Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics: Postgame Grades and Analysis
LeBron James had 27 points and 10 rebounds, Kyrie Irving added 24 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers held off the scrappy Boston Celtics, 101-93, at TD Garden Sunday afternoon to complete a four-game sweep in their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series.
This was an interesting game, to say the least. It featured an ejection, flagrant fouls and possibly devastating injuries.
Kevin Love left this game in the first quarter after getting tied up with Kelly Olynyk on a rebound. Love's shoulder appeared to pop out and he ran directly to the locker room. He did not return.
Later, Kendrick Perkins shoved Jae Crowder to the floor on a screen and was handed a flagrant 1. Then, J.R. Smith smacked Crowder across the face on a rebound attempt. Crowder injured his knee on the play and was forced to exit the game. Smith was ejected.
The Cavaliers built a 22-point lead in this contest, only to see the Celtics storm back and trim the lead to six down the stretch.
Cleveland was able to come up with key stops, big buckets and free throws to finish Boston for good.
Celtics head coach Brad Stevens was proud of his team, per Jared Weiss of CelticsBlog:
He also feels this is just the beginning for his young squad, per Ben Rohrbach of WEEI:
Jared Sullinger led the C's with 21 points and 11 rebounds.
The Cavaliers shot 40 percent from the floor, a smidge better than the Celtics' 39 percent. The biggest difference was at the free-throw line. Cleveland went 32-of-43 from the charity stripe, while Boston went just 24-of-37.
The Cavs will play the winner of the Milwaukee Bucks-Chicago Bulls series in the second round.
| LeBron James | A |
| Kyrie Irving | A- |
| Kevin Love | Incomplete |
| J.R. Smith | C- |
| Timofey Mozgov | A- |
| Rest of Team | B+ |
| Isaiah Thomas | C- |
| Evan Turner | F |
| Avery Bradley | B- |
| Jared Sullinger | A |
| Jae Crowder | C+ |
| Rest of Team | B- |
Cleveland Cavaliers
LeBron James: A
LeBron James had a rough shooting afternoon, going just 10-of-24, but he still filled up the stat sheet as he almost always does.
James did a great job facilitating the offense, handing out eight assists and making great passes to shooters for big three-point buckets. His dribble penetration was key to Cleveland's floor spacing.
Sure, he went only 1-of-7 from long distance and just 6-of-10 from the free-throw line, but his ability to impact the game in all facets is almost unparalleled.
LeBron scored 27 points and also hauled in 10 rebounds.
Kyrie Irving: A-
Like James, Kyrie Irving did not have a particularly good shooting performance. He went just 8-of-19, but he made some big shots to thwart Celtic runs.
Irving was also surprisingly solid on the boards, grabbing 11 rebounds, three of them coming on the offensive end for extra possessions.
Kyrie fought for 50/50 balls, and it's always great when your best players aren't afraid to get their jerseys dirty.
Irving ended with 24 points.
Kevin Love: Incomplete (injury)
Kevin Love got tied up with Kelly Olynyk fighting for a rebound in the first quarter. His shoulder popped out, and he did not return.
Love scored two points in seven minutes. Obviously, assigning him a grade is inappropriate.
J.R. Smith: C-
J.R. Smith was ejected for one of the dirtier plays we have seen in recent memory.
While battling Jae Crowder for a rebound underneath the basket, Smith cocked his arm back and smacked Crowder, forcing Crowder's knee to buckle.
It was reminiscent of Smith's blatant elbow on Jason Terry during the 2013 playoffs.
Smith scored eight points off a 3-of-8 clip.
There may be some long-term ramifications here. You have to think a suspension is possible.
Timofey Mozgov: A-
Timofey Mozgov was terrific in Game 4.
He posted a double-double with 12 points and 11 boards, using his size to bully Tyler Zeller in the paint and beat him to rebounds.
Mozgov was also a presence defensively, blocking three shots.
It was a far cry from his Game 3 performance where he was kind of pushed around.
Rest of Team: B+
Iman Shumpert was huge in this game.
The wing recorded a double-double off the bench, tallying 15 points and 10 rebounds. He hit a couple of big shots down the stretch, and he was efficient. He went 3-of-4 from the field and made all six of his free throws. Shumpert also played some fine perimeter defense.
Tristan Thompson was fairly quiet, posting five points and three boards in 21 minutes.
James Jones was horrendous, going 0-of-6 from three-point range despite a ton of open looks.
Boston Celtics
Isaiah Thomas: C-
This was a strange game for Isaiah Thomas.
The diminutive point guard missed his first 10 shots but still ended up with 21 points, thanks to going 12-of-12 from the charity stripe. He ended up shooting 4-of-17 from the floor, taking numerous contested three-pointers that certainly made you scratch your head.
Thomas, who ended up fouling out, did add nine assists and was actually a force on the glass, pulling down six rebounds.
Despite the positive effects he had, it's hard to look past his shooting performance.
Evan Turner: F
Evan Turner was brutal in this one.
He was just 1-of-6 from the floor and took some ill-advised mid-range jumpers early in the shot clock. It was very unlike his Game 3 outing when he was aggressive and went to the rim.
Turner scored just two points and dished out three assists in 17 minutes. He hardly got any burn in the second half, and it's not hard to imagine why.
Avery Bradley: B-
Avery Bradley was a bit better in Game 4 than he was in Game 3.
He went a decent 6-of-13 from the field and had some nice drives to the basket, a welcome sight from a player who tends to settle for mid-range jumpers.
That being said, Bradley still did take some questionable shots, particularly in key moments when the Celtics needed buckets.
He ended with 14 points and five rebounds.
Jared Sullinger: A
Jared Sullinger was, by far, the best player on the floor for Boston.
The big man dropped 21 points and 11 rebounds, four of those coming on the offensive end. He played with fire throughout the entire game and was clearly a force on both ends, neutralizing Mozgov when he was on the floor and throwing his weight around offensively.
Sullinger shot an efficient 9-of-17 in 28 minutes and demonstrated he is certainly the best big man on the Celtics.
Jae Crowder: C+
Jae Crowder had to leave this game in the third quarter after injuring his knee on a rebound. Smith smacked Crowder in the face, and Crowder's knee buckled. He did not return.
It was a sprained knee, per Jay King of Mass Live.
Crowder finished with seven points and three boards in 17 minutes. He was active and played with spirit, much like he has all season long in Boston.
Rest of Team: B-
Marcus Smart was absolutely terrific.
Smart came off the bench for the first time in this series and registered 11 points and six rebounds. He played tough, physical defense and did not let up for a second even when the C's were down big. Smart shot 4-of-8, exhibiting some low-post skills and taking the ball to the cup.
Zeller had eight points and four boards, but he was benched in the second half for his inability to keep Mozgov off the glass or the Cavs from getting easy baskets.
Brandon Bass had four points, including one highlight reel putback dunk. He also played some good defense on LeBron for stretches.
