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LeBron, Cavs appear to be just fine after Game 1 victory 93 - 101
May 1, 2010
The good news for Cleveland began when it was discovered LeBron James would shoot his free throws right-handed. It got even better when Mo Williams decided, sometime in the middle of the third quarter, that perhaps Rajon Rondo shouldn't be the only noteworthy point guard on the floor. Other than that, things were shaky for the Cavaliers for much of their 101-93 victory Saturday night over visiting Boston in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinals. The Celtics and their vaunted defense had plenty to do with that, yet somehow, someway, the team with the league's best record and back-to-back league MVP emerged. Game 2 is Monday in Cleveland (8 p.m., TNT). Entering the game, there were all kinds of questions, and maybe a few concerns, regarding James' right elbow -- which ached so badly that he shot his final free throw of the first round with his left hand. An MRI revealed nothing more than a strain and a bruise, but no one was sure how it would hold up against the physical Celtics. But 35 points, seven rebounds and seven assists later, it appears James and his elbow are just fine. He also drained eight of his first nine foul shots, finishing 8-for-11 on the night. "I think his elbow's fine," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "I'm pretty sure of it, actually."
Rivers and the Celtics are also likely pretty sure that the Cavs are more than James, especially after watching Williams suddenly spring to life in the third quarter. Williams finished with 20 points on 8-for-14 shooting. After watching Rondo do his best Oscar Robertson imitation for the majority of the first half, Williams finally seemed to have seen enough in the third quarter. It all started with the Cavs trailing 69-60 and five minutes to go. That's when Williams dribbled down the middle of the lane on a fast-break and dunked right over top of Celtics forward Paul Pierce. There was talk among the media that it may have been Williams' first slam as a Cav, and if that's the case, it was good enough. Because after that, Williams stuck to jump shots. He hit a 15-footer following the dunk, then a floater in the key following a basket by Boston's Kevin Garnett. In case all that wasn't enough, Williams buried a pair of free throws a minute or so later. By the time he was finished, the Celtics still led 73-68 with 3:10 left in the third -- but it was clear the wheels were coming off. And by the time the fourth quarter started, the Cavs had taken a 79-78 lead. "It was big play," Williams said of the dunk, which started a 43-24 run to close the game. "Anything uncharacteristic that happens always sparks energy. I thought [Pierce] would block a layup." Then Williams smiled. "I realized I was a little high in the air," he said. "So I thought I might try [to dunk] it."
James too was impressed. "This being Mo's second postseason, I think last year really helped him become more comfortable this year," James said. "It's great when you can sit back and watch your teammates take over." Anyone who watched the first half probably never thought a Cleveland lead would have been possible. The Celtics were cool, calm and appeared ultra-confident. The Cavs looked timid, lost. Boston accomplished exactly what it had hoped in the first half. Namely, the Celtics bent their knees, shuffled their feet and forced the Cavs into a miserable 42 percent shooting in taking a 54-43 lead. The Celtics shot 55 percent themselves, gaining a 34-22 advantage in the paint. And no one was more magnificent than Rondo during the first two quarters. He made all but one of his first eight shots, including a 3-pointer just before the first-quarter buzzer, to score 21 of his 27 points. He also compiled eight assists in the first half (finishing with 12). Meanwhile, James, Antawn Jamison and Shaquille O'Neal combined to make just two of their 13 shots. Jamison and O'Neal had just two points between them at halftime, rocking the rim to the tune of 1-for-8 shooting.
But O'Neal (11 points) reclaimed the paint in the second half, with the Cavs suddenly find ways to contain Rondo, particularly near the rim. After this back-and-forth was complete, the Cavs and Celtics were deadlocked at 90-all with five minutes left. The teams exchanged a few baskets, with James knocking down a floater to make it 96-93 with 1:45 to go. Forty seconds later, O'Neal followed in his own miss (well, actually two misses) to make it 98-93. The Celtics turned it over on their next possession, and James capped the scoring with a 3-pointer at the 22-second mark. Kevin Garnett 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, burying big jumper after big jumper that seemed like they would have put the Cavs away for good. Ray Allen scored 14 points, and Paul Pierce finished with 13, but went just 5-for-17 from the floor. J.J. Hickson added 11 points for the Cavs.