Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James has taken the blame for his side's loss to the Chicago Bulls in game one of the Eastern Conference semi-finals.

Despite contributing 19 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists, James was restricted to seven points in the second half and he committed six turnovers in the 99-92 defeat.

"I did have an off game," the four-time MVP told reporters. "If I have a great game my numbers will be a lot different. For me that's an off game just from the standpoint [that] I'm a very efficient player as far as my shooting and to be 9-of-22, that's unacceptable. What everybody else says, I don't really care what everybody else thinks."

The pressure is now on Cleveland to produce a response in game two on Wednesday night before travelling to Chicago for the next two games of the series.

"You can't go down 0-2 on your home floor going on the road," James added. "So it's going to be a tough challenge."

James has been on two teams that have come from behind to beat the Bulls in a playoff series.