Celtics Win Crucial Game 5 as LeBron James Can’t Carry Cavaliers on Road

The Boston Celtics are one win away from their first NBA Finals appearance since 2010. cheap nike nfl jerseys free shipping

After dropping a pair of Eastern Conference Finals games in Northeast Ohio, the Celtics snapped out of their mid-series malaise and churned out a 96-83 Game 5 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night at TD Garden behind quality outings from Jayson Tatum (24 points) and Jaylen Brown (17 points).

A visibly tired LeBron James (26 points, 10 rebounds, five assists) and Kevin Love (14 points, seven rebounds) did the heavy lifting for the Cavaliers, while Cleveland’s other three starters combined for only 10 points.

The Celtics should want no part of that. cheap nfl nike jerseys from china

To avoid a return trip to TD Garden, Boston will have to overcome its playoff road woes. The Celtics are 1-6 away from home since the start of the postseason and have been outscored by an average of 11.6 points per 100 possessions in those tilts,

The Celtics have the comfort of knowing they’ll have one more game back in Boston—where they’re undefeated in the playoffs—if they drop Game 6. But given James’ illustrious track record, it would behoove them to produce their finest road effort of the playoffs to avoid becoming the latest victim of the King’s Game 7 dominance.

Is LeBron’s Workload Finally Catching Up to Him?china nike nfl jerseys cheap

For a passer and decision-maker of James’ caliber, those figures are eye-opening.

Then again, he has played 38.8 minutes per night through the first five games of the Eastern Conference Finals after shouldering a workload in excess of 41 minutes per game in each of the first two rounds.

While he may seem superhuman at times, that type of physical pounding was bound to catch up to him.

The Cavaliers are staring down elimination, which means LeBron could be facing questions galore about his future in Cleveland as soon as Friday night.

If that sounds familiar, it should. nike nfl cheap jerseys

The same story unfolded eight years ago, when the Celtics knocked James and the top-seeded Cavaliers out of the playoffs in the second round.

James proceeded to hit unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career, and one cringeworthy TV special later, he was headed to the Miami Heat.

It’s fair to wonder if a redux is in order this year—minus the melodrama that accompanied The Decision.

While James has been tight-lipped about his free agency, a few options could be more attractive than the Cavs from a personnel standpoint. League sources told The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor that the 65-win Houston Rockets, financially flexible nike jerseys nfl cheap Los Angeles Lakers and upside-laden Philadelphia 76ers will join the Cavaliers on the list of teams James considers joining, which suggests Cleveland will have legitimate competition for his services this summer.

With a loss on Friday, whispers of his potential departure figure to grow even louder before reaching a fever pitch at the start of July.

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