by The Cavaliers defense stepped up big in game six back in Cleveland by holding the Celtics to only 69 points. The Cavaliers swarmed Boston shooters all night long and forced a deciding game seven by taking game six 74 – 69. LeBron took matters into his hands by putting up 32 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists. The series was headed back to Boston for a decisive game seven.
Few words in sports excite fans more than, “game seven”. This had been a classic series already and the game seven showdown was set to capture the attention of the nation. Boston had the best record in the league and the heavy favorite to win it all. Cleveland was the defending champ with arguably the world’s best player. It was the battle of two heavyweight powers they had already gone six brutal rounds and was set for a thrilling finish.
Game seven looked that it might be a blowout as Boston came out of the gate with all guns blazing. By halftime the Celtics lead 50 – 40 and had the Cavaliers beat in almost every category. It was Mike Brown making the crucial adjustments at the half this time, and the Cavs came roaring back in the third quarter to cut the lead to five points heading into the fourth and final quarter. An incredible duel between Paul Pierce and LeBron James was developing. Pierce finished with 41 points while James scored 45. In the end it was Boston doing just enough to win the game 97 – 92 and take the series. It sent Cleveland home and ended their bid to repeat as Eastern Conference Champions.
It was a hard fought series for Cleveland in which they surprised many with how well they played and how far they pushed Boston. It was encouraging to see the new players mesh so well together and they could only get better with a full offseason of working out and fine tuning. LeBron only had two years left on his contract, and one final push for a championship was set to begin in MVP fashion!
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