(On how confident he feels with a 2-0 lead): "No more or no less than going into the first two games. We know we’re playing a worthy opponent and we know that now we go on the road. We have to improve some things without question. It’s very clear that nothing is coming easy. We have to meet that challenge and go (to Boston) focused and together."
(On getting LeBron James going tonight): "Obviously, we called his number a lot. More so than the calling of his number, I just thought LeBron recognized the moment and was very determined to create good offense both for himself and for others. He got to the line and made his free throws, made big plays at both ends, rebounded...I thought he imposed his will on the game and that’s what makes him the great player he is."
(On Timofey Mozgov’s offense tonight): "I think most of the looks he got just came from guys breaking their man down off the dribble and him dropping in the short corner where he had some looks. But overall, the more important thing is that Timo was really engaged. He blocked five shots and he rebounded the ball. He was active. He scored it when he had his chances and he played a very high-level playoff game.”
(On playing a solid third quarter for the second straight game): "First of all, that’s a good thing if you can come out of the half and raise your level a little bit. We were playing against a good opponent. You all here in Cleveland have witnessed a number of games that we’ve come out of the gate and blown people out early. That’s not going to happen a lot in the playoffs. You have to hang in there sometimes. You have to find your way. You gotta stay with it defensively. Tonight, in the first half, Boston had 15 second chance points off of offensive rebounds and we had four. That’s a huge difference. I believe their percentage in the first half was 37 or 38 percent, so we’re doing our job, but you don’t really do your job if you don’t finish that kind of defense with a defensive rebound. You really haven’t done anything except get tired. Once we got our hands around that and became more committed at the defensive end to rebound the ball, that allowed us to run a little bit more, allowed us to loosen up a little bit and take control of the game.”
(On the fourth quarter): “We saw basically the entire game what they were doing to LeBron (James) in the post so what we tried to do was just make adjustments. LeBron is such a great passer by the post. A few of them, our game plan got a little messed up just in terms of what we wanted our bigs to do, but they were doing a great job of trying to get our guards open. It just came down to just making basketball plays and that’s what LeBron did, as well as Kevin (Love) and everyone else that was in the fourth quarter, but it started with our defense. We got out in transition. It wasn’t perfect, it wasn’t pretty, but we hang our hat on the defensive end and we got it done.”
(On what alley-oops or special plays do for the team): “It definitely gets our fast break going. It’s just the little things that make the difference, especially in games like tonight. Big time plays get our crowd going, get our team going and make the other team call a timeout. Kev (Kevin Love) just running the floor extremely hard. He’s been doing it for the first two games and we’ll need him to continue to do that – and LeBron found him and then went out in transition. If we don’t see anything one-on-one, we’re looking out to the wings. We have great shooters on this team that have the ability to spot up and shoot. Some of them may not have gone down tonight, but we got out on transition and that’s where we were getting our points.”
(On his mental approach knowing he doesn’t have to carry the scoring load): “You’re just at ease. You’re playing with guys that know the game extremely well and have been in this position before. I think the biggest thing for us is they know what to expect out of me and I know what to expect out of them. Every game we may not shoot well but we understand that the little things are going to make the difference. We keep on preaching it. One rebound here, one loose ball there – it turns into a jump ball. I think we had like three or four jump balls. They’re big time plays. We’re diving on the floor for one another. It just gives the whole entire building energy when we’re doing that.”
(On his turnovers): “I just have to be more conscious about certain passes, certain plays that I’m making. That’s 11 for me in the two games, five and a half per game and that’s not going to cut it. You can make a couple more mistakes at home than you can on the road so I have to be better with the ball in order for us to be successful.”
(On the importance of moving before the double team): “I just try to read and react to the game. Sometimes my mind gets caught up into it too much and I start being indecisive at times. For me, I have to be aggressive, I have to make quick moves before the defense gets there and the second line of defense. And also bait them as well. First half, I think I was waiting too long, being a little bit indecisive, not being aggressive for our team’s success and I just wanted to try to change that approach in the second half.”
(On “taking over” the last minutes of the game): “I’ve been in this moment before and a lot of our guys haven’t so I felt like it was important for me to just try to put a staple on the game the best way I know how and that’s by being aggressive. I was able to make a few plays to help our team get the win and that’s what’s very important for me – just to be there for my team when they need it.”
(On his dominant fourth quarter): “Like I said, I’m always analyzing the game throughout the game - when I’m on the floor, when I’m on the bench – whatever the case may be. Just trying to figure out ways to help our team, me personally and the team as well. My mind is always kind of figuring out the positions on the floor where I can be successful - playing off the floor, getting rebounds, things of that nature, but being aggressive. My coaching staff and my teammates give me all the leeway I can to help this team be successful and I was able to do that.”
(On Cleveland’s presence on the glass): “I thought we were great in the first half on the glass. I thought at the end of the game those offensive rebounds by (Tristan) Thompson obviously separated it when we were coming back. Those were huge, huge plays. But the third quarters killed us both games. We’ve been fighting from behind from that point on in both games.”
(On slowing down LeBron James and Kyrie Irving in the fourth quarter): “They’re good players. Obviously, they’re great players. I thought we challenged Kyrie a little bit better. He’s a hard one because he gets fouled on some of those jump shots. That’s tough. But he’s a really explosive ball handler and scorer. And then when LeBron just puts his shoulder down and wants to get where he wants to go, it’s hard to stop him from getting there. But I thought our guys actually did a pretty good job on different plays…Those guys are hard to stop, but that’s why we can’t start third quarters slowly and that’s why we’ve got to finish plays. That’s why every issue we’re having is magnified.”
(On LeBron James’ focus in the fourth quarter): “He’s obviously a great competitor. He’s also the most physically talented and he’s certainly one of the best mental players in the game. You add that together and you’ve got a heck of a guy and a heck of a player. It’s why he’s considered one of the all-time best, why he’s considered the best in the game now.”
(On Cleveland circumventing Boston’s comeback attempts): “I thought they kicked it into a gear a bit. One of the biggest (leads) we broke, that seven or nine point lead in the first half…And bang, it’s back down to five or three. I think that’s pretty typical of them. You can feel like you’re doing pretty well, and then you can feel like you’re being steamrolled very quickly.”
(On how to stop Kyrie moving forward): “Shrink the floor. Show bodies. Make sure he sees all five guys and not just one-on-one. He’s one of the best one-on-one guys in the NBA, so we’ve got to make sure he sees all of us. And then just make it tough on him. Like I said last game, he hit some tough shots. That’s just what he does. But we’ve definitely got to make it a little tougher on him to slow him down.”
(On if he sees a difference in LeBron in the fourth quarter): “A little bit. He just put his head down and went to the basket. With a guy that big, you’ve just got to try to contain him. Jae (Crowder) and Evan (Turner) and the other guys did a pretty decent job on him. He just got a little loose in that fourth quarter. You pay so much attention to him, but he’s one of the best passers in the NBA as well. So you’ve got to pick your poison.”
CAVALIERS NOTES:
- The Cleveland Cavaliers took a 2-0 series lead after defeating the Boston Celtics 99-91 at Quicken Loans Arena on Tuesday night. It is the eighth time in franchise history that the Wine and Gold have won the first two games of a playoff series. The Cavs are have not lost when going up 2-0 in any of those playoff series (7-0).
- Cleveland’s defense was a big factor in the victory as it held the Celtics to 91 points on 33-85 (.388) shooting from the field, including 6-22 (.273) from three-point range. The Cavaliers also registered 10 blocks and seven steals on the night. Tonight was the 11th time since the 1989 postseason that the Wine and Gold have swatted at least 10 blocks in a playoff game.
- The Wine and Gold shot 24-26 (.923) from the free-throw line and are combined 50-59 (.847) from the charity stripe in the first two games of the series. The last time the Cavs had at least a free throw percentage of .923 with at least 24 made free throws was May 15, 1992 against Boston.
- LeBron James passed Jerry West (4,457) for 7th all-time in career playoff scoring after registering a game-high 30 points, nine rebounds, a game-high tying seven assists and two blocks in 42 minutes. Tonight was the 69th time in James’ postseason career that he has tallied at least 30 points and the 21st time in his playoff career in which he has recorded a stat line of at least 30 points, nine boards and seven assists with a record of 17-4 in those games.
- Kyrie Irving tallied 26 points, six assists, five rebounds and one block in 39 minutes of play. Irving has now scored 56 points in his first two playoff games as a Cavalier. Only LeBron James (58 points in 2006) has scored more points in their first two playoff games wearing a Wine and Gold jersey. (Elias Sports Bureau)
- Timofey Mozgov finished the night with a playoff career-high 16 points on 7-11 (.636) shooting from the field, seven rebounds and a playoff career-high and game-high five blocks in 29 minutes of action. Mozgov is the first player in Wine and Gold playoff history to post a stat line of at least 17 points, five blocks and seven boards. The last Cavs player with at least five blocks in a playoff game was Zydrunas Ilgauskas (six blocks) on May 17, 2006 against Detroit. (Elias Sports Bureau)
- Kevin Love finished 6-7 (.857) from the free throw line and chipped in with 13 points, six rebounds, two assists and two blocks in 30 minutes of play. Love is averaging 16.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 31.5 minutes, while shooting a combined 13-15 (.867) from the charity stripes in the first two games of the series.
- J.R. Smith recorded a playoff career-high and game-high five steals on the night to go along with seven points and four rebounds in 34 minutes of play. Smith is only the 11th Cavalier to swipe at least five steals in Cleveland’s postseason history. (Elias Sports Bureau)