Facing the first Game 7 in the opening round of his career, LeBron James responded as you might expect — and actually got some help along the way. The Cleveland Cavaliers’ 105-101 win over an admirable Indiana Pacers squad at least temporarily put some of the club’s biggest concerns to rest and sets up what should be a riveting second-round series versus the Toronto Raptors.
Here are takeaways from Sunday’s Game 7 thriller:
Lineup change
“We started the game with guys who’ve been in big games before,” James told ESPN’s Doris Burke after the final buzzer wrapped, and it was a simple but effective strategy that paid dividends.
Cavaliers head coach Ty Lue made a surprising lineup change ahead of Game 7, replacing a point guard with a centre — Jose Calderon for Tristan Thompson — and opting for a lineup that had gone to war together plenty in the past.
James, J.R. Smith, Kyle Korver, Kevin Love, and Thompson started for the Cavs, and the group has a collective 562 games of playoff experience, including 24 appearances over the past two post-seasons as a unit.
That experience offered a steadying hand for Cleveland early. With that group on the floor the Cavs jumped out to a double-digit lead in the first quarter.
Thompson’s appearance was, as mentioned, a legitimate surprise. After playing just 23 total minutes during the first six games of the series — all of them off the bench, including a paltry nine over the first five — he was stellar on Sunday.
Thompson, who registered a career-low 53 games and 20 minutes per this season, had seen his once-important role on the Cavaliers diminished this season in part as Cleveland looked to surround James with shooters.
But against this Pacers team, an extra, active body around the rim could make a difference and Thompson certainly did. The Brampton, Ont., native had a double-double in the first half and was typically effective on the offensive glass, finishing the game with 15 points (on 5-of-6 shooting), 10 boards (five offensive), and what proved to be a game-clinching block on Indiana’s Darren Collison in the closing minutes to help stop the Pacers’ momentum.
Support staff
Apart from Thompson, James got contributions from his teammates, who played under control, hit timely buckets, and stepped up during a scary stretch early in the fourth quarter when James was forced off the floor.
After playing every second of the game, he left the court near the end of the third quarter with leg cramps, and remained on the bench for the first few minutes of the fourth quarter when he re-emerged from the locker room in what was a tight game.
His supporting cast, which had (deservedly) gotten flack throughout the season and this first-round series for not providing enough consistent help, took care of business in James’ absence.
Love hit a pair of clutch three-pointers to help give Cleveland an eight-point lead that it would extend before Indiana made a run to put a scare in Cavs fans as the game wound to an end. After scoring in single digits during three of the first six games, Love finished with 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting from deep.
George Hill, one of the key trade-deadline acquisitions for the Cavs, returned to the lineup after missing his last three games due to injury and provided a boost in the fourth quarter. He was aggressive creating opportunities and got to the free-throw line, converting nine of his 11 chances.
In his post-game interview with Burke, James suggested splitting up the game ball between Hill and Thompson.
The court of the Crimson King
But, of course, if anyone deserved the game ball in this one it was LeBron himself.
By the end of the first quarter he had 13 points, by halftime that number was 26, and James would finish the game with a stat line that we’ve come to take for granted from “The King”: 45 points (14-of-26 shooting, 11-of-15 from the free-throw line), nine rebonds, seven assists, and four steals.
But the boxscore only tells part of the story. When James returned from his leg cramps he helped give the Cavs another double-digit cushion — something, it turns out, they would need against a feisty Pacers team that fought until the end. On the Cavs’ most crucial defensive possession he guarded Pacers all-star Victor Oladipo at the three-point line and seemingly shape-shifted to underneath the basket in time to grab the rebound on the miss and seal the win.
His impact on a game is second to none, and it’s why while the Cavaliers may be beatable, as Indiana proved, they’ll be the favourites in any series in the East as long as James is on the floor.
Polite golf clap
Credit to the Pacers for, on a few occasions on Sunday, coming back and making a game of this one when they could have easily unravelled. The Pacers were tenacious and incredibly active around the basket, and will be kicking themselves for dropping what was ultimately a winnable game.
Oladipo, the front-runner for the NBA’s Most Improved Player award, was quiet in the first half, but made his mark in the second, finishing the game with a team-high 30 points and 12 rebounds, along with three steals and four three-pointers.
But he was absent during that stretch with LeBron off the court, the Pacers missing out on a great opportunity to take advantage and establish a lead.
Next up:
For the third season in a row, the Cavaliers’ playoff run has to go through Toronto with a much-anticipated rematch with the Raptors now officially set.
Despite the Cavs’ flaws, this wasn’t the outcome much of Raptorland wanted and will mean that the Raps will have to do something they’ve never done — beat a LeBron-led team in a playoff series — in order to return to the East Finals for the first time in two years.
Game 1 tips off Tuesday night in Toronto. Strap in.
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