CLEVELAND – The outcome, a 113-100 Game 1 loss to Cleveland, was certainly not what the Boston Celtics were looking for.
But the Celtics have had plenty of experience in setbacks this season.
More often than not, Boston has found a way to play their way out of it.
And that experience provides some much-needed positive energy inside the team’s locker room following Sunday’s Game 1 loss.
“We’re still confident,” said Boston’s Isaiah Thomas who led all Celtics with 22 points and 10 assists. “Coach (Brad Stevens) said we did a lot of really good things and we did some bad things. That’s why we ended up losing the game. We’re still confident.”
Kelly Olynyk, who scored 10 of his 12 points off the bench in the first quarter, echoed similar sentiments.
“We’re still going to play our game,” Olynyk said. “We’re going to look at the tapes and see what we can change and come ready to play.”
Boston Celtics
And while there lots of lessons to be learned from Sunday’s loss, the Celtics are well-versed on the importance of not letting any win or loss weigh too heavily on their minds.
“Guys are ready for Game 2 knowing that you have to have a short memory,” Thomas said. “There’s possibly seven games in this series. It can go either way. We’re still confident and we’re excited.”
Here are the Stars, Studs and Duds from Sunday’s game.
STARS
Kyrie Irving
It’s rare that LeBron James plays a full game and isn’t the best player on the floor. That title went to Irving who scored 30 points in his playoff debut, connecting on 11-of-21 shots which included five 3-pointers.
Isaiah Thomas
Thomas was one of the few bright spots for the Boston Celtics who made his playoff debut and finished with a double-double of 22 points and 10 assists.
STUDS
LeBron James
James seemed to be in cruise control most of the game, which is kind of scary for the Celtics going forward. James had 20 points along with six rebounds and seven assists.
Kevin Love
He didn’t get off to the best of starts, but Love’s game seemed to get better as the game progressed. He finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds to go with four assists and a steal.
DUDS
Avery Bradley
It was one of those nights for Bradley where very little went his way at either end of the floor. Bradley had seven points on 3-for-10 shooting. And on top of that, he had problems – the entire Celtics team for that matter – in defending Irving.