LeBron James is on the brink of his earliest NBA playoff exit – and maybe another departure from Cleveland.
This Game 7 has a win-or-leave-home element.
After being bloodied and blown off the floor in Game 6 by the Pacers in Indianapolis
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Only a win on Sunday over Indiana will prevent elimination and kick-start a summer in Cleveland that will center on James, who can opt out of his $35.6 million contract and become a free agent on July 1.
The stakes couldn’t be much higher. It’s the kind of game James lives to play.
”It’s just the love of the game and wanting to be remembered,” James said following a demoralizing 121-87 loss Friday night. ”Game 7, I always said, is the two greatest words in sports. Us having a Game 7 on our floor, our fans are going to be truly excited to be a part of that. And hope our guys are excited about that as well, and understand that just don’t take those moments for granted.
”I’ve been a part of Game 7s for quite a while now and it’s just something that you wish you can get back and when you’re done playing the game.”
James has never lost a first-round series, going 12-0 with many of them sweeps on his way to winning three championships and seven straight appearances in the Finals.
But nothing has come easy for the 33-year-old or the Cavs, whose regular-season flaws – suspect defense, no reliable second scoring option – have been exposed by the young-and-hungry Pacers.
Indiana has taken it to Cleveland, and the fifth-seeded Pacers believe they can win one more and finally take down James, who has ended their season three times in the playoffs since 2013.
”We were confident even before this series started,” said Indiana All-Star Victor Oladipo, who snapped out of a shooting slump to score 28 in Game 6. ”We’re still confident now. Game 7 is going to be a hostile environment. It’s going to be very emotional. But we’re looking forward to the challenge. It’s going to be a dog fight.
”We know they’re going to be ready. And we have to be, too.”
Before losing Game 6
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The four-time MVP scored 22 points with seven rebounds and five rebounds in 31 minutes before sitting out the entire fourth quarter to rest when it became obvious the Cavs were not coming back. James has been brilliant throughout the series, averaging 32.7 points, 10.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists.
Trouble is, he’s been doing it all by himself.
Kevin Love, Cleveland’s other All-Star, is averaging just 11 points and shooting 32 percent (22 of 68) from the field. Love has been playing with a sprained left thumb, but his shot is broken.
Love scored seven points in Game 6 on 3-of-10 shooting – the third time he’s scored 10 points or fewer in the series – and he also took a beating from Indiana’s bigs.
After trading Kyrie Irving to Boston last summer and then dealing Isaiah Thomas, who was supposed to replace Irving, at the Feb. 8 deadline, the Cavs were counting on Love to pick up his game in the playoffs.
They’re still waiting.
”It’s not me, but it’s not about me, either,” Love said softly following Game 6. ”I’ve done a lot of other good things. I know you guys will talk about the offense, but I just got to find a way to impact the game in different ways.”
Fortunately, the Cavs have James
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A look at the Pacers-Cavaliers first-round series finale:
PACERS AT CAVALIERS
Series tied 3-3. Game 7, 1 p.m. EDT, ABC.
NEED TO KNOW: This will be Cleveland’s first Game 7 at Quicken Loans in the building’s 24-year history. The Cavs twice won Game 7s at Richfield Coliseum (1976, 1992) and are 3-2 in Game 7s. Their most recent win came in the unforgettable 2016 victory over the Warriors that ended the city’s 52-year title drought.
KEEP AN EYE ON: The officiating. The series has been physical from the start. James received a nasty gash over his right eye in Game 6 on a play where nothing was called. If James is in attack mode, he’ll draw contact and will be looking for calls. He made 15 of 15 free throws while scoring 44 points in Game 5.
PRESSURE IS ON: All of the Cavs besides James. Cleveland needs someone in the supporting cast to do more or a drama-filled season will have a wretched conclusion.
INJURY UPDATE: Cavaliers starting guard George Hill remains questionable with back spasms. He hasn’t played since Game 3 but worked on his shot Saturday.
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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Tampa Bay’s continued experimentation with relievers as starters has had mixed results, but it helped the Rays beat the best team in baseball on Friday night, and they’ll hope for the same formula as the series continues Saturday at Tropicana Field.
“It’s a little backwards, a little different, but it is what it is,” Yankees‘ Brett Gardner said after Friday’s 2-1 win for the Rays.
On Saturday, the Rays will start reliever Wilmer Font (0-3, 7.56 ERA)
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Font lasted one out shorter than the minimum needed for a win but held the Yankees to one run and four hits, striking out five. The same pitcher who had an 11.68 ERA in April and a 10.80 ERA in May now has a 2.51 ERA in June.
The Rays might not have a majority of fans in their own stadium, but they’re finding ways to win.
“They were pretty loud,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said of the Yankees fans on Friday night. “We’ve played the Yankees and Red Sox quite a bit, and they have a lot of fans who travel with them. I thought the loudest moment was when we got the final out, and that’s what we were concerned about. Our fans showed up and supported us.”
If the Rays want to win again Saturday, they’ll have to do so against another pitcher who has gotten steadily better as the season has progressed. Sonny Gray (5-4, 4.8) hasn’t faced the Rays yet this season
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Gray had a 6.67 ERA in April, then a 5.16 ERA in May. For June, his ERA stands at 2.63. Gray has allowed only seven earned runs in 24 innings.
The Rays put together 10 hits on Friday, but got nothing from one of their best hitters.
Kevin Kiermaier went 0-for-4 to drop to 0-for-13 since his return from the disabled list. The Rays did get three hits from catcher Wilson Ramos, who has stepped into the American League lead in All-Star voting among catchers.
Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez, next in the All-Star voting, went 0-for-4 to drop his season average to .194. Ramos may get traded before this year’s deadline, but he’s making the most of his time with the Rays.
No one will confuse the Yankees (50-23) with the Rays (35-40), but another bullpen day Saturday could flummox a New York batting order that managed only five hits Friday. And when they did get hits, the Yankees couldn’t capitalize and went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
After the Rays dropped their first six games against the Yankees this season, they have won two straight as they try to again claw back to playing .500 baseball.
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