LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers fully know the score heading into Game 3 of the NBA Finals trailing the defending champion Golden State Warriors 2-0.

"It's next man up, because it's a must win for us," James said as the scene switches to Quicken Loans Arena for Wednesday night's 8 p.m. EDT tipoff.

But geography alone can hardly be expected to change so much of what's gone wrong for the Cavs over the course of their first two blowout losses.

Cavs Have to be Better

James has pointed to the need for a better effort and a tougher stance from a team that has made its blue-collar style its season long approach.

"We can't afford to go down 3-0 to any team, especially a team that's 73-9 in the regular season and playing the type of basketball they're playing," he said. "So we're going to come in and give everything that we've got and leave it on the floor."

It remains to be seen if the Cavs will have the services of All-Star forward Kevin Love, who suffered a concussion in Game 2 and is now being put through the paces by the league before he is officially allowed to return.

Either way, the Cavs have to be a different team from who they've been over their seven straight losses to Golden State dating all the way back to last season's finals.

For the Cavs to turn the corner, they'll need a resurgence from the perimeter tandem of All-Star guard Kyrie Irving and veteran swingman J.R. Smith, who have combined to shoot a dismal 34 percent over the first two games and 3-of-14 from behind the arc.

And then there is James, who none other than hoops savant Phil Jackson is hinting needs to morph into Michael Jordan to truly give the Cavs their best shot.

Time for LeBron's Michael Jordan Impersonation

Jackson recently opined James needs to take over the way Jordan did in willing his Chicago Bulls back from a 2-0 deficit against the New York Knicks in the 1993 Eastern Conference finals.

Determined and committed as he is, James countered he can only be himself.

"I'm not Michael. I'm not [Muhammad] Ali. I'm not nobody else that's done so many great things for sport. I am who I am, and if I'm able to go out and put together a game like that, it wasn't because I was possessed. It's because I worked on my craft all season long, and that's the result of it. Phil's a great coach. Mike's a great player. But I am who I am."

For the Golden State, it'll be all about keeping things as they've been. The Warriors are now the only team in James' illustrious history to have beaten him seven straight times.

What makes the Cavs task of changing that all the more daunting is the diverse way in which Golden State has managed to pull that feat off. They've now beaten the four time league MVP with Steph Curry being Steph Curry and with reserve guard Shaun Livingston being Steph Curry like.

"You don't know where it's going to come from any given night," Curry said of the Warriors high-octane offense that again will be on full display for Game 3.