NBA Playoffs: Caris LeVert comes off bench and comes up big for Cavaliers

CLEVELAND — Caris LeVert answered the call in Game 7. Cleveland's sixth man had struggled throughout its Eastern Conference quarterfinal with Orlando, but he delivered a 15-point performance Sunday as he helped the Cavs rally past and eliminate the Magic 106-94 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. With a 4-3 series win, Cleveland will face Boston in the second round, with the Celtics hosting Game 1 on Tuesday. "I felt like our bench was being outplayed all series, and it was going to come down to us," LeVert said. "We tried to do as much as we could. I think the minutes — obviously more of an opportunity with the foul trouble — but I got an easy layup to get myself going and got to the free throw line early too. Just a good flow early in the game." LeVert had struggled in the first six games, though he's also been battling a left knee injury, averaging just 6.2 points on 32.5% shooting. His only game of more than double figures prior to Sunday was a 15-point outing during a 121-83 loss in Game 3. While he only scored eight points in Game 2, he connected on two of his four 3-point attempts. He had finished the regular season averaging 14.1 points while shooting 43.4% from the field and 34.1% from 3-point range, but Cleveland's normally reliably sixth man combined to score just nine points in the previous three games entering Sunday, shooting just 1-for-5 from deep. "He's in a difficult spot a lot of times, and that's the hard part," Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "He's so unselfish that he doesn't want to step on toes. He's just trying to find his way through it, and it's not always easy. A lot of that falls on me. I've got to do a better job of helping him out, putting the ball in his hands more so that he can get into a flow and get comfortable." LeVert provided the support, especially in the first quarter when the game could have gotten out of hand. The Magic had scored 13 unanswered to break open a 20-10 lead when LeVert converted a strong drive just minutes after checking in. He scored the next six points for Cleveland and helped the Cavs end the quarter down just 22-18. "They did a great job all series of not letting me get a lot of easy layups," LeVert said. "I think when you just see one go in, it kind of just opens the basket for you. I was able to see one early and get to the free throw line a little bit. It was huge." LeVert again helped Cleveland get back on track after Orlando broke open a 49-31 lead in the second, the worst stretch of the game for the Cavs. LeVert capped a run of nine unanswered with a layup — his second field goal during the run. Sam Merrill was the only other reserve to score for the Cavs on Sunday, adding eight points and a clutch three to help Cleveland cap the second quarter down 53-43. "We had some guys come in and make some momentum shifting plays," Bickerstaff said. "I thought Sam came in and, not only the threes, but the charge he took. Caris came in and gave us a spark, but we kept doing it together and never doubted each other." Cleveland broke open the game in the third, outscoring Orlando 23-11 during the first eight minutes. LeVert gave the Cavs the lead with two free throws at the 3:39 mark. "We showed a lot of fight," LeVert said. "It's not about how you start, but how you finish. We started the game off slow, but we just kept chipping away. That's our team. We've been there several times this year — not just games, as a unit. We've been banged up, injured, but we have a next man up mentality and we just never quit." Contact Chris Sweeney at sports@medina-gazette.com. Follow him @CSweeney1686 on Twitter.