Wrap-Up – When healthy, the Wine and Gold are loaded with offensive weaponry. But they can be just as impressive on the other end – and when they decide to clamp down on an opponent defensively, they’re almost impossible to beat.
In what was billed as a bare-knuckle grudge match between the up-and-coming Celtics and a veteran Cavaliers’ team that swept them out of the playoffs last year, the Cavaliers actually made it look easy after intermission – holding Boston to just 31 points in the second stanza and pulling away late for the 89-77 win on Tuesday night at the TD Garden.
The last time the Cavaliers took on the Celtics in Boston, it was to wrap up their First Round playoff series in four games. But that contest came at a cost – with Kevin Love suffering a shoulder injury that knocked him out of the postseason and J.R. Smith earning a two-game suspension after decking Jae Crowder.
In this year’s meeting, Love put the past behind him and had a rock-solid performance – finishing with 20 points on 7-for-16 shooting, adding eight boards and a game-high five assists. Smith put aside the distraction of Crowder’s demand for an apology and finished with nine points and joining his teammates to smother Boston defensively.
LeBron James, going up against the team he’s tortured throughout his Hall of Fame career, led all scorers with 24 points – going an even 10-of-20 from the floor to go with seven boards, three assists, two steals and a blocked shot.
Timofey Mozgov had another solid outing for Cleveland, netting nine points on 4-of-5 shooting while registering game-highs in both rebounds (10) and blocked shots (3).
Mo Williams added 10 points and three assists and Tristan Thompson, nine rebounds, off the Cavaliers’ bench.
In the second half of Tuesday’s win, the Cavaliers held Boston to just 26 percent from the floor – limiting Isaiah Thomas, Jared Sullinger and Jae Crowder to a combined 3-for-17 shooting.
Turning Point — The Celtics went into the halftime up by six – 46-40 – and, led by Crowder, were chirping throughout the first two quarters. But they weren’t ready for Cleveland in the second half.
Timofey Mozgov scored the first five points of the second half as Cleveland quickly cut the Celtics’ lead in half. Kevin Love’s trey got the Cavs to within a deuce seconds later and LeBron scored on two straight buckets to give the Wine and Gold their first lead since early in the second quarter.
J.R. Smith’s three-pointer put Cleveland up five midway through the third and LeBron’s fastbreak reverse dunk put the Cavs up by a touchdown – and quieted a soldout crowd that surmised they were about to see a movie they’ve seen before.
By the Numbers – .800 … Timofey Mozgov’s shooting percentage (20-of-25) over his last five games.
Quotable – Kevin Love, on the difference between Tuesday’s game and the last game he played at the TD Garden …
“Time heals all wounds. I know this is the first time coming back and this will always be a place where I’ll remember my first playoff run and that fourth game being particularly tough, but as time goes on it’ll be another game against a really good team.”
Up Next -After playing four of their first six games in December on the road – including Tuesday’s convincing victory in Boston – the Wine and Gold finally get some extended home cooking, beginning a three-game homestand this Thursday night when Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook (and Dion Waiters) come to Cleveland for a nationally-televised affair. On Sunday afternoon, the Cavaliers face Philadelphia for the third time this season when the 1-25 Sixers come to The Q. The Cavs wrap up the three-gamer on Wednesday night when Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks make their second stop in Cleveland. After that, it’s four games in five nights out West – beginning with the highly-anticipated Finals rematch with the Warriors on Christmas Day in Oakland.
