Live Thread: Cavs @ Celtics, Game 3
2015-04-23LeBron James returns to Boston for playoff ball tonight. It’s his first time there for such an occasion in three years. His last performance at the TD Garden was one for the ages. With the Miami Heat down to Boston 3-2 in 2012, LeBron had to perform on the road to keep the Heat’s championship run alive. He put up 45 points, ripped down 15 rebounds, and handed out five assists with just four turnovers in 45 minutes of action. The Heat won that series and eventually the title.
Will he be able to repeat that performance? The circumstances are certainly different tonight. The Cavs lead the series 2-0 and should come out on top when the series is over. The Cavs have beat the Celtics by 13 points and eight points in the first two games respectively, but they have yet to be totally dominant for 48 straight minutes.Â
Some things to watch this game:
-Can the Cavs take care of the ball? They had 18 turnovers last game. The King had five of his own.
-Will the team crush the Celtics’ hope? In games one and two, the Cavs took leads, but let the Celtics back into the game. That’s not winning ball. The Wine & Gold need to get used to grabbing a lead and adding onto it until the other team no longer wants to play.
-David Blatt is going to be adamant about ball movement. Kyrie Irving and LeBron James scored all of Cleveland’s points in the fourth quarter last game and notched just two assists doing so. The Cavs need to save the hero ball for a series that requires heroics. Watch for the extra pass.
I’m picking the Cavs to win this one, 113-92. The Cavs are going to come out firing on all cylinders, so they can avoid hearing any news stories about their play needing to improve heading into the next round. LeBron will be shooting to have a deja vu moment to the last time he was in Boston. Tearing up the Celtics on their home court could become a tradition.
Make sure you watch Iman Shumpert’s rap about the playoffs above. He mentions every single Cav on the team. Iman also cements himself as the best basketball player to release a rap this month. Ron Artest attempted to take that title today with his track “Florida.” He failed miserably.
What are your thoughts?
Put in Perkins!
God No…We’re in enough trouble already.
Crowder is man handling LeBron
JR Swish!
Need a Kyrie injection right about now…
You know, I’m okay with this. A run like this by a hustle team at home is expected. Weather the storm, get back to your strategy, and they’ll grow.
Where’s Cols when the times get rough?
How many layups can you miss. Kevin Love is so weak.
Just stupid basketball. Cavs just being outhustled
Love missed a wide open put back. The Cavs can’t let the crowd in it.
First time all series I am disappointed in this team. Missing point blank put backs, playing no paint defense. Come on!
Wow. Just not making the shots. So many inside pushes only to miss.
Oh man, the Celts are feeling it. Cavs need a hammer of a dunk right now.
Bad stretch by the bigs there.
Love is gun shy!
Moz just unprepared there…
Jerebko is a turd!
The Swedish Turd?
I love Swedish Meatballs. I hope they’re not… No…. Hope so…. Can’t be….
How are these ball grabs not fouls??
Love, you gotta be stronger than that. Sheesh.
SHUMP amped up from dropping his track!
I’m trying to think if there is anything on this planet that would make me want to eat Taco Bell less than that old woman lifting her shirt while eating a taco.
Seriously… as if you didn’t have enough reasons to puke after eating there…
Im digging Andy’s jean blazer.
Andy is a bastion of style and facial grooming for all man kind.
Jeez… these refs have seen Beverly Hills Cop too many times… Moz was straight up and down on that “foul”
Banana in the Brew Garden
Nice try Crowder…
How much do you figure Crowder ‘s hair weighs? 12 pounds?
More than his actual head I’d guess…
LBJ for three!
Is LeBron trying to set a record for most missed layups.
I’m just happy he’s driving and staying aggressive… I’ll take a drive over a deep two any day…
At least the refs gave Cavs a makeup on that JFJ charge…
Great steal by Shump… then LBJ with the oops moment…
LBJ always plays better in hostile environments. I think its because he gets nervous about disappointing people who love him. When he knows you hate him, he lets lose and destroys you.
I’ve wondered that myself about him. I think Kyrie’s cold blooded nature will be key to the Cavs winning it all this year.
Yeah. KI doesn’t have the emotional ties to a home crowd. He’ll light it up anywhere.
Thanks coach Stevens for the last 3 points. I mean maybe at the end of the game but at the beginning of the game and the Cavs leading the game is kind of easier for TT to make those.
Cavs played great defense for most of the quarter. IT had one blow by, other than that their guards were getting terrible shots. Avery Bradley is getting stuffed twenty feet out.
Gotta like the effort and game plan in this first quarter… Keep it up fellas!
Love has missed 3 FTs and so has TT. Could have been a bigger lead …
Nice d on that last possession
Every time I look at the Metric System I think he’s an intern. Man, he is sooooooooo much more successful at his age than I was.
He looks like respectable Jim Brewer.
He could be an extra on The Big Bang Theory…
If this results in a three with 1.5 seconds, Delly should be exiled to Canton.
Oh, come on. he made great use of the foul to give, which resulted in a turnover and in the ensuing kerfuffle he threw it away trying to get it to Smith.
You’re right. I love me some Delly trays.
TT is too good for that tactic. Doesn’t make sense if a guy makes over 45%
It sucks when your coach can only use you to give intentional fouls lol.
Come on, TT
Good start so far IMO!! Let’s hope the Cavs can keep the foot on the pedal and keep the croud out of the game.
This is the most posting up I’ve seen from the Cavs in a first quarter in a while now.
TT bringing a spark off the bench.
Canadian Dynamite has been known to spark.
TT always plays well on TNT…
Love in the *post* …
I really like Kyrie’s distribution game right now. He’s got everyone feeling confident with the ball.
This is the first time this series where they have made a serious conscious effort to get the ball inside. I think I’ve seen Love in the most more in the first quarter than I have in the last two games combined.
Nice bucket from TT… he got hacked too and no call…
Push the ball. Push the ball!
SHUMP! Behind the back!
I love KLOVE when he hits threes!
Love not hitting his throws tonight…
There’s a brick party going on out there.
Can’t believe they didn’t score on that possession… LBJ looked like he got fouled twice…
He’s somehow missed 3 layups in a row.
I like them working inside to Love and Moz, their bigs can’t keep up and it will get them foul trouble and tired, and then we’ll bomb away from three and game’s over.
I LOVE KLove in the post!
Kyrie hasn’t taken a shot yet…
Considering we’re up, that just means we’ve got plenty in the tank if they adjust to what’s working now.
getting real tired of these State Farm commercials.
Uh-oh… Mozilla down…
Looks okay now. Shaken up from shot to the adams apple…
Marcus Smart is gonna be a helluva player.
KLove in the post… good times!
MOZ is UNSTOPPABLE!
The Metric System has no answer to the Devourer of Beer Gardens
KLOVE from downtown! That’s his spot
JR still off…
Klove is not…..
LBJ in aggressive mode!
He’s treating this like a game 7, which he should. Losing this game lets them back in it, winning it ends the series.
Bradley air ball
Good test for Kyrie, Love, TT and the young Cavs. Let’s go Cavs.
Cavs by 9… Boston comes out prepared with nothing to lose, but by the end know that the series is over.
Joey B… I owe you a shirt for the Metric System nickname. Let me know what color and size you want…
Was that a contest? And speaking of the Metric System, I’m curious how he’s going to respond tonight. Everything he’s tried works for a couple of minutes and then we assimilate like the Borg.
Yeah, didn’t you read the recap?
I did but I must have missed that part. I was simultaneously coloring with my five year old, so maybe I missed a sentence or two. I am definitely up for some T-shirt. Medium red, methinks.
No problem. Will get one to you.
Tweet with pic:
https://twitter.com/charlieevett/status/591375050827239424
Awesome Charlie! Way to represent Cavs and Delly!
Yeah baby! Very nice.
At the TD Garden.
Have already met up with a kid also sporting Dellevadova shirt. Also already had debate with someone on Delly’s value and future.
Celtics warming up now.
Not sure how to post pics. Got close to Grif.
GO CAVS!
If you get some good pics send them to my twitter account or daveyc59@gmail.com
I was way off last time predicting a 20 point win… so I’ll say it’s a hard fought close one that the Cavs win 102-97. The blowout win will then be Sunday to close things out…
Should be an even more physical game than Game 2. Will be interesting to see if the Cavs can change things up and be the early aggressor to try and take the crowd out of it. This would be a particularly fortuitous time for JR to get his shot back.
I like Shump’s rap, although it’s not all that anthemic…