There are a million reasons why the Celtics lost 104-93 this afternoon to the Cavs. Sure, I could blast the Celtics for their lack of hustle, heart, desire, rebounding, etc. But the main reason is... Cleveland is a better team.
Miraculously, this game was tied at 68 with 5 minutes left in the 3rd quarter. The Cavs put the game away with a 23-6 run over the next 12 minutes.
LeBron James (30 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists) picked the Cs apart with his passing, especially in the first half. He routinely found JJ Hickson and Anderson Varejao open under the hoop.
Varejao (17 points, 10 rebounds) embarrassed all of the Celtics bigs, most of all, Rasheed Wallace. He displays heart and hustle Celtics fans haven't seen from anyone wearing green this season.
Paul Pierce (18 points, 3 rebounds) looked old. Real old. Don't be fooled by the box score. He was a pathetic 1-7 in the first half and had most of his points in garbage time.
The Celtics bench was awful. 15 total points. Wallace was 1-8, Finley 2-7, Nate Robinson 0-3, and Marquis Daniels 0-3. Props to Glen Davis for his hustle.
Anyone else annoyed with Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy's praise of LeBron's passing? They repeatedly snubbed Larry Bird when referring to the game's all-time leading passers. Idiots.
Box score | Recap