Cavs ‘flying around’ and staying alive in playoffs

CLEVELAND — Before taking the floor, LeBron James stood in the hallway with his teammates outside the Cavaliers’ locker room and pounded his chest with both hands.

The Celtics got thumped next.

James had 27 points and 12 assists, Kevin Love added 14 rebounds and the Cavaliers looked like a different team on their home court, tightening the Eastern Conference finals with a 116-86 victory in Game 3 on Saturday night.

Outplayed during two losses in Boston, the Cavs used a three-day break to regroup and get back into this series. With James leading the way, they built a 19-point lead in the first quarter, pushed it to 30 in the second half and overpowered the Celtics, who fell to 1-5 on the road in the postseason.

Any discussion of the Cavaliers’ demise is premature. Kyle Korver made four of the team’s 17 3-pointers, six players scored in double figures and the Cavs, who have spent the season seeking chemistry and cohesion, were connected defensively.

“Even when things broke down, we just covered for one another,” James said. “We made them make extra passes. We made them make extra dribbles. We were flying around, and I just happened to be one of the guys on the floor that wanted to fly around as well.”

Game 4 is Monday night before the series returns to Boston.

Jaylen Brown was in foul trouble all night and scored just 10 for the Celtics after averaging 23 in the first two games. Jayson Tatum scored 18 and Terry Rozier 13 for the Celtics, who couldn’t match the Cavs in any aspect.

“They took it to us,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said. “Point blank: They just outplayed us.”

Only 19 of a possible 300 teams have overcome a 2-0 deficit in the playoffs. James and the Cavs, who did it in 2007 and again in 2016 while winning the NBA title, took the first step toward a third comeback.

To return to the NBA Finals for the fourth straight year, the Cavs have to win four of five and rewrite the Celtics’ illustrious history. The Celtics are 37-0 when they win the first two games in a series.

The Cavs needed more from point guard George Hill after two poor performances (8 points, 1 assist) in Boston. Hill responded with a driving layup to start the game and drained three 3-pointers in the first quarter on his way to 13 points.

Stevens was confident his team would play better on the road than earlier in these playoffs, but the Celtics were shaky early, committing four turnovers and shooting 2 of 10 while the Cavs opened a 27-11 lead.

James said earlier Saturday the fact he has twice rallied from 2-0 deficits in the postseason offered no relief.

“There’s nothing about the playoffs that’s comfortable until you either win it all or you lose and go into the summer,” he said.

Summer might not be as close as it once seemed.