Boston Celtics 86 - 116 Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavaliers erupted Saturday Night. The rest of the team finally showed up and matched Lebron, taking game 3 from the Celtics. The Celtics young core didn’t show up as Lebron’s teammates picked up the slack, winning by 30. A pivotal game 4 comes Monday at 8:30.
Lebron’s passing leads Cavaliers
Lebron went out Sunday night and had a passing display. Hitting behind the backs around Aron Baynes multiple times, he was virtually unstoppable. Shooting 8 for 12 and a perfect 3 for 3 from deep, James was his classic self and then some. Finishing with 27 points and 12 assists, he sparked the Cavs offense back to life. Each starter scoring in double figures, and Korver leading the bench with 14, this is the Cavs team we expected to see in this series.
Jumping out to a huge first quarter lead, the Cavs took a 20 point advantage into halftime. The Celtics put up a fight in the second but it was already too late. The Cavs offense was rolling and the Celtics had no answer tonight. Cleveland was running plays and hustling back on defense. When they are this locked in, it will be tough to stop them. It’s only one game, but it’s a step in the right direction.
Celtic Confusion
Looking out of sorts on both ends of the court, the young Celtics finally looked out of their element. Having struggled on the road this postseason, it was another element tonight. Could it have been that it was the first game back in the Q since losing Heyward there? Could it be the days off hurting the flow? Whatever it is, Brad Stevens and his team only have a day to turn it around and get it right. The defensive breakdowns were very uncharacteristic of this team. Letting Lebron walk right into their defense and make a play to a wide open man. There was very rarely and second effort help or close outs on anyone not named Lebron.
The defense wasn’t the only problem on Saturday. The offense seemed stuck in the mud for most the night. Tatum led the team with 18 points, but beyond him only 3 other Celtics scored in double figures. The Celtics as a team shot terrible. Only hitting 39 percent of their shots. They have had times where they struggled to score this year, but they have been humming along in the playoffs. This would be a horrible time to pick those bad habits back up.
Game 4 will be very pivotal. Lebron and the Cavs need to turn this hot game into a hot streak and the Celtics better make some adjustments and come out for a brawl Monday night
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