Boston got off to a hot start and led by as many as seven points in the first quarter, but Cleveland came back and tied the game up at halftime. The Celtics responded with a huge run in the third quarter, but the Cavaliers come out strong in the fourth, coming back to take the lead in the final minute to win the game.
Turning Point:
After the Celtics went on a 23-6 run to close the third quarter, Kyrie Irving responded with three straight three-pointers at the start of the fourth to get the Cavs back in the game and set the stage for their comeback.
Key Stat:
Cleveland needed some spark off the bench, and they found it in rookie Joe Harris. He only finished with six points and two rebounds, but he played great team basketball and defense. As a result, the Cavaliers outscored the Celtics by 24 points when he was on the floor. That's absolutely incredible, especially considering the three other bench players that saw time tonight for Cleveland had plus/minus ratings of -9, -14, and -15 (LeBron had the next highest score on the team with +10).
Cleveland MVP:
LeBron put on a dominating performance, finishing with 41 points and seven assists. He also made history tonight by becoming the 24th leading scorer in NBA history, passing Robert Parrish (23,334).
Boston MVP:
Rajon Rondo only scored six points tonight, but he finished with a remarkable 16 assists and eight rebounds and was the catalyst behind Boston's big 3rd quarter run. Kelly Olynyk also played well with 21 points.
What Did We Learn?
If anything teaches the Cavs about the importance of ball movement, it should be this game. Cleveland did a good job of passing the ball and finished with 22 assists, but Boston was able to do what they wanted to on offense because they had an astonishing 32 assists. A large part of that has to do with the Celtics exploiting the Cavs' weak defensive rotations, which still need to get a lot better.
Boston showed they can play with some of the best teams in the league when they push the tempo and share the ball, while Cleveland learned (again) they have to play better and work harder on the defensive end of the floor to become the team they want to become.
What’s Next?
Cleveland returns home to face Atlanta tomorrow night while Boston has the weekend off before facing Phoenix at Monday.
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