Cavs hold off Celtics in Game 7
The Cleveland Cavaliers overcame a hostile crowd and cold shooting to beat the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals 87-79, sending them to their fourth-straight NBA Finals. The Cavs won the best-of-seven series 4-3.
LeBron James led Cleveland with 35 points, 15 rebounds and 9 assists. Jeff Green added 19. The Celtics were led by Jayson Tatum with 24. It was the Celtics first home loss in two months.
The Celtics started out hot taking a 26-18 lead after the first quarter. But, the Cavs fought back in the second, going on a 10-2 run shrinking the Celtics lead to 39-37. Boston led 43-39 at the half.
The low-scoring game saw both teams struggle beyond the 3-point line. The Cavs rallied in the third quarter behind James and Jeff Green while holding the Celtics to 13 points. Cleveland led 59-56 heading into the fourth quarter.
Cleveland played Game 7 without Kevin Love, who was ruled out for medical reasons after bumping heads with Tatum in the first quarter of Game 6.
The Cavs await the winner of Monday night’s Western Conference Game 7 between the Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors. Game 1 of the NBA Finals will be played Thursday on the home court of the Western Conference champion.
