And then the big lead evaporated faster than you could say “Rasheed Wallace.’’ The Celtics wasted a nice night of work, fizzling down the stretch, just as they did so many times in the 2009-10 season.
Cleveland 101, Boston 93. LeBron James led all scorers with 35 points. Game 2 is tomorrow night at Quicken Loans Arena, where the Cavaliers are 74-8 over the last two regular seasons.
“No moral victories,’’ scoffed Celtics captain Paul Pierce. “A loss is a loss.’’
The Cavaliers love playing at the Q. Mom LeBron sits in the front row on the baseline near the home bench and the scoreboard includes an unusual box entitled “The Diff.’’ For those who cannot count, The Diff informs fans how far ahead or behind the Cavs are at any juncture. At halftime last night, The Diff was minus-11 for the locals. Boston led, 54-43.
With six minutes to go in the third the Celtics were ahead, 69-58. The rest of the way it was Cleveland, 43-24. The final score represented the Cavs’ biggest lead. Had the game gone to a fifth quarter, it would have been a Cleveland blowout. The Celtics were done.
The Cavaliers have a center named Shaquille O’Neal, who at times looks like Joe Louis staggering against Rocky Marciano, but in the end it was the Celtics who looked worn down.
Old bones.
Pierce (39 minutes) scored 10 points in the first quarter, 3 points over the final three quarters. Kevin Garnett (season-high 38 minutes) scored 16 in the first three quarters, 2 in the fourth. Ray Allen (44 minutes) scored 14, but was blanked in the final quarter. That’s an aggregate 2 points from the ancient Big Three in the final 12 minutes.
It was the same story at the defensive end. The Celtics rotated beautifully and moved their feet in the first quarter, holding the Cavaliers to 30 percent shooting. But the longer the game went, the easier it was for the Cavaliers to score. James looked like a guy in his prime. The Celtics looked like guys past their prime.
