Let's get one thing straight right away: KG was a monster that shut a lot of people up. He carried the team offensively, and he drove hard the hoop for what turned out to be a game winning layup. Awesome game for KG… and that aggressiveness should scare Cavs fans.
But I want to make sure that the defensive effort on LeBron isn't lost… especially since the national media will be swinging from LeBron's sack… declaring that something must have been "off" with LeBron's game. Yeah… he might have missed a couple of shots he normally makes… but the real story was that Paul Pierce and James Posey smothered him all night long.
I'll go so far as to say I will gladly sacrifice Paul Pierce's offensive numbers if it means he plays LeBron like that for the rest of the series. He sacrificed his body and took two huge charges. He forced LeBron into a number of turnovers… including a crucial travelling call late in the game. Both Posey and Pierce kept LeBron in front of them for most of the game… and forced him to shoot (and miss) jumpers. It was a great defensive effort last night… and I want to make sure its known out there that the Celtics defense threw LeBron off.
WBZ TV: 6 minutes of Pierce, KG postgame | Herald: Pierce finds satisfaction in 'D' victory | Horror show | KG a pillar in the post | Cassell shows his stuff | LBJ's off night dooms Cavs | C's take game 1 | Globe: C's pull out defensive battle | Ryan: Misses messed with our heads | Shaughnessy: James deals with cold, hard facts | On aggressiveness, that's The Ticket | Cassell, Posey fill in blanks | KG 3rd in MVP voting | Z played central role in the middle | Wally, West handle adjustment | Thirst for first quenched | Souza: Post-deadline thoughts | C's survive scare | Megliola: Game 1 a weird one | Camerato: LeBron comes up short | ESPN: Daily Dime "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" | ESPN: Why Orlando fans feel screwed today
Boston Globe Photo / Jim Davis
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