Cavaliers beat Celtics 116-86 in game 3 and all five Cavs starters hit double-digits. As Boston Celtics took both the first two games, things were dire for the Cavaliers. But just when you think Cavaliers are going to fall down, they step up the tempo again. This is nerve-wracking for fans and one supposes for the players too.
Nevertheless, Saturday (May 19) saw the whole team stepping up and this gave LeBron James the opportunity to play some great defensive moves.
Cavaliers took game three after moving the ball around
ESPN reported that "they went 9-of-17 on treys in the first half alone and finished 17-of-34." Coach Tyronn Lue said after the match, "We did a good job moving the Basketball and making the extra pass, and we shot it well tonight." He added, "When we're playing like that, guys are going to get open shots."
This is an over-simplification, as pointed put by Brian Windhorst.
Lue had been pushing the Cavaliers' team to greater efforts. But on top of that was the terrible urgency of seeing their possible end in the playoffs if they were unable to beat Celtics.
George Hill demonstrated an almost startling difference in his play compared to the two previous games. In fact, he popped in the first basket for Cavaliers. He then went on and finally played the way Cavaliers had hoped and got three 3-pointers.
LeBron James and his starters got into double digits
Lebron James played his usual full-on game but because the other players were moving the ball and forcing Celtics to make extra passes, he was also useful in defense. He managed to block some shots by Celtics. James managed 27 points and 12 assists, making 8 of 12 shots.
After the match, LeBron James said, "We were flying around." He also added that the team had "covered for one another... made them (Boston) make extra passes."
It was an effective strategy as Celtics' Rozier and Jaylen Brown seemed to be quite ineffective. Brad Stevens, the Boston Celtics' coach was complimentary about the way Cavaliers had pulled together.
Post-match he said that the Cavaliers "were great." He added, "We were clearly not the harder-playing, more connected team tonight."
Can Cavaliers go 2-2 in the next game?
The Cavaliers played as a cohesive team for the first time in the series against Boston Celtics. The entire team was pulling their weight and this bodes well for the series.
The Washington Post wrote of the upcoming games, if they can go 2-2 on Monday, "it seems unlikely (Cavaliers) will be denied a victory in Boston in one of Games 5 or 7."