Throwback NBA Playoffs ECSF 2008.5.12 Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers G4 FHD！
So now he comes back in game three, takes care of the ball, still doesn’t shoot it well, five of 16, but he has eight assists, only two turnovers on the road in these playoffs, Doug, after having the best road record during the regular season. They did a good job. They got out of the gate. They were up 10 the last two games, down seven at home at the end of the first quarter. Their bench came in and rescued them here in uh in game three. Let’s see if he can get started here early again tonight. That first quarter the other day by the Cleveland Cavaliers. terrific in game three. Oh, it’s LeBron to Serviaak who knocks down the long shot. Ray Allen was defending on the play. Goscus a screen, a switch on defense. West to Z inside over Perkins. Another rebound. Rondo collects this and here comes Ray Allen. [Applause] Garnett has the center for this team in some situations. Power forward here. Works on Elgowskis down low. Now, Garnett is one of the few Celtics, Doug, who has better postseason numbers than regular season numbers. Yeah, I think that’s a problem for the Celtics because I think Kevin Garnett Oh, beautiful back door pass here by LeBron James. Dante West, but I think the it’s Pierce out of Kansas getting a Garnett screen. There’s a switch on defense with Wallace. That means Garnett is free to take it right down the boulevard. Yeah. The heavier that ball gets begins to stick. Exactly. Well, it’s, you know, just, you know, you become hesitant. There’s Dante West. What a what a game he had in for the Cams. And if you’re Boston, you don’t want him to ever see that ball go in the basket. So going to the free throw line and missing two helps them defensively. On the switch, they rotated and West was defending Garnett with an easy two by Kevin who’ve gotten this team off to a decent start here tonight. The screen by Elgowskis. The switch on defense. Garnett comes out on Elgowskis. Look at him take it down the lane and knocked away and off of Cleveland in the half court. Yeah. Rush picks up Rondo. Garnett setting a screen. Wallace with the defend. Rondo can’t get it. Perkins there to clean it up and it’s Garnett with another offensive rebound. Down it goes. And a foul. Celtics only four of 12 from the field. Two of two from the line. And West picks up his first for the Cavaliers. And Kevin, what was I talking about? Working to get some easy points. This is a second shot opportunity missed by Perkins. Then Garnett. But when you don’t shoot the ball well, those wide open shots become glaring misses. Seven nothing start for Boston. And Serbiaak over puts in another. Wally Serbiaak has hit two. Now this was a concern of Doc Rivers. They know about James, but Serbiaak, he said, is kind of that wild card for the Cavaliers. No question. And and he’s a he’s a guy who’s gotten off to a good start here tonight. Ray Allen has got to stay locked into him and not give him open shots. With a screen and Rondo fires a pass which is broken up by James. Twoon one with Leon gets it to go and a foul because you’ll have to play against Jim Brown, the great Cleveland Browns player in the open court. How about LeBron James? Watch this. He takes the punishment. Ray Allen goes flying out of the picture. James and Wallace along with Elgowskis all remain in the game. And Serviaak Allen over. Serviaak inside. And Ray Allen hits. He’s a 60 plus. Not settle as many long jump shots. Serviaaks five leading the Cavs. Nine by Garnett leads all scores. The shot clock at five. Garnett watching Gibson. Now Garnett goes out onus and that’s the shot they’ll has gone back to the locker room. Cheryl Miller is on that story. Gibson taking his place as we’ve told you. Pierce comes out on James. Shot clock at three. LeBron for two. And the rebound by Ronda who collects another one. That’s his second rebound of the night. And pushes it the other way. Here’s Pierce. They want him to drive, don’t they? They’re going to attack. to get to the free throw line. Shooting too many threes in this series. Not shooting it well. Garnett picked up by Wallace over Gibson and into Rondo. Little high low game by a first team allNBA defender. Now they switch and rotate and Rondo is on Gibson with four to shoot. Oh, off balance. Ruby Gibson out of the universal minutes in the three games, but he can defend and when he’s on, he can make his perimeter shot, which makes him very valuable. Pavlovich for Zerbia inside. That’ll count. Leon Poe got in the way and LeBron puts it in on the fly. Oh, LeBron with five. This guy is so strong. How many times now we’ve seen at least twice here tonight where he’s had a way. Here comes Gibson. He gets a screen. Garnett once again on Gibson. Shot clock at three. Posey watching Smith. He’s inconsistent due to the fact that he’s suffered through a lot of injuries. Switch on defense. James tries to work on Brown. Normally guarded by Pierce. And here comes S with a beautiful fade away and a hand in his face. And money with the Boston Celtics. So they wanted to resign Pavlovich cuz he had played so well and just couldn’t get him signed. Good defense inside by PJ Brown who I think just picked Oh, they’re going to count as a goend and it’s on PJ Brown with Philly. They can get some offensive rebounds. But that’s why you’ve got to have one of them with a score out there either with Gowskis or Joe Smith and then their activity and their rebounding and their defense becomes very important. Pierce with the drive and attacking right into Pavlovich. And that is exactly what Doc wants to see. That’s early to begin this season. Part of many things which happened to this Cleveland team. A screen by Smith on Coy. Here comes LeBron. Oh, what a play. What a screen that opened the door. You know, the only three shots he could settles him down a little bit. We We’ve seen three terrific shots by LeBron. They double pierce. Here’s Cassell. Gibson on him. Shot clock down to six and a foul on Gibson. year-old Cassell well gets and picks up number two, but LeBron chiseling his way for the deuce inside. Well, great defense, but just better offense. I mean, look at this. LeBron, everybody in the paint, he just muscles that one in the basket. All statewide receiver in the state of Ohio. So, he felt the thumps as a high school kid, carried that through in his basketball career and certainly to the NBA. And nowhere was that more apparent than in the first round series against the Washington Wizards, Doug. And he has felt it here in the second round against the Boston Celtics. Well, actually here early in the playoffs. How you want Smith and Brown, James and Posey. Garnett picked up by Verish. The shot clock is down to five. Kevin Garnett rebounded inside by Gibson. And by the way, Dante West still in the locker room. They’re attending his eye. And now he’s just come back out onto the floor. They’ll check in in a second. The try by LeBron James. One. This plays into what we were just talking about. Has not been able to make a jump shot tonight. So what do you do? You get to the rim and score. They should attack the basket every chance they get here in this quarter. Four of 10. LeBron a very screen. Gibson over PJ Brown. He puts down a two Cavaliers. Everybody talks about Boston’s defense. Cleveland has been playing step for step defensively with this team. Uhoh. There’s the drive will not count. That is a foul. It’s on the Cleveland Cavaliers. It was interesting. The referee underneath the basket did not call anything. That’s a good call. He lowered his shoulder. Bob Delaney’s under the basket. And it was actually Mark Wonderlick here on the weak side. Had a better look at it. But no question there LeBron lowered that shoulder and created the contact. Here is Garnett. Parish got caught up in a switch. And KG puts in another Gibson. KG is defending Parish. That’s foul. LeBron out there for Cleveland. Shot clock at six. Here comes Gibson into Garnett. The hand off to Farah who has been offensively minded inside. I see him standing out behind that three-point line. The tried by Allen with the teardrop doubled and tapped in by PJ Brown out there with Rond has taken his place for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Garnett double. Ball has got on him quickly. Rondo against West. Ball picked up by Ben Wallace. Carnickle watch James held by Pierce as they go traveling out of bounds. There is no love loss. There is no love loss between LeBron James and Paul Pierce. None. Something that’s gone back many years. It’s rivalry has built and is simmering over in this second round. Acknowledging or whatever. I mean, Paul Pierce, the only thing I don’t like about these wrap up fouls is, you know, guy plants his leg and how easy it is to get a guy injured. And I’ve talked about that before on the telecast, Kevin. I know that when it starts to plant that leg and if you’re starting to jump and a guy grabs you, it so sets you up to get hurt. And Paul Pierce has got him wrapped up there on free throws and 11 three-point shots. I mean, again, that three-point line. Avich with the miss. Pierce defending. Here comes Rhonda racing the other way. Two on two. Pierce tight and he goes pumping into Povich. He’s now got to get his focus back on this ball game. AJ Brown is back in for Gry Perkins. Here comes Pierce. Picked up by Pamovich. Doubled by Ben Wallace. Boy, a much more aggressive Paul Pierce defense here right now. If you’re Cleveland, it’s got to be either Z inside or Wally on the perimeter. Good defense by PJ Brown. Picked up by Kevin Garnett. Ahead it goes to Ray Allen who has gone one of three from the floor with four points. See how their big men are out shadowing him just forcing him to throw the ball back to PJ Brown who it’s a trolley wire jumper there for the Cleveland Cavaliers. They got Pavlovich on Pierce. Shot clock is down to five. Will they double? It’s out to Allen who sheds the defense of Serviaak and buries the two with seven seconds to play in the first. Good job making him take the most shots of anybody on the team. Allen finds Garnett. We start the second half. Six on the shot clock. Garnett with a screen. West fights by it trying to tail Rondo inside who comes up. A lot of the reason was because LeBron James was on the uh bench with fouls and their offense was totally out of sync. Austin with Pierce, Garnett, Perkins, Allen and Rondo to begin the second half. Rondo to Ray Allen. A three. He’s fouled on the play by Serbia. That is the first on Wallally here tonight. Give yourself some kind of cushion. Boston’s first lead since two minutes gone or two minutes remaining in the first quarter. Here is Serbia knocking in a two. Ray Allen with the close out. Von has the ball on the strong side and then the weak side is what’s open because Boston helps so much defensively. Wallace is on Garnett. West is watching Rondo with a double Kevin. Shot clock at five. The big ticket. Garnett the screen. The switch on D. Another screen. That’s Perkins freeing up Allen who swithers down the lane and the rebound by Ben Wallace. Outlet to LeBron. Serviaak wide open. Nobody came out on Wally Serviaak. Serviaak when he took that three. Wallally had a response once he knocked it down. Rondo against West. Oh, what a shot. Rajan Rondo helping on that drive. So seven points in this third quarter who snuck on the mismatch. Kendrick Perkins did not run out at Ben Wallace and did not leave the basket. Rondo against Elosquez who throws down a sledgehammer to play here in the third there. He was actually going for the ball. So that will not be any kind of flagrant foul. This series averaged eight turnovers a game. Hondao and Dante West out on him. Play closed out by Serbia on Ray Allen who buries the triple side. He just faded and that’s vintage Ray Allen that we used to see in Milwaukee and Seattle moving without the basketball off a screen by Wallace Serbia knocks it down. That screen was set overtime or NBA.com for more yellow book future faces content. Weston Rondo Serbia was screened by Garnett and the shot outside is lubricated is the word that they’re using. All right, thank you Cheryl. Here’s LeBron. Pierce tails him. Everybody was sagging. So Elus is three. And look at Ray. Beautiful play by Ben Wallace. Ray Allen. He’s the man with a hot hand right now. So if you’re Rondo, you keep looking for your shooter. Oscus and Garnett tries to exploit Rondo after a Garnett screen. West was late from Rondo in the third quarter. I came out on James. Allen comes out on Serbia and West is free to fire because Bondo is sagging down low. James right outside with a three uncovered on the tonight. All of his baskets in the paint. Let’s see if that opens up the game a little bit for him. Wallace comes out with a double on Serbia of Allen outside. Rondo at the West. Oh, he’s feeling it right now. Ran Rodine tries. 15 points for Rondo. Here’s Serviaak through traffic. It’s West right into Perkins. The two point guards dug. It’s a game within a game here. Wallley and Ray Allen playing off the basketball. That one inside pounded by Wallace and Elsus and James missed their last four consecutive shots. Well, they’ll go through droughts now. They’ll they’ll go through those now, but this is Joe Smith’s shot right here. Close out by PJ Brown. Joe Smith hits from outside. Three of four with six. See, when their big guys show up so big, Boston, they’re so concerned about LeBron coming off that screen roll. Joe Smith, they can the opposite big man cannot rotate and get in soon enough. Screen by Rondo and Allen fights for it. Cozy will LeBron Smith into heel. Interesting flaunt nine now with big baby Davis and PJ Brown on the front line. Neither one of those big guys are really scorers unless you give them an open little jump shot like that that PJ can knock down. Right. Here comes Cassell watching Booby Gibson. The shot clock is down to five. The switch. Little defense by Davis. Gibson did not stop dribbling. He shook the defense forcing him to take jump shots. Servian is on Cassell. Former teammates in Minnesota. Throws one up. Looks like switch on defense. Another rotation. Now Pierce ends up on James and Gibson over Cass for three. One of the better three-point Daniel Gibson. And that’s what I was talking about. Sort of point guard by committee. Whoever’s hot’s going to be on the floor. Sam a screen. Serviaak goes on Pierce and Paul Pierce. That ball. Here’s Serviaak off the screen. Posey reaching in. Doubled by Big Baby. It’s James the defense of Pierce. The low side. Still gets it. A great walk away pass by LeBron James. He’s five of 14, but he’s still the best player on the floor because of things like this. He defends, he rebounds, he creates easy opportunities for his teammates, and that’s why he can impact the game even when he shoots poorly. Boston’s defense hits. So what’s happening is LeBron James hoping someone’s going to help that he can kick out and shoot the three. Barnett is tripled. Smith leaning on him. No one is on because we’ve all sucked in since the first quarter. Anjan Rondo picked up by Visa who now goes back on Garnett. The rebound by Daniel Gibson. See, both of these teams have expended so much energy on defense. I don’t know that they have enough energy to make any kind of jump shots right now. It’s who’s going to be able can come up with some kind of easy basket. A screen by Verouel. James was open and fires the shot. A late arriving close out by the Celtics, but Verha clogged it up and gave LeBron LeBron James supreme confidence. We just talked about his struggles shooting the basketball. He missed six in a row. He steps up, makes a big three. But Kevin, both of these teams play such great three and a half minutes. Theirs is picked up by LeBron. An Allen screen, a switch on defense. West is on Pierce and he got it to go. Paul Pierce, five of 14. Hey West, don’t settle for the jump shot. Use your size and get in the lane. And that was a tough shot, but that was a smart play. Here is Gibson. A screen and that was clogging up the defense by Rondo and Gibson buries the three. He’s played 24 minutes. He’s got 14 offense and he’s five of nine. That’s Charles Barkley should be smiling. That was a 3-1 tick and roll. He said you got to run more tick and rolls with the Smalls. Pierce for three over James. And the rebound by Jonte West coming down hard. Lost the ball grabbed by Garnet. They call it jump ball. And now Verhiao has a little shoving there on the big ticket for Serbiaak and Gibson. Three players with 15 for the Celtics. Garnier, Allen, and Rondo double the figures off the Boston bench. Allen from Pierce over West and the rebound. Volleyball inside picked up by Joe Smith. He corrals his sixth rebound tonight. Joe Smith has been terrific. He and Verisowl in this fourth quarter. The work they’ve done on that front line has been terrific for Cleveland. Barnett comes out on LeBron. Now they switch. And here’s Pierce again. A Smith screen will defend. Oh, LeBron James with no regard for human life. Whoa. Boy, he has not been able to get in the lane. But man, oh man, what a punctuating dunk from LeBron James. Oh my goodness. Power, speed, and athleticism. You think he’s excited after this play, recognizing great chance to push the Barisha’s done a great job on Garnett preventing him from getting in that lane. Look at these contested shots. Great defense. Amazing. James watching too rebound by Daniel Gibson. That is swarming defense. Vera bodying up against Garnett taking away his post up. Brilliant defense by Cleveland. LeBron lasers it inside to Ver and this is over Kevin Garnett [Applause] five. Here is Pierce. Cassell screen the switch. He’s on Gibson and that is a and can the home team snatch back the momentum they lost on the road. Here comes Farah Garnett with the throws. Henderson Kha hits again. They’re going to have to take a shot here. A second half difference. Game clock and shot clock winding down the game. West over now gets the rebound. That’s it.
NBA Playoffs ECSF 2008.5.12 Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers G4
Paul Pierce 6/17 0/3 13pts5reb3ast
Kevin Garnett 6/13 15pts10reb4ast1blk
Ray Allen 4/10 2/4 15pts6reb3ast
Rajon Rondo 7/14 1/3 15pts3reb4ast2stl
P.J. Brown 4/4 8pts6reb2sblk
LeBron James 7/20 2/5 21pts6reb13ast3stl2blk
Wally Szczerbiak 6/11 2/4 14pts2reb2ast
Delonte West 3/8 6pts
Zydrunas Ilgauskas 3/10 9pts7reb2ast
Daniel Gibson 5/9 2/4 14pts6reb4ast
Anderson Varejão 6/8 12pts6reb
Joe Smith 4/6 8pts6reb1ast
