The first 3 quarters of this game was one of the worst defensive performances the Cavaliers have displayed this entire season.  The Celtics somehow get off to a fast start, going up 8-1. Then LeBron hits a ridiculous layup, dishes a sick pass to Jamison for 2, and then comes down and hits a layup while getting fouled. Just like that, its 8-7. But the Celtics remembered the last two beatdowns the Cavs handed them, and looked determined to battle tough in the 1st quarter.

Rondo hits a jumper, Ray Allen hits a 3, and the Celtics are soon up 19-12. LeBron and Mo are taking most of the shots. LeBron missed his first several jumpers, but Mo picked up the slack by hitting some 3’s.

At the end of the quarter, the Cavs were down 22-30 and LeBron had the vision to find Jamario Moon for a spectacular alley-oop. Paul Pierce comes down and gets a garbage and-one, and the Cavs finish the quarter down 33-24. Boston clearly wanted to get off to a fast start, and they did just that.

The 2nd quarter progressed much like the 1st, and the Celtics just kept hitting shots. The Cavs look somewhat out-of-sync, and the Celtics were playing tough. Rondo and Ray Allen were playing solid. At the 5 minute mark, the Celtics were up 49-36 and we were just waiting for LeBron to escape his shooting slump. (3/11)

We weren’t getting many calls, but that wasn’t the reason why we were down double-digits. They kept getting out on fast-breaks and scored a lot of points in the paint. Hickson’s two baskets and then two free-throws cut Boston’s lead to 50-42. Hickson was a bright spot, who at this point had 8 points and 8 rebounds.  Varejao’s absence didn’t help; his energy was invaluable in our last game with Boston.

Mo Williams took charge, hitting a tough running layup and then hitting his third 3 pointer (he hadn’t missed one yet.) LeBron added to the Cavs free-throw misery, bricking two with about a minute to go.  The Cavs missed 14 free throws total, with LeBron having 8 of those.  It’s not often LeBron goes a full quarter without scoring a point, but that was almost the case today. His only 2 points in the quarter came when he hit a deep jumper with 20 seconds remaining. The Cavs went 8/15 from the line in the half. There’s a reason why they’re called “free” throws. However, for the Cavaliers, sometimes they’re anything but “free.”

Rajon Rondo hits a deep three as the buzzer sounds, and the Celtics take a 64-49 lead at the half, their biggest lead of the game thus far. LeBron misses all 4 of his 3 point attempts, and shoots 4/13 on the half. Mo Williams was the only bright spot, with 15 points hitting all 6 shots he took. Ray Allen and Rondo both have 12 points, and it seems like every Celtic is playing their best. The Cavaliers never held a lead, and Boston looked like the championship team of 2 years ago. 

Early in the 2nd half, things were looking grim. Following another episode of LeBron-swats-Rondo, the Cavs were down 53-72. Anthony Parker hits a big 3, and then LeBron finds Hickson for a nice dunk. But Ray Allen just kept hitting 3’s. It was a common theme. We cut the lead to 60-75, then Ray-Ray drills another 3, pushing the lead back to 18.

This was not the defensive effort Mike Brown was expecting.  Fast-forward to the 6 minute mark, where Mike Brown effectively lost his mind. He gets double-technicaled while screaming in the face of a referee. I’m not sure what his plan was, but probably something in the “motivate the team” department. His stress factor was elevated when Mo Williams was being held by Tony Allen on a rebounding attempt. It was actually kind of refreshing to see a vintage Mike Brown freak-out. In his defense, the officiating was pretty suspect. Had he not been held back, it looked like he was ready to throw down.

So Brown gets sent to the locker room, and not a whole lot changes. Late in the quarter, there was an Antawn Jamison sighting. He had a nice offensive rebound off a LeBron-miss for an easy two, then the next possession down he hits a 3 cutting the Celtics lead to a (not-so-manageable) 87-70.  Ray Allen hits another freaking 3 pointer and the lead is right back up to 20 @ 92-72. The quarter ended with the Celtics at 98 points, leading by 17, and we could only hope for a miracle in the 4th. Considering the Cavs only give up 95 a game, the fact that we gave up 98 in just 3 quarters was not a good sign.

The 4th quarter was far more entertaining for Cavaliers fans.  No one scored for the first 2 minutes of the final quarter, and LeBron’s two free throws at the 9:54 mark yet again cut the lead to 15. A few possession’s later, another questionable call upset LeBron, and he received a technical foul. That really pissed the King off, and the Cavaliers started playing with a chip on their shoulder. LeBron cut the lead to 101-93 with about 6 minutes to go; there was no quit in the Cavaliers on this day. Antawn Jamison hits an unbelievable 3 pointer, and the lead is down to 5. (It’s easy to lose a big lead when you rely on Kevin Garnett, who missed a bunch of shots in the 4th)

LeBron’s smooth lefty-layup cut the lead down to 2, and then Rondo got a technical of his own on a drive. Anthony Parker hits a nasty bank-shot off the dribble, and the comeback is complete; Cavs take the lead 104-103. Honestly, in my opinion; this is one of the greatest comebacks in Cavs history. Even though we lost, the 4th quarter was so much fun to watch. The fact that we turned around a 20 point deficit to take the lead undoubtedly put a smile on the face of Cavaliers fans everywhere. This game truly showed that the Cavs don’t ever concede defeat.

Ray Allen hits another 3 with 46 seconds left, and the Celtics lead is 4 points at 112-108.  Ray Allen was the reason the Celtics won this game.  He hit 6/9 from deep, and his huge makes seem to come at terrible times for the Cavaliers on this occasion.

The game ultimately came down to a missed 3 pointer by LeBron. With 10 seconds to go and down 115-113, LeBron shot a 3 pointer. He was 0-9 from deep in the game, which makes you kind of wonder why he didn’t just drive to the lane and try for an easy bucket. Garnett’s two free throws sealed the deal.

This was a hard-fought game, and the tension kept growing throughout the entire contest. You gotta be proud of the Cavs though, who turned this game from a blowout into a thriller. LeBron led the charge in the 4th, and it looked like we had a chance to pull the miracle. This game definitely added to the rivalry between the two teams.  Players that received technical fouls: LeBron, Rasheed, Rondo, and Mike Brown's ejection adds to 5 technicals total. The Cavaliers do not have any respect for the Celtics, and rightly so. The King finishes with 42 points, but everyone remembers the pull-up 3 that wasn't.  LeBron wishes he could have had that last shot back, but he went for the win and you have to admire his overall performance. Even in defeat, LeBron James is Underrated