The Cavaliers are headed to their fourth consecutive NBA Finals, but unlike the last three years, they found themselves truly tested in the Eastern Conference Finals, as the Celtics pushed them to the full seven games.
Game 7 required a full 48-minute effort from LeBron James, who finished with 35 points, 15 rebounds, and nine assists in the series clinching 87-79 win. James averaged an eye-popping 33.6 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 8.4 assists per game against Boston, with Kevin Love (who missed most of Game 6 and all of Game 7) as the only other Cavalier to average double-digit points for the series.
On the Boston side, they were led by their young wing tandem of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum. Brown averaged 19.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game, but struggled in Game 7 with 13 points on 5-of-18 shooting, including a 3-of-12 effort from three-point range. Tatum averaged 17.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game, but was one of two Celtics to actually show up on the offensive end in Game 7, leading the Celtics with 24 points including some clutch buckets in the fourth quarter that briefly gave Boston its last lead of the game.
One of those was a monster dunk on LeBron, which led to an eruption in the Garden and an understandable celebration from Tatum that may have poked the bear a bit and giving James a boost. In any case, Tatum’s play in Game 7 and all series (and season) led LeBron to heaping praise on the rookie as a future superstar in the league.
LeBron James on Jayson Tatum: "I just love everything about the kid. The way he plays the game, his demeanor, where he's come from. … He's just built for stardom."
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) May 28, 2018
It’s not the first time this series James has complimented Tatum, but it shows how much respect he has for the rookie and how good he thinks the young man will be as he continues to develop his game. Tatum was well ahead of the curve in his rookie season and is already a well-above average player in the league. Should he keep improving and developing his skill set he has shown the flashes of being a near-unstoppable offensive force and has the length to be a problem on defense.
The Celtics are in excellent position moving forward, but for now, their focus will remain on the future because the present, at least for one more playoffs, belongs to LeBron.
