Final thoughts
We will be covering Game 7 of tomorrow’s Western Conference Finals between the Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors tomorrow here at the Guardian. Thanks to everyone for following along! You can read the full report from tonight’s game here:
Updated
And, just in case you were wondering, LeBron James’s final score was 35 points, 15 rebounds and 9 assists. Another near triple-double for LeBron who will, it should be pointed out have his work cut out for him if he wants his Cavaliers team to be competitive against whoever comes out of the West tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Celtics head coach Brad Stevens is getting all emo on the losing side.
Brad Stevens on his locker room speech: “I talked about the pain is part of the path.”
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) May 28, 2018
And of course it’s JR Smith carrying around the EC Finals trophy, never stop being you JR.
Skip Bayless continues to be a massive joke.
As is anyone hating on LeBron, who is taking one of his weakest teams ever to the NBA Finals. His 8th straight. 8th straight!
It's laughable to think winning the Least with this team was some great achievement by LeBron. Victor Oladipo's Indiana? The same sorry Raptors they swept LAST YEAR? The overachieving Celtics without two All-Stars??? Huh? LeBron's Cavs SHOULD'VE won the Least.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) May 28, 2018
I’m trying to catch my breath there. The Celtics did a great job in keeping this a game but the Cavaliers just know how to close out game. During the last minutes it felt like the Celtics couldn’t get anything going. And LeBron was LeBron.
Cleveland Cavaliers will face the winners of tomorrow’s game between the Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals!
Cavaliers win!
Cavaliers 87-79 Celtics, end of the game
Morris gets a dunk but it’s getting late. A J.R. Smith free throw for Cleveland and a late three from Brown for Boston makes the difference and the Cavaliers run out the clock. They are Eastern Conference champions
Cavaliers 86-74 Celtics, 40.5, 4th quarter
All Cleveland. LeBron with a three point play. George Hill adds to his total with two more free throws.
Cavaliers 81-74 Celtics, 1:00, 4th quarter
LeBron gets to the line and makes one of two free throws. Time’s running out for Boston here. Hill hits a shot, assisted by LeBron with a minute left.
Cavaliers 78-74 Celtics, 2;30, 4th quarter
Hill misses a three for the Cavaliers. And Horford miss a three for the C’s. And there’s an offensive foul on Brown to give it back to Cleveland where Tatum gets called for a foul that puts LeBron on the line. He’s not going to miss these, obviously. Morris gets to the line next, he makes only one of two for Boston. Morris grabs the rebound on the miss but misses a three.
For the record, Jeff Green has 19 points, plus 7 defensive rebounds. LeBron already has 29 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists. Those numbers are likely to go up in the game’s final minutes. Tatum’s got 24 points for Boston. It feels like a lot more.
Cavaliers 76-73 Celtics, 3:47, 4th quarter
Thompson with a crowd-silencing dunk. Smart picks up a foul, gets to the line to cut the Cavs lead down to three. Tatum gets called for a foul and Cleveland takes a timeout. Man, there’s still a long way to go here it feels, despite the time on the clock.
Cavaliers 74-72 Celtics, 5:44, 4th quarter
Holy cow! An authoritative dunk from Tatum! And a Celtics turnover! And a three from Tatum! The Celtics have a lead! Except Jeff Green unleashes a three of his own and suddenly they don’t. PODIUM GAME UNLOCKED.
Cavaliers 71-67 Celtics, 6:57, 4th quarter
LeBron James with a nice move to hit one from mid-range. The Cavaliers with good ball movement then set up a Korver three which ends up errant. And there’s a fourth foul on LeBron. Morris gets to the line makes one of two…. And LeBron is in “answer every scoring play” mode late in this one. Boston wisely calls a timeout. It feels like the game’s in the balance right now.
Cavaliers 67-66 Celtics, 9:12, 4th quarter
Korver hits a three, which is what he’s there to do. Tatum, having an absolute stellar game, gets to the line and makes two free throws. (The foul is on Jordan Clarkson, who still exists, he’d like you to know). And there’s a foul on Smart. The crowd chants something about bull dung.
Cavaliers 64-64 Celtics, 10:01, 4th quarter
Also in the “you know they’re not going to miss” category: that would be LeBron, who scores underneath the basket. Morris makes a three pointer for the Celtics and so does JR Smith. Oh this is on.
Cavaliers 59-61 Celtics, 11:23, 4th quarter
Well this should be dramatic. Celtics have the ball to start and Tatum immediately scores. And the Cavaliers turn it over. Smart gets the ball for Horford for an alley-oop and NOW it’s properly loud. Horford is fouled too, so he gets a free throw and he’s not going to miss.
Cavaliers 59-56 Celtics, end of the 3rd quarter
Oof. And then LeBron hits a three. That feels like a game-changer coming near the end of the quarter. There’s 12 minutes left in the season for one of these two teams (or, you know, overtime).
Cavaliers 56-56 Celtics, 1:40, 3rd quarter
Baynes is on the line now, a chance to make it a one point game. He does! Green misses a three. LeBron picks up foul number three putting Baynes back on the line. He has a chance to put the Celtics at the lead and he- ties it. Well better than nothing.
Cavaliers 56-53 Celtics, 2:44, 3rd quarter
I want to point out (because I may never have the chance again this postseason) that Boston’s “C Us Rise” shirts read as just “Cus Rise.” Oh hey, Marcus Smart cleans up his own mess, rebounding his own miss, cutting the lead to 3 points. Cleveland takes a timeout.
Updated
Cavaliers 56-51 Celtics, 3:18, 3rd quarter
LeBron Is getting his guys involved. This is big time danger. He throws an alley-oop to Thompson. And Jeff Green gets to the line AGAIN. He makes one of two.
Cavaliers 53-51 Celtics, 4:56, 3rd quarter
Maybe everybody’s getting their second wind. Jaylen Brown with a dunk. LeBron hits an ice-cold three as does… JEFF GREEN. Oh that’s not good for Boston.
Cavaliers 47-49 Celtics, 6:33, 3rd quarter
Oh god: Jeff Green Podium Game alert. He takes a LeBron pass to the basket, picks up a foul, and ties up the game on the free throw line. Oh and then Tatum hits a jumper to untie it.
These guys are just tired. We saw that in Golden State/Houston too.
Maybe the NBA should have given teams more than a day off between every game of the third round, nearly two months in
— Bruce Arthur (@bruce_arthur) May 28, 2018
Cavaliers 44-47 Celtics, 7:20, 3rd quarter
This game still feels off. Like a regular season contest rather than a WINNER MAKES IT TO THE FLIPPING FINALS GAME 7 deal. Even the crowd is surprisingly quiet, considering their team’s up 6 points here. (J.R. Smith hits one from a very long ways) Er, make that 3 points here. Boston takes a timeout.
Cavaliers 41-47 Celtics, 8:25, 3rd quarter
JR Smith picks up two quick personal fouls, like within seconds of each other. Better news for the Celtics: Baynes and Tatum both score.
Cavaliers 41-45 Celtics, 10:00, 3rd quarter
The Cavaliers immediately get a chance to cut it back down to a two point game as JR Smith gets fouled on a three, and makes two of three free throws. Terry Rozier hits a jumper in response and the scoring is off
Second half starts!
Cavaliers 39-43 Celtics, 12:00, 3rd quarter
And we begin again!
And my annual tradition of trying to restart my laptop to keep it from overheating before the second half starts. My Twitter TL is telling me that the big discussion is about Marcus Smart potentially flopping. That sounds about right. Also they agreed about that last quarter of basketball not being, uh, very good.
Halftime thoughts
Let me check my email here: and it’s all people who either accidentally clicked my email on their phones or who are asking for live streams (it’s on WatchESPN and there’s a radio broadcast on ESPNRadio). A Guardian liveblog tradition like no other. The Celtics have the lead but it’s clear that the Cavs can wipe it away relatively quickly. This one’s probably going down to the wire.
End of the first half!
Cavaliers 39-43 Celtics, end of the first half
Marcus Smart is on the line. He makes one of two. Jeff Green gets a “my bad” shot off after a bit of back-and-forth. The “defense” chants fail Boston. On the other end, LeBron gets a basket wiped away as he’s charged with an offensive foul. And Jaylen Brown hits a BIG three. The Celtics needed that
Cavaliers 37-39 Celtics, 1:45, 2nd quarter
What did I say about the Celtics losing leads in the second? Thompson makes a layup to cut the lead back to two point. There’s a foul on Green and the Cavs take a timeout here.
Cavaliers 35-39 Celtics, 2:28, 2nd quarter
Morris hits a shot to get the Celtics ahead by ten, but then they put LeBron to the line. Okay you can tell he starting to feel it because he only makes one of two. (I think this is a joke. A Tatum shot juuuust rims out and that feels like a bit of a momentum kiler. James, Jeff Green and JR Smith (from long distance) all make baskets to cut it down to a one possession game. The Celtics need to stop the bleeding and Al Horford does so with a hanging-off-the-rim dunk.
Cavaliers 27-35 Celtics, 5:17, 2nd quarter
This uh isn’t getting much better. A lot of ugly misses on both sides until George Hill finally scores. Jeff Green then gets awarded two points on a goal tend.
Cavaliers 23-35 Celtics, 6:$7, 2nd quarter
Tristan Thompson completes an old-fashioned three after being fouled. Horford makes a shot, Morris hits a three and then we get an ugly stretch where nobody can seem to make a shot. Teams seem a tad gassed. Celtics finally take a timeout.
Cavaliers 20-30 Celtics, 10:05, 2nd quarter
Cavs have the ball to start he second quarter but don’t score. The Celtics very,very much do, Rozier and Horford combine on an alley-oop that gets the crowd cheering until LeBron immediately quiets them with a dunk. Tatum gets to the line and makes two free throws.
Cavaliers 18-26 Celtics, end of the 1st quarter
Kyle Korver fouls Horford, who hits two free throws. The “defense” chants get louder now and I guess they work on both ends. Neither team scores again in the quarter.
Cavaliers 18-24 Celtics, 1:01, 1st quarter
Larry Nance Jr, hey that’s not LeBron James, scores for Cleveland. Morris scores for Boston. And, hey, LeBron picks up his first foul. Possibly important. Al Horford scores on Boston’s end and Brown with a three pointer.
Cavaliers 16-17 Celtics, 3:24, 1st quarter
James scores, gets fouled, gets the and one. Marc Morris makes a layup AND forces a timeout. Celtics with the timeout.
Cavaliers 13-15 Celtics, 4:11, 1st quarter
Jeff Green podium game? The Celtics win the jump ball but can’t convert, Green runs to the other end and gets the layup and the foul on Aron Baynes. He ties it at the free throw line- Oh never mind, Tatum unties it with a jumper.
Cavaliers 10-13 Celtics, 4:58, 1st quarter
Jaylen Brown makes a layoff and, oh hey, Marc Morris gets called for a foul. Shocker that. James makes both. He has all but one of the Cavs’ points so far. Marcus Smart comes in for Terry Rozier.
Cavaliers 8-11 Celtics, 6:07, 1st quarter
LeBron hits a three pointer! Which Cleveland needs. Cleveland also needs a non-LeBron to start scoring.
Tristan Thompson gets fouled and makes one of two free throws. Well that’s a start.
Cavaliers 4-11 Celtics, 8:19, 1st quarter
Two straight Boston buckets, including a Tatum three, LeBron misses on his end.
Cavaliers 4-9 Celtics, 8:57, 1st quarter
LeBron James misses a technical but hits a decent sized two and the Cavs are on the board. Celtics can’t answer on the other end and James hits another jumper.
And Tatum with a three!
Cavaliers 0-6 Celtics, 10:09, 1st quarter
And that’s a quick start. The Celtics get the first three baskets of the game. Jayson Tatum, Terry Rozier and Al Hoford all score.
Opening tip!
Cavaliers 0-0 Celtics, 12:00, 1st quarter
And we’re off!
It’s officially game time! But I keep forgetting that these playoff games, we have to wait an additional ten minutes or so for the actual tipoff. We’re in the intros nows
My prediction as far as a potential Celtics MVP? Well if this postseason has taught us that if this guy takes over the game? They’ve probably got this. (And some people think he’s not an All-Star.)
Al Horford's pops rolling into Game 7 with the tucked in jersey is a BIG mood. ☘️ pic.twitter.com/AOAEXd3oRI
— SLAM Magazine (@SLAMonline) May 27, 2018
How do the Cavaliers pull it off? Well, I’m going along with the experts and say that they need some contributions from people who aren’t LeBron. LeBron is going to get his, you might want to even go for the over as far as predictions on his final point total. Somebody else is going to have to have a big game. Will Jeff Green have one of his random monster games? Will J.R. Smith actually shoot them into a game rather than out of one? Will George Hill have a second straight game where he finds himself on top of Twitter trends for all the right reasons?
Predictions
Let me be real: I have no idea. I guess the loss of Kevin Love and the fact that the game is at home should make Boston favorites but, man, it’s a minor miracle the Celtics have made it this far. I’m going to say that the Cavaliers win by double digits, but the game remains close for the first three quarters. Look for Boston to take an early lead and then let it slip away in the second quarter because, listen, I’ve watched this team all season long. This is what they do.
Or I could be completely and utterly wrong and Boston cruises to an early victory and denies LeBron his first Finals appearance since 2010 (that was them who did that then, too, it should be noted).
Vegas likes LeBron tonight. Wouldn’t you?
Vegas’ over/under for LeBron's points tonight (38) is the highest of any player ever 😳 https://t.co/YMpq03wOEH pic.twitter.com/RLxJLOaMbi
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 27, 2018
Western Conference Finals
Hey it’s the first time since 1979 that both conference finals have gone seven games. It looked like the Houston Rockets had a chance to finish the upset against the Golden State Warriors in yesterday’s Game 6, but the Warriors pulled off one of the patented blowout third innings and ended up embarrassing the Rockets to send the Western Conference Finals back to Houston. We’ll have coverage of Game 7 tomorrow, where we’ll find out who tonight’s winners will face in the NBA Finals (note: replace “face” with “probably get crushed by,” but I’ve been wrong about so many things).
It may come down to whether Chris Paul is available. Which isn’t looking good:
Mike D'Antoni on Chris Paul's Game 7 status: "I think it's a game-time decision. Probably doubtful, however they list it, or questionable. They will eventually test it and see if there's any possibility whatsoever." Paul has not tested his hamstring since straining it in Game 5.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) May 27, 2018
Preamble
Okay we didn’t imagine THIS series to go seven games. We especially didn’t see the Boston Celtics as the ones to push the Cleveland Cavaliers to the brink of elimination in Game 6. What we did expect, and what we got, was for LeBron James to fight back on his home court and have a crazy game (46 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists) to keep his team alive.
Now, the problem for the Cavaliers is that they’re not playing at home. They’re here in TD Garden where Boston have won every game so far this series. Could the Celtics pull off the upset, advancing the NBA Finals despite missing both Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, who were considered their two best players before they suffered season ending injuries?
To be fair, Boston aren’t alone on the injury front. It doesn’t doesn’t help that Cleveland will be without Kevin Love, who is going through the concussion protocol after suffering a head injury in Game 6. In his stead will be former Celtic Jeff Green. (Note: Boston fans will be quick to tell you that this is a downgrade.)
As always we want to hear from you throughout today’s game. You can send your thoughts via email (to Hunter.Felt.Freelance@theguardian.com) or via Twitter (to @HunterFelt). It’s Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden. We’re set to tip off at 8:30 EST but first we need to tell you that we’ve updated our privacy policies...
No wait, sorry, I meant to say that we’ll be back with updates, predictions and more bad jokes before then.
Hunter will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s the latest from the Western Conference finals:
Klay Thompson hit nine three-pointers and scored 35 points, the Warriors held James Harden down in the second half, and Golden State rallied from an early 17-point deficit to stave off elimination with a 115-86 victory over the Houston Rockets on Saturday night to force a deciding Game 7 in the Western Conference finals.
Stephen Curry added 29 points and five threes on a night Harden dazzled for long stretches with 32 points, nine assists and seven rebounds while backcourt mate Chris Paul sat out sidelined by a strained right hamstring.
You can read the full report below:
