The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
LeBron and the James gang keep things rolling for Cavaliers
The one bad thing about having a jump shot as sweet as the stroke Kyle Korver has from behind the threepoint line is he is tagged a one-dimensional player.
Korver has been far more than that for the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals. He plays defense better than he gets credit for and, it turns out, he can win jump balls against opponents that have a three-inch height advantage.
With 8:25 remaining in the second quarter of Game 6 on May 25 at Quicken Loans Arena and the Celtics leading, 33-31, Korver, 6-foot-7, wrapped his arms around the ball when it was in the possession of 6-foot-10 Boston center Aron Baynes.
Baynes should have won the tip easily. But he didn’t. Korver did. He batted the ball out toward Cavs forward Jeff Green in front of the Cavaliers bench.
The Cavs sprinted to the offensive end of the floor, Green found LeBron James open behind the arc, James scored the bucket to for a 34-33 lead — the first of the game for the home team — and the Cavs were on their way in a game they had to win to stay alive in the playoffs.
The Celtics made the Cavaliers work in the fourth quarter, but the Cavs defended their castle. Final score: Cavs 109, Celtics 99.
“Two points is not two points,” James said on May 5, referring to how some baskets affect games more than others. “I’ll explain it to you later. Coaches have said that for years, but two points is not two points.”
The three-pointer by James was one of those baskets, but really it started with Korver forcing the jump ball and winning it.
“(Korver) played like a champion,” Coach Ty Lue said. “He plays to win every single night. When it calls for help defense, Kyle Korver will be there. He plays for 35 minutes without getting a shot, but he causes confusion when we’re scoring the basketball. All he cares about is winning.”
Oh, and that business about Jams being tired? He played 46 minutes, scored 46 points, hauled down 11 rebounds and dished nine assists.
So now it all comes down to Game 7 on May 27 in TD Garden, where the Celtics are 10-0 in the postseason.
They are 3-0 against the Cavaliers.
If you want to bet against James in an elimination game, just beware LeBron is 13-9 in such games. He was averaging 33.5 points in elimination games before facing the Celtics in Game 6the highest average for any player in league history.
But if the Cavs are going to end Boston’s home dominance in the biggest game of the season (so far) for both teams, they are going to need more than James. They got that team effort in Game 6, and it wasn’t just Korver’s tenacity with two blocked shots and a steal to go with his six points.
Jeff Green was one of those who answered the call.
Kevin Love got the worst of a head-to-head collision with Boston’s Jayson Tatum with 6:58 left in the first quarter. Love wobbled to the locker room where he was evaluated for a concussion, never to return.
Green, playing his best game of the series, responded with 14 points. Larry Nance Jr. added 10 points and seven rebounds.
The Cavaliers are going to need George Hill to play Game 7 the way he played Game 6.
He was involved from the start and finished with 20 points, three rebounds and three assists.
Game 7 should be epic. The Legend of LeBron continues to grow.
Schudel can be reached at JSchudel@News-Herald. com; @jsproinsider on Twitter