April 21 vs Celtics

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Wrap-Up – The Cavaliers’ Game 2 matchup with Boston wasn’t a thing of beauty, but a 2-0 series lead certainly is. And despite not looking their best, the Wine and Gold will travel to Boston after holding serve, 99-91, at The Q.

After a sluggish start, the Cavaliers found their footing at half and, after a stingy third quarter, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving took over in the fourth – scoring all 28 of Cleveland’s points in the final period. That offensive production – plus Tristan Thompson on the offensive boards – was enough to get past a pesky Celtics squad.

LeBron notched 15 of his game-high 30 points in the fourth quarter, going 6-of-9 from the floor and 3-for-4 from the stripe. Irving was right behind, tallying nine of his 26 points in the fourth – going 2-of-4 from the floor and 4-of-4 from the stripe.  Overall, James added nine boards, seven assists and a pair of blocked shots. Irving wrapped up with six assists, five boards and a block.

Timofey Mozgov had another solid defensive outing – leading everyone with five blocks after swatting three in Game 1 – but was just as good on the offensive end on Tuesday, going 7-for-11 from the floor for 16 points and seven boards before fouling out in the closing moments. Kevin Love rounded out the Cavaliers in double-figures – pitching in with 13 points, six boards and a pair of assists.

Tristan Thompson didn’t score a single point on Tuesday, but his work on the boards might’ve saved the Cavs’ bacon down the stretch. On the night, Thompson led Cleveland with 11 rebounds – grabbing five of those off the offensive glass, including a pair of huge offensive boards in the game’s final 92 seconds.

The Cavaliers featured four starters in double-figures and that quintet outscored Boston’s, 92-40. But the Celtics’ bench – who came into the postseason with the league’s highest-scoring second unit – outscored the Wine and Gold’s reserves, 51-7.

Cleveland held the Celtics to just 39 percent shooting on the night and outscored Boston in second-chance points, 16-4, after intermission. The Cavs also out-rebounded the Celts, 27-16, in the second half – including a 12-4 edge in the final quarter.

Watch slow-mo game highlights from Tuesday's victory.

Turning Point – For the second straight game, the Celtics took an early lead over the Cavs – opening up a nine-point edge, 45-36, with 4:42 to play in the first half.

But David Blatt’s squad began to right the ship at that point and, after a Mozgov bucket, J.R. Smith ignited the team – and the crowd – with a steal and dunk to get Cleveland to within five. Smith’s next jumper got the Cavaliers to within one and, with a minute remaining in the first half, Kyrie drilled a three-pointer to tie the affair.

After Isaiah Thomas’ put Boston back up, LeBron’s and-one gave the Cavs a 51-50 edge at intermission despite playing a sloppy half of basketball. The Cavs started the second half on a 17-4 run and were able to hold off the scrappy Celtics down the stretch.

By the Numbers – 4,469 … points that LeBron James has scored during his postseason career, eclipsing Jerry West for 7th on the all-time playoff scoring list. Karl Malone is James’ next target at 4,761.

Quotable – Coach David Blatt, on the level of competition in the postseason …

”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.”

Up Next –After taking the first two games in Cleveland, the series heads to Boston for Game 3 on Thursday night at 7 p.m., with Game 4 slated for Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. at the TD Garden.  If necessary, Game 5 would be back in Cleveland next Tuesday night – time TBD, with Game 6 in Boston next Thursday and – if the Celtics are able to force a Game 7 – it’ll be played back at The Q next Saturday, May 2.

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Cavs Overcome Slow Start, Sink Celts in Game 2

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(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.”

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Game Quotes: Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics - April 21

Listen to Radio Play-by-Play announcer John Michael's Call of the Game during Game Two of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Boston Celtics on April 21, 2015. Timofey Mozgov's fifth blocked shot of the night leads to a 45-foot pass from LeBron James to Kevin Love for the reverse alley-oop slam.

Escucha a la voz en español de los Cavaliers Rafa "El Alcalde" con la narración de la jugada del partido entre Los Cavaliers de Cleveland y Los Celtics de Boston en El Quicken Loans Arena de Cleveland, OH  el 21 de Abril del 2015. Los Cavs tomaron ventaja de 2-0 en la serie frente a Boston con victoria de 99-91 con LeBron James liderando al equipo una vez más consiguiendo 30 puntos, 9rebotes y 7 asistencias. Una de esas asistencias vino en un gran Alley Oop para Kevin Love que terminó clavándola de reversa.

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Call of the Game: Cavs vs. Boston Celtics - Apr. 21

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Round 1, Game 2: Cavs vs. Boston Celtics - April 21, 2015

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The Cavaliers will look to take a 2-0 lead in the First Round of the 2015 NBA Playoffs when they face the Boston Celtics in Game 2 at The Q. Tipoff is at 7:00 p.m. ET.

Cleveland defeated the Celtics, 113-100, at Quicken Loans Arena on Sunday afternoon to take Game 1 of the Eastern Conference First Round matchup. Dating back to January 19th of the 2014-15 regular season, the Cavs have won 21 of their last 22 games at The Q, which includes 16 of them by a margin of victory of at least 10 points.

In his first career playoff appearance, Kyrie Irving registered a game-high 30 points on 11-21 (.524) shooting from the field, including 5-9 (.556) from three-point range, in 41 minutes of play. He became the first player in NBA history to record 30 points and five three-pointers in a postseason debut. Irving’s 30 points are the 2nd-most points scored by a Cavalier in their playoff debut (LeBron James 32, 4/22/2006 vs. WAS).

Kevin Love also had a solid playoff debut after notching a double-double with 19 points, a game-high 12 rebounds, four assists and one steal in 33 minutes of the Game 1 win over Boston. Love is the first Cavs player to tally at least 19 points and 12 rebounds in their playoff debut, as well as the first Cavs player to post a double-double in his first postseason game since LeBron James in 2006.

In Sunday’s win, LeBron James had a strong all-around game with 20 points, a team-high seven assists, six rebounds, two steals and one block in 42 minutes of action.

In Game 1, Boston had six players record double figures in scoring led by Isaiah Thomas' 22 points. Thomas also led the Celtics with 10 assists.

Get into the conversation with other die-hards.

Probable Starters/Status Update*presented by Cleveland Clinic

Status Update: Anderson Varejao, (Left Achilles Tendon Rupture, Out)

Celtics: PG - Marcus Smart, SG - Avery Bradley, SF - Evan Turner PF - Brandon Bass, C - Tyler Zeller

Status Update: (Celtics) - None to Report

In Sunday’s Game 1 victory, Cleveland put up 113 points and shot 13-31 (.419) from beyond the arc. Including the 2014-15 regular season and this year’s playoffs, Cleveland has yet to lose at The Q when scoring at least 100 points (24-0) or shooting .400 or better from behind the arc (19-0). Overall, the Cavs have won 29 of their last 30 contests when reaching the century mark in scoring and hold a 43-5 mark when scoring at least 100 points since the beginning of the season.

The Cavs are 11-5 all-time at home against Boston in the postseason.

The Wine and Gold trail the all-time series against the Celtics 74-122 (51-48 Home, 23-73 Road).

TV: FOX Sports Ohio, TNT, Radio: WTAM 1100, 87.7 FM La Mega

Be sure to tune into #CavsLive pregame show on FOX Sports Ohio starting at 6:30 p.m.

For live in-game updates, follow @cavs, @CavsJoeG, @CavsFredMcLeod, @MrCavalier34, @CavsJMike, @chones22, @FSOAllieOop and @ElalcaldeRafa on Twitter.

Programming Note: Tonight,  FOX Sports Ohio is carrying the Cavaliers-Celtics playoff game as well as the Reds-Brewers game. More Info | View Conflict Schedule

After tonight's game, the Wine and Gold will head to Boston for Game 3 on Thursday at the TD Garden. Tipoff is at 7:00 p.m. ET. View Series Schedule

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GameDay Preview: Game 2 vs. Boston Celtics

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The Cavaliers were near (or at) the top of most NBA three-point shooting marks in the second half of the season – leading the NBA at 11.6 treys per game since January 7 – and they proceeded to hit 13 more bombs in the series opener against Boston.

J.R. Smith, one of the Wine and Gold’s top long-distance shooters, has been hot and cold over the past two weeks. In the regular season’s final five games, he had two games in which he canned eight treys and three games in which he combined to go 2-for-15 from beyond the arc. Smith – who went 2-of-7 from long-distance -- got in early foul trouble in Game 1 and that kept him on the Cavs bench for all but 19 minutes on Sunday.

David Blatt is blessed with so many offensive options that the Cavaliers didn’t miss Smith’s production in the series opener, but if they’re going to top Boston and make noise in the tournament, they’re going to need Smith’s production on both ends of the floor.

Boston entered the postseason with the league’s top-scoring bench, and they were good against Cleveland on Sunday – combining to outscore their starters with 55 points, 22 of which were scored by Isaiah Thomas.

The Cavs countered Thomas with Iman Shumpert – who logged almost 33 minutes of action – on Sunday, but he still managed a team-high 10 assists and five boards to go with his 22 points. Jae Crowder did a decent job against LeBron and Kelly Olynyk got Boston off to a fast start before running out of gas in the second stanza.

Cleveland’s reserves were just as effective on Sunday. Tristan Thompson did his normal work on the glass, Shumpert spent most of his energy on the defensive end, Delly and Shawn Marion did well in spot duty and James Jones canned three big shots in 15 highly-productive minutes off the bench.

Cleveland’s got some serious star-power in its starting lineup, but the Cavs reserves might be the series’ deciding factor.

On Sunday afternoon, LeBron James assumed the role of facilitator for the Wine and Gold – netting 20 points and leading the squad with seven helpers.

It was his 26th career playoff game against Boston and he’s averaged 29.8 ppg against them in the postseason. (In 39 regular season contests, it’s 30.3 ppg – his highest among all NBA opponents; although the Celtics held him to 14 points on April 10 – snapping a streak of 35 straight games scoring at least 20 points.) LeBron doesn’t need to post monster scoring numbers for the Cavaliers to win and, in fact, they’re even better when he’s in playmaker mode – going 13-1 in games that he dishes out double-figure assists.

James has had both kinds of performances against Boston this year – dropping 41 points on the Celtics in the teams’ first meeting in mid-November. Cleveland’s 11-time All-Star hasn’t had to go off for the Cavaliers to be successful this season, but Boston – of all teams – knows that it’s always a distinct possibility.

Before Sunday’s Game 1 at The Q, there was concern about how the Cavaliers’ playoff neophytes – Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson – would perform in their postseason debuts. By the end of the afternoon, the entire threesome had allayed all fears.

Kyrie became the first player in NBA history to notch 30 points and hit at least five three-pointers in his playoff debut. Love overcame a poor shooting start to become the first Cavalier to tally at least 19 points and 12 boards in his playoff debut and the first Cavalier to double-up in his debut since LeBron James triple-doubled against Washington in 2006. Tristan went 4-of-6 from the floor and grabbed four of Cleveland’s 15 offensive rebounds.

If they didn’t bind up in Game 1, it’s doubtful the Cavs’ youngsters will feel that pressure in Game 2. By the same token, they’ll have to deal with the in-series adjustments that Boston’s coaching staff will make against all three.

Quicken Loans Arena was as loud as it’s been all season on Sunday afternoon, and the Cavaliers spoke postgame about how much of a lift it provided.

But if you noticed that the Celtics weren’t rattled by the crowd early on, it’s because Boston has been impervious to hostile crowds over the final month of the season – winning nine of their last 11 games away from Beantown, including the final seven road games of the season. The Wine and Gold were their typical dominant selves at The Q on Sunday – winning their 21st game in the last 22 contests at The Q, including the 16th victory by double-digits.

This season, the Cavs have yet to lose on the corner of Huron and Ontario when scoring 100 points (24-0) or shooting at least 40 percent from beyond the arc (19-0). With Sunday’s win, the Cavaliers are now 11-5 all-time at home against the Celtics, but Brad Stevens’ road warriors have been undaunted outside the Garden after the All-Star Break.

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Five Keys: Cavaliers vs. Celtics - Game 2

On Tuesday, April 21, FOX Sports Ohio is carrying the Cavaliers-Celtics playoff game as well as the Reds-Brewers game. Please refer to these programming details. This information is also available online HERE.

Cavaliers Live Pregame Show begins at 6:30 p.m. | Tipoff at 7:00 p.m.

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Where to Watch: Cavs vs. Boston Celtics - April 21

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