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| (Photo by Mike Lawrie/Getty Images) |
Despite a 19-point deficit, the Cleveland Cavaliers battled back in the fourth quarter to defeat the Boston Celtics 122-121, giving them three straight wins after a 1-3 start.
Dominating the Celtics is nothing new for LeBron; his 30.1 points per game against Boston is the highest he has averaged against a single team.
We talked about the point guard battle in the preview and it quietly was a good matchup. Although LeBron was the main factor in the game, both Kyrie Irving and Rajon Rondo had good games tonight. Irving had 27 points, including 15 points in the fourth quarter, which was a big part of the Cavs 17-point comeback in the fourth quarter. As for Rondo, he did everything tonight but score the basketball. He had 16 assists, eight rebounds and three steals.
As a team, the Celtics continued their sharing of the wealth. The C's had seven guys in double figures tonight and finished with 32 assists. The glass was won by the Cavaliers, out-rebounding the Celtics 49-46. Leading the way for the Cavs was Kevin Love, who, despite shooting 2-of-12 from the field, finished with a game-high 15 rebounds.
Looking ahead, the Cavs have a very favorable schedule coming up. Eight of their next nine games are at home, including games against the San Antonio Spurs and the Toronto Raptors. Their lone road game during that stretch comes against the Washington Wizards. With this team slowly starting to find their rhythm, expect the Cavs to start their hot streak heading into to December.
Three Things
1. Playoff LeBron showed up tonight.
Isn't it weird what a few weeks will do to you? Super small sample size "writers" questioned whether LeBron was not the same player he was last year, leading to some extremely hot takes. Well, save for opening night (excused) and Portland, LeBron has been a humongous reason why the Cavs have won four games this year. Especially tonight, where his 41 points and stellar defense in the fourth quarter won this game for Cleveland. Him guarding Rondo in the fourth is something we normally see come playoff time. Do not expect this every game from The King, but you will see it when it is needed.
2. *copy, paste* Defense..
Defense has been talked about in every game, with tonight being the epitome of how bad they have looked all year. The Cavs gave up ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-ONE POINTS tonight, and needed an ungodly-like performance from LeBron to come away with a victory tonight. The Celtics did have the seventh-best offensive in the NBA coming into tonight's game, but any time you give up 121 points to any team is cause for concern. Through seven games, the Cavs have given up at least 100 points in six of their games. With the offense beginning to click, if they can figure out ANYTHING on the other end, they will be a very dangerous team.
3. Can Joe Harris get some more minutes?
There are very few guys on the Cavs that can play defense; one of them being Smokin' Joe Harris. In a game where just a few defensive stops turned the game around, why was Harris not in the game sooner? His plus-minus in tonight's game was plus-24, a ridiculous number. Part of that number had to do with LeBron and Kyrie's incredible fourth quarters, but Harris hit one shot tonight, a corner three-pointer, a played good defense down the stretch when the Cavs needed it. If he continues to play solid defense (which the Cavs need) and hits his open jumpers, head coach David Blatt would be wrong not to give hom more playing time.
Statline of the night: LeBron James. 41 points, four rebounds, seven assists. 16-27 from the field.
Is there anymore that needs to be said about his performance tonight? He single-handily won this game for the Cavs tonight and has shown that he is not regressing any time soon.
What's next: Nov. 15, at home against the Atlanta Hawks. 7:30 p.m.
