Boston Celtics

5 pivotal plays from the Celtics’ season-ending Game 7 defeat

Marcus Smart, Jayson Tatum, LeBron James
Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart and forward Jayson Tatum react in front of Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James during the second half of Game 7. AP Photo/Elise Amendola

By Mark Dunphy

4 minutes to read

The Celtics’ season ended on Sunday night. LeBron James extended his annual two-month long overtime shift with a performance that defied the best efforts of Boston’s defense. In his 100th game of the year, James played every minute. He scored 35 points and added 15 rebounds, leaving Brad Stevens and his team to swallow the bitter pill and look ahead to next year’s training camp.

“We’ve been really fortunate to continuously get better the last couple years and put ourselves in better positions,” Stevens said. “But when it ends it’s painful, and that is part of the path.”

Here are some of the pivotal plays from Game 7:

A Jayson Tatum crossover kickstarts the Celtics

Jayson Tatum sparked the Celtics with back-to-back makes early in the first quarter. First, the rookie drained a three-pointer on an assist from Jaylen Brown. Then Tatum drifted to the wing, sized up Tristan Thompson, and apparently liked what he saw. After a slick crossover move left him with enough space for a 20-foot jumper, Tatum had seven points and the Celtics had an 11-4 lead.

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Cleveland head coach Tyronn Lue called timeout after the shot fell. But thanks to the Jumbotron operator, the energy in the TD Garden crowd did not dissipate during the break. The camera first found Patriots owner Robert Kraft before panning to the hero of Game 7s past sitting beside him — Paul Pierce.

J.R. Smith’s three cuts the Celtics lead to two

At the 9:24 mark of the second quarter, Al Horford spun around his defender on the baseline and finished at the basket. The Celtics got a stop on the Cavaliers’ next possession, then Horford drove hard into the paint and kicked it into the far corner for a Marcus Morris three-pointer. His shot made it 35-23.

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Nearly seven minutes later, Boston had added only one tally to their total. James burst past Horford, then fired a pass to J.R. Smith, who sank a three-pointer that pulled the Cavaliers within two points. Smith’s score was part of a 14-4 run for Cleveland.

Marcus Smart did his part to end that run, absorbing a charge from James as the Cavaliers star drove for a score that would have given Cleveland the lead. On the other end of the court, Brown rewarded Smart for sacrificing his body by hitting a three-pointer to extend the Celtics lead. Boston led 43-39 at the half.

Marcus Smart misses, steals the ball back, scores

With 3:26 left in the third quarter, Terry Rozier soared for a one-handed slam. James soared to meet him in midair, blocking ball (and hand) to prevent the score. His block kept the Cavaliers rolling, as they went on a another run, this one 15-6. James stayed under the basket as the play moved to the other end of the court, then stood still as Jeff Green shot two free throws. The sequence gave James, who played all 48 minutes, some much needed rest.

Again, it was Smart stepping up to slow down Cleveland. He tossed up a floater that did not fall, but in typical Smart fashion he did not give up on the play. Instead, he poked the rebound away from James and laid the ball in. Smart’s second-effort made it 56-53 with 2:57 left in the third quarter.

Jayson Tatum climbs above The King

Jayson Tatum’s dunk over LeBron James midway through the fourth quarter sent shockwaves around the NBA that will reverberate until he takes the floor again next season. (He’ll still be 20 years old when that happens.)

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Tatum received the pass from Smart above the arc, then drove hard into the lane. He blew past Tristan Thompson and Kyle Korver before James came to intercept. Instead of pulling up for a floater, Tatum planted his feet, achieved liftoff, and threw down an emphatic dunk over one of the greatest to ever play the sport. He added a celebratory chest bump for good measure.

On the Celtics’ next possession, Tatum hit a three-pointer to give Boston a 72-71 lead. However, perhaps the most pivotal play in the sequence came when former Celtic Jeff Green answered Tatum’s string of highlights with a three-pointer of his own. Green’s reply muzzled the TD Garden crowd and put the Cavaliers back into the lead.

George Hill seals the game off an assist by LeBron

With just over a minute remaining in Game 7, Rozier missed a three-pointer that would have made it 79-77. The rebound fell to Green, who handed it off to James. James looked up, saw George Hill taking off past Celtics slow to react in transition, and flicked a chest pass over halfcourt. Hill caught the pass in stride and turned it into two points, beating Horford to the basket and finishing a reverse layup at the rim.

Brad Stevens called timeout after Hill scored. Coming out of the restart, Jaylen Brown missed another three-pointer (the Celtics watched 32 threes refuse to drop on the night). James took the ball the length of the floor at full speed, careening past every Boston defender. Morris tried to hang on with two hands, Brown goaltended, and still James could not be stopped. He spun a layup off the backboard and sank a free throw to complete the three-point play. The Cavaliers ended the Celtics season’ on an 87-79 scoreline.

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