For the first time in his career, LeBron James is going to play a Game 7 in the first round of the NBA Playoffs after the Cleveland Cavaliers failed to close out the series on the road against the Indiana Pacers on Friday with a 121-87 loss. Will the Cavs advance? Or will the Pacers kick James and company out of title contention? Going into the game, the Pacers are 5.5-point underdogs (at press) with 199-point OVER/UNDER set at the sportsbook.
Victor Oladipo went from zero to hero real quick. After a horrendous Game 5 performance in which he went just 2-for-15 from the field and had only 12 points, Oladipo was like a house on fire in Game 6, leading the Pacers with 28 points on a much more efficient 11-for-19 shooting from the field. Oladipo definitely can’t allow to have a letdown performance in Game 7 in Cleveland, as the Pacers depend on him to carry his Game 6 heroics to this Sunday’s ball game. Another thing the Pacers need to sustain is their 3-point shooting after going 15-for-30 from behind the arc on Friday.
The Pacers are 4-0 ATS in their last four road games, and 26-18 ATS over their last 44 games away from home.
The Cavs played basketball so bad on Friday, Dr. James Naismith might feel bad that he invented the game if he saw how Cleveland played defense against the Pacers. Cleveland allowed the Pacers outscore them in the paint by 26 points and in transition by 23 points. The Cavs have to get it together on defense or else risk suffering the same forgettable experience they went through in Game 5. On offense, LeBron James scored 22 points but the other four starers muscled out a combined output of 22 points. Pathetic. Kevin Love only had seven points in a head-shaking performance. Look for LeBron to play the role of the hero in this game, as it will still all boil down to what he does that will determine the Cavs’ fate in this series.
The Cavs are 8-2 SU in their last 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Indiana wins 110-105, sending Lebron James home to start packing for a big move next season.
