Thanks in large part to another iconic performance from LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavaliers managed to defeat the Indiana Pacers in Sunday’s Game 7 affair by a score of 105-101. Now, with little time to prepare, James and the Cavs are through to the second round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs, where they’ll face the Toronto Raptors.
Late in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game, Cavs big man Tristan Thompson made an outstanding defensive play on Pacers point guard Darren Collison. As Collison drove to the hoop, Thompson met his layup attempt at its apex, sending it two rows deep into the audience.
As you might expect, the crowd immediately began cheering in approval of Thompson’s block. One fan who was seated courtside tried to get in on a high-five session between James and Thompson as they came together near the sideline, but it just wasn’t to be. Thomspon and James left the fan hanging, but he didn’t seem to be bothered much by it.
James, now 33 years of age and in his 15th season of NBA service, was terrific in Game 7 (and the series as a whole). The King logged a whopping 43 minutes in Sunday’s closeout game, scoring 45 points on 16-of-25 shooting from the field (2-of-3 from beyond the arc), nine rebounds, seven assists, and four steals — all while knocking down 11 of his 15 chances at the charity stripe.
For whatever reason, Thompson hadn’t played much in the playoffs until Sunday’s game. Shortly before tip-off, Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue made the decision to start the four remaining members of Cleveland’s championship-winning team from 2016 (James, Thompson, J.R. Smith, and Kevin Love). Coach Lue’s decision paid off in a big way, as Thompson went on to score 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting, 10 rebounds, one assist, one block, and one steal in 35 minutes of action.
The Cavs and Raptors will meet inside the Air Canada Centre for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Tuesday night at 8:00 p.m. EST with TNT having live broadcast coverage.
