What if I told you that the Boston Celtics were blown out the first two games at home by the Cleveland Cavaliers and came into the Quicken Loans Arena down 0-2 in the series without isaiah thomas and still won? That’s exactly what happened in Game 3, as the Celtics finally got on the board with an impressive come-from-behind victory.
Kevin Love catching fire early
Kevin Love seemingly couldn’t miss in the first half, scoring 22 points and hitting seven three-pointers. Kyrie Irving was nearly as outstanding in the first two periods, adding 17 points and six assists.
LeBron James was being extremely passive in this game, shying away from the basket and settling for outside shots. However, despite LeBron’s sluggish first-half performance, the Cavaliers were up 66-50, at the half.
The Celtics were getting solid production from Avery Bradley, who had 12 points in the first half, while Jae Crowder put in nine points.
Cavaliers grow lead in third quarter
The Cavaliers extended their lead to 21 midway through the third quarter, 77-56, and forced the Celtics to call a timeout. After the timeout, the Celtics began playing much better and suddenly cut Cleveland’s lead down to five heading into the fourth quarter.
Intense final quarter
The intensity level rose drastically in the fourth quarter with the Celtics slowly closing the gap and eventually knotting the game at 95 apiece with 5:43 remaining in the game.
Marcus Smart was enormous in the final period, hitting many clutch three-pointers and playing tight defense.
Down the stretch, Al Horford also came through, making a three-point shot with a little over three minutes left in the game and then hitting a baby jumper with under a minute to go to give the Celtics a three-point lead.
J.R. Smith quickly tied the game with a long three-pointer and forced Boston into a timeout.
In the ensuing possession, Jones Jerebko hit a long two-pointer to give the Celtics a two-point lead with 30 seconds remaining, but Irving responded with a beautiful layup to re-tie the game with 10 seconds left on the clock.
In the final possession, Smart dribbled down the clock and found Bradley for a three-point jumper that bounced around the rim and dropped with one-tenths of a second left.
Cavaliers elected to not call a timeout and let the time expire since there was no way they would be able to make a shot with 0.01.
The Celtics stunned the Cavaliers on the road without their All-Star point guard to get their first win of the series. The Cavaliers lead the series 2-1, but this was a huge confidence-boosting win for the Celtics.
Smart finished with a team-high 27 points and seven assists. He made seven three-pointers, shooting 8-of-14 from the field overall. Bradley added 20 points, four assists, three rebounds, and two steals, while Horford put in 16 points and six assists. Crowder notched a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds to go along with three assists and three steals.
Irving was extremely efficient
Irving was extremely efficient tonight, going 10-of-15 from the field for 29 points and seven assists. Love poured in 28 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, and three blocks on 50 percent shooting. Meanwhile, Tristan Thompson attained a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds. James had a quiet game, scoring 11 points, corralling six rebounds, and dishing out six assists. However, he had six turnovers and shot 4-of-13 from the floor.
Game 4 is set for Tuesday, May 23 on 8:30 pm Eastern Time and will be televised on TNT, as the Celtics will look to even the series.
