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Cavs, Celtics Set for Showdown in Game 7

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Well, here we are folks.

The two greatest words in sports: Game Seven. The Celtics versus the Cavaliers. LeBron James will get his shot at an eighth straight trip to the NBA Finals as the two teams square off in Boston on Sunday, May 27th. The Celtics will do all they can to prevent a fifth straight loss at the hands of LeBron and reach the Finals for the first time since 2010.

Cleveland Takes Game 6

LeBron James put on a clinic in Game 6, dropping 46 points to go along with 11 rebounds and nine assists. The Cavaliers displayed a team effort in the victory, getting major contributions from the bench, which outscored Boston’s bench 36-23. For the first time in the series Cleveland looked like a deep team, with four players scoring in double figures. George hill scored 20, Jeff Green contributed 14, and Larry Nance added ten and seven rebounds.

The three major factors in the game was the rebounding discrepancy, missed free throws, and Al Horford being a no-show. Boston was out-rebounded in the game by 13, 44-31 and gave up a whopping 15 offensive boards. In Boston’s three wins in the series they have out-rebounded Cleveland, and in the three losses it was the other way around. This will be a major factor going into Game 7. The Celtics also missed nine free throws, going 11-20 from the charity stripe.

Al Horford will need to play significantly better in Game 7 if his team will have any hopes of a victory. He produced six points on eight shots, and often looked out of sorts on the floor. He focused more on the ball than his man, giving up several offensive rebounds that resulted in second chance opportunities for the Cavs.

Kevin Love

The major storyline as Game 7 approaches is the announcement that Kevin Love will not play. After a collision with Jayson Tatum in the first quarter of Friday’s game, Love was sidelined with a concussion. Love is averaging 12.5 points and 9.8 rebounds in the series. He has been most impactful in Boston, averaging 17.6 points and 14.3 rebounds in the three match-ups.

Love has been the second leading scorer for Cleveland in these playoffs. His high IQ passing ability and double-double threat will surely be missed for the Cavs. He is also one of the most battle tested veterans on the roster as an NBA champion back in 2016.

Cavalier Role Players

With the All-Star big man out, Cleveland will need their role players to step up now more than ever. George Hill understands the circumstances and the need to fill a bigger role in Game 7.

“It’s gonna be tough,” Cavs point guard George Hill said. “No team has won there in these playoffs so far. We’ve got to try to be the first.”

LeBron James is taking a very level-headed mindset into the game. He said he doesn’t put “too much added pressure” on himself in Game 7’s.

“I just go out and play my game,” he said. “It’s just basketball for me. I know what I’m capable of doing.”

Boston’s Mentality

The Celtics have tied an NBA record as they have won ten straight games to start the postseason. The team has outscored their opponents by an average of 11.5 points per game thus far.

In spite of their recent success the team knows they are in for a battle.

“It’s about just winning the game now,” Marcus Smart said after Game 6. “It’s not going to be pretty. You got to be able to get down and get dirty… You have to be ready for a dogfight.”

Terry Rozier is confident going into Game 7, but understands LeBron James is going to give the Celtics all they can handle.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun, first and foremost. Obviously, we came up short tonight. But we need the whole city of Boston to be behind us. We know LeBron is different than a lot of other guys, but we’ve got to get the job done. That’s no excuse, so we’re looking forward to it.”

Boston has fed off of the energy their fans bring to the Garden each game, and they expect more of the same in Game 7.

“It’s going to be electric,” Horford said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun. I’m looking forward to Sunday.

LeBron, Cavs Send Message with 116-86 Pummeling over Celtics

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With their backs against the wall, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers took Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals 116-86. Cleveland dominated from start to finish, led by LeBron’s 27 points and 12 assists.

The biggest story in this game was the play from Cleveland’s supporting cast. As the saying goes- role players play better at home. George Hill set the tone early, scoring 11 first quarter points on his way to a 13 point, three rebound game. A total of six Cavaliers scored in double figures. Kevin Love produced 13 points and 14 rebounds. Tristan Thompson was also big on the boards, grabbing seven to go along with ten points. J.R. Smith finally got hot, knocking down three of four three pointers. Kyle Korver added 14 points off the bench.

Cleveland knocked down a staggering 17 threes on 50% shooting. It seemed as if nobody on the team could miss. The Cavs dominated on the boards, ripping down 45 rebounds (eight offensive) to Boston’s 34.

Ty Lue mentioned the team’s increased energy and effort, stating, “We challenged everyone, just to be aggressive and understand the game plan.”

Cavs Bring Back Memories of Last Year

Game 3 way eerily reminiscent of last year’s Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics simply had no answer for LeBron and could not withstand the constant barrage of threes. Boston settled for too many tough jumpers, shooting an abysmal 39% from the field and 27% from three. The team made as many three pointers in the game (six) as Cleveland had in the first quarter. Carelessness with the ball led to a lot of easy buckets for the Cavs, as Boston turned the ball over 12 times.

Al Horford was asked about what went wrong postgame and he responded, “I can tell you right now off the top of my head there was a lot of breakdown defensively- it’s something we have to address, and be better at on Monday if we want to have any chance of winning.”

Al Horford did not attempt a field goal in the first quarter. He finished the game with seven points and seven rebounds. Terry Rozier chipped in 13 on yet another poor shooting game on the road, going 5-12 from the field. There wasn’t a first quarter breakout from Jaylen Brown this time around, as he was nowhere to be seen in this one. Brown didn’t register his first point until eight minutes left in the 2nd quarter. He ultimately finished with ten for the game.

Resiliency for Boston’s Youth

The one bright spot for Boston in Game 3 was the effort of Jayson Tatum, who refused to give up early on. When nothing was going for the team, Tatum relentlessly attacked the basket, getting to the free throw line repeatedly. He finished the night with a team-leading 18 points on 6 of 10 shooting.

After the game Brad Stevens said about the Celtics, “They always respond. This will be another challenge to respond to.”

The Road Ahead

Cleveland delivered a momentum-changing punch right to the gut of the Celtics. If they intend to steal a game on the road they will need to punch right back in Game 4. The Celtics will need to bring the energy and physicality for Game 4 and play with a much higher sense of urgency. If anything, this game should serve as a wake up call for the team.

Game 4 is set for Monday night at 8:30 pm on ESPN. LeBron and the Cavs will look to tie this series up, as the Celtics hope to head back home with an opportunity to close it out on their home court.