Forget all the pretty prose and words spent on how much Cleveland and Ohio mean to him. The real reason LeBron James decided to return to the Cavaliers last summer was on display Sunday against the Celtics.
Celtics vs. Cavaliers, NBA playoffs 2015: Time, TV schedule and how to watch Game 2 online
LeBron and the Cavs try to extend their lead to 2-0.
In his first ever playoff game, Kyrie Irving was the best player on the floor. He scored 30 points in 41 minutes and was 11-of-21 from the floor. LeBron, meanwhile, only needed to add 20 points, and with that the Cavaliers had a 113-100 win and a 1-0 series lead.
This is what LeBron always wanted: to not have to carry the scoring load, to be able to give the ball to a teammate and tell him to create something. In Dwyane Wade, he had that, but Wade’s body could no longer make it through the postseason. Irving’s likely will, which means LeBron can keep having games like he had on Sunday, when he added in seven assists, six rebounds and two steals. That he only attempted four foul shots shows just how little he was attacking. That the Cavaliers were still able to win by 13 shows how he no longer needs to attack.
For Boston, the season has already been a success. This was a team that no one -- its front office included -- expected to make the playoffs this year. To their credit, the Celtics were able to hang around in Game 1, but the Cavaliers are just too talented. Maybe if Isaiah Thomas goes off at some point (he had 22 points in 32 minutes in Game 1), Boston can steal one of these games. But the Celtics will need a great performance to avoid heading back to Boston down 0-2.
That being said, you know they won't be making it easy for the Cavaliers. The Celtics still have two great perimeter defenders in Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart and a smart coach in Brad Stevens. This is not a group that will roll over. That doesn't mean that they're going to win the series, but a single victory in Boston is not out of the question.
On Tuesday night in Cleveland, though, that’s a whole different story.
How to watch Boston at Cleveland
Place: Quicken Loans Arena
Time: 7 p.m. ET
TV: TNT
Online: WatchTNT
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