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Key: Love Broker
Any concerns about Kevin Love’s first appearance in the playoffs have been answered through the first three games. The three-time All-Star has been very good in Games 1 and 3 and had a solid showing in Game 2.
On Thursday night, Love went for a series-high 23 points – going 8-for-16 from the floor, including 6-of-10 from beyond the arc (falling just one trey short of the franchise record set by LeBron James in 2006). Love’s biggest three pointer on Thursday was his bomb from the corner with 26.7 to play, icing the win for Cleveland. He also snagged nine boards in Game 3 and he’s been a big part of Cleveland’s sizeable rebounding edge over Boston – averaging 9.0 boards per contest for the series.
Since the opening moments of Game 1 – even while struggling from the floor – Love has continued to be aggressive. If the Cavaliers are to continue to advance through the 2015 Playoffs, especially as the physical play continues to escalate, they’ll need Love to be in that same frame of mind.
Key: I.T. Department
Through the first two games of the series, no Celtic hurt the Wine and Gold – both scoring and distributing the ball – than reserve guard Isaiah Thomas.
The league’s leading bench scorer after the All-Star Break, Thomas averaged 22 points and 8.5 assists in Games 1 and 2. But the Cavaliers made it a point to deny him the ball on Thursday night, and essentially took Thomas out of the game – holding him to five points on just 2-for-9 shooting, including an 0-fer in three attempts from long-distance. Almost as importantly, Cleveland held Thomas to just two assists in Game 3. Avery Bradley picked up the scoring slack, finishing with 18 points, but in the Celtics’ drive-and-kick offense, he didn’t register a single assist in 33 minutes.
If the Wine and Gold can limit Boston’s guard trio of Thomas, Avery and Marcus Smart (2-6 FG, 8 points, 1 assist) on Sunday afternoon, they’ll return to Cleveland on Sunday night with their sights set on the second round.
Key: How Sweep It Is?
The Cavaliers come into Sunday afternoon’s contest looking to sweep the Celtics and earn their fourth sweep in franchise history – all during the LeBron James Era. (In fact, when the Cavs had an opponent down, 3-0, they’ve closed out in each subsequent elimination game.)
Offensively, the Cavaliers have been good and – as they were the regular season – have been very good from beyond the arc, averaging 10.7 made-threes per contest in the series. Defensively, they’ve been even better, holding the Celtics to a combined 43 percent from the floor, including 30 percent from long-distance. During the regular season, the Wine and Gold were 28-3 when they held foes under 44 percent shooting and they’ve held true through the first three games of the series.
LeBron and the Cavaliers have an excellent history of closing teams out when they have them on the ropes, and the young Celtics are certainly there now. Boston will get a nice lift from the TD Garden crowd, but can they withstand the Cavaliers’ barrage – especially if Kyrie Irving can bounce back from a poor shooting night in Game 3?
Key: Let's Get Physical
Dating back to his first playoff appearance in 2006, LeBron James has consistently been subjected to extra-physical play in an attempt to throw him off his game. Thursday night in Boston was no different.
But as usual, the 11-time All-Star was up to the task, leading everyone with 31 points and 11 assists – his 30th game of 30-plus points in the postseason. And it’s well-documented that there’s no team that LeBron loves going against than the Celtics. In 67 regular and postseason games against Boston, LeBron – who boasts a career scoring average of 29.4 ppg against the C’s – has notched at least 20 points in 61 of those contests, including 25 of 29 games at The Garden.
In terms of the physical play, LeBron was utterly unfazed after Cleveland’s 103-98 win. “We want to play physical as well, but we want to play basketball,” said James, after the victory. “The only thing that matters to us is trying to get a win, but we don’t shy away from contact.”
Boston will be desperate on Sunday afternoon, so look for the physicality to be ratcheted up a notch as Cleveland tries to close it out.
Key: Like He Drew It Up
Over the past three years, the Cavaliers were dependent on Kyrie Irving’s offense. But with so many weapons on this season’s squad, the Wine and Gold are able to weather a poor shooting night from their three-time All-Star.
After averaging 28.0 points through the first two games of the First Round series, Irving struggled from the floor on Thursday night – going just 3-of-11 for 13 points. But, similar to J.R. Smith in Game 2, Irving didn’t let a difficult shooting night affect his overall game – leading the Wine and Gold with six assists. In fact, Irving and LeBron have either scored or assisted on every Cavaliers basket in the fourth quarter of the last two games.
Repeatedly throughout his already-brilliant NBA career, Kyrie has risen to the occasion – especially when the lights are at their brightest. Irving was very good on the defensive end in Thursday’s win, and there’s no doubt he’ll bounce back offensively. If the top-scoring point guard in the Eastern Conference is on his game on Sunday afternoon, the Cavs can send the C’s packing for the offseason.