Celtics solve mystery of King James
Morris scores 21 points and limits Cleveland superstar to playoff-low 15 in Game 1 blowout
BOSTON — The assignment for Boston Celtics forward Marcus Morris in his first start this post-season was easy to explain but nearly impossible to execute.
His job: Guard LeBron James, and keep the four-time NBA MVP from running the Celtics out of their own gym in the Eastern Conference finals for the second year in a row.
“He’s obviously the best player in the game,” said Morris, who during the week boasted that he was up to the challenge and on Sunday explained why he wanted it.
“Because I’m a competitor. He’s the best player, and I’m going to be able to tell my kids this one day.”
Morris scored 21 points and added 10 rebounds while pestering James into a playoff-high seven turnovers — and a playoff-low 15 points — and the Celtics opened a 21-point, first-quarter lead to scorch Cleveland 108-83 in Game 1.
Jaylen Brown scored 23 points and Al Horford had 20 for Boston, which ran off 17 points in a row in the first and never allowed the Cavaliers within single digits again.
Horford made his first seven shots and scored 10, including eight straight, during the 17-0 run that turned a three-point deficit into a 21-7 lead. After James wiggled his way to a layup — Cleveland’s first points in 4 minutes, 43 seconds — Boston ran off eight more points in a row. Brown had six of them, and he finished the quarter with 13 points and five rebounds.
Cleveland scored seven straight points early in the third and finished the quarter with six in a row to make it 78-64. But Boston made the first three baskets in the fourth and led by 28 when Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue pulled James for good with 7:09 left.
Game 2 is Tuesday night.
“I have zero level of concern at this stage,” said James, who was 5 for 16 from the floor and missed all five 3-point attempts.
“I’ve been down before in the post-season, but for me there’s never any level of concern — no matter how bad I played tonight, with seven turnovers, how inefficient I was shooting the ball,” he said.
“We have another opportunity to be better as a ball club coming in Tuesday night, and we’ll see what happens.”
Kevin Love had 17 points and eight rebounds, and James added nine assists and seven boards. The Cavaliers missed their first 14 3-point attempts of the game and shot just 32 per cent in the first half.
By that time, Boston led 61-35 — the biggest halftime playoff deficit in James’ career.
“I think we’re very alert to the fact that we’ll get a heavyweight punch on Tuesday night,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. “It’s another great challenge, another great opportunity to experience something for this team.”
With injured stars Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving on the bench in street clothes, the Celtics continued their stunning run this season with what may have been the most surprising turn of events yet.
A year after dropping the first two games at home against Cleveland in a five-game East final, the Celtics pounced on James, and the favoured Cavaliers were never really in it.
“The last couple of playoffs, and our meeting at the end of year, they blew us out of the water,” Smart said.
“We’ve got a different team, just like they do, and a lot of younger guys. So for them to see that, and have that feeling like we did tonight, is huge.”