BOSTON -- A 96-83 loss to the Boston Celtics on Wednesday puts the Cleveland Cavaliers one loss away from ending their season. One loss away from ending a streak of three consecutive trips to the NBA Finals. One loss away from snapping LeBron James' personal string of seven straight appearances in the championship round. One loss away from James potentially walking out the door as a free agent this summer, saying goodbye to Cleveland a second time after spending 11 of his 15 seasons in the pros playing for the Wine & Gold.
The drumbeat is getting louder around a league that is anticipating the end of Cleveland's dominance in the East and suggesting a shift in power to whichever team James chooses next.