Cavs, Celtics battle in Game 2 of East semis
Posted: Thu May 8 10:36 AM
(Sports Network) - The Boston Celtics attempt to take a 2-0 advantage over the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight at TD Banknorth Garden in their Eastern Conference semifinals series.
In the opener, Kevin Garnett scored 28 points, including the go-ahead layup with 21.4 seconds left, and the top-seeded Celtics put a defensive blanket on LeBron James, holding the Cavaliers superstar to only two field goals, as Boston edged No. 4 Cleveland, 76-72.
It was an uncharacteristic contest for a few standout players, but most notable was James' horrific 2-of-18 night from the field. He totaled 12 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, but had 10 of Cleveland's 18 turnovers.
Boston's Paul Pierce and Ray Allen combined for just four points on 2-of-18 shooting. Allen was held scoreless for the first time since February 26, 1997.
Veteran Sam Cassell scored 10 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter for the Celtics, who were pushed to seven games by Atlanta in the first round and then committed 23 turnovers Tuesday night. Rajon Rondo totaled 15 points and Kendrick Perkins pulled down 12 rebounds, while Garnett had eight boards in the victory.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas finished with22 points and 12 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who also got 13 points from Wally Szczerbiak. Cleveland shot just 30.7 percent from the field in defeat.
Cleveland has won three of its last five Game 2s in the postseason. The Cavaliers are 2-2 on the road in this year's playoffs.
The Celtics have captured five of their last nine Game 2s in the playoffs. They are 5-0 at home in the postseason.
Game 3 of this best-of-seven series is scheduled for Saturday at Quicken Loans Arena.
This is the fourth time these teams have met in the postseason. Boston defeated the Cavaliers in six games, 4-2, in the 1976 East finals, and in four contests, 3-1, in the first round of the 1985 playoffs. Cleveland knocked out the Celtics in seven games in the 1992 East semis.
Boston has made it to the East semis for the first time since 2003. That year, the Celtics were swept by the New Jersey Nets, 4-0. The last time the Celtics won in this round was in 2002 when they knocked out Detroit in five, 4-1, before losing to the Nets in the East finals, 4-2.
The Celtics survived a scare in the opening round, as they knocked out the eighth-seeded Atlanta Hawks in seven games. The home team won every game in the series. Boston won its four contests by an average of 25.3 points.
The Cavaliers, who are the defending Eastern Conference champions and knocked out the Wizards in round one, are 3-2 all-time in the semifinals. They defeated the Washington Bullets in 1976, Boston in 1992 and New Jersey in 2007. Cleveland lost in the semis to Chicago in 1993 and Detroit in 2006.
During the regular season, the Celtics and Cavaliers split four contests. Both teams won a pair of games on their homecourt.
