Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers captured the spotlight in the Eastern conference rivalry with the Boston Celtics. James scored 36 points in the Cavs’ creaming of the Celtics at TD Garden. Cleveland’s 108-88 victory ties them with Boston for the best road record in the NBA. The Cavs improved to 20-10 away from Ohio despite defensive depression in the first half. The Cavs assembled one of the finest second halves of the season to overcome the malaise. Cleveland held Boston to 22% shooting after halftime and outscored them by 28 points without Shaquille O’Neal. The Cavs limited the Celts to 3-of-21 shooting in the final quarter to snap a nine game losing streak in Boston.
Cleveland trailed for nearly all of the first three quarters until Mo Williams gave them a point lead in the fourth quarter. Williams made 14 of his 19 points in the fourth. The All-Star guard increased the visitor’s edge with consecutive three-pointers with less than five minutes in regulation. Williams was teased by Rajon Rondo, the Celtics guard, in the first half. The Cavs were sluggish in defending the ultra-quick Rondo, who finished with 19 points and 11 assists. Boston made 10 of their first 13 shots of the contest, with Rondo hitting five buckets and collecting as many assists. The home team was up by ten at the end of the opening quarter. Allen nailed two late 3-pointers in the first half after Nate Robinson notched one from downtown. The C’s carried a 56-48 lead into the locker room.
Cleveland shot 65% in the second half. James made it a fourteen point game by drilling the next four baskets. James added nine assists and seven rebounds while playing without his tenacious teammate. O’Neal suffered a thumb injury in the first half when Glen Davis whacked him trying to block a shot. Anderson Varejao was inserted into the lineup for Mike Brown’s Cavs in place of Shaq. The 27 year old Brazilian responded with 14 points and a team high 10 rebounds. Varejao picked apart the Celtics’ pick-and-roll game to keep Cleveland in a good position to comeback. Cleveland’s J.J. Hickson helped Varejao expose the Celtics in the paint. The Celtics were unable to contend after the break, especially during Cleveland’s portly fourth quarter. Boston played Thursday without Paul Pierce. The Celtic’s offense could have used the All-Star during the game’s final two minutes. They relied heavily on the outside shot instead of running through the lanes. They attempted 12 treys and made just one.
Ray Allen scored a Celtics’ game high 21 points as Boston fell 7 ½ games behind in the East. The Celtics are tied with the Hawks. Boston needs to start beefing up if they plan to compete and advance in the playoffs. Doc Rivers’ team can no longer afford to punt away sizable leads. They certainly cannot shoot a dismal 14% in any one quarter like they did at Thursday’s home fourth quarter. Cleveland plays Boston two more times this season. Celtics forward, Kevin Garnett scored 10 points in the loss. Garnett needs to show some leadership to spark Boston and snap their relaxed attitude. The Celts allowed the Cavs to top them at home for the first time since 2007. Boston puts up a fight, and even with their health issues, has been a remarkable NBA story this season. They need to be and stay more physical throughout the duration of the game.
Parting Points: TGIF…please make the snow go away.
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