The Boston Celtics are officially on the brink of elimination as they now trail 3-0 in their first-round playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers after losing, 103-95.
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The Cavaliers traveled to Boston to face the Celtics in front of their rowdy home crowd, but whether they were playing at home or on the road did not affect the Cavaliers at all as they put together another solid team win.
The Celtics made it a game throughout the entire night, and they even led by a point shortly before halftime.
With just over a minute remaining, the Celtics led the Cavaliers, 48-47. However, Cavaliers shooting guard J.R. Smith sunk a three-pointer to give his team the lead.
Shortly after, Cavaliers star small forward LeBron James made a jumper. After this, LeBron went for another shot after a Celtics turnover, but he was held by Celtics shooting guard Evan Turner.
The officials ruled that Turner held LeBron for too long, so he was charged with a flagrant foul.
LeBron subsequently made two free throws before scoring two more points to end the half, and the Cavaliers took an eight-point lead.
The Celtics stormed right back in the third quarter though as they went on an 8-0 run. The Cavaliers show their depth though as they went on a 22-10 run after the teams tied again.
The Cavaliers continued to hold a steady lead throughout most of the fourth quarter, but Turner changed the tide of the game with a three-pointer with approximately three minutes left in the game.
This shot cut the Cavaliers’ lead to three points, but Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love responded with a three-pointer of his own.
Turner attempted to put the Celtics back in the game with an inside shot, but LeBron wanted no part of it as he came up with a vicious block.
Small forward Jae Crowder drew a shooting foul shortly after, but he only made one free throw before Love made another three-pointer that ultimately proved to be the dagger.
This three-pointer was the icing on the cake for a fantastic downtown shooting night from Love, who made 6-of-10 of his three-point shots while scoring 23 points with nine rebounds.
As usual, LeBron led the way for the Cavaliers as he scored 31 points with 11 rebounds and four assists. The Cavaliers star also showed his sneaky side by coming up with four steals.
Smith played his best game of his Cavaliers playoff career with 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting while point guard Kyrie Irving struggled for the first time in his playoff career with 13 points on 3-of-11 shooting.
Turner led the Celtics in scoring with 19 points while fellow guard Avery Bradley added 18 points, and Crowder chipped in another 16 off the bench.
The Celtics will have a chance to keep the series alive at home, but no team has ever rallied from a 3-0 deficit and won a series in NBA playoff history.
The Cavaliers have done nothing to disappoint those who bet on them as title favorites so far, and it appears they will face the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
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