Game 7: Indiana Pacers 101 - 105 Cleveland Cavaliers - 5 Talking Points
In one of the best game 7s played in recent playoffs, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Indiana Pacers went back and forth at each other for almost the entire game, before the Pacers suffered a 4-point loss to the Cavs who were superior on the night.
LeBron James had another monster night, as he needs to every game for the Cavs in the playoffs this year, and he outshone Victor Oladipo and the Pacers on his own for the most part - although the first-time All-Star did prove a tough nut to crack and finished with a big game of his own.
The game began with the Cavaliers leading by a double-digit margin for most of the first 2 quarters before the Pacers succeeded in clawing their way back into the lead late in the 3rd quarter. The game remained neck-and-neck till the early minutes of the 4th quarter when the Cavs took a lead which they preserved for the rest of the game.
Despite a defeat, the Pacers will be buoyed by their postseason performance this season and will look to come back with a vengeance next season as well. The Cavs move on to play the Raptors in the Conference Semifinals. Here are 5 talking points from the game:
#5 LeBron James asserted himself right from tip-off
LeBron's record in Game 7s has been the stuff of true legends, and he added another feather to his vastly decorated cap today with a 45-point, 9-rebound, 7-assist, and 4-steal performance that the Indiana Pacers had no answer for. All in all, he made 16 of his 25 shots, 11 out of 15 free throw attempts and 2 out of 3 3-pointers.
He pushed the tempo early on in this game, just like he did in game 2 of this series. He took it upon himself to put up the bulk of his points, and he finished the first quarter with 13 points in the first quarter on 5-of-5 shooting from the field. Unlike Game 2, however, he also got his teammates going early on, and he signed off the quarter with a long 2-pointer over Domantas Sabonis.