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BOSTON: LeBron James #23 of the Cavaliers handles the ball against the Celtics during Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on Sunday at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. — AFP LeBron carries Cavs back to finals Cavaliers rally to beat Celtics in game seven

LOS ANGELES: LeBron James booked his eighth 115-86 on Saturday to force a decisive game seven have to play 48 minutes. “It was asked of me tonight to playoff home games. finished with 17 points straight NBA finals appearance, delivering another epic which will take place Monday in Houston. play the whole game, and I just tried to figure out how I and had 13 but he was just three-of-12 game-seven performance on the road as the Cleveland James believes that they can outhustle, outsmart and could get through it,” said James, who played 48 min- from the three- line. Cavaliers rallied to beat the 87-79 on out coach whoever they face in the final. utes for the first time in a playoff game since 2006 as a Sunday. The 33-year-old James played all 48 minutes “We have and opportunity to win a championship. No 21-year-old against the Detroit Pistons. CELTICS FIRE BLANKS and finished with 35 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists matter whether we are picked to win or not, we have a “Throughout the timeouts, I was able to catch my Boston made the mistake of using the three pointer as for the Cavaliers who are in the league championship for great game plan. We are going to try to get better breath. At halftime, I didn’t come out and warm up. That their main offensive weapon down the stretch but they fin- the fourth consecutive year. throughout the series,” he said. was my time to recalibrate and catch my wind again. ished a dismal seven-of-39 overall from beyond the arc. “This is the last chapter for our team this season,” said James led the Cavaliers in the first half with 17 points “I’m the leader of this team, and I’m going to give “We just couldn’t quite knock them down, and to no James. “It’s been a whirlwind. It has been roses. There and 10 rebounds but they trailed for much of the half in what I’ve got.” James said halfway through the season he fault of anybody. Just happens. You have nights like that,” have been thorns in the roses. This is one of the most front of a crowd of 18,600 at the Boston Garden. made up his mind that no matter what happens he was said Stevens. The Celtics ended the first quarter on a 9- challenging seasons I have had.” Cleveland became the It wasn’t until the second half that his supporting cast going to try and keep a positive attitude. “Right before 0 run and led 43-39 at the half in what would turn out to first team to win on the road in the best-of-seven came to life and the Cavaliers were able to wrestle con- the break I kind of reset. I didn’t know if we were going be the lowest scoring game in the series. The possibility Eastern Conference championship series and the first to trol back from the Celtics in the low-scoring contest. to make trades or not,” he said. existed that a loss Sunday would have been James’ last beat the Celtics at home in the postseason. “He’s unbelievable,” said Celtics coach Brad Stevens. “But I just reset my mindset and said ‘OK, this is the game with the Cavaliers. He can opt out of his $35.6 mil- “Win, loss or draw, at end of my career you are never “I thought it was an outstanding defensive game. And season and let’s try to make the most of it’.” lion contract at the end of the season and become a free going to get someone to say I didn’t leave it out on again he still had 35, 15 and nine. It’s ridiculous and he Jeff Green finished with 19 points and eight rebounds, agent. James has said in the past he plans to retire a floor,” the four-time league MVP James said. The does it with the pressure and scrutiny.” J.R. Smith tallied 12 points and scored Cavalier but this is his second stint in Cleveland after he Cavaliers will take on either the reigning champion 10 for Cleveland who beat Boston 109-99 on Friday to left once before for in 2010. Los Angeles, or in the cham- PLAYS ENTIRE GAME force game seven. paced the Celtic attack and New York are believed to be ready to pionship series. The Warriors dominated the Rockets James said he knew ahead of time he was going to with 24 points as Boston suffered their only loss in 11 pounce if he becomes available. — AFP

The defeat means that the three-time in the fifth set, and Garcia-Lopez comfort- Wawrinka, Grand Slam champion will slip from 30th in ably wrapped up victory. the world to outside the top 250 after the tournament, having failed to defend the AZARENKA KNOCKED OUT Azarenka ranking points he gained in 2017. There Former world number one Victoria were worrying signs for his fans when he Azarenka’s return to Grand Slam tennis last- knocked out in pulled up with the same left knee injury that ed just two sets as the Belarusian slumped has plagued him in recent months and called to a 7-5, 7-5 loss to Katerina Siniakova. for a medical timeout after just six games. Azarenka, who missed much of last season Roland Garros The 23rd seed looked to be really strug- after being embroiled in a custody battle gling as he quickly dropped the first set, but over her son, was broken to love in the 12th PARIS: Former French Open champion Stan found his rhythm from nowhere in the sec- games of each set to be dumped out by the Wawrinka continued to struggle with form ond, crunching two massive forehands to Czech world number 57. and fitness as he was dumped out in the first break for a 3-1 lead. A fired-up Wawrinka The two-time Australian Open champion round by Guillermo Garcia-Lopez yester- duly levelled the match, having saved a has now won just two matches at Roland day, a defeat which will send his world rank- break point in the seventh game thanks to Garros in the last five years. Siniakova ing plummeting, while Victoria Azarenka some magnificent defending in a brutal rally moves onto a second-round match with also suffered a shock exit. under the Paris sunshine. Ukraine’s Kateryna Kozlova, who stunned Wawrinka, who lost to Rafael Nadal in Wawrinka saved a break point to serve defending champion Jelena Ostapenko on PARIS: Switzerland’s Stanislas Wawrinka plays a return to Spain’s Guillermo Garcia-Lopez last year’s final and won the 2015 title, was out the third set after breaking in the open- Sunday. It was Azarenka’s first Grand Slam during their men’s singles first round match on day two of The Roland Garros 2018 French beaten in a five-set thriller 6-2, 3-6, 4-6, 7-6 ing game, as 34-year-old Garcia-Lopez match since losing to Simona Halep in the Open tennis tournament in Paris yesterday. — AFP (7/5), 6-3 by the Spanish world number 67 threw his racket to the ground in disgust. Wimbledon fourth round last July, but she on Court Suzanne Lenglen. The 33-year-old The match looked to be all but over when still believes she can return to the top of the has been plagued by a knee injury and Wawrinka broke in game five of the fourth game. “No doubt about it. Maybe not today, two-time Wimbledon champion fought back is one of the favourites to win a maiden arrived at Roland Garros having won just set, but he became ragged and Garcia- but no doubt about it,” the now-world num- from a set down to beat Paraguay’s Veronica Roland Garros title after winning four titles one match on clay in Geneva last week, his Lopez forced a decider by edging a tie- ber 82 insisted. Cepede Royg 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 on Court this season, including on clay in Prague and first event in three months. break. Wawrinka’s form totally deserted him Petra Kvitova also found life hard, but the Philippe Chatrier. The 28-year-old Kvitova Madrid. — AFP