On May 14, Beijing time, the Cavaliers faced the challenge of the Celtics again at their own home, and in the previous game, the Green Shirts easily defeated the Cavaliers, rewriting the overall score of the series to 2-1, and the momentum is in full swing. In today's game, the Cavaliers' star Mitchell was absent due to injury, which is undoubtedly worse for them. But the Knights did not give up, and from the moment the opening whistle blew, they showed the spirit of not abandoning and not giving up, vowing to fight the mighty Celtics.
In the first quarter of the game, although the Cavaliers went all out and launched a fierce offensive with the Green Army, the Celtics gradually widened the gap with a more balanced offensive and defensive system. At the end of the first quarter, the score was fixed at 37-30, and the Celtics temporarily took the lead. The Cavaliers were not discouraged in the face of such a start, and in the second quarter, they seemed to have found a switch to their feelings, especially the three-point shot, which was 11 three-pointers in the half, and stubbornly maintained the score gap within a traceable range. However, the Celtics took a 62-57 lead into halftime with a first-quarter lead.
In this wonderful game, Tatum, the superstar of the Celtics, is like a god of war, almost unstoppable. In 43 minutes, he handed in an efficient report card of 11-of-25 shooting, including 2-of-8 three-pointers, and even more free throws, making all 9 free throws, scoring a game-high 33 points, plus 11 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 1 block, with a plus/minus of +6. Tatum was already on fire in the first quarter, scoring 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting, laying the foundation for the team to take the lead.
And the other key gentleman of the Celtics, Jrue Holiday, shines on both offensive and defensive ends. Not only did he blossom on the offensive end, contributing 16 points and shooting 4-of-8 from three-point range, but he was even more commendable for his all-around performance: 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 1 block, with a plus/minus of +6.
On the Cavaliers' side, although they were under tremendous pressure, there was one player who stepped up like a lone hero - Garland, who played 40 minutes, 12-of-27 shooting, 4-of-13 three-point shooting, and scored 30 points alone, plus 3 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals, becoming an important force for the Cavaliers to resist the Green Army's offensive. Garland's outstanding play gave the Cavaliers a glimmer of hope in the face of adversity.
Although the Cavaliers trailed by five points at the end of the first half, the charm of the basketball game was its unpredictability. If the Cavaliers want to achieve a comeback in the second half, in addition to relying on Strus's magical touch to continue, they also need the whole team to work together, increase the defensive intensity, and limit the play of Tatum and Holiday . However, the overall strength of the Green Army was strong, and finally lost to the Celtics 102-109, falling behind 1-3 in the series.
Full field data:
Cavaliers: Strus 15 points, Mobley Jr. 19 points and 9 boards, LeVert 19 points, 5 boards, 3 assists and 2 steals, Garland 30 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists, Merrill 7 points, Niang 3 points, Thompson 4 points
Celtics: Brown 27 points and 8 boards, Tatum 33 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists, Horford 6 points and 6 boards, Holiday 16 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals, Pritchard 11 points, Cornet 9 points and 6 boards.