The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Cavs hold on for a 102-99 victory against the Celtics.
Coach Tyronn Lue said it will take time for the newly structured Cavaliers to develop chemistry. He wasn’t lying.
The Cavaliers started slowly in their season opener with the Celtics on Oct. 17, took advantage of a major Celtics injury to build an 18-point lead in the second quarter and saw it vanish in the third. It took a buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Derrick Rose at the end of the quarter to give the Cavs a 72-71 lead, but the determined Celtics took it back in the fourth.
In the end, the Cavaliers won, 102-99. Poetically, Kyrie Irving missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have tied the game for Boston. LeBron James and Irving hugged, ending three months of animosity in one moment.
Fans at The Q came out to cheer the Cavaliers and boo Irving. Those boos became more than spite when Irving sank a 3-pointer for a 79-78 Boston lead and another to put the Celtics on top, 84-82.
There were questions leading up to the game whether a sprained ankle would keep James in street clothes. It was no surprise though, when Coach Tyronn Lue announced two hours before tipoff James would start and it was no surprise when James had 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists by halftime.
The season could not have begun worse for the Celtics. Forward Gordon Hayward, as important an offseason acquisition
“It is evident Rose, Dwyane Wade and other new players are still feeling their way.”
as the trade that sent Irving to Boston, suffered a fractured left ankle with 6:45 remaining in the first quarter. The Celtics led, 12-9, at the time.
The injury deflated the Celtics players like a spike popping a balloon, and the Cavaliers temporarily took over.
It is evident Rose, Dwyane Wade and other new players are still feeling their way.
James and Irving took over in seasons past when the Cavaliers would fade in the third quarter as they often did last year on
their march to the Eastern Conference championship. James has to find that partner again.
Whether it will be Rose, Wade or someone else will be determined as the season unfolds.
Wade, a defender as well as a silky smooth shooter, blocked two shots down the stretch and fed James an alley-oop with 2:15 remaining to cut the Boston lead to 96-95. It must have seemed like turning back the clock to 2012 and 2013 when they were winning championships with the Heat.
Fortunately for the Cavaliers, James is good enough to take over a game while the rest of the team figures out their
roles. James made a layup with 1:19 remaining to move the Cavaliers back on top, 99-98.
With 46 seconds left, James was in a crowd under the Cavaliers basket. He spotted Kevin Love behind the arc on the baseline. James fed Love the ball, just as he often did the last two seasons.
It was like finding a safe port in a storm.
Love drained the 3 for a 102-98 lead. It was James’ ninth assist. He finished with 29 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists. On a sprained ankle. Irving was never afraid to take the ball. At some point one of the new stars will feel comfortable doing that. James does not have
to be the center of the Cavaliers’ universe every time down the floor.
The Cavs have 81 games left to figure it out.