Why the debate LeBron vs. Jordan is stupid: Because James is not finished yet
BOSTON - The Cleveland Cavaliers' Cloakroom door was open, the air from the hallway doing little to cool a tight space of steam from the shower mixed with the heat of the dozens of bodies piled in it. In a corner sitting LeBron James, his feet in an ice bucket and two oversized ice bags taped to his knees. His reaction to Sunday's 87-79 win of Sunday's 7 against the Boston Celtics, hitting his ticket for his eighth NBA finals was ... disappointing. He FaceTimed with a friend. He flipped through the pages of a book. He joked with local journalists.
Steps away, George Hill dressed slowly. After 666 regular season games - and 98 more in the playoffs - Hill is heading to his first finals. "It made me cry," said Hill. His 20 points in the 6th match helped to force a match 7. James' 35 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists drove the Cavs Sunday night.
A few sparks, Jeff Green beamed. Once spied on, Green had become a companion in recent years, ping-ponging between four teams in the last three seasons. He signed a one-year contract with Cleveland in July for $ 2.1 million. He replaced Kevin Love in the sixth game and scored 19 points from Love's place in Game 7. The soft-spoken green was one of the most players in the huddles, and its ground spacing, the Celtics coach Brad Stevens said, "was huge the last few games."
Six years ago, Green was on a table, undergoing open heart surgery. "January 9, 2012," said Green. Today, he is heading to his first finals.
"I lost almost everything," Green said. "And now, to sit here in front of you, to talk about the NBA Finals and play it, I was really blessed to be able to set foot on this field and play this game."
around James, a celebration. Kyle Korver played 13 seasons without an appearance in the final. He is heading for his second straight line. "This season has been something else," said Korver. J.R. Smith was actually dumped on Cleveland in 2015. "Four in a row," Smith said. "It's hard to believe." Kendrick Perkins was cut by the Cavs in the preseason. He could have taken a six-figure job on Cleveland's coaching staff. Instead, he moved 60 miles down the road, to Canton, and joined the Canton G League charge, raising about $ 30,000 for 27 games of work. He signed with Cleveland before the last game of the season, and the former Celtics will get a shot at a second championship.
As Perkins passed James' locker, he offered him a bottle of shower gel.
"I'm fine, I have," said James.
"Are you sure?" Answered Perkins. "Whatever you want, everything you need."
The Cavaliers are heading to the finals, again, and another impressive performance from James catapulted them there. Cavs coach Tyronn Lue has witnessed countless brilliant efforts from James. How does it pile up? "The best," said Lue. Pressed, Lue declared the only comparable match of the championship of 2016 by winning the seventh game against Golden State.
"But I think the seventh game, Boston, all the circumstances surrounding Boston, Boston history, plays a team that is very well trained, a good young team that is undefeated in the playoffs at home," said Lue. "To come on the road where all the matches have been unbalanced, both home teams have been in great shape at home, and coming here in a hostile environment ... Game 7, Eastern Conference Finals, this and the match 7 of the final in 2016, right there. "
The season on the line, and everyone on the Boston bench has understood: Against James, you can not keep it close. The Celtics took a quick 12-point lead, but a handful of missed opportunities in the second quarter allowed the Cavs to reduce it to four at the half. "We were in great shape," said Stevens. "We just could not stretch our heads."