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5 ways the Cleveland Cavaliers embarrassed the Boston Celtics…again

By Nick Dudukovich

May 19, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) blocks the shot of Boston Celtics guard Avery Bradley (0) during the first quarter in game two of the Eastern conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
May 19, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) blocks the shot of Boston Celtics guard Avery Bradley (0) during the first quarter in game two of the Eastern conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Cleveland Cavaliers embarrassed the Boston Celtics again in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

How do you pick the five most embarrassing moments from a contest that was a constant embarrassment for Boston? You smile and think about how the NBA Finals are two games away. That’s how.

Here’s how the Cavaliers took Boston’s life force during a 130-86 blowout victory.

Where’s Isaiah?

On the day Isaiah Thomas was named second-team all-NBA–and LeBron James was forgotten about in the mentions among MVP finalists–the Celtics’ best player was 0-for-6 from the field before leaving with an injury. He finished with two points. GM Danny Ainge later said Thomas went to the hospital with a hip injury.

Can Boston get a refund on Al Horford?

For the third straight season, Al Horford is getting manhandled by Tristan Thompson. You can see why the Hawks let him walk. Atlanta’s front office had seen first hand how Horford couldn’t hang with Tristan. Why would he be part of their blueprint for the future?

Horford, who signed a max contract last summer for $113 million, was -33! Pretty sure I could replicate that stat for Mr. Ainge. Yikes!

Wrong side of history

History seemed to be made with each passing second, but for the sake of this column, let’s focus on the Celtics. No other franchise has as much history, so when Boston’s on the wrong side of it, it’s worth paying attention to.

The halftime lead…many a scribe, including myself, made a huge deal out of the Celtics deficit at  halftime of Game 1. No Celtics playoff team had ever trailed by that many points AT HOME.

Fast forward to Game 2. After spanking Boston all over the court for 24 minutes, Cleveland held a 72-31 halftime lead–the largest ever in NBA playoff history.

The Celtics almost avoided this embarrassment, but J.R. Smith hit this 2-pointerin true J.R. fashion to set the record for the largest lead.

The Celtics have been playing playoff basketball and winning championship since the Eisenhower administration. When the organization loses big, it’s worth noting.

Still no answer for LeBron

Another 30-point game for LeBron. With James, in the contest, the Cavaliers were +45. Somebody help me, I’ve never seen a plus/minus stat like that. Someone, kindly point it out to me in the comments section if something higher comes to mind.

Any +’s?

One player, I repeat, ONE player was in the positive for Boston last night. His name? Jordan Mickey. Yep, I had to Google him, too. The 6-foot-8, 22-year-old forward got nine minutes of garbage time thanks to the pathetic effort put forth by his more established teammates. He was +4.

Next: Where would David Griffin want to work?

The Cavs can take a 3-0 lead when the series comes to Quicken Loans Arena on Sunday. Tip-off is at 8:30 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on TNT.

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