NBA Watch League Pass

Three takeaways as Cavaliers hold off Celtics in epic Game 7

Carlan Gay

•
Three takeaways as Cavaliers hold off Celtics in epic Game 7 image

The Cavaliers have secured their spot in the NBA Finals for the fourth straight season after defeating the Celtics, 87-79, winning their best-of-seven series Sunday night.

Cleveland will play the winner of the Western Conference finals series between the Rockets and Warriors when the NBA Finals begin on Thursday.

Four Cavaliers posted double-digit point totals, but LeBron James led the way once again with a game-high 35 points. Jeff Green chipped in with 19 points and eight rebounds.

Jayson Tatum had a team-high 24 points for the Celtics. Al Horford finished with 17 points and four rebounds in the loss.

Here are three takeaways from Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals...

LeBron James, King of the East

We know what he's meant to his team in this series, and over the next couple days there will be plenty of articles breaking down his brilliance in getting his team to the NBA Finals. But looking at what he did specifically in this Game 7, James once again rose to the occasion.

James finished with a game-high 35 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists. He made momentum-shifting baskets and had an incredible highlight-reel block on Terry Rozier that will be looped in with the rest of his incredible chasedown blocks.

LeBron proved he was the game's best player on the biggest stage. Eight straight NBA Finals appearances — what an accomplishment.

Jayson Tatum, not your ordinary rookie

Tatum was the second-best player in this series — and at times he elevated himself to become the best player on the court. In Game 7, he went head-to-head with one of the greatest to ever play the game and didn't back down. He even ended up crowning the King...

Tatum finished with 24 points and seven rebounds while shooting 52.9 percent from the floor. The future of the Celtics is in good hands with a 20-year-old who looked like he had been there many times before in his first-ever playoff run.

The torch didn't quite change hands in the Eastern Conference this season, but it was close — and it will definitely be up for grabs next season when the Celtics are at full strength.

Cavs finally close the door

After Tatum's electric dunk on LeBron and a sidestep 3-pointer to give Boston a 72-71 advantage, the Cavs took over.

In the final six minutes of the game, the Cavs outscored Boston, 16-7. Cleveland finished the game shooting 4-for-8 from the field and 7-for-9 from the free throw line. Boston went cold in that same six-minute stretch, going just 2-for-13 from the field.

The Celtics looked tired at the end of the game, finally feeling the severity of the moment — a team that had too much youth to win a game of that magnitude, and a team that was missing one of the league's ultimate closers in Kyrie Irving.

Cleveland had been there and done it before. The Celtics will be better for the experience.

Carlan Gay

Carlan Gay Photo

Carlan Gay is an assistant managing editor at The Sporting News with a focus on the NFL, NBA, College & global sports. Carlan is also a play-by-play announcer for FIBA calling games on the international level since 2017.

You can follow Carlan on Twitter at @TheCarlanGay.