LeBron James, right, drives by Kendrick Perkins and Paul Pierce in the first half.

The Providence Journal / Glenn Osmundson

BOSTON — We knew the emperor had no clothes. But who knew The King had no game?

Or, at the very least, no jump shot.

And, if LeBron “King” James doesn’t get it in gear and start shooting the ball a whole lot better, the season will soon be over for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Speaking of gear, you might want to wait on spending $139.99 for that stylish new pair of Zoom LeBrons. There could be a major markdown coming.

The King has abdicated his role as reigning superstar. The Celtics’ swarming defenders have made him look like a commoner, rather than hoop royalty.

Watching the first two games of this Eastern Conference semifinal, if you didn’t know who he was, you’d think James was just a well-built guy with more tattoos than game. And you’d be wondering why in the world the Cavs were letting him shoot so much.

“If LeBron James is open,” Cleveland coach Mike Brown said last night, “I want him to shoot.”

LeBron’s been taking his shots. He just hasn’t been making them.

After shooting an abysmal — and embarrassing — 2-for-18 in Game One, in which he also had 10 turnovers, the consensus was that The King would come back with a vengeance in Game Two last night.

“I don’t think you’ll see that again,” Delonte West said in the Cavs’ locker room before the game. “He’s our number-one scoring threat. He’s also our best creator. We want the ball in his hands as much as possible.”

The Cavs, as they have all season, put the ball in his hands. And now the series is in danger of getting out of hand.

James was 6-for-24 last night — 0-for-4 from 3-point range. He’s now 8-for-42 for the series. Instead of wonderful, he’s been woeful, shooting a miserable 19 percent from the floor.

With those numbers, the $90-million sneaker contract Nike gave him before he’d even played an NBA game makes you think James ought to change his first name to Jesse.

He went 27 minutes with just one, single, solitary basket. From the final three minutes of the first quarter until the opening minute of the fourth quarter, he couldn’t buy a hoop, despite all his millions.

Has a good player ever had worse games in big games? Back to back?

It was like Roger Federer double-faulting four times in the final game of the fifth set at Wimbledon, Tom Brady throwing 10 straight incompletions in a Super Bowl, Alex Ovechkin missing an open net in the Stanley Cup finals.

For James to be that lousy is as stunning as Emeril Lagasse burning the mac-and-cheese, Martha Stewart using striped napkins with a checkered tablecloth, Ronan Tynan forgetting the words to “God Bless America.”

How to explain it? How are the Celtics shutting him down?

“They’re forcing his pick-and-rolls to the baseline, double-teaming him in the post,” Cavs coach Mike Davis said. “We will watch tape, but I thought LeBron had some good shots, good looks that he has hit before. He got to the rim a couple times, but the ball just rolled out. I have confidence in his ability to make shots.”

James insists he hasn’t lost confidence.

“The shots aren’t going down for me,” he said, “but I’m trying to stay positive.”

One thing he can be positive about is that the Celtics’ big men will be waiting to pick him up in the lane if he manages to get by his primary defender — usually the tenacious Paul Pierce.

“I’m a little shocked that he’s 8-for-42,” Pierce said. “But this is what we work on when we look at film. When we come to practice, we work on trying to contain LeBron. It’s not just me. It’s Kevin (Garnett). It’s ‘Perk’ (Kendrick Perkins). They’re putting their arms out, crowding him, trapping him. That makes it tough on him. It puts him in a position where he’s forcing things.”

James also gave credit to Boston’s big men.

“They have athletic ‘bigs,’ ” he said. “With KG and Perk and (Leon) Powe, they do a good job rotating and not allowing me to crack their second line of defense. When I get past the first guy, there’s a big guy waiting for me at the rim.”

“He’s got to be frustrated,” Cavs guard and former Celtic Wally Szczerbiak said of James. “He’s such a good player, and he has so much on his shoulders that’s it really tough on him. They’re a very good defensive team.”

“LeBron is what makes them go,” Pierce said. “If we can control him, we control the game.”

So far, though, the Celtics have kept The King in check. And checkmate could be just a few games away.

jdonalds@projo.com