBron. I thought if you believed Durant was diminished you might be able to make it so.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cI needed to prepare myself for the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cGentlemen,\u201d says Siegfried, looking at LeBron and Lue, \u201csometimes it\u2019s better not to know. Imagine if you\u2019d had images of Kevin Durant, taller and longer and a better shooter than all your players, you\u2019d have suffered before the game and even more so in the first quarter, a bitter foretaste, when he hit all his shots and scored thirteen points. At least you led by one at the buzzer. Please also note that at this point I tried to distract Durant by reflecting light from my wristwatch into his eyes. It may have helped. He missed three shots in the second quarter and only had twenty-four points at halftime. But that was rather ominous when he swished the three just before the buzzer. Still, the Cavaliers were up by six.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tTyronn Lue, a kind and soft-spoken man, says, \u201cMaybe you could\u2019ve done something during the break.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cWhat? At least I did pray. Did you? You should have. While Curry continued clanking, Durant kept extending those long arms over your defenders and draining threes and other jumpers. Thankfully, you only trailed by two after three quarters. Durant stayed hot in the fourth quarter. You should\u2019ve denied him the ball. And you should\u2019ve protected your leads, ninety-five to ninety-four and ninety-seven to ninety-six. Durant erased the former with a jumper and Curry hit a two and, finally, a three, but you still had a chance when LeBron\u2019s triple made it a hundred to a hundred one, and even after Andre Iguodala\u2019s basket you guys only trailed by three until you let Durant bury another three, his sixth.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cWe didn\u2019t let Durant do anything,\u201d says LeBron. \u201cHe didn\u2019t shoot a three, that was a hail Mary from Lake Erie. If a guy\u2019s gonna make that and score forty-three points, congratulations.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cWhat\u2019re you doing with my watch? LeBron\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n