Cavaliers Stay Alive, Topple Celtics, 109-99

The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Boston Celtics, 109-99, at Quicken Loans
Arena on Friday night in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference Finals playoff
series. The Cavaliers (3-3) naturally had all the reason in the world for a
drastic sense of urgency, as the prospect of elimination on their home floor
stared them in the face heading into the contest. Just four quarters away from
the possibility of a highly disappointing conclusion to their attempted defense
of the Eastern Conference title, Cleveland actually started out playing less
than stellar ball. The Celtics (3-3) held a 25-20 lead after one that had to
begin planting the smallest kernels of fear in the minds of many, but LeBron
James and George Hill helped ensure those doubts would quickly be eradicated.
The hosts blasted Boston by a 34-18 margin in the second, and although they saw
their 11-point halftime edge frequently cut to the single digits during the
second half, they never relinquished the lead again. The Celtics would get as
close as 101-94 with 2:47 remaining, but their mediocre showing from the
free-throw line and inability to defend James down the stretch ultimately sealed
their fate. Cleveland’s gutsy performance was all the more impressive
considering they lost star forward Kevin Love to a concussion in the first
quarter. Terry Rozier did all he could to help the Celtics’ cause, leading the
way with 28 points and adding seven assists, three rebounds and two steals. He
was a blistering 10-for-16 from the field, including 6-for-10 from distance.
Jaylen Brown posted 27 points, three boards and one assist. Jayson Tatum
supplied 15 points, three boards, two assists and one steal. Marcus Morris and
Marcus Smart generated matching 10-point tallies off the bench, with the former
adding two rebounds and one assist, and the latter registering eight assists,
three rebounds, one steal and one block. Al Horford had a rough night from the
field on the way to just six points, a figure that he complemented with nine
boards, four assists and one block. James led all scorers with 46 points and
supplemented them with 11 rebounds, nine assists, three steals and one block.
Hill collected 20 points, three rebounds, three assists, two steals and one
block. Jeff Green saw extra run with Love out of action and parlayed it into 14
points, three rebounds, two assists and two blocks over 31 minutes. Larry Nance,
Jr. was productive off the bench as well with 10 points, seven rebounds, one
assist and two steals. Jordan Clarkson and Kyle Korver finished with matching
six-point efforts, while J.R. Smith underwhelmed once again on the first unit
with five points, three rebounds and one block. Tristan Thompson mustered just
two points, four boards, one assist and two blocks, while Love was scoreless
with four rebounds over five minutes before his injury. The two teams now
reconvene in Beantown on Sunday evening for a Game 7 showdown at TD Garden,
where the Celtics are undefeated this postseason.