Celtics dominate Cavaliers in series opener
LeBron held to 15 points as Boston rides strong start to 1-0 advantage in Eastern finals
Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals started badly for Cleveland. Then, it got worse. Boston smothered the Cavaliers with its defense and crushed them with its offense.
Up 21 points in the first quarter and 28 in the second, the Celtics defeated the Cavs 108-83 on Sunday in Game 1.
It’s just one game, but the Cavs have offensive and defensive issues that may be difficult to resolve against the versatile, physical, athletic and younger Celtics.
Second-year guard Jaylen Brown had 23 points and eight rebounds and veteran do-everything center Al Horford had 20 points, six assists and four rebounds.
Game 2 is on Tuesday night in Boston. Here are five keys to Boston’s Game 1 rout.
1. First quarter doomed Cavs
Trailing 7-4 in the first quarter, the Celtics went on a 30-6 run, including a 17-0 spurt, and built a 34-13 lead with 1:12 left in the quarter. Brown had 13 points and Horford had 11. Jayson Tatum and Terry Rozier each had just two points in the first quarter, but they were each plus-16.
Boston had outstanding ball movement and great defense, making 14-of22 shots and holding Cleveland to 7-for22 from the field.
“I thought our guys were locked in, and we’re just going to have to be that again on Tuesday night,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said.
2. LeBron’s sub-par performance
LeBron James entered the game averaging 34.3 points, 9.4 rebounds and nine assists in the playoffs and was dominant against Toronto in the conference semifinals.
But Boston’s pressure defense forced James into a pedestrian performance: 15 points on 5-for-16 shooting, nine assists and seven rebounds. Prior to Sunday, James had scored at least 22 points in 11 playoff games this season.
“You definitely have to adjust,” James said. “That’s what part of the playoff series is about. The teams adjusting from game to game and seeing ways you can be better.”
He also had seven of Cleveland’s nine turnovers – a stat that won’t sit well with turnover-conscious James. It’s the first stat he looks at on the box score. The Cavs were outscored by 32 points with James on the court, which matches his worst plus-minus of his playoff career.
3. Boston’s starters shine
Celtics starters scored 88 points and had balance. In addition to Brown and Horford’s double-digit scoring performances, Marcus Morris had 21 points and 10 rebounds, Tatum had 16 points and six rebounds points and Rozier contributed eight points and eight assists.
Stevens made the decision to start Morris and bring Aron Baynes off the bench to counter Cleveland’s attack.
“I’ve said this not enough times, that you can’t have better leaders than Al and Baynes. Like you can’t,” Stevens said before the game.
“They’re both our two oldest players. They are totally selfless. They are totally in it for the team. They wrap their arms around young guys. The young guys feel ownership with them. Like it’s as good as it gets.”
4. Cavs’ poor shooting
The Cavaliers shot 36% from the field, including 15.4% on three-pointers. Cleveland missed its first 15 three-pointers and made just four. The three-ball is a major part of the Cavs’ offense, and they need that shot going in to be successful.
The Cavs struggled with their threepoint shooting against Indiana in the first round but made 41.1% against the Raptors.
James, J.R. Smith, Kevin Love and Kyle Korver were a combined 2-for-17 on three-pointers against the Celtics. Love (team-high 17 points) joined James as the other Cavs starter with double-figures in scoring.
“Three-point shots are a part of our DNA,” James said. “It’s what makes us the best team that we can be. I think even early on with the shots that we had, we had some wide-open looks that just didn’t go. I think in the first quarter, J.R. and Kev, G. Hill (George Hill), they had some great looks, they just didn’t go. We’re OK with that. We’re absolutely OK with that. And we’re going to take those same looks going into Game 2 if the opportunity presents itself.”
5. Cavs bench production
Rodney Hood and Jordan Clarkson scored 11 and 10 points, respectively, off the bench for Cleveland, and Tristan Thompson added eight points and 11 rebounds. But that wasn’t enough to compensate from the lack of production from the starters.
Given Cleveland’s defensive struggles, Tyronn Lue may consider putting Thompson into the starting lineup.