LeBron James has said that he can understand why the Cleveland Cavaliers are being written off by some fans after the first game of the NBA Finals.
The Eastern Conference champions lost in overtime in their first meeting with the Golden State Warriors, and will play the rest of the series without point guard Kyrie Irving, who has a fractured kneecap.
The four-time league MVP told reporters: "[I] understand that we were the underdog coming into the series, and with Kyrie being out, people are writing us off. So, I mean, that's fine. That's fine. I'm motivated to get our guys ready to go [for game two], and we will be ready.
"It's a tough pill to swallow. Obviously, we've been in this situation, but we always knew at some point he'll come back. Now that he's out for the rest of the Finals and out for a period of a long time, first of all, it sucks for him personally. It's a huge blow for our team, especially at this stage.
"You want to try to be as close to full strength as possible throughout these games, especially when you're going against a worthy opponent like we're facing. So it's a tough situation for our team, and guys have to pick up in his absence."
The teams meet again at the Warriors' Oracle Arena tonight.
Sian Cowper
