CLEVELAND -- LeBron James insists he isn't currently on social media.
But when a reporter asked about the video of his reaction at the end of Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals that went viral earlier this week, the Cleveland Cavaliers superstar seemed to know exactly what he was talking about.
What James was seemingly less aware of, however, was the negative response the video received from some.
"Me? Me being criticized? No," James said with a sarcastic smile. "You're saying I got criticized for something, right? I don't believe that. Not me."
A refresher: After George Hill missed a would-be go-ahead free throw and J.R. Smith pulled down an offensive rebound only to dribble out the clock, seemingly unaware of the score, James could be spotted on the Cavs bench incredulous upon finding out Cleveland still had a timeout remaining.
According to critics, rather than displaying his frustration, James should have done more to encourage his teammates heading into overtime -- a notion the 4-time MVP disagreed with when presented with it on Wednesday.
"I don't care. I don't care at all," James said of the criticism. "I mean, we're in the NBA Finals. I mean, how much more picking up of teammates do you want me to do? I'm in the NBA Finals, looking for a championship."
Asked what was going through his head at that moment, James said he had attempted to call a timeout, admittedly unaware whether or not the Cavs had one amid the chaos.
"I got to the bench, first thing that came to my mind I was like, OK, I was calling a timeout," he said. "But hopefully, I'm glad maybe if we didn't have any, I'm glad they didn't give it to me. I didn't want another C-Webb [Chris Webber] incident. If that happened, then they go to make their free throws and the game is over."
But upon learning from Cleveland head coach Tyronn Lue that the Cavs did in fact have a timeout remaining, James' frustration boiled over -- not just at one thing in particular, but rather the missed opportunity. In overtime, the Warriors went on to out-score the Cavs 17-7 to take a 1-0 series lead.
"It was just knowing that we had an opportunity to have another possession, even with the offensive rebound," James said. "It was just -- it was just a heartbreaking loss."
Now trailing Golden State 0-2 in the best-of-seven series, the Cavs will have an opportunity to cut into the Warriors' lead on Wednesday in Game 3 of the Finals in Cleveland. James, for his part, insists he's past a big part of how the Cavs got to this position -- even as others do their best not to let him.
"You're taking me back to Game 1?" James replied when first asked about the video. "I finally got Game 1 out of my head."