CLEVELAND – The Boston Celtics did a lot of good things in the first half.
But against Cleveland and their Big Three (it was more like a talented two on Sunday), it wasn’t enough as the Cavs finished the second quarter strong to lead the Celtics, 62-54, at the half.
Kyrie Irving was a matchup problem that the Celtics had no answer for, leading all scorers at the half with 20 points, including a quarter-ending 3-pointer as time expired.
Boston held their own with the heavily favored Cavaliers in the first quarter, and led by as many as five points before taking a 31-27 lead into the second quarter.
Boston went ahead by eight points early in the second after back-to-back baskets by Marcus Smart.
But the Cavs countered with an 8-1 spurt of their own to make it 38-37, following a 3-pointer by J.R. Smith.
A timeout by Boston with 8:30 to play in the half was not enough to slow down Cleveland’s building momentum.
Boston Celtics
The Cavs went ahead on a driving, acrobatic lay-up by LeBron James to put Cleveland up, 44-42.
Boston’s Kelly Olynyk tried to tie the game, but was called for an offensive foul when Kevin Love stepped in to draw the charge.
Cleveland would go ahead by as many as nine points before settling on an eight-point lead at the half.
Here are three takeaways from the first half:
LeBron being … LeBron
After a slow start in the first quarter, LeBron James got it going in the second quarter with his usual dominant, all-around play. At the half, he had 13 points, 2 rebounds and 5 assists.
Party like it’s your birthday
Kelly Olynyk certainly looked as though he was having a good time on Sunday which in addition to Boston’s Game 1 matchup with Cleveland was also his 24th birthday. Olynyk had 10 points at the half, all of which came in the first quarter. Olynyk’s playing time was somewhat limited in the second quarter due to foul trouble.
Where’s the Love
The first half of Kevin Love’s first playoff game was not exactly one of the archives, folks. He had six points and six rebounds, but was a woeful 2-for-11 from the field. Truth be told, it was the play of his backup Tristan Thompson (9 points on 3-for-5 shooting, five rebounds) that was vital to Cleveland’s halftime lead.