In what was billed as the opening game of the most anticipated season in Cleveland sports history, the Cavaliers came up short as they fell to the Boston Celtics, 95-89.
LeBron James led the way for Cleveland with 38 points and an outstanding defensive performance which included 4 blocked shots, but it wasn’t enough as the rest of the team struggled to hit their shots all night long.
The Cavs opened up strong and bullied their way to a 21-7 lead midway through the first quarter. Boston regrouped and went on a two-quarter run that turned a 14-point deficit into a 15-point lead. The Cavs fought back but never got within four points down the stretch.
Paul Pierce scored ten late points and led Boston with 23. Ray Allen added 16, Kevin Garnett 13, and Rasheed Wallace had 12 off the bench. Mo Williams scored 12 for the Cavaliers, while Shaquille O’Neal and Anthony Parker each chipped in 10. Anderson Varejao, after scoring six of the game’s first 10 points, finished with 9.
Lengthy stretches of poor communication on offense, couple with playing a playoff-tested Celtic team, spelled doom for the wine and gold tonight. The team looked out of sync on numerous occasions, but stayed in the game thanks to the always-reliable James.
Two weaknesses for the Cavs last year, bench scoring and points in the paint, were a big concern in restocking this year’s squad. Points in the paint was answered as the Cavs led in that category, but the bench was again outscored handily, 26-10.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas looked lost in his newly-discovered role coming off the bench, but kept the Cavs in the hunt with 6 fourth-quarter points. He will be a better fit for this team on the bench, but against a strong interior team like Boston, he was looking every bit like a 34-year-old center.
The Cavs did not have their strongest game, and it cost them against a powerful Boston team. Tomorrow night, against Toronto, a game like this will not end up in the losing column. However, it doesn’t do much for our 2008-2009 reputation of failure to beat the elite teams consistently.
Tipoff tomorrow in Canada is at 7pm. We’ll get our first chance to hear Austin Carr as the game will be broadcast on Fox Sports Ohio.
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