On Sunday at 8:30 PM EST on ESPN, the Cleveland Cavaliers will try to steal a Game 7 in Boston against the Celtics to reach the NBA Finals. LeBron James is coming off a heroic Game 6 performance in which he scored 46 points to go along with 11 rebounds and 9 assists. He'll look to have a similar type of performance once again in a hostile environment. The big news going into Game 7 is the absence of Kevin Love, who is currently in the NBA's concussion protocol. Given that the Cavaliers lost their first three games in Boston by an average of 17 points, it's really hard to imagine them winning on Sunday without Love, who's been averaging 17.6 points and 9.3 rebounds per game this season.
Earlier in the week, I wrote a piece about how tough the Celtics are to beat in Boston. While they've struggled on the road, they've been lights out at home. The whole team plays much better and really feeds off the energy from their home fans. Even if the Cavaliers were going into this game at full strength, it would still be dicey to pick them to win. But without Love, it just doesn't seem possible given all the numbers.
So, with that all being the case, why even write about the topic? Kevin Love is out and the Celtics are unbeatable at home. That means no chance for the Cavaliers, right?
As much as I want to guarantee that the Celtics will win on Sunday, the reason I cannot make such a guarantee is because the Cavaliers have LeBron James, who is the best player in the league. We've seen James carry his team on his back against all odds and to think he can't do it again would be disrespectful and foolish. While I do believe the Celtics should be favored to win tomorrow because of how tough they've been at home, that doesn't mean I believe the Cavaliers have no shot. So long as they have James out there, they have a shot. He's that good.
Now, that all stated, James can't literally win this game by himself. He's going to need help from both his teammates and the Celtics. With Love out, J.R. Smith and Kyle Korver are both going to need to step up and get in a nice rhythm early on. If those guys are both able to heat up from beyond the arc, that will really help take the pressure off of James. In addition to those two guys, the Cavaliers will need to do a good job defending and controlling the glass. Tristan Thompson will need to have a big night on the glass and really limit the Celtics' second chance scoring opportunities.
In regards to the Celtics, they're going to need to help James out by choking, which could happen. They are a young team who hasn't been in this position before. It would be really easy for their young guys to tense up a bit and not play their best basketball. It will be key for the Celtics to come out of the gates strong and shake off their nerves. If they're playing tight basketball early on, that will really help LeBron James and the rest of the Cavaliers build the necessary confidence to steal this game.
My prediction for this game is that the Celtics will win because the odds say that they will. They're unbeaten at home in the playoffs and as such deserve to be favored. That said, if there's anyone who can beat the odds and pull off the upset, it's LeBron James. This is why I'll be tuning in to watch with keen interest.
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