The Boston Celtics told themselves they’d put forth a much better performance than their lackluster effort in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. That ... did not happen.
5 amazing facts from the Cavaliers’ 44-point beatdown of the Celtics
This was unfair.
Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images
Instead, the Cavaliers rolled over them in Game 2 like they were a rec-league team going against the top varsity program in the state. They led by 41 at halftime (an NBA record) and eventually polished off a 130-86 victory to take a 2-0 series lead.
The Cavaliers didn’t quite set an record for the biggest blowout in NBA playoff history. That mark is 58 points, a record held by the 2009 Nuggets (against the Hornets) and 1956 Minneapolis Lakers (against the St. Louis Hawks). They also didn’t set a record for largest margin of defeat for the Celtics — that number is 52 points.
But the Cavaliers planted their flag in the ground anyway, shouting to the rooftops that their best is significantly better than anyone else’s best in the East.
Here are a few amazing facts about this game:
1. Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, and LeBron James made 27 shots in this game. The Celtics as a team made 31.
2. Those three players scored 54 first-half points. The Celtics as a team had 31.
3. The Cavaliers made 10 threes in the first half. The Celtics made 11 shots total.
4. A No. 1 seed has never lost like this.
5. In their last three games at TD Garden, the Cavaliers have outscored the Celtics by 80 points.
Let me read that last one again.
In their last three games at TD Garden, the Cavaliers have outscored the Celtics by 80 points.
That’s an average margin of victory of 26.6 points. This series is over.
See More:
