The Cleveland Cavaliers host the Indiana Pacers in a winner-take-all Game 7, while the Rockets and Jazz kick off the second-round in Houston. Follow along here for the latest analysis and commentary from The Post's NBA reporter Tim Bontemps, and ask him questions in the comments section. Catch up with Saturday's results here.
Schedule and results | Pregame reading | Comments section Q&A
In the game that could define not just Cleveland's season but the future of the franchise, Cavaliers Coach Tyronn Lue is in "ride or die" mode.
By starting Tristan Thompson at center, and deploying LeBron James at point guard, Lue is leaning heavily on the players who have been through the wars with him in the past – and not on the new faces Cleveland has imported over the past year.
Early on, the Pacers have been trying to get isolations against Kevin Love, but haven't been able to take advantage of them. Cleveland, meanwhile, has already had LeBron James barrel into the lane twice for layups and hit Love for a corner three to make it 9-2 Cavaliers early on.
CLEVELAND — The focal point of everyone's attention here today will be on LeBron James. In what could be his final game in Cleveland, there will be scrutiny on every movement James makes and every word he says if this marks the end of the Cavaliers' season.
Whether today's Game 7 does result in the end of Cleveland's season, though, has less to do with what James does than it does with the play of Victor Oladipo.
The truth is that Indiana has been the better team in this series by a significant margin, and that has been the case despite Oladipo's inconsistency from game-to-game. Perfect example: After going 12-for-50 in Games 3, 4 and 5, he had a triple-double in Game 6.
If Oladipo just isn't awful in Game 7, the Pacers should win the game. Indiana has arguably been the better team in all six games, and yet finds itself now in a Game 7 on the road.
But with Kevin Love clearly not 100 percent and the rest of Cleveland's supporting cast not doing enough to provide a threat around James, this is a golden opportunity for the Pacers to finally vanquish James form the playoffs after losing to him four times previously in the postseason.
Cleveland did get a boost before Game 7 when Cavaliers Coach Tyronn Lue said point guard George Hill will be available to play after missing Games 4-6 after suffering a back injury in Game 3. Lue wouldn't say whether Hill would start or not, but either way it seems unlikely Hill would be able to play more than 20-25 minutes regardless.
Sunday's schedule and results:
- Indiana Pacers at Cleveland Cavaliers, 1 p.m., ABC (Series tied, 3-3)
- Utah Jazz at Houston Rockets (second-round series Game 1)
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Hop into the comments section below to chat with The Post's Tim Bontemps about all of your NBA questions.
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