Read what the players and coaches had to say following Boston's 104-117 defeat to Cleveland.
Click on a player or coach to reveal quotes from their postgame press conference.
BRAD STEVENS
RE: Coach, just general thoughts on that firstquarter
blitz that they put on. It seemed like from
that point out you guys were just fighting an uphill
battle.
RE: You started the game or the first half 2-for-16
from beyond the arc. Was that more of you guys
just missing open shots or was that something
they were doing defensively?
RE: Brad, something like six or seven of LeBron's
first baskets were right at the rim --
RE: Is that something you guys have to change in
the way you cover that?
RE: Jaylen had another big night for you guys,
especially on the boards. Just what did you think
of his impact and just the poise that he's showing
on this stage?
JAE CROWDER
RE: Talk a little bit about just the start of this game.
It seemed from the jump you guys were kind of
fighting uphill against these guys. Aside from
LeBron James, what were some of the keys to
them getting off to such a great start?
RE: Jae, primarily how tough is it to guard LeBron
one-on-one when he's going downhill, he's getting
a head start? How tough is that, and how can you
guys make it difficult for him and for Love in Game
2, because both of them were able to be effective?
RE: Jae, you and I have talked quite a bit this year
about you being a key portion of when you guys
play a small ball lineup. During this game you
guys did that during the second half. Seemed like
you found a little bit more rhythm. What did you
see that changed for you guys when you did go
small?
RE: Jae, when LeBron is out there, how do you
balance deciding whether to double-team and knowing there's so many shooters around him?
And do you think kind of he feasts on single
coverage if he sees it sometimes?
RE: Brad was just saying how Jaylen's athleticism
could play a big impact for you guys in this series.
What did you think of impact tonight and what are
your expectations of him moving forward?
ISAIAH THOMAS
RE: I know you guys probably don't want to address
it, but was there an emotional letdown after the
Washington series and having to start this series
one day later?
RE: The combination of those guys coming out
hard, LeBron, and then you guys missing a bunch
of shots, open shots, how difficult was that
combination really to overcome?
RE: You credited the athleticism of the opposing
team, but to what do you credit the amount of time
off that they had in their performance tonight, so
many nights off, so many days off versus your one
day off?
RE: Isaiah, how would you assess what the Cavs
did, how they guarded you tonight? Did they do
anything that surprised you, or were you just out of
rhythm in the first half?
AVERY BRADLEY
RE: On Cavs coming out with defensive intensity:
RE: What do you learn from a game like this?:
RE: What did you think of the way Jaylen Brown played tonight?:
RE: How difficult is it guarding Tristan Thompson on the offensive glass?:
RE: On Jaylen and the moment not being too big:
AL HORFORD
RE: On Cavs setting tempo on offensive glass in the first quarter:
RE: On the poise shown by Jaylen Brown in the Eastern Conference final debut:
RE: What’s behind these slow starts for you guys in general?:
JAYLEN BROWN
RE: You’re just a rookie but the moment didn’t seem too big for you, what was it like playing in your first Eastern conference final?
RE: What was it like going up against LeBron a couple times there:
KYRIE IRVING
RE: Playing after 9 days off:
RE: Tristan Thompson/Kevin Love contributions:
RE: Similar defense from what you did to Boston in April:
JR SMITH
RE: Rhythm tonight even after 9 days off:
RE: Playoff record just shy of 13 wins with 12 now put in perspective:
RE: What are you expecting Game 2:
TYRONN LUE
RE: LeBron scored at least 35 in five straight games and at least 30 in seven. What does just that say about him, or have you seen anything like this?
RE: Coach, why did you go with [Richard Jefferson] instead of Channing Frye tonight?
RE: They were coming off of an emotional seven-game series, and you came out on the attack. Was that something that you guys talked about at all, without revealing too much?
RE: The Celtics looked much less confident to run their high pick-and-roll than they have in past series. Was one of the objectives to really be physical up top and try to take them out of their usual offense?
LEBRON JAMES
RE: Right now would you say this is the most
comfortable you've felt in your entire career?
RE: LeBron, by my count they put about eight
different defenders on you. When you're having
success no matter who they're putting on you, do
you think that does anything for you momentumwise
or does it defeat them when they're trying so
many different options and none of them are
working?
RE: LeBron, I know you study the game the way you
do; are you setting up Kevin to get the best out of
him from perhaps back to his Minnesota days?
And Kevin, is this as good as you've felt in terms of
your comfort zone, year three with the team?
RE: LeBron, how did you manage with all the days
off kind of keep the discipline day in and day out,
and Kevin, too, with all the time you guys had off
and making sure the momentum was still there?
RE: LeBron, you've had a lot of playoff moments
here in this building, some great moments for you,
some disappointments, as well. There seemed to
be a relentlessness or a ruthlessness in your game
and in your approach tonight. Is that for you? Is
that for your teammates? Or is that for the
opponent?
KEVIN LOVE
RE: Kevin, you've obviously played here a bunch
since Game 4 of 2015, but just because it was a
playoff game and you played so well, did you have
any flashbacks to that night?
RE: Social media is making a big deal of this. I was
wondering your thoughts: It looked like Isaiah
tried to grab your ankle there when he was kind of
laying on the baseline. Did you see that, and if you
did, did you think it was malicious in any way?
RE: There was a play where he was on the ground
and it looked like he tried to grab your ankle as you
were going away.
RE: Kevin, what does it do for you to get featured
the way you were to start the second quarter? You
told us in the off week that the numbers don't
matter as long as you guys win, but when Ty says
he's going to go to you and then he goes to you,
what does that do for you?
RE: Ty said before the game that with the strategy
that you're using defensively, you're going to give
something up, and sometimes it's going to be open
shots, and you have to be okay with that. How do
you get to a point or what does it take to be okay
with giving up uncontested shots at times?
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