Celtics come to Cleveland with confidence, but are humbled by the Cavaliers.
Saturday night’s game in Cleveland was surely one that most Celtics’ fans have had circled on their calendars for a few weeks. The Boston Celtics were in the midst of their longest winning streak of the season, and came to Cleveland looking for their sixth straight win and second straight at Quicken Loans Arena.
A win over the Eastern Conference leading Cleveland Cavaliers would not only make up a game in the standings, but would give the third place Celtics loads of confidence going into the playoffs. A victory would have closed out the season series 2-1, with both Celtics wins coming in Cleveland.
Unfortunately, the Lebron James led Cavaliers play very well at home, and visiting teams rarely come away with wins. The Celtics would have to play a perfect game to succeed.
The Celtics were able to play that perfect game in the first quarter. From the first shot, a corner three by Avery Bradley, it seemed as if the Celtics were the aggressor instead of the hometown Cavaliers. The Celtics made their first three shots from bonus land and showed a great amount of effort, while advantages in offensive rebounds and steals gave Boston a possession advantage.
In one of the hottest offensive quarters of the season, the Celtics shot an incredible 60 percent from the field and five of seven three pointers. All of the starters and sixth man Evan Turner were heavily involved in the offense, which stunned the crowd at Quicken Loans Arena.
The Celtics were also able to play the kind of defense that will be necessary in the playoffs. They held the skilled Cavaliers to 40 percent shooting and contained perennial MVP candidate Lebron James.
Boston was able to ride a scorching offense and stifling defense to a 35-22 lead after one quarter.
Even though the Celtics put together a perfect first quarter they knew the game was far from over. The goal for coach Brad Stevens was now to sustain the lead through the inevitable Cavaliers runs that would surely come. The first of these runs came midway through the second quarter. The Celtics reserves, who had been spectacular recently, were sloppy with the ball and allowed Cleveland to go on a run and cut into the lead with Lebron on the bench.
Just as the Celtics did last night against the Knicks, the Cavaliers gained momentum in the second quarter by getting out on the break. Cleveland head coach Tyronn Lue went with a small, athletic lineup, which put the Celtics defense on its heels and erased the Boston lead.
The Cavaliers outscored the Celtics 33-19 in the second quarter to take a 55-54 lead into the locker room. Every player who entered the game scored for both teams.
After a lack-luster second quarter, the Celtics were in danger of losing control of the game in the second half. However, Brad Stevens’ team has overcome obstacles at every turn during their winning streak. The Cavaliers took a seven point lead early, but the Celtics were able to stabilize and regain the lead halfway through the period.
The Celtics and Cavaliers traded baskets for the rest of the period until Marcus Smart fouled Kevin Love in the process of shooting a three pointer. Love made all three free throws and Iman Shumpert hit a three in the final minute as well. The Celtics trailed 91-83 with only 12 minutes to play, and the game seemed to be slipping away.
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The fatigue of playing the night before clearly affected the Celtics more than the veteran-laden Cavaliers. The fourth quarter had a few moments of hope for the Celtics, but the Cavaliers always had an answer. Boston was able to cut the lead to seven, but could not get any closer. The Cavaliers coasted to a 120-103 victory.
Isaiah Thomas had another good outing, scoring 27 points, while Celtics center Jared Sullinger scored 17 and brought down 13 rebounds. Starters Avery Bradley and Jae Crowder both scored 12, while Evan Turner added 11 off the bench in a losing effort.
To no surprise, the Cavaliers were led by Lebron James, who scored 28 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and dished out eight assists. Kyrie Irving also caused problems for the Celtics with his 20 points.
The loss on Saturday snapped the Celtics five game winning streak and gave the Cavaliers a 2-1 win in the season series.
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This was the last chance for the Celtics to prove a point to the heavily favored Cavaliers, but a potential playoff series between the two teams is in the making. The Celtics and Brad Stevens will have to grow from this loss and improve down the stretch if they want to compete with the elite teams in the postseason.