Playoff Live Thread: Cavs @ Celtics, Game 2 (#ScaryMonstars)
2017-05-19Who says LeBron James isn’t scary? Well, apparently… the 5’8 dude who got the majority of his shots altered by the monstrous defense LBJ and the Cavs played on him in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
“We’re not scared of Cleveland. They’re not the Monstars. They’re not on ‘Space Jam,'” Thomas said. “They lace up their shoes just like us. They just happened to play better than us in Game 1. We just gotta protect [our] home court in Game 2 and get the win.”
Umm… you sure about that Ike? I mean that had to be pretty frightening how the Cavs stopped you and took your team apart on Wednesday… and even though they played better than you, LeBron himself didn’t think they played anywhere close to their best basketball. In fact, outside of the Cavs’ starting front court, nobody else in a wine & gold jersey really did much offensively.
The truth is, the Celtics don’t have a whole lot of options to fall back on, other than to try and scare the Cavs with physical play and general thuggery (which they already started employing in the third quarter of Game 1). Sure, they could certainly shoot better from beyond the arc… but so could the Cavs… especially if Brad Stevens decides to start doubling LeBron. If that happens… things could get really ugly. You have to believe there will be an abundance of open shooters, and odds are against Kyrie, J.R. and Kyle Korver going 1-10 from three again.
When, not if, the aggression comes from the likes of Marcus Smart, Jae Crowder, Kelly Olynyk, et al… the true test for the Cavs is how well they keep their composure… not only for sake of this series, but also so they don’t incur any suspensions for the next round. There’s also the potential for injury (as we’ve seen) when the tactics go bush league… so hopefully, the Cavs can also take precautions to protect themselves from cheap shots.
This should be the most competitive game the Cavs see from the top-seeded Celtics, mainly because this could be the last winnable one for Boston in this series. I expect it to be a harder fought, even more physical, grind it out affair, but in the end, the Cavs should be able to pull away. The starting lineups should remain the same, although there has been speculation that Stevens could go smaller with Gerald Green starting in place of Amir Johnson to try and counter-act the Cavs’ front line dominance.
Prediction: The Celtics might give them a scare along the way, but ultimately the Cavs put their monster talent on display to show them they should be afraid… very afraid… Final score: 109-103.
Catch all the action on TNT starting at 8:30pm (EST), and don’t forget to chime in here…
Globetrotters vs Generals…
Lebron want to kill the Boston franchise for true lol
LeBron pouring it on from 3.
These Boston fans thought they had a chance. I love it.
And still the D with a 28-point lead. Check that: a 31-point lead.
Heat check!
http://www.kcparent.com/KC-Parent-Blogs/Brett-Anthony/July-2012/Beat-the-heat-check-the-back-seat/heatwave.jpg
https://twitter.com/SInow/status/865738195203391489
Wonder if IT still isn’t afraid,of,the Cavs?
https://twitter.com/ZachLowe_NBA/status/865738259678330880
This is gold.
With a big lead, this is the danger game in terms of the Celtics’ garbage. (Officials will tend to keep them on a tighter leash in the Q in games 3 and 4.) So it’s good to have Monty McCutchen in the crew tonight to offset Tony Brothers.
This makes Brad Beal’s comments even dumber…
Those comments were so dumb already…
Am I starting to feel sorry for Boston? Is that what I am feeling?
This is incredible.
Bill Simmons must be appreciating this action…glad the Cavs are delivering for him…
and the Shump 3 (shocker) forces a timeout, oh how it never gets old to beat Boston
Crowdet pushed off there.
This is insane. They are clearly trying to destroy Boston’s franchise.
Exactly!
Well JoeyB got it right. The rout is on lol.
The Celtics can’t keep up.
SHUMP! And the lead is 28!!
This is going to start getting ugly soon I think…
I’m expecting them goons to come out in the 3rd quarter with bad intentions.
James is simply All World. Forget MVP
+1M
LeBron limited only by his imagination right now.
Get your boos in now, Boston fans…could be your last chance till next year….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5y_cl3WIO6A
Cavs would be tripling up the Celtics if Korver were hitting
Does anyone think this James at the 5 is a preview for next round? With Kyrie/JR vs Dubs?
I could see Lue practicing new lineups on this series for next one… Crazy to even say that.
Your trickery will not work in the playoffs IT…
Really a clinic from the Cavs in defending him without fouling.
BLOCK #3!!
The last one was forced due to the clock. Two wide open from the corner. 2 of 10 for the series.
Playing good D though…
So what the heck did they called there? A tech on who? They didn’t explain and I want to know.
They impeached the integrity of President Stevens.
Thanks!
Korver off from 3. Dang.
The Celtics are such a garbage team. I fully expect the cheap crap to start soon.
Rozier has no business being on the court…
Nice ball movement with this crew. Celtics defensive energy low.
Korver is better on defense than offense this game…. that’s amazing
Guess Brown isn’t the Lebron stopper? Who knew? Probably time for the Celtics to start getting dirty…
Tech on the bench! Celtics coming unglued…
LBJ free throw stroke looking good.
Three fouls on the rookie… and a Tech for the Leprechaun!
Nope. James + Deron, Shump, Korver, RJ. James at the 5.
Wishing Bogut could have not broken his leg… Would be nice to send in a goon squad of him and Dahntay Jones at some point.
AND ONE!!
http://manifestmastermindblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/and-one.jpg
Loving the D here on the Cs’ first two possessions, with multiple deflections
First two possessions of the quarter…
Solid D three different times that possession…
Very good quarter. Big 3 all doing it. JR with a nice quarter (some makes & 5 boards + a good feed to Love & good D). Korver hit a 3. If we get Kyrie going from deep, lookout. Interesting to see if Love starts the 2nd with the bench.
As stated by many KK is a solid team defender and boxes out great
BOX-ZUS!
Yup, he is a solid team​ defender.
CWebb celebrating how awesome the Celtics are for using three guys to rebound against TT. I’m like, you need three guys to out-compete one of ours? Okay.
I thought the same thing. I mean, TT was the only one to even put a hand on the ball. That tells you how much stronger he is.
Wow, that was even better than Game 1 first quarter…
If only Kryie can start hitting from deep
Yes, we need him to get his mojo back from beyond the arc.
I agree, Cavs will need him to make those next round but he needs to take better shots too.
It’ll be there when we need it.
That wasn’t a box out by three Celtics on Thompson… That was…obscene… I’ll leave it at that.
Jaylen brown literally grabbing him around he neck.
And climbed on his back!
32-18! Butt whooping just starting.
BOARD-ZUS!
Back to the rest LBJ at the end of the first rotation…
Oh my. Cavs looking hungry and shaaaaaarp!!!!
Chase down block!
That one you could see coming from a mile away! So sweet!
LeBron is locked in up 23-10 and still ticked about giving up free throws.
Everyone is playing so unselfishly
Stevens with the WTF timeout
Way to avoid the foul, kyrie
Cavs look goooooood
Reggie, CWebb, and geriatric marv. Can we bring hubie back?
No thank you… his ship has sailed…
Well more competitive as expected. I liked that Lue is talking to the refs about that phantom foul call against IT, he has to.
You spoke too soon.
Gotta clean up the turnovers and should be fine. Defense looks good.
I’m already picturing Smart and Olynik playing to their dirtiest potential…
Unlike IT who is probably too young, when I see “Scary Monsters,” I can’t help but to think of the late and great David Bowie for that title.. The entire title of that Bowie song was, “Scary Monsters and Super Creeps.” The latter term definitely defines the thuggish Celtics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRtwKc7u3Ug
Nice !!!
Celtics will be dismantled by halftime. Cavs win by a bigger margin than Game 1.
It could happen if the refs call it the right way and if the Cavs play with the killer mentality.
Lol hit piece on Lebron’s free throws, despite the fact this isn’t really even a story now as he’s been really good since the first round. I guess this is ESPN’s attempt to get inside Lebron’s head; nothing else seems to be working. http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/page/presents19409872/fifteen-feet-trouble
To be fair, his free throws have always been a problem for him. Its the one part of his game he hasn’t been able to master. He gets by, but you think a guy with his talent would be able to hit 80% every season. KLove, Dirk, KD, hell, even guys like Mozgov, are taller than him and can hit 80%.
Fair would perhaps be doing this article in the pre-season, or after he has a bad free-throw series, sorry, this is just a lame attempt at click bait and getting under Lebron’s skin.
Click bait? Sure. That’s there business. Trying to get into his head? Considering he goes zero dark 23 and likely has no knowledge of this article, its not likely trying to get into his head. ESPN can’t get into his head any more than I can.
“their”
Doesn’t stop them trying; my point is an article like this when Lebron is playing at a transcendent level is disrespectful. Also, he’s on his cell a whole lot for being zero dark 23:)
I’m pretty sure ESPN has not ever made “disrespectful” be a part of their content conversations.
Point taken, I’m really close to boycotting them anyways, NBA.com is much better
If the cavs win, game three intros should be done with the monstars up on the big screen. That would be amazing
I fully expect some real garbage from the Celtics.
Agreed.
https://twitter.com/BillSimmons/status/865595590914129920
https://twitter.com/BillSimmons/status/865595343131426816
https://twitter.com/TheRealDuane/status/865611456347353088
This is truly ridiculous coming from a Celtics fan. Lebron has people doing pull-ups on his arm with no foul call because he finishes through them with ease. Their star gets breathed on and goes to the free throw line. Other than James Harden, IT is the absolute worst at faking and exaggerating contact and whining to get his way to the line.
Also, nothing would please me more than Celts fans chanting You’re Baby at him. Pissed off Lebron is my favorite. Remember what happened to the last team that called him a baby?
Try 1 of the best 2 players ever at 32 with the GOAT in his sights. He will milk out regular seasons with 70% effort and a hyperbaric chamber and continue to laugh at the articles on his minutes while he continues to be a cyborg until he becomes a crafty old guy and still breaks down the league.
LeBron does complain a lot, but he probably leads the league in getting fouled without getting the call. Sometimes you have a right to complain. I could also chalk up some of his complaining to smart lobbying, a la Phil Jackson or Pat Riley. I totally buy the idea that LeBron is more emotionally intelligent than most NBA players, and that he’s a few steps ahead in exerting influence and shaping outcomes on all levels, including getting the refs on his side.
Also, NBA League Pass used to have lots of “Classic Games” from the 1960’s all the way through the 2000’s (they don’t have those available in the U.S. anymore as far as I can tell). If you watch some of those earlier games, you can see a huge shift in NBA culture over the intervening 50 years. Players are way more demonstrative now in every way: celebrating their own shots and blocks, high-fiving teammates, and complaining to refs. What I’m saying, Bill, is that the least complainy player now–maybe Kawhi–would have stood out 40 years ago as being totally bitchy,… Read more »
Tim Duncan and James Harden would like a word. As would any player that ever played for Doc Rivers. smh. He used to be funny and his takes were often insightful. He’s devolved into a crazy, insufferable old man homer.
I agree with you on everything, even in the final score prediction. I hope the refs stay alert and keep them in check if things get rough.