Cavs’ closeout game anything but a given
BOSTON — It took 10 games and halfway through the third round of the NBA playoffs before the Cleveland Cavaliers finally encountered their first true dose of resistance this postseason.
After cruising to a 2-0 Eastern Conference finals lead over Boston, the Cavs were humbled at home in a Game 3 loss and needed a 42-point night from Kyrie Irving to battle back from a 16-point hole and win Game 4.
The chatter about an NBA Finals’ matchup of two teams with unblemished playoff records is gone, but the challenge from the Celtics has sharpened the focus of the defending champs. Cleveland is expecting another unflinching effort in Game 5 from a Celtics team that isn’t backing down despite facing a 3-1 deficit in the series.
“The closeout game is always the hardest, and Boston is going to make it even harder,” said LeBron James, who rebounded from a playoff-low 11 points in Game 3 to score 34 in Game 4. ‘A bunker mentality’
James had been saying the Cavs needed to go through some adversity after a blistering 10-0 start to the postseason.
The way they responded Tuesday — particularly on the defensive end — is a good sign for their prospects of wrapping up their third straight Eastern Conference crown Thursday.
Boston shot 47 percent from the field and 35 percent from the 3-point line in the first half of Game 4 on their way to building a lead.
While Irving’s scoring ignited the Cavs’ comeback, it was made possible thanks to Cleveland’s defensive effort over the final 24 minutes. Cleveland limited the Celtics to 41 percent from the field and 29 percent from beyond the arc.
“We have to go in with a bunker mentality that we had in Game 1 and Game 2, to go out and do what we do, but we have to defend,” James said. “We have to execute offensively. We have to have low turnovers, and we have to try to make them miss because some of those guys play a lot better at home.”
Everyone will have one eye on Irving’s left ankle. He rolled it late in the third quarter of Game 4 when he stepped on Terry Rozier’s foot. Irving stayed on the floor and finished the game, but with a day off between games there will be interest in how tender his ankle is at tipoff.
If the Celtics were playing with house money heading into the series, they are flush with it again as they return to the Garden.
They’ve given themselves a chance to erase the sting of their 44-point loss in Game 2. The Celtics are also guarding against ending their season by having to watch the Cavs celebrate a conference title on their home floor.
Boston lost All-Star Isaiah Thomas for the remainder of the postseason to a hip injury in Game 2, forcing coach Brad Stevens to shuffle his lineup and rotations in Games 3 and 4.
In addition, Jae Crowder suffered a strained left thigh in the third quarter of Game 4 as well, but returned to play the fourth quarter. It’s an indication that despite still being in a dire 3-1 hole, the resolve inside Boston’s locker room remains strong.
“We owe our fans a better performance, and we know that, and we’re going to play hard,” Celtics guard Avery Bradley said. “You’re going to see a team playing hard, very hard, the entire game.” ‘It’s not over’
It’s also why Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said his team must keep all thoughts of being on the cusp of a return to the NBA Finals at bay.
“You can’t (think about it). As much as you want to, it’s not over,” he said.
If nothing else, Lue said their recent taste of adversity should help them remain humble heading into Game 5.
“I think it is making us better. And it’s making us tougher. It’s making us work,” Lue said. “They got a lot of tough guys that are going to compete so they’re making us compete, which is good for us.”