Cavs-Celtics Links

Frank Dell’Apa of The Boston Globe:  “The Celtics have a four-game losing streak and appear to have lost some confidence, along with their ability to dominate the opposition. But captain Paul Pierce insists the swagger has not turned into a stagger. ‘We’re good, man, I’m telling you the truth, the God’s honest truth,’ Pierce said after a 98-83 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers last night. ‘We talk after every game. We stay in the locker room after a loss and we talk about what we need to do better. The mood is real positive. That’s our strength and that will continue to be our strength and that’s what makes us strong. We know we are going to get through this tough stretch.’ The Celtics (29-9) have lost seven of nine games since Dec. 25 and dropped their fourth in a row for the first time since the 2006-07 season. Cleveland (29-6) extended its home record to 19-0 and boosted its lead atop the Eastern Conference to 1 1/2 games over the Celtics.”

Marc J. Spears of The Boston Globe:  “It’s difficult to give the Celtics too much grief over losing last night to the hottest team in the league. Cleveland made its first six baskets without James scoring, and held a 33-23 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Celtics were competitive, but couldn’t overcome a 3-point third-quarter deficit. And with James too hot to stop later on a 38-point night, champions who are used to blowing people out were the ones who were routed. Celtics coach Doc Rivers saw a silver lining, but also expressed caution that it’s time to turn things around. ‘I told the guys we put money in the bank with a 19-game winning streak and we’re making a withdrawal that we don’t want to make right now, but we are,’ said Rivers. ‘At the end of the day, we are 29-9, and that is not all that bad, except for the stretch we are on right now. We are going to right the ship – when I don’t know – but the last three games, I have seen better stuff.’”

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports:  “With so many suggesting that the Celtics are physically worn, here’s something else to consider: How about emotionally exhausted? This is the blessing and curse of KG. He’s a dervish of barking and bickering, yelling at everyone and no one. Night after night, he works himself into a frenzy to play the game. He seldom relaxes on the court, on the charters. Sometimes, he’ll just sit up wired on long flights home. If he doesn’t sleep, Doc Rivers once said, no one sleeps. This has trickled down on the team, too. Pierce is incorrigible on the court. No one talks like him. Opponents have grown angry over the way that even the marginal Celtics seem so emboldened to behave this way, too. All in all, emotion fueled a ferocity for these Celtics, but it’s hard to believe that passion could sustain itself in the long run.”

John Schuhmann of NBA.com:  “It’s certainly possible that one of these teams can beat the other on the road at some point. But the home team has won all 13 meetings between the two since Danny Ainge brought the big three together in Boston. And that’s no coincidence. The Celtics and Cavs are as even a match as you’re going to get, two terrific defensive teams with star players that make big plays. And the home crowd can make the difference, especially in the postseason. ‘When you have two good teams competing against each other,’ said Cavs coach Mike Brown after the game, ‘if you have any type of advantage at all in terms of somebody bringing some juice and some energy, it might help you get over the hump.’ This win meant more than just a win for the Cavs and a loss for the Celtics. Nobody in the Cleveland locker room will call it a ‘statement game,’ but it at least provided a very convincing argument.”

Charley Rosen of FOXSports.com:  “Were there any flaws in LeBron’s kingly performance? Aside from a few instances where he overhandled the ball, and a couple of too-fancy passes, his outside shooting remains inconsistent. Everybody goes nuts when he does hit a jumper but, in truth, James only hit four of 12 J’s. Not to mention that the refs treated him like a superstar of the brightest magnitude: Swallowing their whistles when he took two quick shuffle steps after pulling up his dribble when he posted Pierce. Allowing him to hang from the basket for five seconds without a peep from the three blind mice (who were subsequently quick to nail KG with a T for patting somebody’s butt in what they deemed to be an insulting fashion). And putting LBJ on the line after being the victim of several phantom fouls — he had nine free throws compared to a total of four awarded the Boston’s Not-So-Big Three.”

Brian Windhorst of The Plain Dealer:  “Playing with perhaps his most intensity of the season, James led the effort with fierce play at both ends. He scored 38 points, but listing that total doesn’t explain the effort involved. With the Celtics (29-9), who have now lost four consecutive games, setting up their quasi-zone defense against James, the Cavs star overpowered it. With a series of twisting and athletic drives to the basket, James imploded the setup and took a close game midway through the third quarter into another one of those Cavs home blowouts. He buttressed it with a smothering effort on the defensive end. He simply badgered Boston counterpart Paul Pierce all night, especially in the fourth quarter when James just shut him down. James had four steals and Pierce five turnovers to go along with 4-of-15 shooting for just 11 points.”

Patrick McManamon of the Akron Beacon Journal:  “Great ones show up for the biggest games. So it should be no surprise that LeBron James showed up in a huge way for the game Friday between the Cavaliers and Boston Celtics. Heck, it almost sounds trite anymore. But what else is there to say about this basketball standout who is wise beyond his years and talented beyond any reasonable expectation? The game had implications beyond this night, and it showed. It showed in the Cavs’ hustle, defense and intensity. It showed when they led cheers in the fourth quarter, and it showed when they exulted with James on the bench and the Cavs ahead by 19.”

Bill Livingston of The Plain Dealer:  “James always made the big play again and again. He drove the lane, scoring left-handed, right-handed, double-clutching, taking punishment and tossing in shots on the way down as if gravity didn’t count. He hit 3-pointers. He swished one of those strength-balls only he can convert, muscling up a 16-foot jumper as Rajon Rondo hacked him on the way up. Into the fourth quarter, and he hit with either hand, hit hangers, hit faders, hit ‘em where they were and where they weren’t. James finished with 38 points (it should have been 41, a 45-footer in the fourth quarter was disallowed), with seven rebounds, six assists and utter domination of would-be archrival Paul Pierce.”