The Boston Celtics once again hung tough, but in the end Tuesday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ depth and star power overwhelmed them in Game 2.
LeBron James took control in the second half, scoring half of his game-high 30 points in the fourth quarter, and added seven assists and nine rebounds in the 99-91 victory.
James found teammate Kevin Love for a crowd-pleasing reverse alley-oop thrown from halfcourt, and that seemed to give the Cavs the boost they needed to take a 2-0 series lead.
Per the Akron Beacon Journal:
The Celtics hounded the Cavs until well into the third quarter when two plays shifted momentum and energized a crowd that was as lively as wake attendees. The first came on an alley-oop from forward LeBron James to Kevin Love. […] “[Timofey Mozgov] was playing great. He cleaned that board,” Love (13 points, six rebounds) said. “I saw the left lane was open. LeBron caught it, saw me and got the proper sets and I got up and dunked it.”
“It was touch. I just tried to put it there the best possible way for your guy to just go up and catch and finish,” James (30 points, nine rebounds, seven assists) said. “It surprised all of us, the way that he finished it,” James said. “It was a big play and a big momentum swing for our team.”
The crowd erupted after the effort and it sparked the Cavs, extending their lead to 62-54 at the 8:07 mark of the third quarter. They, however, weren’t done. After two stops against the Celtic, guard Kyrie Irving joined the festivities. After a Love rebound, Irving found James, whose head was at the rim, he said, for another alley-oop that sent the made the crowd quake The Q. […] “I am just happy that we have connected on one,” Irving said. “It has been awhile since we have connected on one.”
