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The Boston Celtics have been the team to watch in this season's Playoffs. Heading into Game 6 with a 3-2 series lead, the pressure was on LeBron James and Co. In this must-win game for the Cavs at the Quicken Loans Arena, LeBron delivered a match-winning performance (46 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists) forcing a Game 7.
The first quarter was evenly contested with Celtics taking a 5-point lead, despite only scoring 25. Facing elimination, the Cavaliers hit back in the second quarter with a 34-18 run to carry an 11-point lead into the half.
The Celtics were chasing the Cavs throughout the second half with the lead closed down to 7 by Rozier in the fourth quarter. However, the turning point in this game was LeBron did not get fatigued. At 1:40, LeBron sealed the game with a dagger three-pointer from the left wing and being the difference maker on the court.
We look towards the five talking points of this game:
#5 The Celtics were gambling on defense
In the previous games, we noticed that Marcus Morris and Jaylen Brown actually cleaned up well and held on to the King at crucial moments in the game. During the game, it was visible that each of the frontcourt players except Baynes got a shot at guarding LeBron in the game.
The Cavs only benefited from all the switching as the other players created many chances and put the supporting numbers which was absent in Game 3 and 4 of the series.
#4 The Cavaliers defensive performance:
With Kevin Love out for Game 7 against the Celtics with the head injury and only playing five minutes in Game 6, it was clear that there was a huge void left to be filled on the defensive end. It was started by Thompson, who denied Morris in the first quarter with a powerful block and set the tone.
The Cavs without Love, cruised like there was not a void to be filled. Jeff Green and Larry Nance Jr. stepped up and put in match-winning efforts especially in the offensive end with the Celtics failing to dominate or salvage pride in terms of defense. The Cavs had 15 offensive boards as a unit to the Celtics' 5.
The Cavs as a unit ended the game with 9 blocks while the Celtics had 2. The LeBron's signature chase down block set the tempo for the team in the second half as they ended up winning the game.
#3 Cavaliers thrived offensively not just LeBron:
The Cavs can take plenty of positives after today's game against the Celtics. Offensively it was not just LeBron James carrying the team. Although JR Smith had another poor night, a few other Cavaliers stepped up to the occasion and delivered on both ends of the court.
The most notable was Larry Nance Jr. who not only stepped up his defensively but scored a crucial 10 points in the second half. His most notable moment was receiving the pass from LeBron to dunk home with the Celtics frontcourt left for dead. He ended the game without missing a single shot and scored all his five attempts. Jeff Green contributed 14 points to the cause, nailing all his 5 free throw attempts and shooting at 40%.
George Hill has not had the best season with the Cavs. Some would say, he is not an ideal fit for the Cavs and has had notable poor performances like JR Smith. Today was his night, he took responsibility on fast breaks, breaking forward and laying in the basketball. He ended the night with 20 points shooting 58% from the field and contributed defensively with a block of his own on Terry Rozier.
The silent contributions of Kyle Korver and Jordan Clarkson on both the ends of the floor should not go unnoticed as both put up six points each. Clarkson had 5 rebounds to his name while Korver had two blocks and a steal to his name coming off the bench.
#2 Celtics to go back to basics:
The Celtics are playing without their All-Stars which makes the NBA worried about what would happen next season when they returned. Game 6 was not their brightest moment as they made all sorts of errors at both ends of the court. They were offensively sound, shooting the ball at a high percentage with five players in double figures by the end of the night. Clearly shooting their ball and pass rotation was not their biggest concern.
Moving forward, they barely made their presence felt on the offensive boards, being able to capture just five offensive rebounds although Kevin Love was injured five minutes into the game. They started the game with three frontcourt players which included a center but failed to capitalize on the size advantage. They ended the game with a team total of 31 rebounds.
They ended the night with 55% on free throws. Except for Terry Rozier, all the other players who shot free throws shot only 50% from the line. They failed to capitalize on open opportunities and mainly failed to shut down the other Cavaliers which they did so well in Game 3 and 4.
They also ended the night with 13 turnovers and Marcus Smart shot only 25% from beyond the ark. Terry Rozier was the standout figure in the Boston Celtics line up tonight in terms of points and assists.
#1 The LeBron James story:
Tonight is not one of those nights for the haters. Yes, LeBron James did put up big numbers and yes he played a crucial role in those important moments. He put up massive numbers and hit the clutch shots that took the game away from the Celtics. Today he was the leader the franchise needed him to be. He was firing on all ends of the court, a pillar for Nance Jr.'s and Jeff Green's performances.
His leadership skills were evident in today's game as they cruised past the Celtics holding to their lead from the start of the second half. He ended the first half with 25 points to his name. He rested himself in the right moments and came in at a crucial time to seal the game. He ended the game with massive numbers and just missing out on a triple-double.
He scored 46 points, 9 assists, 11 rebounds, 3 steals and a highlight reel block. He shot a fancy 71.4% three-point field goal percentage.
Guess the Lakers players!
