Tag: Terry Rozier

2018 Eastern Conference Finals – Game 7

It is time. Game 7 between the Celtics and Cavaliers at the Garden. The winner heads to the National Basketball Association Finals. What more else is there to say about this series? The home team has dominated every game, setting up tonight’s Game 7. Kevin Love is out tonight for the Cavs after suffering a blow to the head in Game 6. That actually makes me a little nervous as a Celtics fan, because it’s been the guys like Larry Nance, who is bound to get more minutes tonight with Love out, who have hurt them throughout this series. Then again, those guys have only really been effective in Cleveland.

It’s a rainy and raw day here in New England, so I have my Celtics hoodie on as we’re welcomed to the TD Garden by Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson. The Celtics haven’t lost at home in the playoffs, and I’m hoping that trend continues this evening.

8:34 pm – You know what, I’m throwing my Bill Russell jersey on over my hoodie.

8:39 – Mike Breen tells us that this is the first time since 1979 that both Conference Finals have gone to Game 7s after last night’s huge win by the Warriors. That’s pretty cool. In other news, Jeff Green starts in place of Kevin Love for the Cavs.

8:41 – The Celtics win the tip and Game 7 is underway.

Jayson Tatum hesitates at the three point line, dribbles inside it, pulls up and hits a jumper to give the Celtics the first bucket of the night.

8:44 – LeBron James hits a jumper to get the Cavs on the board, and they’re down early, 6-2.

8:46 – Jayson Tatum pulls up and hits a jumper along the baseline, and we’ll have our first time out with the score Boston 11, Cleveland 4 with 8:19 left in the first quarter.

9:00 – We’ve got another time out after Jayson Tatum salvages a possession by flinging the ball off a Cavalier and out of bounds. The score’s Boston 17, Cleveland 16 with 2:58 left in the first quarter. LeBron already has 12 of the Cavs 16 points.

9:09 – We’re here at the end of the first quarter with the score Boston 26, Cleveland 18 after a 9-0 Celtics run to cap off the quarter. Jayson Tatum has nine points to lead the Celtics, and Al Horford’s right behind him with eight. LeBron James has 12 points and 5 rebounds, but he’s been observed playing suspect defense thus far. He’s 4-8 from the floor, while all the other Cavs are 2-9.

Oh, also, the Cavs have four turnovers, and the Celtics have none.

9:13 – Terry Rozier loops up a pass to Al Horford who throws it down, and the Celtics have the first points of the second quarter to put the Celtics up ten, at 28-18.

9:20 – We’ve got a time out with the score Boston 35, Cleveland 23 with 6:47 left until halftime. The Cavs are 1-14 from downtown, while the Celtics haven’t much better at 3-12. Boston still hasn’t turned the ball over, while the Cavs have given it up six times.

9:31 – Marcus Smart draws a foul on a layup attempt, but we’ll have a time out before he gets to the line with the score Boston 39, Cleveland 37 with 1:45 left until halftime. The Celtics have gone cold, and it’s allowed the Cavs to chisel their way back into the game.

9:38 –  We’ve made it to halftime with the score Boston 43, Cleveland 39.

Al Horford’s got 14 on 6-7 shooting, and Jayson Tatum has 11 points and 5 rebounds. LeBron has 17 & 10 to lead the Cavs.

The Celtics were able to survive their cold stretch to maintain a lead, albeit, a significantly smaller one, as we go into the break. If they can come out strong in the third, things will be okay.

Cleveland is 2-17 from downtown, and has turned the ball over seven times, while the Celtics have only once. However, Boston’s shooting just 39.5% overall, and are just 4-19 from downtown themselves. It hasn’t been pretty, but it’s definitely been a Game 7.

9:54 – Jayson Tatum fouls JR Smith shooting a three to begin the second half. He goes 2-3 from the line, and the Cavs trail, 43-41 as we get back underway.

9:55 – Terry Rozier ventures into the paint and gets a very friendly rim on a floater to put the Celtics ahead, 45-41.

10:01 – JR Smith cans a three and we’ll have our first time out of the second half with the score Boston 47, Cleveland 44 with 7:20 left in the third quarter. Both teams continue to struggle putting the ball in the basket. At this rate, we’ll be lucky to see someone break 80 points.

10:05 – Jeff Green ends a Cavs fast break with a layup, plus a foul, and he’ll step to the line looking to tie the game. He hits the free throw, and we’re tied at 47.

10:06 – Jayson Tatum pulls up and swishes a jumper to put the Celtics back ahead, 49-47.

10:07 – Al Horford finds Jaylen Brown under the hoop all alone for a dunk! LeBron James answers right back with a three, however, and the Celtics lead is 51-50.

10:08 – Jeff Green hits a corner three, and the Cavs take the lead at 53-51. On their next trip down the court, LeBron throws up a pass to Tristan Thompson who tips it in, and the Cavs are up 55-51.

10:09 – Terry Rozier gets a steal, goes flying down the court and….gets his dunk attempt blocked by LeBron James, who then just stands under the hoop for awhile as play continues down the court.

10:11 – Marcus Smart misses a horrific floater, but he of course steals the rebound and lays it in, and we’ll have a time out with the score Cleveland 56, Boston 53 with 2:55 left in the third. The Celtics have remained very cold, and the Cavs have been slightly less cold as we grime our way through the muck here in Game 7.

10:16 – A pair of Aron Baynes free throws makes this a one point game with the Celtics behind, 56-55.

10:18 – Baynes splits a pair of free throws, and we’re tied up at 56.

10:19 – LeBron James knocks down a three, and the Cavs pull ahead, 59-56.

10:20 – We’re at the end of the third with the score Cleveland 59, Boston 56. Jayson Tatum leads the Celtics with 15 points and 7 rebounds, and LeBron’s up to 23 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists. This has been a disgusting game, but at least it’s close. Hopefully the Celtics can start hitting some shots as we head down what’s sure to be a stress filled final twelve minutes. Also, hopefully I don’t throw anything.

10:24 – Jayson Tatum starts off the fourth quarter by banking home a contested runner, and the Celtics are down 59-58.

On the next possession, the Celtics force LeBron into an eight second violation, then Marcus Smart finds Al Horford for an alley-oop, plus a foul! Horford hits the free throw, and the Celtics are back ahead, 61-59.

10:25 – LeBron drives to the hoop for a layup, tying us up at 61.

10:26 – Marcus Morris knocks down a three! He’s up to 10 points and 10 rebounds, and the Celtics are back ahead, but JR Smith comes back with his own three, and we’re tied at 64.

10:28 – Kyle Korver knocks down a three, his first bucket of the night, and the Cavs regain the lead at 67-64.

10:29 – Jayson Tatum hits a pair of free throws, and the Celtics trail, 67-66.

10:30 – Marcus Smart deflects a pass, but it goes right to LeBron who hits a jumper to put the Cavs up, 69-66.

10:33 – Marcus Morris splits a pair of free throws to cut the Celtics deficit down to 69-67. They’re in the bonus for the rest of the game, so for the love of god, be aggressive and hit your free throws.

10:34 – LeBron drives and banks in an off balance shot, sending us into a time out with the score Cleveland 71, Boston 67 with 6:55 remaining. I am a mess right now. My heart’s pounding and my hands are shaking while I type. This is an unhealthy way to live.

10:38 – Jayson Tatum storms through the paint and throws down a huge dunk, and bumps LeBron as he heads back up the court! The Celtics are within two, down 71-69.

10:39 – TATUM HITS A THREE! The Celtics lead, 72-71, and Tatum’s up to 24 points. However, Jeff Green answers with a three to put Cleveland up, 74-72.

10:40 – LeBron finds Tristan Thompson for an easy dunk, and the Cavs are back up four at 76-72.

10:41 – Marcus Smart splits a pair of free throws, and the C’s are down 76-73.

10:42 – Jayson Tatum’s called for a foul against LeBron, and we’ll have a time out with the score still Cleveland 76, Boston 73 with 3:47 remaining and I honestly don’t know how I am still able to type.

10:46 – We’re back and Cleveland calls another time out for some reason. Probably to get LeBron, who’s played every minute tonight, a longer rest.

10:49 – LeBron draws the fifth foul on Jayson Tatum and will head to the line. James hits both free throws, and the Cavs go up, 78-73.

10:50 – Marcus Morris splits a pair of free throws, but Marcus Smart gets the offensive rebound, and gets it back to Morris for three…..and he misses it. The Celtics get another offensive and Terry Rozier launches a three, but it’s no good as well. Damn it.

10:52 – LeBron splits a pair from the line and the Cavs lead goes up to 79-74.

10:53 – George Hill is found all the way down the court by LeBron James, and he lays it in to send us into a time out with the score Boston 81, Cleveland 74 with 1:16 left. Fuck.

10:59 – The final buzzer sounds, and our final score is Cleveland 87, Boston 79. LeBron is heading to his eighth straight finals. I am going to go wander off into the night.

Jayson Tatum was great, scoring 24 points and grabbing 7 boards, but overall, the Celtics shot 34.1%, including an awe-inspiringly terrible 2-14 from Terry Rozier, which includes an 0-10 performance from downtown. Jaylen Brown wasn’t much better, shooting 5-18 overall and 3-12 on threes. That’s just too many missed shots in a game they could have won. It reminds me of Game 7 of the 2010 Finals, only this Celtics team isn’t ancient. This one is going to bother me for a long time, no matter how bright the future looks.

As for Cleveland, LeBron had 35 points, 15 rebounds and 9 assists on 12-24 shooting, and he had Jeff Van Gundy saying that dragging this team to the Finals is his finest accomplishment. Great.

Cleveland Cavaliers v Boston Celtics - Game Seven

There’s another Game 7 tomorrow, and if I return from roaming off into the night, there will be a running diary of that one, but until then…

2018 Eastern Conference Finals – Game 6

Tonight kicks off the start of what should be a great NBA weekend, with two Game 6s in the Conference Finals, starting off in Cleveland with Game 6 between the Celtics and Cavs. I got my Larry Bird jersey on, and I promise to try and remain level headed, no matter what happens. We’ll see how that goes.

The home team has convincingly won each game in this series, and what happens tonight is going to hinge on which version of each team shows up. Will we get the locked in, well executing Celtics, or the freaked out sloppy Celtics? Will the Cavs supporting players show up, will they play defense, or will they slog listlessly through another uninspiring performance? Who the fuck knows? Ideally, the best versions of these two teams will show up tonight, bringing us down to the wire of an exciting game. Either way, kick back, relax, and get whatever drinks you need to get yourself through the next couple of hours.

8:31 pm – Just waiting for Mike Breen, Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson to get their goddamn intro out of the way so we can actually start the basketball game. If you’re scoring at home, ESPN games start later than advertised because they insist on giving these clowns extra time to speak to us, whereas the TNT games pretty much get right to it.

8:41 – Jayson Tatum tracks down the ball as it rolls away after the opening tip, and we’re off and running. Terry Rozier quickly goes in for a layup to put the Celtics ahead 2-0 with the opening basket.

8:42 – LeBron James gets into the paint and puts in a runner, and we’re tied at two to start things off.

8:48 – We have a time out after Kevin Love and Jayson Tatum bonk heads, and both are a little woozy. Love’s got the worst of it as he’s still on the floor as we head into the commercial break with the score Boston 10, Cleveland 6 with 6:58 to go in the first quarter. Hopefully both players are okay when we come back.

8:52 – We’re back, and Kevin Love is off to the locker room. Meanwhile, Tatum remains in the game.

8:56 – George Hill goes in for a layup, and we’ll have another time out with the score Boston 14, Cleveland 13 with 3:43 left in the opening quarter. He’s already been more aggressive than he’s been in Boston, on his way to six early points.

9:04 – We’re here at the end of the first quarter with a score of Boston 25, Cleveland 20. LeBron leads the Cavs with eight points thus far, while Jaylen Brown has tallied 15 on 6-8 shooting to lead the Celtics. More of that, please.

In other news, the Cavs are shooting just 9-25 from the floor, while the Celtics are up at 11-18.

9:08 – Jeff Green finishes off an alley-oop with a nice dunk for the first points of the second quarter, and the Cavs trail, 25-22.

9:17 – LeBron James gets called for a foul driving to the hoop, and we’ll have a time out with the Cavs in the midst of a 14-3 run to make the score Cleveland 38, Boston 33 with 6:29 left in the first half. Cleveland’s really ramped up their defense. Can the Celtics withstand this haymaker?

9:25 – A Larry Nance Steal leads to a Jordan Clarkson layup, and things are starting to go down the drain for the Celtics as they take another time out with the score now Cleveland 44, Boston 34 with 4:59 remaining in the first half.

9:33 – LeBron James appears to request a rest, and it’ll lead a time out with the score Cleveland 49, Boston 38 with 2:05 left in the first half. If he is indeed going to sit out the rest of the half, the Celtics damn well better take the opportunity to chisel into this Cavalier lead before halftime.

9:35 – We’re back in action and so is LeBron. Maybe the Celtics will be able to chisel away anyway. Ugh.

9:39 – We’re here at halftime with the score Cleveland 54, Boston 43. LeBron James has 25 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists on 9-17 shooting after playing the entire first half. Jalen Brown’s 17 leads the Celtics, and Terry Rozier has contributed 13 so far.

The Cavs really got rolling with their bench players, who came in and turned up the defense in the second quarter. For the Celtics, Al Horford and Jayson Tatum have been particularly limited, combining for a paltry 1-7 from the floor.

Without Love for the rest of the game, the Cavs will likely feature more Jeff Green and Larry Nance, both of whom provided great energy off the bench in the first half. As for Love, he’s had a concussion or two before, so hopefully he’s okay.

9:55 – A pair of George Hill free throws provides the first points of the second half to extend the Cavs lead to 56-43.

10:05 – Jayson Tatum knocks down a three from the corner, but things are fairly off the rails for the Celtics right now, thanks to a bevy of turnovers and a mostly terrible shot selection. Nevertheless, the Tatum three inspires a Cavs time out with the score Cleveland 65, Boston 52 with 7:18 left in the third quarter.

10:15 – Jeff Green cans a three, and he’s up to 15 points on the evening, and we have a time out as the score’s up to Cleveland 80, Boston 65 with 2:12 remaining in the third quarter. This game, this entire series, has given me a headache.

10:23 – We’re here at the end of the third quarter with a score of Cleveland 83, Boston 73. LeBron, who took his first rest at the end of the quarter, has 32 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists on 12-22 shooting for the Cavs, and Terry Rozier, who’s been great for the Celtics, has 23 points and 6 assists on 9-14 shooting, including a 5-8 mark from downtown.

Yes, the Celtics chipped their deficit down to ten to begin the fourth quarter. Can that momentum carry through to the end of the game, or is it a mere blip on the Game 6 radar?

10:27 – Jaylen Brown works his way into the paint and is able to coax the ball through the hoop, and the Celtics strike first in the fourth and trail, 83-75. Meanwhile, Terry Rozier is trying to walk off a tweaked ankle.

10:37 – LeBron follows his own miss and gets a second attempt to roll around the rim and in, and we’ll have a time out with the score Cleveland 95, Boston 83 with 6:32 remaining. The offensive rebound from LeBron was the 14th by the Cavs tonight, a big reason why they’re ahead.

10:44 – Jayson Tatum’s called with a foul and we’ll have a time out with 3:54 to go and a score of Cleveland 97, Boston 90. The Celtics are certainly playing hard, but too many missed free throws (seven) and offensive rebounds from the Cavs are keeping them at a distance, though if they can make some sort of a run here…

10:53 – LeBron knocks down a three, his second in a row, to send us into a time out with the score Cleveland 107, Boston 96 with 1:40 left in the ballgame. He’s up to 44 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists, and this series is going to be up to a Game 7 Sunday night in Boston.

11:01 – The Cleveland fans are answering Boston’s “CELTS IN SIX!” chant the other night with a rousing “CAVS IN SEVEN” chant as this one winds down. Neat.

11:02 – This one’s over with a final score of Cleveland 109, Boston 99.

LeBron James played 46 minutes and racked up 46 points, 11 rebounds, and 9 assists on 17-33 shooting. George Hill chipped in with 20 points.

Terry Rozier led the Celtics with 28 points and 7 assists on 10-16 shooting (6-10 from downtown), and Jaylen Brown was right behind him with 27 on 11-18 shooting.

The Celtics shot 50.7% overall and 42.9% from beyond the arc on the road and still lost, thanks to a crummy 11-20 mark from the free throw line, and all of the extra chances the Cavs got thanks to their 15 offensive rebounds. That, and LeBron James is a bad mother fucker.

Boston Celtics v Cleveland Cavaliers - Game Six

Yep, we’re going to Game 7 in Boston, and I am going to bed. Will we have two Game 7s? We’ll find out tomorrow night with Game 6 between the Rockets and Warriors, a game which I will over at a friends house for, so, you’ll have to carry on without a running diary, much like the Rockets will have to go through the game without Chris Paul. That’s a less than accurate analogy, but so be it.

2018 Eastern Conference Finals – Game 4

So far, the Conference Finals have been kind of a dud. Sure, both series are 2-1 going into PIVOTAL GAME 4s, but each and every game, be it Eastern or Western Final, has been a goddamn blowout. That includes Game 3 between the Celtics and Cavs, in which Cleveland awoke at home for a rousing victory. Now, they can tie this thing up heading back to Boston, which would give them a ton of momentum. This is more than a worthy test for the young and resilient Celtics. How will they bounce back on the road against the frustrating, yet prideful Cavs?

8:32 pm – Still waiting for ESPN’s pregame show to finally end. In other news, I got the Bird jersey on tonight. As for the game, to me, the biggest question this evening is whether or not the Celtics can limit the Cavs supporting cast, that, and can they play with a little more spirit on the road, where they’re 1-5 this postseason, compared to a 9-0 mark at home.

Of course the Cavs will be looking for more of the same. Game 3 might have been their finest game of the playoffs. When they play like that, nobody in the East can touch them.

8:41 – The opening tip is flubbed by the ref, so we’re still waiting for this thing to get underway. On the second attempt, the Celtics corral the ball, and this important basketball game is underway.

8:42 – Tristan Thompson gets his shot blocked by Al Hoford, but stays with it for not two, but three offensive rebounds, and finally a bucket to give the Cavs an opening 2-0 lead.

8:43 – Marcus Morris takes an easy route to the basket for a dunk, and we’re tied at two to begin the game.

8:51 – Jayson Tatum misses on a loud dunk attempt, and on the other end, LeBron makes the Celtics pay by scooping in a layup, plus a foul. It’ll inspire our first time out with a score of Cleveland 16, Boston 10 with 5:38 left in the first quarter. The Celtics have missed a concerning amount of early opportunities around the basket already.

8:58 – We’ve got another time out with the score Cleveland 23, Boston 15 with 3:05 left in the first. So far, the Celtics are doing a better job hanging in than they did in Game 3, where they were behind by roughly 93 points at this stage of the game, but they’re only just hanging in.

9:05 – Marcus Morris now has three fouls, but he remains in the game for the moment. Let’s see how this goes.

9:07 – Mark Jackson keeps marveling at the “old school coaching” (his words) from Ty Lue, who inserts Tristan Thompson into the game whenever Al Horford comes in, and then, get this, removes him when Horford heads to the bench. Jackson goes on to gush that this is a “chess match at the highest level”. It’s really not that complicated, Mark. I am in a bad mood.

9:11 – We’re at the end of the first quarter and I am all up in arms with the score Cleveland 34, Boston 18. A missed dunk from Jaylen Brown with about ten seconds left in the quarter, while Brad Stevens was imploring his team to hold for the last shot, nearly sent me over the edge, and my laptop flying across the living room.

LeBron James leads the Cavs with 11 points on 4-4 shooting, while Marcus Morris and Terry Rozier have each scored four points to “lead the way” for the Celtics. Send help.

The Celtics have left more than a few points on the table with three, count ’em, three missed dunks and some other bad misses around the rim, reminiscent of the Rockets last night. They went on to lose by 41 points. Hooray, Conference Finals.

9:16 – After he’s fouled shooting a three, Kyle Korver puts in all of the ensuing free throws, netting the Cavs the first points of the second quarter to get their lead up to 37-18.

9:26 – LeBron draws a foul against Jayson Tatum, and we’ll have a time out with the score Cleveland 48, Boston 35 with 6:17 left in the first half. Marcus Smart is 0-5 for the Celtics, which, fine, that’s part of the Marcus Smart Experience, buy Jaylen Brown is 1-9. Meanwhile, Kyle Korver is 3-3 off the Cavs bench and hasn’t missed a shot since this series moved to Cleveland. Nevertheless, the Celtics precariously remain in shouting distance, even if most of the shouting is coming from me.

9:34 – Hey, Marcus Morris knocks down a three, and we’ll have a time out with the score Cleveland 53, Boston 43 with 4:18 left until halftime as the Celtics, despite their struggles, continue to play hard and hang around, despite falling behind by as many as 19.

9:39 – LeBron works on Terry Rozier in the paint and hits a turnaround over him, and we’ll have another time out with the score Cleveland 59, Boston 46 with a huge 2:33 left in the first half. If the Celtics can find a way to keep this around ten, or below, they’ll have a real fighting chance in the second half.

9:42 – Jeff Van Gundy accidentally calls JR Smith “JR Reid”. Shoutout to JR Reid.

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9:46 – We’re here at halftime, and needless to say, the Celtics have not kept it to around ten or below. The score’s Cleveland 68, Boston 53.

LeBron has 22 on 8-11 shooting, and goddamn Kyle Korver has come off the bench for 14 on 4-4 shooting. Terry Rozier is actually working on a triple double with 10 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists, only nobody’s noticed  because the Celtics are making too many mistakes, and blowing too many shots at the rim. They’re also shooting just 37%, but they have hit seven threes, and have only turned the ball over three times, all of which courtesy of Marcus Smart.

The Celtics have spent the entire first half teetering between a horrendous blowout, and keeping their hopes vaguely alive. That is generally not a winning strategy, and if they’re going to make any noise in this game, it almost has to be with a strong start to the second half.

10:03 – On the first possession of the second half, it looks like LeBron banged knees with Jaylen Brown and he’s hobbling a bit. As usual, I’m sure he’ll be fine. Anyway, Al Horford hits a jumper to score the first points of the second half, and the Celtics cut their deficit to 68-55.

10:06 – Marcus Morris loops a pass ahead to Jaylen Brown all alone under the hoop for a nifty layup, and we have a quick time out with the score Cleveland 68, Boston 57 with 9:49 left in the third.

10:14 – Jayson Tatum draws the fifth foul on Kevin Love, and he heads to the bench with 7:40 left in the third, and the Celtics down, 72-60.

10:16 – George Hill draws the fifth foul on Marcus Morris, and does Tatum one better by making it an and-one. He misses the free throw, but the Cavs lead is 76-63 as we head towards 6:30 remaining in the third.

10:19 – Terry Rozier gets fouled shooting a three, and then promptly misses 2-3 free throws, and the Celtics deficit is ten at 76-66.

10:26 – After a foul is called on Marcus Smart, we’ll have a time out with the score Cleveland 81, Boston 72 with 2:59 left in the third. If this is going to be a comeback, it’s certainly been one of the slowest moving comebacks I’ve ever seen. Every time the Celtics seem like they’re about to turn the corner a little, something silly happens like an inopportune foul, or some missed free throws, and the Cavs have been able to keep their lead hovering around double digits. I don’t even want to think about how many points the Celtics have squandered with missed free throws and missed layups/dunks.

10:37 – We’re here at the end of the third quarter with the score Cleveland 89, Boston 76 after the Cavs closed out the quarter nicely after the Celtics had cut their lead to eight. Boston just hasn’t been able to put more of a dent in the Cavs lead, and they head into the fourth once again down double digits.

LeBron James has 35, and Tristan Thompson’s got 11 & 11. Jayson Tatum’s 17 leads the Celtics.

The difference so far has been the hustle and effort from the Cavs supporting characters. Guys like Thompson and Kyle Korver are playing their asses off to help fend the Celtics off, who, to their credit, are playing hard as well, but, and I can’t stress this enough because it’s going to give me a fucking stroke, have left a lot of points on the table with their misses around the rim.

10:42 – A Terry Rozier three leads off the fourth and makes this a ten point game again with the Celtics behind, 89-79. It’s now or never for Boston as far as this game’s concerned.

10:46 – Al Horford spins around a double team and puts home a dunk, and the Celtics have scored seven straight points to make the score Cleveland 96, Boston 88 with 8:28 remaining. They’ve done it with LeBron on the bench, and you can be damn sure he’ll be entering the game on the other side of this time out, but maybe the Celtics can finally whittle this lead the rest of the way down…

10:54 – After LeBron works his way to the hoop for the layup, we have a time out with the score Cleveland 100, Boston 89 with 6:01 remaining in the game. I’m becoming less and less coherent due to the dangerous combination of excitement and frustration with the Celtics.

11:02 – In a play that couldn’t have summed up this game better, Marcus Morris steals the ball under the hoop, and tries to pass it away as he heads out of bounds, but he of course zips the ball straight to LeBron James who gets a layup out of it. The Celtics call a time out with the score Cleveland 104, Boston 93 with 3:31 left in one of the most frustrating ballgames I’ve watched in a long time.

11:08 – We’re going to have a time out after LeBron James and Marcus Smart exchange three pointers to make the score Cleveland 109, Boston 98 with 1:29 remaining. Time has just run out on the Celtics, who could never make any real progress as they made a valiant, yet incredibly frustrating effort to get back in the game.

11:14 – This one comes to an end with a final score of Cleveland 111, Boston 102.

LeBron led the Cavs with 44 points and 5 rebounds on 17-28 shooting. Tristan Thompson contributed 13 points and 12 rebounds, and Kevin Love chipped in with 9 points and 11 rebounds.

Jaylen Brown finished with 25 points and 6 rebounds, and Terry Rozier added 16 points, 6 rebounds and 11 assists.

That was a yucky game of basketball. The Celtics effort was not in question, it was their execution that was suspect. I’ve mentioned the missed dunks and layups and all that other jive enough for one evening, but it’s going to haunt the Celtics on the way back to Boston. On top of that, LeBron was great, and he got a lot of helpful scrappiness from the supporting cast. Now Cleveland has all of the momentum ahead of Game 5 at the TD Garden, where the Celtics have yet to lose this postseason. Game 5s in a tied series are usually thorny and eventful, and if you ask me, these Conference Finals could use some thorniness, on both sides of the country.

Boston Celtics v Cleveland Cavaliers - Game Four

Coming up tomorrow night, another important Game 4, with the Rockets, down 2-1 on the road, looking to bounce back from their 41 point loss last night. I’m sure it will be another thrilling NBA playoff adventure, so keep on following along.