BOSTON — The giddy Celtics fans got an early start wishing LeBron James good luck on his future.
Whenever James went to the foul line — on six separate occasions — a loud, taunting chant of “New York Knicks!” exploded inside the new Boston Garden.
And though the Knicks chants may have bothered James for this evening, it was music to ears of New Yorkers who hope it comes true and that the Garden is King James’ next stop in his career.
Start spreading the news …
James’ Cavaliers career probably came to an end last night. The Celtics crushed the Cavs in the second half, posting a 94-85 victory. Boston eliminated James’ club, 4-2, in a second-round shocker, leaving the franchise’s future in chaos and confusion.
James, who posted an anti-climactic triple-double (27 points, 19 rebounds, 10 assists, 8 of 21 shooting) actually ripped off his maroon jersey in the hallway before he entered the locker room. He couldn’t get it off fast enough.
One hour after the game, after a locker-room meeting with his agent Leon Rose and adviser William Wesley, James made it clear he was going to explore options — and the Knicks are known to be high on the list.
James said he would approach July 1 with the “right mindset.”
Asked to explain, James said, “I want to win. It’s all about winning for me. The Cavs are committed to that, but at the same time I’ve given myself options to this point. Me and my team, we have a game plan we’re going to execute and we’ll see where we’ll be at.”
When James talks about his “team” now, he is not talking about the Cavs.
James has 47 long, painful days to mull it over, because free agency doesn’t begin until July 1. The Knicks will pull out all the stops courting James, but won’t be alone. The Bulls, Nets and Heat figure to be his other ardent suitors.
“I’ve no plans, I made no plans,” James said. “That it’s over is definitely a surprise.”
Of the disappointment, James said, “A friend told me after the game, I guess you have to go through a lot of nightmares before (you) finally accomplish your dream.”
Last season James left the court without shaking hands with any Orlando players. This time, he hugged many Celtics.
“They played an unbelievable series,” James said.
James, booed often when he touched the ball, was not passive like in Game 5’s disaster, but he couldn’t shoot, either, and committed nine turnovers — one turnover short of a dubious quadruple double.
His lingering elbow injury hampered him. He seemed unwilling to drive to the hoop with his right hand.
“Not going to make excuses, it limited me some,” James said.
After making The Finals in 2007, the Cavs have gone down in disappointing fashion in three straight seasons — in the second round, conference finals and second round.
Seven seasons in Cleveland still hasn’t produced a title, and that might be enough for James to seek a fresh start in New York or Chicago.
Asked what the loss does to his free-agent thinking, James said, “I didn’t play this season wondering what I’d do in the offseason.
“I’m going to approach the summer with the right mindset and me and my team is going to figure out the best possibility for me,” he said. “I love the city of Cleveland of course, the city, the fans. It was a disappointing season to say the least, but at the same time we had a great time together. We’ll see what happens.”
James denied a report before the game he has torn ligaments in his elbow.
“I don’t know. It’s not true,” James said. “I don’t know where that came from.”
But James could use his aching elbow as an excuse to remain in Cleveland, where he promised to deliver its first NBA title. Or demand a new coach, such as his friend John Calipari.
After starting 4 of 15, James broke his shooting funk early in the fourth quarter and poured in back-to-back 3-pointers 24 seconds part, bringing Cleveland back to 78-74 with 9:34 left.
But the comeback ended. James made a great feed to Anderson Varejeo, who blew the layup — a stinging blow and painful reminder that King James doesn’t have a clutch supporting cast.
James then bounced a ball off his foot, leading to a Rajon Rondo breakaway and 80-74 lead. Paul Pierce drained a 3-pointer to put them back up 83-74 for the clincher.
The Celtics, who face Orlando in the Eastern Finals, blew it open late in the third quarter, rallying from a four-point deficit to go up 12 points.
Free agent Shaquille O’Neal played lax defense on Kevin Garnett, who finished with a team-high 22 points.
The Cavs rallied from 10 points down early in the second quarter and took their first lead of the game with 3:35 left in the half. Mo Williams scored 20 points by halftime but two in the second half.
“I’m kinda still trying to figure out what went wrong in this series,” James said. “We’ll see what happens.”