LeBron gave teammates life-sized shields before start of playoffs

LeBron James has always been a selfless teammate, and he's proven as much again this postseason with his penchant for armoring his fellow Cleveland Cavaliers, both figuratively and literally.

Just before the Cavs embarked on the playoff run that now has them trailing the Golden State Warriors 2-0 in the NBA Finals, James gifted each of his teammates a personalized, handcrafted, life-sized shield, which came engraved with the player's nickname and a message about protection and unity, Cleveland.com's Chris Haynes reports.

According to Haynes, the gesture sparked a thoughtful conversation in the Cavs' locker room about what it would take for them to finish what they couldn't a year ago and capture the title.

"For me, I appreciated it," Channing Frye said of James' gift. "It just showed his thought process not just about the game, but about the mental aspect of everybody being on the same page."

The Cavs need to channel that message now, if ever. After tearing the Eastern Conference playoff bracket to ribbons, they're being overwhelmed by the Warriors, while being outscored by 48 points through two games - the largest disparity after Games 1 and 2 of any Finals series in NBA history.

We're about to find out what their armor is really made of.