It was close in the third quarter, but Cleveland rose to the occasion defensively in the fourth quarter, manhandling the Celtics when it mattered most. LeBron finishes with 30 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, three blocks and two steals, yet another mammoth effort from King James in a big game. Did you expect anything less?
Fourth quarter, 1:37, Cavs 101-91: LeBron is smart — he knows that with a solid lead late in the game against a good team like the Celtics, you've got to slow the game down and not give them a chance to make an up-tempo burst to make things interesting. The Cavs are taking their time, plodding their way through the shot clock and letting time run out in this one. They're way too savvy to even let the Celtics have a chance down the stretch.
Fourth quarter, 3:32, Cavs 95-83: The Celtics make things interesting with Pierce and Allen rattling off back-to-back threes, dragging the Cleveland lead from 17 points back to 11. But they can't keep momentum going their way for long — not against an inspired LeBron. The Cavs' superstar is getting into the lane and drawing contact practically every time up the floor, and he's money in the bank when he gets to the free throw line. The Celtics are running out of time in this one.
Fourth quarter, 5:34, Cavs 91-74: Remember when this game was tied? Really, seriously. This was a 68-68 basketball game late in the third quarter. In the blink of an eye, the Celtics have missed 12 consecutive field goal attempts and watched the Cavs go on a 23-6 run. The defense has collapsed, the offense has gotten impulsive, and the Celtics are in disarray with the fourth quarter more than halfway over.
Fourth quarter, 7:32, Cavs 87-72: Finally, the starters retake the floor for the Celtics. Not a moment too soon. With the Cavaliers out to their largest lead of the game, the Celtics have put themselves in a position where they have no choice but to force the issue, rushing into contested shots to get back in this game. They're down too much to play passively now and wait to pick their spots.
Fourth quarter, 9:24, Cavs 82-72: Doc sticks with the second unit to start the fourth quarter, and those guys just have no spark left offensively after a hard day's work. The C's have yet to score in the fourth quarter — they need a little extra push, and they're not getting it from the guys currently on the floor. A Paul Pierce sighting would sure help right about now.
End of third quarter, Cavs 80-72: A questionable decision by Rondo on the Celtics' final possession of the quarter, passing up an open Finley with a good look from the corner and instead feeding Glen Davis the ball for an ugly, contested long two. Another blown possession, and the Celtics are now down eight in a game that I could have sworn was tied about a second ago. You've got to expect the full starting five back on the floor for the Celtics to start the fourth quarter. They need to make a big push.
Third quarter, 2:55, Cavs 74-68: If the Celtics have learned anything from playing these Cavs over the years, it's that you can never hold LeBron down for too long. He had just six points at the break; he's since exploded for 11 more in the third quarter alone, and he's carried the Cavs on a 6-0 run that's put them back in front as we near the end of this third quarter. Doc Rivers needs a timeout, presumably to scramble and find a way to slow down the dominating King James. Admit it — you kind of knew he'd break out eventually. It was only a matter of time.
Third quarter, 4:25, Cavs 70-68: After starting the game 0-for-6 from three-point range as a team, the C's get a big three from Paul Pierce to bring them back to within one, 66-65, and then another from Ray Allen on the very next possession, tying it up at 68. Now we're in basket-trading mode, and with the Celtics coming to life offensively and starting to hit their shots, they should be fine with that. The Celtics no longer look overmatched or outplayed — they're holding their own against the NBA's best.
Third quarter, 7:45, Cavs 60-58: It's impressive that even in serious foul trouble (the hack on LeBron was his fourth), Kevin Garnett continues to play with such aggression here in the third quarter. KG is exploiting his size advantage on J.J. Hickson down low, and drawing a little contact himself when he gets the chance. Two Garnett free throws here bring the Celtics back to within two for the first time in a long while. The Celtics are making a game of it.
Third quarter, 10:02, Cavs 55-52: A little dirty play from the Celtics in the third quarter — intentional or not, a nasty jab to the face from Kevin Garnett to LeBron James, poking him in the eye as he drives to the basket. LeBron goes down, and as is customary when the King is fallen, the whole Cavs team has to surround him and make sure he's okay. After about a two-minute timeout to attend to LeBron's eye and make sure he's fit to play, we're back to action in the third quarter. This game's gotten a little closer in the last couple minutes, with the Celtics' guards beginning to assert themselves offensively.
Halftime, Cavs 54-48: If I told you LeBron James had been a non-factor for most of this first half and finished 2-for-4 from the floor for a meager six points, you'd probably feel pretty good about the Celtics' chances. But who saw this coming? Who saw Andy Varejao going off for 15 points and six boards in the half? Who saw J.J. Hickson being a force down low? Who saw Antawn Jamison taking 11 shots? It's been an absolutely bizarre first half, and not a very good one for Boston. The Celtics aren't hitting shots, they're not executing all that well, and they're getting next to nothing from their bench. The whole team needs to elevate their play in the second half.
Second quarter, 3:07, Cavs 46-39: The Celtics are finding themselves in deep foul trouble — first KG goes for the throat (literally) while boxing out Anderson Varejao on a missed free throw, picking up his third personal. Then Glen Davis takes the floor in KG's place, and Davis plows over Antawn Jamison in his first possession on the floor, picking up his third. Both Celtics forwards have hit the bench, and the Cavs will get a chance to capitalize against a depleted Boston lineup.
Second quarter, 6:10, Cavs 40-31: The Celtics are doing that thing again, where they fall behind early in the game and they start pressing too hard to make up too much ground too fast. A few bad shots here in the second quarter — one from Rasheed, one from Finley, a couple from Nate Robinson. The Celtics get just enough breaks on the offensive boards to fix their mistakes and keep this thing close, but they'll need better execution offensively if they want a realistic chance of winning this game. The C's are starting to discover that there's more to beating Cleveland than just keeping LeBron from getting his points.
Second quarter, 9:25, Cavs 29-23: Doc turns to the second unit to start the second quarter, and so far they've played to a standstill against a LeBron-less Cleveland lineup. The C's are showing some scrappiness off the bench, with both Rasheed Wallace and Michael Finley going hard after offensive rebounds to keep possessions alive. The Celtics are within striking distance, but they're going to need Paul Pierce and Ray Allen back on the floor for some offensive firepower if they really want to get even. The second unit is merely holding down the fort for now.
End of first quarter, Cavs 24-18: LeBron gets his first bucket with 1:44 remaining in the quarter, a mid-range jumper in the waning seconds of the shot clock. For an encore, he knocks down his second shot on the following possession — an acrobatic fall-away three that launches the Cleveland crowd into hysterics. After the King gets to the line for two shots on the Cavs' last possession of the quarter and sinks one, he's ends up with six points in two minutes to close the quarter. Yeah, he's turned it on. The switch has officially been flipped.
First quarter, 3:02, 16-16: LeBron's total contribution so far in this game: 0-for-1 from the floor, three rebounds, three assists, a block and a turnover. On one hand, that's a tremendous performance for the Celtics defensively, and if they win this game, they can point to the outstanding job they've done on LeBron. On the other hand, if they lose this game, look at who they're losing to. Eight points already for J.J. Hickson? Really? You'd like to think the Celtics would have the lead after nine scoreless minutes from King James.
First quarter, 6:10, Celtics 10-9: The Celtics have Paul Pierce taking LeBron one on one, and it's working. King James has been a complete non-factor so far in this game, and the C's are out in front despite a few mistakes in their execution. A moving screen from KG, a travel from Perk, an unnecessary scuffle between KG and Hickson that results in offsetting technicals. None of it matters — the Celtics are hitting shots and the Cavs aren't. A 6-0 run for Boston here in the middle of the first.
First quarter, 9:29, Cavs 9-4: Both teams are making a concerted effort early in this game to work the ball inside for high-percentage buckets. The Celtics have Rajon Rondo driving and Kendrick Perkins breaking his way into the paint against the undersized Cavs; the Cavs have J.J. Hickson and a little bit of Antawn Jamison down low carrying the scoring load. After Doc Rivers calls for a timeout with 9:29 left, it's 9-4 Cavs after a 7-0 run capped off by a Jamison three. LeBron James and Paul Pierce are each scoreless so far. Go figure.
8:43 a.m.: The Celtics have been road warriors this season, executing with ease and winning countless big games away from the TD Garden. But no road challenge is tougher than this one.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have been nearly unbeatable within the friendly confines of Quicken Loans Arena, and with the addition of Antawn Jamison at the trading deadline last month, the Cavs have only gotten tougher. This team is dynamic, it's explosive and it's more potent offensively than ever before. Right now, it's the best team in the NBA.
For both teams, Sunday afternoon's game will be a true test of championship mettle. Both teams have done plenty of talking, but we're about to find out which of these Eastern Conference contenders is really able to walk the walk.
