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Đã gửi: Thứ 3 14/08/18 17:04The Celtics were loose Brian O'Neill Vikings Jersey , smiling and laughing. They weren’t straining to hear each other speak and there were no obnoxious Cleveland fans heckling them.
All was quiet as Boston worked out Sunday.
Practice isn’t an issue on the road in the postseason. Playing games is the problem.
Less than 24 hours after a 30-point bludgeoning at the hands of LeBron James and the Cavaliers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals, the Celtics did some film study and critical evaluation.
They were hard on themselves.
”I thought it was embarrassing,” Celtics guard Jaylen Brown said of Boston’s 116-86 loss – and his own performance. ”I thought we came out, the way I played, the way I performed, how not aggressive I was in the first half, I look at that as fuel to come out in Game 4 and be excited about it and be ready to play and ready to fight.”
Brown scored just 10 points – 13 below his average after two games in the series – and was in almost immediate foul trouble as the Cavs dominated while pulling within 2-1 in the series.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens may change his lineup for Monday’s Game 4, perhaps returning to center Aron Baynes and bringing Marcus Morris off the bench. Stevens has to do something to free up Al Horford, who has been held in check by Cleveland’s Tristan Thompson the past two games.
By starting Baynes, Stevens could force Cavs coach Tyronn Lue to make a counter move and either put Kevin Love – or even James – on Horford.
Stevens wouldn’t tip his hand. Beyond any lineup tweaks, more concerning for him may be his team’s Jekyll-and-Hyde postseason play.
The Celtics have been sensational at home, going 9-0. But the road has been treacherous as Boston is 1-5 in trips to Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Cleveland, with the only win in overtime against the 76ers.
The Celtics have a case of homesickness. They aren’t playing with the same intensity or confidence as they do when they’re under those dangling NBA championship banners and retired jersey numbers atop TD Garden.
Boston had one of the league’s best road records during the regular season, going 28-13 – only Houston and Golden State were better. But with several young players Ezekiel Elliott Jersey Elite , including 20-year-old Jayson Tatum, the Celtics are learning that playing in front of hostile playoff crowds can be daunting.
”It’s very different,” said Horford, who took only four shots in Game 3. ”I think that at home, you have your home crowd behind you. You have a comfort level about you. And on the road, literally it’s just you against everybody else. It takes a while for you to get used to and understand how well you have to play on the road. You have to be able to do all the little things in order to have a chance.
”Last night we had a lot of breakdowns, so we didn’t even give ourselves a chance to win.”
The good thing for Boston is that it doesn’t have to win a road game to make the Finals.
Cleveland does, but James has been down this path before. He’s twice rallied teams from 2-0 deficits.
The Cavs seized control from the opening tip in Game 3, bursting to a 20-4 lead and then clamping down defensively on the Celtics, who didn’t get the open looks they enjoyed in Games 1 and 2.
James, in particular, played like a man not about to let the Celtics block his path to an eighth straight Finals.
While he was typically amazing on offense, handing out 12 assists including three that required multiple replays to appreciate their artistic beauty, James was a defensive force as well.
”I thought last night was one of LeBron’s best games I’ve seen in a long time as far as helping, closing out to Jaylen Brown’s chest and making him put it on the floor Vontaze Burfict Youth Jersey ,” Lue said. ”Closing out to Morris. Closing out to (Marcus) Smart. He did a really good job of just setting the tone of multiple effort and that was good for us.”
And for a change, James had plenty of offensive help as Cleveland had six players in double figures. Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson had major contributions, giving the Cavs a taste of what could lie ahead.
The non-LeBrons, as they’ve been dubbed, came up big.
”We’re starting to figure out that LeBron doesn’t have to take 20-some shots to beat a great team by 30,” Nance said. ”The rest of us are very good basketball players in our own right and it’s nice to show that.”
—
LeBron James is on the brink of his earliest NBA playoff exit – and maybe another departure from Cleveland.
This Game 7 has a win-or-leave-home element.
After being bloodied and blown off the floor in Game 6 by the Pacers in Indianapolis, James and the Cavaliers staggered home with their roller-coaster season possibly headed toward a crash.
Only a win on Sunday over Indiana will prevent elimination and kick-start a summer in Cleveland that will center on James, who can opt out of his $35.6 million contract and become a free agent on July 1.
The stakes couldn’t be much higher. It’s the kind of game James lives to play.
”It’s just the love of the game and wanting to be remembered,” James said following a demoralizing 121-87 loss Friday night. ”Game 7, I always said, is the two greatest words in sports. Us having a Game 7 on our floor, our fans are going to be truly excited to be a part of that. And hope our guys are excited about that as well, and understand that just don’t take those moments for granted.
”I’ve been a part of Game 7s for quite a while now and it’s just something that you wish you can get back and when you’re done playing the game.”
James has never lost a first-round series, going 12-0 with many of them sweeps on his way to winning three championships and seven straight appearances in the Finals.
But nothing has come easy for the 33-year-old or the Cavs, whose regular-season flaws – suspect defense Sam Darnold Jersey Youth , no reliable second scoring option – have been exposed by the young-and-hungry Pacers.
Indiana has taken it to Cleveland, and the fifth-seeded Pacers believe they can win one more and finally take down James, who has ended their season three times in the playoffs since 2013.
”We were confident even before this series started,” said Indiana All-Star Victor Oladipo, who snapped out of a shooting slump to score 28 in Game 6. ”We’re still confident now. Game 7 is going to be a hostile environment. It’s going to be very emotional. But we’re looking forward to the challenge. It’s going to be a dog fight.
”We know they’re going to be ready. And we have to be, too.”
Before losing Game 6, James’ teams had won 11 straight close-out games. The streak ending was hardly his fault.
The four-time MVP scored 22 points with seven rebounds and five rebounds in 31 minutes before sitting out the entire fourth quarter to rest when it became obvious the Cavs were not coming back. James has been brilliant throughout the series, averaging 32.7 points, 10.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists.
Trouble is, he’s been doing it all by himself.
Kevin Love, Cleveland’s other All-Star, is averaging just 11 points and shooting 32 percent (22 of 68) from the field. Love has been playing with a sprained left thumb, but his shot is broken.
Love scored seven points in Game 6 on 3-of-10 shooting – the third time he’s scored 10 points or fewer in the series – and he also took a beating from Indiana’s bigs.
After trading Kyrie Irving to Boston last summer and then dealing Isaiah Thomas, who was supposed to replace Irving, at the Feb. 8 deadline Lawrence Taylor Jersey , the Cavs were counting on Love to pick up his game in the playoffs.
They’re still waiting.
”It’s not me, but it’s not about me, either,” Love said softly following Game 6. ”I’ve done a lot of other good things. I know you guys will talk about the offense, but I just got to find a way to impact the game in different ways.”
Fortunately, the Cavs have James, who is 4-2 in Game 7s and hasn’t lost a series finale since 2008 in his first stint with Cleveland. He’s averaged 33.2 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists in Game 7, and he needs to eclipse those numbers to keep the Cavs’ season alive and delay a decision that already has Cleveland fans on edge.
A look at the Pacers-Cavaliers first-round series finale:
PACERS AT CAVALIERS
Series tied 3-3. Game 7, 1 p.m. EDT, ABC.
NEED TO KNOW: This will be Cleveland’s first Game 7 at Quicken Loans in the building’s 24-year history. The Cavs twice won Game 7s at Richfield Coliseum (1976, 1992) and are 3-2 in Game 7s. Their most recent win came in the unforgettable 2016 victory over the Warriors that ended the city’s 52-year title drought.
KEEP AN EYE ON: The officiating. The series has been physical from the start. James received a nasty gash over his right eye in Game 6 on a play where nothing was called. If James is in attack mode, he’ll draw contact and will be looking for calls. He made 15 of 15 free throws while scoring 44 points in Game 5.
PRESSURE IS ON: All of the Cavs besides James. Cleveland needs someone in the supporting cast to do more or a drama-filled season will have a wretched conclusion.
INJURY UPDATE: Cavaliers starting guard George Hill remains questionable with back spasms. He hasn’t played since Game 3 but worked on his shot Saturday.
—
.
All was quiet as Boston worked out Sunday.
Practice isn’t an issue on the road in the postseason. Playing games is the problem.
Less than 24 hours after a 30-point bludgeoning at the hands of LeBron James and the Cavaliers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals, the Celtics did some film study and critical evaluation.
They were hard on themselves.
”I thought it was embarrassing,” Celtics guard Jaylen Brown said of Boston’s 116-86 loss – and his own performance. ”I thought we came out, the way I played, the way I performed, how not aggressive I was in the first half, I look at that as fuel to come out in Game 4 and be excited about it and be ready to play and ready to fight.”
Brown scored just 10 points – 13 below his average after two games in the series – and was in almost immediate foul trouble as the Cavs dominated while pulling within 2-1 in the series.
Celtics coach Brad Stevens may change his lineup for Monday’s Game 4, perhaps returning to center Aron Baynes and bringing Marcus Morris off the bench. Stevens has to do something to free up Al Horford, who has been held in check by Cleveland’s Tristan Thompson the past two games.
By starting Baynes, Stevens could force Cavs coach Tyronn Lue to make a counter move and either put Kevin Love – or even James – on Horford.
Stevens wouldn’t tip his hand. Beyond any lineup tweaks, more concerning for him may be his team’s Jekyll-and-Hyde postseason play.
The Celtics have been sensational at home, going 9-0. But the road has been treacherous as Boston is 1-5 in trips to Milwaukee, Philadelphia and Cleveland, with the only win in overtime against the 76ers.
The Celtics have a case of homesickness. They aren’t playing with the same intensity or confidence as they do when they’re under those dangling NBA championship banners and retired jersey numbers atop TD Garden.
Boston had one of the league’s best road records during the regular season, going 28-13 – only Houston and Golden State were better. But with several young players Ezekiel Elliott Jersey Elite , including 20-year-old Jayson Tatum, the Celtics are learning that playing in front of hostile playoff crowds can be daunting.
”It’s very different,” said Horford, who took only four shots in Game 3. ”I think that at home, you have your home crowd behind you. You have a comfort level about you. And on the road, literally it’s just you against everybody else. It takes a while for you to get used to and understand how well you have to play on the road. You have to be able to do all the little things in order to have a chance.
”Last night we had a lot of breakdowns, so we didn’t even give ourselves a chance to win.”
The good thing for Boston is that it doesn’t have to win a road game to make the Finals.
Cleveland does, but James has been down this path before. He’s twice rallied teams from 2-0 deficits.
The Cavs seized control from the opening tip in Game 3, bursting to a 20-4 lead and then clamping down defensively on the Celtics, who didn’t get the open looks they enjoyed in Games 1 and 2.
James, in particular, played like a man not about to let the Celtics block his path to an eighth straight Finals.
While he was typically amazing on offense, handing out 12 assists including three that required multiple replays to appreciate their artistic beauty, James was a defensive force as well.
”I thought last night was one of LeBron’s best games I’ve seen in a long time as far as helping, closing out to Jaylen Brown’s chest and making him put it on the floor Vontaze Burfict Youth Jersey ,” Lue said. ”Closing out to Morris. Closing out to (Marcus) Smart. He did a really good job of just setting the tone of multiple effort and that was good for us.”
And for a change, James had plenty of offensive help as Cleveland had six players in double figures. Larry Nance Jr. and Jordan Clarkson had major contributions, giving the Cavs a taste of what could lie ahead.
The non-LeBrons, as they’ve been dubbed, came up big.
”We’re starting to figure out that LeBron doesn’t have to take 20-some shots to beat a great team by 30,” Nance said. ”The rest of us are very good basketball players in our own right and it’s nice to show that.”
—
LeBron James is on the brink of his earliest NBA playoff exit – and maybe another departure from Cleveland.
This Game 7 has a win-or-leave-home element.
After being bloodied and blown off the floor in Game 6 by the Pacers in Indianapolis, James and the Cavaliers staggered home with their roller-coaster season possibly headed toward a crash.
Only a win on Sunday over Indiana will prevent elimination and kick-start a summer in Cleveland that will center on James, who can opt out of his $35.6 million contract and become a free agent on July 1.
The stakes couldn’t be much higher. It’s the kind of game James lives to play.
”It’s just the love of the game and wanting to be remembered,” James said following a demoralizing 121-87 loss Friday night. ”Game 7, I always said, is the two greatest words in sports. Us having a Game 7 on our floor, our fans are going to be truly excited to be a part of that. And hope our guys are excited about that as well, and understand that just don’t take those moments for granted.
”I’ve been a part of Game 7s for quite a while now and it’s just something that you wish you can get back and when you’re done playing the game.”
James has never lost a first-round series, going 12-0 with many of them sweeps on his way to winning three championships and seven straight appearances in the Finals.
But nothing has come easy for the 33-year-old or the Cavs, whose regular-season flaws – suspect defense Sam Darnold Jersey Youth , no reliable second scoring option – have been exposed by the young-and-hungry Pacers.
Indiana has taken it to Cleveland, and the fifth-seeded Pacers believe they can win one more and finally take down James, who has ended their season three times in the playoffs since 2013.
”We were confident even before this series started,” said Indiana All-Star Victor Oladipo, who snapped out of a shooting slump to score 28 in Game 6. ”We’re still confident now. Game 7 is going to be a hostile environment. It’s going to be very emotional. But we’re looking forward to the challenge. It’s going to be a dog fight.
”We know they’re going to be ready. And we have to be, too.”
Before losing Game 6, James’ teams had won 11 straight close-out games. The streak ending was hardly his fault.
The four-time MVP scored 22 points with seven rebounds and five rebounds in 31 minutes before sitting out the entire fourth quarter to rest when it became obvious the Cavs were not coming back. James has been brilliant throughout the series, averaging 32.7 points, 10.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists.
Trouble is, he’s been doing it all by himself.
Kevin Love, Cleveland’s other All-Star, is averaging just 11 points and shooting 32 percent (22 of 68) from the field. Love has been playing with a sprained left thumb, but his shot is broken.
Love scored seven points in Game 6 on 3-of-10 shooting – the third time he’s scored 10 points or fewer in the series – and he also took a beating from Indiana’s bigs.
After trading Kyrie Irving to Boston last summer and then dealing Isaiah Thomas, who was supposed to replace Irving, at the Feb. 8 deadline Lawrence Taylor Jersey , the Cavs were counting on Love to pick up his game in the playoffs.
They’re still waiting.
”It’s not me, but it’s not about me, either,” Love said softly following Game 6. ”I’ve done a lot of other good things. I know you guys will talk about the offense, but I just got to find a way to impact the game in different ways.”
Fortunately, the Cavs have James, who is 4-2 in Game 7s and hasn’t lost a series finale since 2008 in his first stint with Cleveland. He’s averaged 33.2 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists in Game 7, and he needs to eclipse those numbers to keep the Cavs’ season alive and delay a decision that already has Cleveland fans on edge.
A look at the Pacers-Cavaliers first-round series finale:
PACERS AT CAVALIERS
Series tied 3-3. Game 7, 1 p.m. EDT, ABC.
NEED TO KNOW: This will be Cleveland’s first Game 7 at Quicken Loans in the building’s 24-year history. The Cavs twice won Game 7s at Richfield Coliseum (1976, 1992) and are 3-2 in Game 7s. Their most recent win came in the unforgettable 2016 victory over the Warriors that ended the city’s 52-year title drought.
KEEP AN EYE ON: The officiating. The series has been physical from the start. James received a nasty gash over his right eye in Game 6 on a play where nothing was called. If James is in attack mode, he’ll draw contact and will be looking for calls. He made 15 of 15 free throws while scoring 44 points in Game 5.
PRESSURE IS ON: All of the Cavs besides James. Cleveland needs someone in the supporting cast to do more or a drama-filled season will have a wretched conclusion.
INJURY UPDATE: Cavaliers starting guard George Hill remains questionable with back spasms. He hasn’t played since Game 3 but worked on his shot Saturday.
—
.
