Celtics topple Cavaliers
BOSTON — The Cleveland Cavaliers pulled out some magic in two of their previous three games, but that was no match for the luck of the Irish as the Boston Celtics prevailed, 105-94, in the TD Banknorth Garden Friday night.
Coming in ranked as the top defensive team with respect to field-goal percentage in the league, the Cavs allowed the Celtics to make 54 percent of their shots. Of course, it helped that the Celtics scored at will inside, scoring an astounding 58 points in the paint.
"Nine times out of 10 when a team scores that much in the paint, they're going to win," LeBron James said.
The Celtics started out taking it to the Cavs in the first quarter, but it only served as a preview of what was to come.
The first quarter played out like a tension-filled exercise, and defense ruled.
Shots came easier for the Celtics. They scored 16 points in the paint in the first quarter, but the Cavs trailed by only two points.
The Cavs went cold in the second quarter. In the first 3:20, Mo Williams' 3-pointer was the Cavs' only basket. The Celtics took advantage, going on an 11-4 run to take an 11-point lead midway through the quarter. At that point, it appeared as though the Celtics might just run away with the game.
But the Cavs refused to allow the Celtics to expand that lead, nibbling away at it throughout the rest of the second quarter. The Celtics held a 32-12 advantage in points in the paint in the first half.
Unable to score inside, the Cavs had to rely on outside shooting, and Williams answered the call. His two 3-pointers helped to spur a short burst of scoring for the Cavs. Williams scored eight points on three consecutive possessions to cut the Celtics' double-digit lead to three points at 45-42. The Cavs went to the locker room trailing by just two at 45-43.
The teams gave an impression of what an impending playoff series could look like in the third quarter as the intensity rose along with tempers. The Celtics' Glen "Big Baby" Davis drew a flagrant foul-2 for grabbing Anderson Varejao by the head. Cavs center Zydrunas Ilgauskas confronted Davis and earned a technical for his support. The referees sent Davis to the shower.
That moment seemed to spark the Cavs, albeit temporarily. They outscored the Celtics 9-2 in the next couple of minutes and eventually tied the game at 57-57.
The Celtics, however, came right back, scoring the next seven points to take a 64-57 lead they never lost.
Williams led the Cavs with 26 points followed by James with 21. The Celtics' Paul Pierce led all scorers with 29 points, and Leon Powe scored his season high with 20 points.
