Photo Credit: Mark Duncan of AP
The Cavaliers certainly didn’t make it easy on themselves but they pulled out a victory in Cleveland on Tuesday night.
The Celtics made Cleveland work on offense, and the Cavaliers did in fact make it difficult turning the ball over 18 times and Head Coach Brad Stevens did make the adjustments he vowed the team would make after Sundays loss.
“We can definitely play better,” Bradley said. “We know that. And I think [the Cavaliers] know that. We just have to go out there and prove it on Tuesday.”
The game one loss to Cleveland made Stevens and The Celtics re-think the gameplay.
The Celtics went up early in the first quarter 15-5 with 5:39 left and Cleveland came back to only be down one 26-25 at the end of the first. The Celtics would keep the lead until the waining seconds of the half behind LeBron James’s 8 points in the 2nd quarter.
The Cavaliers would then take over from there in the third quarter with big play after big play from The Cavaliers stars.
Even though the momentum seemed to go Cleveland’s way in the third quarter The Celtics stayed within reach of taking the lead, but Kyrie Irving and LeBron James would turn things on scoring all 24 of Cleveland’s fourth quarter points.
Cleveland’s difference maker tonight was Tristan Thompson who stepped in with Love in foul trouble and Mozgov fouled out his 11 rebounds helped Cleveland out rebound The Celtics 47-39.
The only player who consistently kept The Celtics in it tonight was Isaiah Thomas with 22 points and 7 assists, and it simply was not enough though.
The Celtics will host The Cavaliers in Game 3 where they hope to make the series 2-1.
