“It’s my job to make sure that we’re as laser-focused as possible, do my job and continue to instill confidence in my teammates until the last horn sounds,” James said. “That’s my job. That’s my responsibility. That’s my obligation, and I need to continue to do that.”

The results so far are not entirely the fault of James’s backups. His challenge is even more daunting because the Cavaliers are facing one of the deepest, most talented teams in N.B.A. history. The Warriors have the luxury of starting four All-Stars. After James opened the series last week by scoring 51 points, his coach Tyronn Lue was reminded by a reporter that James usually plays even better after losses.

“So that means he has to score 60 now, right?” Lue asked, deadpan.

That James even dragged this team to the finals could be considered one of his greatest achievements, which is saying something after three championships. Before the season even started, Kyrie Irving, the Cavaliers All-Star point guard, demanded a trade. He landed with the Boston Celtics. Several personnel moves followed that left the Cavaliers largely bereft of top-level talent.

All the tumult has only fueled speculation about James’s future. He can declare for free agency after the season. But he is revered in Northeast Ohio, where he grew up and played high school basketball in Akron.

He was anointed a future superstar and drafted right out of high school in 2003 by the Cavaliers. He left Cleveland in 2010, outraging fans, to join the Miami Heat, where he fulfilled his desire for a championship in 2012 and won another the following year.

After returning to Cleveland for the 2014-15 season, he made good on his pledge of delivering the franchise’s first championship in 2016. So if he were to leave again this summer, perhaps fans would be more understanding. Also, how much can one man reasonably expect to do by himself, even if that man is LeBron James?