Ford Keys to the Game: Celtics at Cavaliers

Celtics 93, Cavaliers 104

Game Highlights

Photo of the Game

Rajon Rondo drives down the lane for a scoop shot against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Nathaniel S. Butler/Getty Images

By Marc D'Amico
Celtics.com

Key Moment

There were two separate moments that changed the complexity of this game. One opened up a comfortable lead, while the other extended that lead to "this game is over" status.

First, after the Celtics had battled all the way back to tie the game in the third period at 68-68, Cleveland responded the way championship teams do. Mike Brown, the head coach of the Cavaliers, opted not to call a timeout and instead allowed his team to play through their early-quarter struggles that allowed Boston back into the game. That strategy worked about as well as it could have, as the Cavs went on a quick 8-0 run that saw three separate players score.

That spurt brought the score to 76-68 with 2:35 remaining in the quarter, and the lead remained at eight heading into the final period.

The next key moment was a long one -- 7:08 of playing time, to be exact. That's how long of a stretch the Celtics went through without scoring a single point, from the 2:04 mark of the third all the way to the 6:56 mark of the fourth. That's an astounding seven-plus minutes without a single point, let alone a basket.

Kevin Garnett's 11-foot jumper ended that scoreless drought, but the damage had already been done. Cleveland had already upped their lead to 17 points before that shot from KG, and Boston never cut the deficit down to single-digits from that point on.

Key Box Score Line

On a night where it didn't seem like anything could go right offensively for Boston, Ray Allen quietly put in one of his best all around games of the season. He dropped 20 points on a solid 7-of-14 shooting performance, but also notched six rebounds and five assists. Four other starters scored in double-figures, but Allen's performance surpassed his season averages in all three of the aforementioned categories.

Box Score Nuggets

• Boston shot only 40.0 percent from the floor and Cleveland shot only 41.3 percent from the floor.
• LeBron James scored a game-high 30 points to go along with eight rebounds and seven assists.
• No Cavs starter had a plus/minus rating higher than plus-four, but their four bench players all finished with at least a plus-five in that category.
• The Celtics recorded only 18 assists.
• Cleveland grabbed 17 offensive rebounds.
• The Cavs took 48 free throws compared to the Celtics' 30.
• Kendrick Perkins and Anthony Parker were the only starters in the game that didn't finish in double-figures, as both scored six points.
• Boston's bench scored only 15 total points.
• Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett each scored 18 points.
• Cleveland finished with 51 rebounds to Boston's 43.
• Ray Allen and Paul Pierce both shot 3-of-5 from downtown.
• Boston was whistled for 33 personal fouls, while Cleveland committed only 19.
• The Cavs committed only eight turnovers in the game.

Quote of the Night

Doc Rivers on Anderson Varejao and the Cavaliers outhustling the Celtics: "I told our guys it was frustrating for me because you could see in a lot of ways how close we are to breaking out to being really good. I thought one guy completely dominated this game and that was (Anderson) Varejao and that's the second time. Loose balls, activity, getting under our skin. I mean, he's doing what he should be do. That was very frustrating."