LeBron: Game 3 is 'must win'

The Cleveland Cavaliers are already in enough trouble after dropping the first two games at The Oracle.

They definitely can't afford to drop a third straight game to the Golden State Warriors upon returning to the Quicken Loans Arena. That's why LeBron James called Game 3 a "must win."

"We're down 0-2," James said during a press conference Tuesday. "We can't afford to look and say 'wow Kevin (Love) is out, what are we going to do?' It's next man up because it's a must-win for us."

Dating back to Game 4 of last year's Finals, the Warriors have taken seven-straight games off James - the most ever by any team. It hasn't been particularly close, either. The Cavaliers have lost those seven by an average of 18.6 points.

Returning to Cleveland could make the difference. They have yet to lose on their home court thus far in the postseason, as they reeled off a perfect 7-0 record in their tear throughout the Eastern Conference.

But there's bad news too: The Warriors won by 34 in their only trip to Cleveland this season, thus prompting quips from Stephen Curry that the locker room still smelled like champagne from when they celebrated the championship after taking Game 6 on James' home floor.

Love's status is also uncertain as he's been placed under the league's concussion protocol. He did not practice on Tuesday. But with or without Love, James is focusing on the task at hand.

"It's a do-or-die for us," James added. "We can't afford to go down 0-3 to any team, especially a team that's 73-9 in the regular season."