Boston Celtics: 3 takeaways from Game 2 vs. Cavaliers
2. Boston’s second half dominance gets the win
In the first half of Game 2, the Cavaliers came out looking like a motivated team hoping to steal home-court advantage.
LeBron James went into halftime with a line of 25 points, six assists and four rebounds, shooting 8-of-14 on contested shots. It looked like he’d do more of the same as the game progressed, propelling his team to victory.
Well, that didn’t happen, as it was Boston that did the switch-flipping after the break, outscoring Cleveland by a score of 59-39.
The Celtics simply came out with more energy on both ends, and it showed, as the Cavs didn’t seem to want to put in the effort necessary to win the game.
Since the Cavs held a 9-point lead with 10:00 minutes left in the 3rd quarter, it was all Celtics pic.twitter.com/GxxtrCDcwN
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 16, 2018
Nobody would’ve been surprised if Boston decided to pack it up after the first half, ceding the game and home-court advantage to the Cavaliers, especially considering the roll that LeBron and his team were on.
As they have all season, though, the Celtics didn’t give up.
They fought all the way back, took the lead, and didn’t relinquish it despite Cleveland cutting the lead to six late in the fourth quarter.
It’s a cliche, but Boston looked like it wanted it more than the Cavs, and it manifested that desire into the victory.