Celtics season comes to an end in 87-79 Game 7 loss

The Boston Celtics’ improbable 2018 season came to an end with an 87-79 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

LeBron James, as he has done so often, led the Cavs with 35 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists. He was incredible all series long and carried Cleveland to a fourth straight NBA Finals.

Former Celtic Jeff Green stepped up and added 19 huge points, as he started in place of Kevin Love, who missed the game with a concussion. Tristan Thompson continued his strong play with 10 points and 9 rebounds, while J.R. Smith added 12 points.

Jayson Tatum led Boston with 24 points, including several huge shots down the stretch to keep the Celtics close. Al Horford added 17 points, and Marcus Morris scored 14 off the bench.

Boston was ultimately undone by poor play from their young guards, as Jaylen Brown, Terry Rozier and Marcus Smart combined to shoot just 8-for-42 overall and 3-of-26 on three-pointers.

It was an incredible run by the Celtics, considering they played all but five minutes without Gordon Hayward and most of the last three months without Kyrie Irving. Boston has a lot to be proud of, but this was a missed opportunity tonight, with some incredibly poor play for long stretches after the first quarter.