James relishes playing Game 7s
LeBron James is on the brink of his earliest NBA playoff exit — and maybe another departure from Cleveland.
This Game 7 has a win-or-leave-home element.
After being bloodied and blown off the floor in Game
6 by the Pacers in Indianapolis, James and the Cavaliers staggered home with their roller-coaster season possibly headed toward a crash.
Only a win Sunday over Indiana will prevent elimination and kick-start a summer in Cleveland that will center on James, who can become a free agent on July 1.
The stakes couldn't be much higher. It's the kind of game James lives to play.
"It's just the love of the game and wanting to be remembered," James said following a demoralizing 121-87 loss Friday night. "Game 7, I The Celtics’ Jayson Tatum drives to the basket against the Bucks’ Khris Middleton during Boston’s win in Game 7 on Saturday. always said, is the two greatest words in sports. Us having a Game 7 on our floor, our fans are going to be truly excited to be a part of that. And hope our guys are excited about that as well, and understand that just don't take those
moments for granted."
James is 12-0 in first-round series, with many of them sweeps.
But nothing has come easy for the 33-year-old or the Cavs, whose regular-season flaws — suspect defense, no reliable second scoring option — have been exposed by the young and hungry Pacers.
“We were confident even before this series started,” said Indiana All-Star Victor Oladipo, who snapped out of a shooting slump to score 28 in Game 6. “We’re still confident now. Game 7 is going to be a hostile environment. It’s going to be very emotional. But we’re looking forward to the challenge.”
CELTICS 112, BUCKS 96: Al Horford and Terry Rozier scored 26 points apiece, and even Giannis Antetokounmpo tipped in a basket for the Celtics to help host Boston beat Milwaukee in Game 7 of their firstround series Saturday. Khris Middleton scored 32, Eric Bledsoe had 23 and Antetokounmpo had 22 points and nine rebounds for the Bucks. Milwaukee got within three points early in the third, but Boston scored 11 of the last 15 points in the quarter.