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  • Home : News : News : Local Sports
    Local Sports
    Game 7
    Bob Finnan, RFinnan@News-Herald.com
    05/18/2008
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    Other than 'Celtics' on their uniforms, Cavs don't feel an aura about this Boston group

    BOSTON - The last time the Cavaliers checked, Larry Bird will not be playing in Game 7 at 3:30 today.
    Neither will Kevin McHale nor Robert Parish.
    Sure, the Celtics have 16 championship banners, but that aura might not help them much in today's deciding game at TD Banknorth Garden.
    "For me personally, I don't feel (the mystique) at all," Cavs coach Mike Brown said. "They've put this group together this year and have done a great job. We haven't really talked about it."
    The Cavs are confident heading into Game 7.
    "I believe in this group," Brown said. "We're very tough-minded and hungry and are playing with a sense of purpose."
    Cavs forward LeBron James is certainly playing with a sense of purpose, especially in the last two games, when he's averaging 33.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game. He's also shooting 85.7 percent from the foul line in the last two contests (24 of 28).
    "It's going to be electrifying, especially in that building," James said. "We have to give it everything you've got. It's a life-or-death situation for both teams. It will be a hostile environment. They are a very, very good team at home. We have to transfer (what they did in Game 6) onto their court."
    The Cavs are 2-1 all-time in Game 7s, including a win over the Celtics on May 17, 1992. That proved to be Bird's last game.
    They also beat Washington on April 29, 1976, and lost to Detroit on May 21, 2006.
    The Celtics are 18-5 lifetime in Game 7s and 15-3 in Game 7s at the Garden. They topped Atlanta, 99-65, on May 4 in Game 7.
    "I'll make sure my troops are ready," James said. "We know we can win. We have to go out there and do it."
    The Cavs' defense was suffocating in Game 6 at Quicken Loans Arena. They held the Celtics to 69 points - the lowest total ever for a Cavs playoff opponent - and 39.7 percent shooting.
    "These are two very good defensive teams," Brown said. "If you look at the rankings, we're No. 2 and they're 1. We're very close in all the categories. It's what got it to the Finals last year."
    During the postseason, the Cavs have held their opponents to an average of 87 points and 42.2 percent shooting. They have held their opponents to 90 points or fewer in nine of the 12 games.
    Brown said the Cavs need to keep their poise in Game 7.
    "We put ourselves in a position to make it a one-game series," he said. "Their crowd will be into the game from the get-go. We have to figure out a way to stay aggressive offensively and defensively.
    "We're looking forward to going to Boston and trying to get a win on the road. Our biggest thing this time around, we want to be the aggressors, starting with the defensive end of the floor."
    James said limiting the Cavs' turnovers might be the key to victory.
    "They get out and run extremely well at home," he said. "We can't hurt ourselves. We can't turn it over because it allows them to get extra offensive possessions."
    Brown is most concerned with his team becoming lackadaisical. When that's occurred in this series, the Celtics have gone on long scoring binges.
    "We have to come out and be the aggressors," Brown said. "We kind of backed off some (in Game 5), and they turned it up a notch and went on a huge run.
    "We have to stay on the attack."
    Celtics coach Doc Rivers' team might have an advantage of playing in a Game 7 just a couple weeks ago.
    "We've been there," he said. "It will be a great game. I'm glad it's at home."
    But Brown said the Cavs are resilient and aren't about to lie down.
    "They'll have to come out and take it from us," he said.


    ©The News-Herald 2010


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