NBA legend says the Cavaliers are suffering from a ‘Kardashian curse’

THE evidence is overwhelming — a backfiring, key star of the NBA Finals has become the latest victim of the scariest curse in sport.

Could this be the reason for the Cavs’ finals horror show?

ANYONE following the news this week will know the Cleveland Cavaliers are in serious trouble midway through the NBA finals series against their bitter Golden State rivals.

The Warriors have won the first three matches of the seven-game series, putting Cavs fans in a state of dismay. Hope of a second-straight title is slipping away.

It’s no secret, the Cleveland unit are in a serious pickle.

Experts rushed to pinpoint the problem in the Cavs’ disappointing post-season effort. USA Today’s Kyle Tereda said the Cavs are simply copping the full force of a Warriors pack out for revenge after last year’s embarrassing finals flop.

“There’s no comparison to 2016, when LeBron was trying to bring a title home for the first time while silencing his ever-present critics,” he said via FOX Sports US.

NBA legend and commentator Jalen Rose said Cleveland are simply suffering from the dreaded “Kardashian curse”, outing Cavs center Tristan Thompson’s relationship with celebrity Khloe Kardashian.

“I want to say what every body’s thinking,” he said post-match.

“There are three things in life that are certain to me: Father Time, gravity, and the curse of the Kardashians. Tristan Thompson had zero points in two of the three games.”

Some would say blaming professional athlete’s poor performance on their relationship with celebrities is ludicrous, but the stats speak for themselves. The towering center has scored just eight points and racked up a measly 11 rebounds across the three games, a pittance compared to his stats at this point in the finals series last year.

In 2016, Thompson had 30 rebounds and 32 points by the end of game three.

Is this relationship hurting Thompson’s on-court form? Jalen Rose sure thinks so.

Retired NBA star Charles Barkley threw some heat in Thompson’s direction, saying he’d be able to get more rebounds as an overweight commentator.

“I’m a fat old guy — if you put me in an NBA game for 20 minutes, I’d get 3 rebounds,” he said after the Cavs capitulated Thursday.

Tristan Thompson's #NBAFinals
Game 1: 0 points, 4 rebounds
Game 2: 8 pts, 4 reb
Game 3: 0 pts (0-for-1), 3 reb pic.twitter.com/CtPSOVwCAj

— 120 Sports (@120Sports) June 8, 2017

In other news: Khloe Kardashian is a better rebounder than Tristan Thompson is. #NBAFinals2017

— Maronzio Vance (@MaronzioVance) June 8, 2017

Khloe Kardashian apparently “hates” being blamed for the Cavs star’s drop in performance, an insider revealed.

“She hates that people are blaming her it’s beyond unfair,” the insider told Hollywood Life. “She feels under attack right now, there’s no other way to put it.”

“She’s angry and wants to lash out at people but she does not want to feed the trolls. Of course if this starts to become news she will have to defend herself, she’s not going to be able to stay quiet.”

Thompson isn’t the first one to suffer the league’s scary curse with the likes of Reggie Bush, Kris Humphries and Lamar Odom all performing well below their best after entering relationships with Kardashians.

LEBRON ON EDGE OF FIFTH DEFEAT

LeBron is on the verge of a fifth NBA finals loss.

One loss from his fifth defeat in eight NBA Finals appearances, Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James is matter-of-fact about his legacy, living in the moment and having nothing left to prove.

But when it comes to comparisons to retired Chicago Bulls star Michael Jordan, the 1990s playmaker might just have the edge on “King” James.

The Golden State Warriors lead the defending champion Cavaliers 3-0 in the best-of-seven series entering game four Friday at Cleveland.

At 15-0 in the playoffs, the Warriors are on the brink of becoming the first NBA team to charge through the playoffs unbeaten to a title.

No team in 126 tries has ever rallied from 3-0 down to win an NBA playoff series, so James -- playing in his seventh consecutive finals -- figures to fall to 3-5 in the championship round, going 2-2 with Miami and facing a 1-3 mark plus second sweep out with Cleveland.

“I don’t get caught up in what I’ve done over the years. I get drawn in too much of what I’m doing right now in the present,” James said.

“I never really talk about my legacy. I kind of just live in the moment and if I’m able to accomplish something, then it kind of adds to it on its own.” Barring a miracle rally, only two players in NBA history will have suffered more finals defeats than James. Former Los Angeles Lakers stars Elgin Baylor and Jerry West each lost eight times, in part during the 1960s Boston Celtics dynasty era.

Jordan had a killer instinct and supporting talent that saw him go 6-0 in NBA Finals appearances and James has used childhood idol Jordan’s feats as a measuring stick to motivate himself.

“Comparing between people either living or still playing or not playing, it’s great for barbershops,” James said. “But for me I’m just trying to leave a legacy behind so I can inspire the next group of kids.”

— with AFP

Originally published as NBA legend says the Cavaliers are suffering from a ‘Kardashian curse’