Cavs clinch decider
With another game seven victory at stake, LeBron James would not miss. He would not sit out. And he would not be denied an eighth straight trip to the NBA Finals.
The four-time league MVP scored 35 points with 15 rebounds and nine assists yesterday, leading the Cleveland Cavaliers to an 87-79 win over the Celtics and eliminating Boston from the Eastern Conference finals in the decisive seventh game.
In the first close game of the series – and the lowestscoring – James played all 48 minutes and had 12 of his points in the fourth quarter for his sixth straight game seven win.
The NBA Finals begin on Friday at either Houston or Golden State.
The Rockets host the seventh game of the Western Conference finals today.
Jayson Tatum scored 24 for Boston, who were looking to return to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010.
Al Horford scored 17 points and Marcus Morris added 14 with 12 rebounds for the Celtics, who led 72-71 with six minutes remaining before the Cavaliers scored 15 of the next 17 points to pull away.
James and Horford embraced after the buzzer, then the Cavaliers donned NBA Finals hats and Eastern Conference championship shirts before shuffling off the court to receive their trophy. It’s not the one they want. James had to do it without Kevin Love – Cleveland’s only other all-star – who sustained a concussion in game six and was replaced in the lineup by Jeff Green.
Making his first start since the first-round opener against Indiana, Green scored 19 points and added eight rebounds – the star of James’ starless supporting cast.