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Boston Celtics Continue Road Struggles, Fall to Cavs 116-86

By Alex Eddy

CLEVELAND, OH - MAY 19: Kevin Love #0 of the Cleveland Cavaliers shoots the ball in the second half against the Boston Celtics during Game Three of the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Quicken Loans Arena on May 19, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - MAY 19: Kevin Love #0 of the Cleveland Cavaliers shoots the ball in the second half against the Boston Celtics during Game Three of the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Quicken Loans Arena on May 19, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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The Boston Celtics continue to struggle on the road, getting blown out by the Cleveland Cavaliers

Did Boston Celtics fans honestly expect to go up 3-0 Saturday night? I knew I was worried coming into Game 3, especially considering Boston’s 1-4 road record in this year’s playoffs. Plus, it is LeBron James in his house. The Cleveland Cavaliers were hot from the tip, led by 15 after the first quarter, and they never looked back. They owned this game in every facet.

LeBron James was beyond efficient, recording 27 points, 12 assists, and five rebounds, while shooting 8-12 from the field. He was also +31 for the game and had some ridiculous, jaw-dropping passes.

He put on a clinic when it comes to putting your teammates in positions to succeed and to get easy buckets. Every Cavs’ starter scored in double figures and all were at least +20 for the game when it comes to plus-minus.

Not one Celtic had a positive plus-minus. George Hill, Kyle Korver and JR Smith shot with so much more confidence, you could tell that being at home made a huge difference. Plain and simple, Cleveland came out with more energy, aggressiveness, and desperation than Boston. They locked in defensively, were much more active on that end of the floor (closeouts and passing lanes), and ultimately controlled the flow of the game.

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Yes, they shot 17-34 from downtown, and that was huge (this shooting will need to continue), but at the end of the day, their change in mindset and body language led them to victory tonight. The Cavs forced the Celtics to under 40 percent shooting for the first time so far in this series.

The Celtics played like they expected to lose this game and that is exactly what happened. I mentioned that the Cavs played with more desperation, but what is crazy is that LeBron didn’t play desperate at all. In the first quarter, LeBron just let the game come to him. He played poised and under control, set his teammates up, and didn’t try to force anything. He didn’t try to take the game over on his own like many of us may have expected him to do at the start, he simply made the right plays, and his vision was sensational.

Now, the Celtics are still up 2-1 in the series, but this game is a momentum changer, especially since it was a 30-point blowout. Now 1-5 on the road in the playoffs, you don’t feel great as a  Celtics’ fan coming into Game 4. Boston needs to change how they approach road games real quick.

Next: 3 ways the Celtics need to be better in Cleveland

The Celtics did miss plenty of makeable shots, they took bad shots, had careless turnovers, Jaylen Brown was in foul trouble, and Al Horford only had four field goal attempts (give credit to Tristan Thompson), those things definitely didn’t help. However, the cure here is to play like they do at TD Garden and bring that to Game 4. Although that is easier said than done, in order to go up 3-1, that is what Brad Stevens needs to preach going into Monday.

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