Cleveland Looks Tougher As Series Goes On
By Michael Arace, The Columbus Dispatch, Ohio
May 17–CLEVELAND — Celtics coach Doc Rivers was the first to meet the media after Game 6 last night. Immediately, he started working the referees for Game 7.
“I thought they were allowed to play pretty physical,” Rivers said.
“They” were the Cavaliers, who extended this Eastern Conference semifinal with a 74-69 victory over the Celtics in Quicken Loans Arena. Game 7 is Sunday in Boston.
The Celtics will be the favorite — but the series is trending toward the improbable road victory. It’s due, isn’t it? The Cavs are capable, because they aren’t giving the Celtics any space, and the Celtics aren’t creating much. This is the root of Rivers’ plea to the referees. He has probably been biding his time for days now, waiting for the right moment to beg.
In the Cavaliers, the Celtics met their match, in more ways than one. Both are terrific defensive teams. Because of this, both are prone to offensive funks.
The Celtics are, at their heart, a jump-shooting team. Absent easy baskets — and the Cavs don’t allow easy baskets — the reliance on the outside shot can become tenuous.
The Cavs are, at their heart, LeBron James. When he is quieted for long stretches — and the Celtics have done that — that Cavs’ half-court offense loses its effectiveness.
The separation of the teams is in the intangibles. Perhaps, it is in the intangible of home-court advantage. The Celtics are undefeated at home in these playoffs, and they’ll be on their friendly parquet for Game 7 on Sunday afternoon. Surely, the Celtics will win and move on to the conference finals. Right?
Not so fast.
Trace the series back to Game 4, which, had the Celtics won at the Q, they would have had a commanding 3-1 lead. Down the stretch of Game 4, the Cavs shut off the interior and the Celtics went soft and died with their jump shots.
In Game 5, the Cavs raced to a 14-point lead in the second quarter in Boston. The Celtics, a veteran lot, stayed cool, caught the Cavs and had the game all but put away late in the fourth quarter. Or did they? The Cavs scored on 10 consecutive possessions until Delonte West committed an inbounds violation with 11.6 seconds remaining.
The Cavs were in striking distance in the last minute of that game. They had no fear. One rebound here, one good inbound there, and it’s entirely conceivable they could have gotten to overtime.
Last night, the Cavs slapped a 17-2 run on the Celtics at the end of the first half. Then James scored the first seven points of the third quarter to push the Cavs’ lead to 49-33. For a game that was often unwatchable for its offensive anemia, the Cavs’ big run and its big gun were enough to win. The Celtics clawed back, but they were doomed.
The Cavs are getting to the rim more often than the Celtics. The Cavs shot 41 free throws to the Celtics’ 23 in Game 5 — in Boston. The Cavs shot 25 free throws to the Celtics’ 13 last night. James was 13 of 15 from the line last night.
When the Celtics aren’t getting anything to the rim, they’re getting spooked, and their offense essentially halts. They were saved last night by Kevin Garnett, whose jump shots were falling. Garnett had 25 points.
James had a quiet 32 points. For all intents, the Cavs have this series tied despite the fact that James has struggled to make shots. Instead, he has turned into the ultimate complementary player, and he has remained the key to the Cavs’ success.
That is not rocket science, to say that James is important. The thing is, the Cavs have been winning with half a LeBron tied behind their back. What happens when he drops 50?
The Cavs are every bit as good a defensive team as the Celtics. The Cavs, it is emerging, are also the tougher team. With an explosion from James, or with a good late-game run, they can break the Celtics for good.
It’s either that, or the Celtics have more guts than they’ve shown so far — or they get some calls.
Michael Arace is a sports reporter for The Dispatch.
marace@dispatch.com
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