Blakely's halftime thoughts: Defensive pressure non-existant

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BOSTON – Well it looks as though the Boston Celtics’ season is down to just two quarters of play following a first half in which Cleveland controlled the action from the opening tip-off to lead the Celtics 57-36 at the half.

Even though the Boston Celtics went with a different lineup to start the game, the same problems that have plagued them throughout this series were once again an issue.

Celtics coach Brad Stevens sensed something wasn’t right with his team which is why he called a time-out just 98 seconds into the game with his team trailing 7-4.

Things did not get any better for the Celtics who were down 29-19 after the first quarter.

Not all went well for the Cavaliers.

With 5:22 to play in the first, Cleveland’s Kevin Love and Kelly Olynyk were battling for a loose ball. Love’s left arm twisted awkwardly, appearing as though the shoulder bone popped out of the socket.

Love immediately sprinted off the court and back to the Cleveland locker room.

Not surprisingly, he did not return to the game.

Love’s absence didn’t do anything to slow down the mounting momentum of the Cavs as they pushed their lead to 18 points (41-23) in the second quarter before the Celtics mounted a 7-0 run capped off by a behind-the-back pass from Jae Crowder to Jared Sullinger for a lay-up that made it a 4-30 game with 4:55 to play in the half.

The Cavaliers called a time-out, sensing a need to put a stop to the game’s momentum steadily flowing in the Celtics’ favor.

Boston continued to battle but could once again never get over the hump.

The game picked up where Game 3 left off in terms of its physicality.

One of the turning points in the second quarter came when former Celtic Kendrick Perkins landed a forearm to the head of Crowder, and followed that up with a swipe towards Crowder before both players were separated.

NBA official Tony Brothers ruled Perkins’ foul a flagrant-one and technical against both Perkins and Crowder which was a surprising development considering Perkins did make contact with Crowder’s face and then took a swipe at him afterwards.

Here are three takeaways from the first half.

BAD THOMAS 2.0

Isaiah Thomas could not find his shooting touch in Game 3 (5 points, 2-for-9 shooting) and it still appears to be lost on the 5-foot-9 guard. He had two points in the first half, missing all seven of his shots from the field.

DEFENSIVE PRESSURE

It really does exist, although you would not have known that by the way Boston’s defense played most of the first half. Cleveland turned the ball over just three times for two points in the first half which was a major factor in their ability to sustain their lead.

JARED SULLINGER

There wasn’t much to like about the Celtics’ play in the first half. But Sullinger’s play certainly didn’t fall into that category. He was indeed one of the few bright spots in the first half for Boston. He had 10 points and five rebounds despite playing with a sore tailbone which made his availability uncertain until shortly before tip-off.

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