by Jeff Goodman

Updated: May 7, 2008, 11:38 AM EST 354 comments

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The Cleveland Cavaliers star received just a solitary first-place vote earlier in the day and finished a distant fourth in the MVP race behind winner Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett and Chris Paul.

James went into the series opener against Boston on Tuesday night averaging 34.5 points in his last 10 games against the Celtics. He'd hit for at least 31 in nine of those games.

There was little doubt in anyone's mind that James was going to come out and prove a point in Game 1 of the second-round series. That he was, at the very least, in the conversation when it comes to the league's MVP and not just an afterthought.

No one would have been all that surprised if he had tacked 50 on the Celtics.

Instead, James put up a complete dud and possibly the worst performance since his playground days in Akron.

James missed 16 of the 18 shots he took from the field and came up short on a layup with 8.5 seconds seconds remaining that would have potentially forced overtime. He finished with 12 points and 10 turnovers.

"I know I can make those shots," James said after the 76-72 loss. "I missed layups. Those are layups I've made my whole life."

The only reason the Cavs were even in the game while shooting a pitiful 30.7 percent was because two-thirds of Boston's Big Three was just as ineffective from the offensive end.

Paul Pierce and Ray Allen coincidentally combined to also misfire on 16 of their 18 shots. Allen went scoreless for the first time since 1997, ending a streak of 852 games in which he got into the scoring column.

"They balanced each other out basically," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said.

Except for the fact that Pierce, with some help from veteran reserve James Posey, made life difficult for King James.

On this night, he wasn't even a Prince. In fact, he was a mere ordinary servant.

But it won't continue. James is arguably the best all-around player in the NBA and come Thursday night in Game 2, the Celtics are fully aware they will see a completely different player.

However, it's also unlikely that Pierce and Allen will combine for a dozen points and not a single trip to the charity stripe between the duo.

Those who felt that the Celtics would finally kick it into gear after squeaking by the Atlanta Hawks in the first round were off the mark. Boston cruised past Atlanta in all four games on its home floor. That wasn't the case in Boston against Cleveland.

If not for waiver-wire pickup Sam Cassell, Boston would likely be down a game in the best-of-seven series.

Cassell made critical fourth-quarter shots as Rivers elected to go with the cocky veteran instead of soft-spoken youngster Rajon Rondo.

Shortly after Boston regained the lead on Kevin Garnett's turnaround, Cassell knocked down a 3-pointer with 7:54 left that pushed the lead to 64-60. Cassell hit another trifecta a little more than a minute later and also added a pair of free throws with less than a minute left in the game to give the Celtics a two-point lead.

"The one thing about Sam is he's going to take the shot if it's there," Rivers said. "He has no problem taking it and that's why we brought him here."

Garnett was the only star that actually showed up. He finished with 28 points and eight rebounds and the point-guard duo of Rondo and Cassell combined for 28 points.

Boston has three guys it can rely on while the Cavs only have one — and he was a no-show.

"He had a tough night," Cleveland coach Mike Brown said of James. "He's definitely entitled to it."

Not if the Cavs want to get back to the NBA Finals.