If not for a career-worst 2-18 shooting night for LeBron James, the Cavs would have been up 1-0, staring a 2-0 opportunity straight in the eye. Instead, The King was yet again uncrowned in Game 2, and the Cavs head back to Cleveland in a deep hole against the league’s top team.
In Game 1, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Wally Szczerbiak, and Daniel Gibson contributed support that would have given the Cavs the win with any help from their superstar leader. However, LeBron turned in his worst performance of his life (though he refuses to admit it was), and the Cavs blew a giant, essential opportunity. The Cavs only needed him to be terrible. Instead, he was God-awful.
But the closeness and physicality in Game 1 proved that the Cavs can play with the Celtics. Granted, Ray Allen will never again go scoreless, and 99% of the time, Paul Pierce will produce more than four points. But had LeBron shot an awful 30% instead of a putrid 11%, the Cavs would have been sitting on a 1-0 lead.
It continued at the start of Game 2, as LeBron looked more like himself and the Cavs sped out to a 12 point lead. But the true Celtics showed up, LeBron returned back to mortality, and the supporting cast disappeared. Anderson Varejao has been just dreadful. He can’t seem to comprehend the fact that he’s in the NBA to provide energy and take charges, not drive to the whole or shoot 18-footers.
A 2-0 deficit is nothing new to these wine and gold combatants. The Cavs turned the black hole into a 3-2 series lead two years ago, and ran off four consecutive to knock out the Pistons 4-2 last season. This series doesn’t appear like it will follow suit.
Sure, the Cavs are going home to their frenzied fans at The Q. LeBron should return to normalcy, which, for him, is well above the norm. And playing well at home, assuming he does, will give him more confidence heading into a Game 5 and beyond in Boston. But for that to matter at all, the Cavs will have to win the next two near Lake Erie. To do so, they need to incorporate more of their Game 1 gameplan, with a little bit of output from King James.
After all, it’s after you fall when you most need to Rise Up.
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5 months ago
Now were talking. The Cavs obviously need to win a road game to win the series, but it isnt over until you lose a home game and last time I checked the Cavs are one of the best home teams in basketball. THe Celtics didnt even win a road game in Atlanta, who was below .500. LeBron can get it back together. The problem is, the Cavs had their best chance to steal a road game in Game 1. Pierce had 4 pts and Allen had 0, that wont happen in this series ever again, and it may not in the entire playoffs now. Idk if they can win the series, but it is not over by a long shot, and you can bet Boston feels the same way. Look for this to go 7.
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