4 ways LeBron James, Cavs embarrassed Boston Celtics in Game 1
LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers embarrassed the Boston Celtics during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals at TD Bank Garden behind a brilliant effort from LBJ.
The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t care about seeding entering the playoffs, and while we fans freaked out, LeBron James and his teammates stole homecourt back from the Boston Celtics without much resistance.
It’s hard to even believe the Celtics are the No. 1 seed in the East, because while it was only one game, the Cavs are playing on a much higher level.
Here’s four ways LeBorn and the Cavaliers embarrassed Boston in Game 1.
LeBron couldn’t be stopped
The Celtics couldn’t stop LeBron. Don’t blame them, nobody stops him. You can only hope to contain him. That rarely happens, though. Boston’s inability to even give James some semblance of a matchup problem was evident throughout the night.
Whether LeBron was bullying Marcus Smart or Isaiah Thomas, or literally disrespecting Kelly Olynyk on the perimeter by turning his back toward him, James did what he wanted, when he wanted.
The results? LeBron’s stat line read: 38 points, nine rebounds, seven assists.
The root of Boston’s problem may be in its big men. Reggie Miller broughtup on TNT broadcast how Boston can’t afford to play two of their bigs at the same time. Tyler Zeller, Kelly Olynyk, Al Hordford–their too slow, and LeBron took advantage of them on the pick-and-roll.
The Celtics couldn’t hit from 3
Live by the 3, die by the 3, and the 3-pointer crushed Boston’s chances in Game 1.
Boston’s gotta hit from downtown to have any shot in this series, and the team came out of the gate shooting 4-of-16 from beyond the arc in the first half. Celtics’ shooters improved in the second half, knocking down eight 3-pointers, but by that point, it was way too late.
On the flip side, Boston had to of come into this contest worried about the Cavs ability to connect from beyond the arc. Many are saying LeBron is playing with the best supporting cast he’s ever had, and the shooters surrounding him are the big reason why.
Yet the Cavs had a 16-point lead on Boston before they even connected from downtown.
The Cavs didn’t even play that great!
LeBron was LeBron, and Kevin Love played out of his mind, scoring 32 points while grabbing 12 boards.. But Deron Williams was 0-for-5. Iman Shumpert and Kyle Korver were each 1-of-6. In total, the bench was a measly 4-of-21 from the field.
J.R. Smith took just two shots in 24 minutes. Kyrie was just kind of “eh,” scoring 11 points on 4-of-11 from the field.
And it didn’t matter. Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals was over midway through the second quarter.
Franchise history you’d like to forget
The Boston Celtics are the foremost historical franchise in the NBA. The franchise has been playing playoff game while a good chunk of Baby Boomers were still in diapers.
Boston’s halftime deficit was the most Boston had trailed at home in franchise history.
Next: 5 Reasons Cavs will cream the Celtics
Think of the greats: Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, John Havlicek, Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish. Red Auerbach must’ve weeped last night, because Heaven ran out of cigars.