BOSTON – The last time the Cleveland Cavaliers lost a postseason closeout game
was May 18, 2008 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Their opponent? The Boston Celtics.
Cleveland has since won 12 consecutive series-clinching games and would
establish an NBA-record streak Thursday night if it wins Game 5 of the Eastern
Conference Finals. Standing in its way once again, however, are the Celtics,
who, trailing 3-1 in the series, will stop at nothing to extend their postseason
while playing in front of their home crowd.
The Cavs enjoyed a 44-point blowout the last time they played at TD Garden in
Game 2, but head coach Tyronn Lue expects “a lot of fight” from Boston as it
looks to avoid elimination.
“They came to our building and beat us in Game 3 by just scrapping and
competing,” Lue said of the C’s Thursday morning ahead of Cleveland’s
shootaround. “They came into Game 4 and we were down 16 on our home floor, so
this team is not going to give up, they’re not going to stop playing, and we
understand that.”
LeBron James said closeouts are by far the most challenging games of a
postseason series. While the Cavs still have room to breathe, the Celtics will
be playing desperate basketball knowing that if they don’t win, their season is
over.
“They’ve got one life to live and pride kicks in even more because you want to
try to extend the series,” said James. “Every possession is even more magnified,
so it’s a tough game.”
One would think that playing on the road in a series-clinching situation would
make it even tougher on the Cavs, but they’ve proven that to be no obstacle in
the past. Ten of their last 12 closeout wins have come on the road, which they
attribute to their consistent approach regardless of the environment.
“It’s a mindset, just being prepared, being ready, knowing you’re going to
expect a team’s best shot that night,” said Lue. “If we come out with a
defensive mindset, I think we’ll be fine.”
The Cavaliers had no problem handling business in Boston during Games 1 and 2 of
the series, but the C’s responded with two great battles in Cleveland despite
being without leading scorer Isaiah Thomas.
Lue has noticed an increase in grit from Boston ever since losing its All-Star
point guard.
“(Jae) Crowder is tough, Avery (Bradley) is tough, Marcus Smart is tough, (Al)
Horford; those guys play hard, compete and bring a physicality to the game, and
they’re never going to give up,” said the coach. “Their mindset hasn’t changed
(since Thomas went down), it’s just the way they’re playing has changed.”
The Cavs expect Boston’s toughness to magnify even more Thursday night when it
puts its season on the line. They know that a 44-point blowout will likely not
be in the cards this time around when they step onto the parquet floor.
“We know they’re going to be extremely excited to be back here and try to extend
this series,” said James. “We understand that the closeout game is always the
toughest, especially on the road.”
Especially when that game is being played at TD Garden – the last place the
Cleveland Cavaliers lost a series-clinching contest.
Player: Avery Bradley
Player: Jae Crowder
Player: Al Horford
Player: Marcus Smart
Player: LeBron James
Media Content:
http://www.nba.com/celtics/news/sidebar/shoot-visitor–052517-history-stake-celti
cs-seek-avoid-elimination
Media Keywords: NBA, Sports, Boston Celtics, Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, Al
Horford, Marcus Smart, LeBron James, Tyronn Lue, Boston Celtics, Cleveland
Cavaliers
Media Thumbnail:
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Taxonomy: Pregame, Visiting Shootaround, Postseason, Playoffs
Story Link:
http://www.nba.com/celtics/news/sidebar/shoot-visitor–052517-history-stake-celti
cs-seek-avoid-elimination
