Cavs Vs Celtics: 5 Standout Stats from Game 3
Game 3 of the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. the Boston Celtics looked more like a wrestling match than an NBA playoff game. There were plenty of examples during Cavs Vs Celtics: When Jonas Jerebko manhandled Kyrie Irving on the way to the hoop in one play and Evan Turner tackled LeBron James to the ground in another, the Celtics let everyone know that they weren’t going down without a fight. Literally. Even with the rough-housing tactics employed by the Celtics in front of their home crowd, it was the visiting Cavaliers who maintained their poise and won the game.
Boston coach Brad Stevens also lamented the fact that his team lost its cool down the stretch though he praised them for their effort. Being back on their home floor gave the Celtics extra motivation to win. They were close in the final minutes of the fourth quarter before Kevin Love hit two big threes to stave off the rallying Celts, who are now one loss away from elimination.
Looking at the box score in one glance, many of Boston’s statistics compare favorably with Cleveland’s. So how did the Cavs win regardless? Let’s take a closer look at some standout stats from Cavs vs. Celtics Game 3.
1. LeBron James: 31 Points, 11 Rebounds, 4 Assists, 4 Steals, 2 Blocks, 2 Turnovers
King James’ 31 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks, and only 2 turnovers filled-up the stat sheet with an all-around effort that none of the Celtics could match.
James had a complete game where he had his hands in almost every Cavs play both on offense and on defense. He also mixed and matched his forays to the basket with outside jumpers. LeBron’s 31 and 11 gave him his 8th career playoff game with 30+ points and 10+ rebounds. His energy and focus on defense was evident in his hustle plays with one of his steals culminating in a breakaway dunk.
2. Kevin Love: 23 Points, 9 Rebounds
Aside from making six threes, [Love] was 8 of 16 from the field, to finish with his first 20-point outing in the postseason.
This was a huge game for Love as the former All-Star found his groove from deep early and kept the defense honest with his three-point bombs.
The much-maligned power forward struggled in the previous game after a strong playoffs debut in Game 1 but he made up for it with a performance worthy of his status among the Cavs’ Big Three. Aside from making six threes, he was 8 of 16 from the field, to finish with his first 20-point outing in the postseason. Though nothing spectacular, his 9 boards produced the necessary possessions that the Cavs needed in a game that was closer than the final score indicated. Love’s Game 3 effort could be a portent of things to come.
3. Cavaliers: 12-29 Three-Point FGs (41.4%)
Game 2 was a struggle for the wine and gold as Boston put the clamps on the Cavs’ shooters. Game 3 was a different story as Love and J.R. Smith exploded for 9 of the team’s 12 threes.
Smith got it going as he and James came to the morning shootaround an hour earlier. The struggling shooter had his best game of the series with 15 points, 9 of which came from downtown. But Love was the designated three-point marksman in this game as he made 6 out of 10 including one dagger three to the heart of the Celtics. Though he struggled offensively in this game after two stellar performances, Irving also chipped in with two three-pointers of his own. As a team, the Cavs made 7 more threes than Boston which spelled the difference in a game that was decided by only 8 points.
4. Cavaliers: 11 Turnovers vs. Celtics: 15 Turnovers
By playing the passing lanes well and hacking away at the ball given the opportunity, Cleveland came away with their most steals in the series, wreaking havoc on Boston’s offense.
With LeBron leading the way in taking care of the ball, the Cavaliers limited their turnovers to their lowest of the playoffs so far.
After turning the ball over 18 times in the last game, the Cavs were more careful in this game while forcing the usually steady Celtics to 15 turnovers. By playing the passing lanes well and hacking away at the ball given the opportunity, Cleveland came away with their most steals in the series, wreaking havoc on Boston’s offense. When they’re this active on defense, the Cavaliers are a tough team to beat even on the road.
5. Evan Turner: 18 Points, 8 Rebounds, 8 Assists, 2 Steals, 1 NFL-worthy Tackle
The brightest light from Boston this time around wasn’t Isaiah Thomas as the Celtics’ diminutive sparkplug struggled in this game. Instead, Turner came up with his biggest game in the 2015 playoffs with a near-triple-double.
Turner continued his all-around brilliance from the latter part of the regular season and delivered big for the Celtics in this game. He also contributed two steals and a three-pointer to keep Boston from being blown out on their home floor. The Celtics need at least two players to have huge games if they want to extend this series. Otherwise, it’ll be an early exit for a team that may have prepared the Cavs for the physical play of their next opponent—the Chicago Bulls.
Honorable mention:
James: 278 Steals for Playoffs Career
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James needed three steals to pass Robert Horry for 11th all-time in steals. With four steals in the game, LeBron not only passed Horry, he also tied Clyde Drexler for 10th all-time with 278 on his resume.
The King continues to attack the playoffs record books virtually every time he plays and Game 3 was no different. His next steal will move him to ninth place all-time, chasing Hall-of-Famer Julius Erving with 287 steals. If his team goes all the way to the Finals, he could end up in sixth place.