NBA Playoffs: Cavaliers' Backcourt Demoralizes Celtics in Game One Win

There were two games played at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland Saturday night, and it was the second of the two that mattered the most.

The first came in the sterling first half turned in by the Boston Celtics, who raced out to a 54-43 lead over the Cavaliers at the intermission. Cleveland had no answer for Rajon Rondo, who piled up 19 points and eight assists by halftime.

The second game came during the remarkable response by the Cavaliers, who shut down Rondo and the Celtics and outscored Boston 58-39 in the second half to capture Game One of the Eastern Conference semifinals, 101-93.

The box score once again shows LeBron James as the statistical leader for Cleveland, with his rather customary 35 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

But it was the Cavs’ starting backcourt of Mo Williams and Anthony Parker who made the difference at a crucial point in the game. Their contributions in the third quarter saved the game, and perhaps the season, for Cleveland.

After Rondo carved up the Cavaliers defense in the first half, Mike Brown gave Parker the assignment of defending the Celtics’ point guard. Not only did he slow Rondo and alter Boston’s offense, but Parker contributed three steals away from the ball to create additional scoring opportunities for Cleveland.

It was exactly the kind of defensive option the Cavaliers didn’t have a year ago. Parker has been an unsung hero for Cleveland all season, so it was no surprise that he was called upon to make a key contribution at an important time.

Williams responded to Parker’s defensive prowess with the kind of offensive explosion he is capable of, but has rarely shown with the same intensity he demonstrated Saturday night.

With Boston’s advantage still 11 points and 5:28 remaining in the third period, Williams stole the ball and drove the length of the court to ignite the crowd and the Cavs with a dunk over Paul Pierce. It was the emotional turning point of the night.

Williams went on to score Cleveland’s next eight points, as well—he finished with 20 on the night—and by the end of the quarter the Cavaliers had claimed a 79-78 advantage.

The stage was set for what Cleveland has done so well all year: keep things close until late in the fourth quarter, when James closes out a game as well as anyone in the NBA.

True to form, the two-time MVP scored seven of the Cavaliers final nine points as Cleveland outscored Boston 11-3 over the last five minutes to put the game away.

His highlights were the most spectacular, but Parker’s and Williams’ were the most important.

Having been terribly exploited by Rondo in the first half, Cleveland’s guards dug deep to alter the course of the game, and the series.

Had the Celtics extended their exceptional first-half play over the final 24 minutes, the Cavaliers would have found themselves down a game and without the home court advantage in the series.

Instead, Boston was left scratching their heads over how they allowed such an impressive first-half lead slip through their fingers.

Just as Cleveland had to figure out a way to stop Derrick Rose in the Chicago series, they had to do the same against Rondo Saturday night.

So far, so good.

Meanwhile, a compelling story of the postseason for the Cavs is their new two-headed monster in the middle: Shaquille O’Neal and J.J. Hickson.

The duo combined for 22 points (11 apiece) to provide a third scoring alternative on a night when Antawn Jamison was held in check by Boston’s Kevin Garnett. Jamison had just seven points on 2-of-6 shooting from the field.

Hickson has moved ahead of Zydrunas Ilgauskas in Brown’s playoff rotation, and has provided energy and athleticism as O’Neal’s backup.

The Cavs’ bench outscored Boston’s 26-12 as Doc Rivers was forced to play all five of his starters at least 30 minutes.

Much has been made this season of the Celtics’ aging lineup, and the last thing Rivers needs is having to play his key veterans too many minutes. But, play them, he did—and he came up short.

So Game One goes to the Cavaliers, who tempted fate for half the night before turning on the jets to claim an important win.

That same intensity will have to continue through this and any subsequent postseason series, but the “second game” on Saturday—as in, the second half—may have set the stage for a postseason run this team, and their fans, have waited 40 years to see.