Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals was all about LeBron James. With he and the Cavs facing elimination against the Celtics at The Q in Cleveland on Friday night, LeBron once again put in one of the most astounding performances of his career to keep his team alive for a deciding Game 7 back in Boston on Sunday.
Yet as has been the case for most of the playoffs, it was born partially out of necessity. Though the Cavs got key contributions from their supporting cast in George Hill and Jeff Green, who scored 20 points and 14 points, respectively, they were without Kevin Love for most of the contest after he bumped heads with Jayson Tatum in the first quarter and was ruled out of the remainder of the game.
Kevin Love is headed into the locker room after a scary collision with Jayson Tatum pic.twitter.com/1AgeEZC7bv
— HoopitNBAlive (@Hoopit_NBA_Live) May 26, 2018
Love, of course, has been put in the league-mandated concussion protocol, and though there’s been no official diagnosis, he told reporters after the game that he’s questionable to play in Game 7 at TD Garden this weekend.
Saw Kevin Love on his way out of the arena. Sounds like we'll have more answers tomorrow. He has more tests to pass before he can be cleared to play. As for his status for Sunday: "Toss-up," he said.
— Jason Lloyd (@ByJasonLloyd) May 26, 2018
Even with LeBron playing at the absolute peek of his powers, winning a Game 7 on the road without their second-best player is a daunting proposition for the Cavs. The Celtics remain undefeated on their home floor throughout these playoffs, going a perfect 10-0 so far after their pivotal Game 5 win on Wednesday.
Still, Boston is a young team that has never been in this situation before, and they’ll run headlong into an unstoppable force of nature in a player who somehow manages to elevate his game to another level in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.
