The Cleveland Cavaliers prevail over the Boston Celtics in tonight’s Game 7 by a score of 87-79. With only one previous game decided by less than ten points, this series has been a back and forth battle between these two.
Boston took the early advantage going up 2-0 at home but the Cavaliers responded with two wins at home as well. After splitting games 5 and 6 with the home team winning, the two met in Boston to decide the Finals representative in the East.
Boston Led at the End of the First Quarter 26-18
The Celtics started off early moving the ball around and forcing the Cavalier defense to stay on its feet. Unfortunately, the Celtics were very efficient with passes and kept the offense surging. On the other side, LeBron James led the offense, per usual, and still looked to be carrying the load for the Cavaliers.
Cleveland Rallies, Down 43-41 at Half
The Cavaliers mounted a comeback led by James who had 17 points and 10 rebounds at the half. Their defensive struggles still added up in the Celtics favor, but a strong 2nd quarter kept them in the game. The Celtics, led by Al Horford with 14 points and 3 rebounds, still moved the ball around and kept finding the open player. A statistic that is hard to believe in today’s NBA, the two teams combined for 6 of 36 from three-point range. Most of these shots were uncontested as well.
LeBron Controls the 3rd
James entered the final quarter with 23 points, 12 rebounds (all defensive), and 5 assists. He also added another enormous block to his highlight reel as he rejected Terry Rozier on an attempted dunk at the rim. Despite the Cavaliers missing Kevin Love to a concussion suffered in Game 6, the rest of the team helped to create offense for James. Jeff Green added 16 points and 7 rebounds to help the Cavaliers fill that gap left by Love.
The Celtics main mistake was just getting spread out on defense. James drives and creates the closing in of the defense while J.R. Smith or Green would be waiting for a pass. However, the Celtics still had Horford and rookie Jayson Tatum in double digits leading the team.
A Back and Forth Battle Won by The Cavaliers
After the dust had settled, the Cavs ar moving on to the Finals to represent the Eastern Conference. They will meet the winner of the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors Game 7 in the NBA Finals. LeBron James left it all on the court, there’s no doubt as he finished with 35 points, 15 rebounds, and 9 assists. The 4th quarter saw a hard-fought defensive struggle between the two teams mashed in between spectacular moments for both teams. The Cavaliers pulled away in spurts but rookie sensation Tatum kept making big plays to keep the Celtics in the game. Eventually though, Lebron and the Cavs would pull away for the win. James goes to his 8th straight NBA Finals.
