Celtics thwart LeBron James, Cavaliers in Game 1 of East finals

NEW YORK, USA – Jaylen Brown scored 23 points and Al Horford added 20 to power the Boston Celtics over Cleveland 108-83 Sunday, May 13, and humble LeBron James and his Cavaliers teammates in their NBA playoff series opener.

The Celtics seized the lead in the best-of-7 Eastern Conference finals, with the winner to face either season wins leader Houston or defending champion Golden State in the NBA Finals.

The Celtics, who host Game 2 on Tuesday, May 15, jumped ahead to 36-18 lead after the first quarter and never looked back, with the Cavaliers coming no closer than 14 points in the second half.

“We were great,” Horford said. “We came out with a lot of energy. We fed off the crowd and we kept it going throughout the game. We’re just out here playing hard and doing the best we can.”

Jaylen Brown (23 PTS), Al Horford (20) & Marcus Morris (21) led the @celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The last time 3 Celtics starters scored 20+ in an ECF game was Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett vs. Miami in 2012. pic.twitter.com/5YnVUA10IQ

— NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) May 13, 2018

Marcus Morris had 21 points and 10 rebounds for Boston and Jayson Tatum added 16 while Brown had 8 rebounds and Terry Rozier contributed 8 points and 7 assists.

James averaged 34.0 points, 9.4 rebounds and 9.0 assists in the first two rounds of the playoffs but the superstar playmaker, seeking an 8th consecutive NBA Finals berth, was shut down by an aggressive, hustling Celtics squad.

“We just have to make it hard for him,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said of James. “Our guys played with good aggression. They will have to do that again Tuesday.”

James finished with 15 points on 5-of-16 shooting with 7 rebounds and 9 assists. He blocked two shots but also made 7 turnovers.

The Celtics take Game 1 against the Cavs 108-83. Cleveland’s 25-point loss is the 2nd-largest Game 1 loss by a LeBron James team in his playoff career (27-point loss in the 2006 East Semis).

James was guarded by Marcus Morris on 24 plays, finishing with 5 points on 2-6 shooting. pic.twitter.com/NOuPpMS3wz

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 13, 2018

“They showed two bodies (guarding James) all night,” Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said. “When he thought he had driving lanes, they made him kick it out to other shooters.”

The Celtics forced James to work harder defensively and rotated several players on the 4-time NBA Most Valuable Player to contain him offensively.

“We lost,” Lue said. “We didn’t play well. We know we have to play better. They attacked us early on. We had some great shots we couldn’t make and it snowballed from there.”

Talented 20-something players Tatum, Rozier and Brown have filled the void left by injured stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward, combining with Horford – who has been eliminated by James 4 times in the playoffs – to become a formidable force that outhustled the more experienced Cavaliers and dominated defensively.

“They are just embracing this opportunity,” Horford said. “We have a great opportunity in front of us and we’re enjoying it game by game. I try to lead them the best way I can, lead by example.”

Morris, who boasted he was the best defender to guard James, started and contained the Cleveland superstar, who has more career playoff appearances than the entire Celtics roster combined.

“He’s a tough player,” Horford said. “He knows how to defend. He has a great feel for that.”

Celtics dominate early

Kevin Love led Cleveland with 17 points and 8 rebounds. Tristan Thompson had a game-high 11 rebounds off the Cavs’ bench.

Boston seized a 63-35 lead early in the second half but the Cavs halved their deficit, Jeff Green’s jumper at the 3rd-quarter buzzer pulling Cleveland within 78-64 entering the fourth.

Boston answered with a 7-0 run to start the 4th. A Morris dunk, Marcus Smart 3-pointer and Tatum layup stretched the Celtics’ lead to 85-64 as a part of an 18-4 run that would put Boston ahead 96-68 and end Cleveland’s hopes.

Boston surged ahead 61-35 at halftime, paced by Brown’s 18 points and 7 rebounds and Horford’s 14 points and 5 assists.

The @celtics start fast and shoot 58.5 % from the field in half #1!#CUsRise 61 | #WhateverItTakes 35 at the break.

Jaylen Brown: 18 PTS, 7 REB
Al Horford: 14 PTS, 5 AST, 2 BLK
Jayson Tatum: 9 PTS, 3 REB

LeBron James: 7 PTS, 7 AST, 3 REB#NBAPlayoffs #NBAonABC pic.twitter.com/ourJWka3jI

— NBA (@NBA) May 13, 2018

James shot only 3-for-8 in the first half and the Cavaliers missed their first 14 3-point attempts of the game. 

The Celtics opened an early 29-9 lead and a 25-2 run helped carry Boston to a 36-18 edge after the first quarter.

Brown scored 13 points in the first quarter while Horford added 11 and the Celtics owned a 14-6 rebounding edge.

– Rappler.com