The Cavs and Pacers were locked in a tight game late in the third quarter of Game 7 in Cleveland when LeBron James was forced to exit for the first time with about a minute to go in the frame.
James, who had previously planned to play “the whole game,” was suddenly headed to the locker room. Naturally, there was a great deal of concern about the Cavs’ superstar when he continued to remain in the locker room as the fourth quarter began. Eventually, James returned from the locker room to the bench, but stayed there munching on orange slices as he battled a familiar playoff foe: cramps.
LeBron has famously dealt with cramping in the past, most notably in the NBA Finals against the Spurs, but this time, in the most improbable of circumstances, the Cavs were able to actually extend the lead from two to seven with James off the floor for nearly five minutes of game time.
James eventually returned with just over eight minutes to play in the fourth quarter. Kevin Love got going in his absence, finding his shooting stroke that had eluded him for much of this series. The Pacers, meanwhile, inexplicably did not keep their star Victor Oladipo in the game to start the fourth and try to attack the LeBron-less Cavs.
In a series that’s been back-and-forth and seen wild in-game swings, it ultimately might be a five minute stretch in Game 7 without LeBron James that gives the Cavaliers the series win and a trip to Toronto to face the Raptors.
