|
"It's plain and simple," said O'Neal, who came to Cleveland determined "to win a ring for the King." "We've got to win two in a row. We've got to man up. I've been in this situation before."
Before the game, Celtics coach Doc Rivers said his team would not change its strategy.
"We are who we are," Rivers said. "We don't need anyone to play hero basketball. We have to be a team. We're good when we're a team."
And through five games, the Celtics have been the better one. Because of injuries, Boston, two years removed from its 17th NBA championship, never found its groove in the regular season.
The Celtics got it now.
They've outperformed the top-seeded Cavs in almost every aspect of the game, outrunning and outhustling a younger team that with the addition of O'Neal, Antawn Jamison and Anthony Parker, was built for the postseason but has yet to show it's serious about winning a title.
"We've done nothing," Rivers said. "We've won three games but we've got to win four."
Allen opened the second half with back-to-back 3s, pushing Boston's six-point halftime lead to 12 and deflating already nervous Cleveland fans, who have seen so many of their teams choke in pressure situations before.
In the first half, the Cavs did a brilliant job on Rondo, who didn't score his first points until the 9:47 mark of the third quarter. But by then, the Celtics had opened their double-digit lead and with James misfiring from the outside, Cleveland was in big trouble.
James missed his first seven shots before he got loose on a leak-out dunk with 6:15 left in the third.
The Cavs led 29-21 when, with Rondo on the bench, Boston's Big Three of Allen, Garnett and Pierce did all the scoring in a 16-0 run that put the Celtics ahead by eight.
NOTES: Kentucky coach John Calipari, a friend of James, sat courtside with James' agent, Leon Rose -- just a few seats from Cavs owner Dan Gilbert. ... Rivers was asked if Rondo's postseason breakout signifies a passing of the Celtics' torch from Boston's Big Three. "I'm just trying to get them to pass the ball to each other," he joked. "That torch stuff, I'm going to leave that alone. If they pass it to each other, I'm good." ... Joe Tait, the Cavs' radio voice for 38 seasons, and Boston Globe reporter Jackie MacMullan will receive the Curt Gowdy Media Awards at the Basketball Hall of Fame this summer. MacMullan is the first woman to be honored.
[Associated Press;
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
News | Sports | Business | Rural Review | Teaching & Learning | Home and Family | Tourism | Obituaries
Community |
Perspectives
|
Law & Courts |
Leisure Time
|
Spiritual Life |
Health & Fitness |
Teen Scene
Calendar
|
Letters to the Editor