BOSTON – With 3:27 to play, the Boston Celtics faithful were on their feet.
Some were jubilantly heading towards the exits. Others were sticking around to take pictures while high above the crowd was Gino from American Bandstand fame dancing on the JumboTron in what is the unofficial victory video/song for the Boston Celtics.
Seeing Gino up there wasn’t unusual.
However, with three-plus minutes to play was so not the norm.
But as we’ve seen with these Boston Celtics, unpredictable play is about the only thing that's predictable about them this season.
However, their performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers turned out as one would expect with the Celtics having no problem in crushing the Cavs 128-95.
The 128 points were a season high for the Celtics (12-10), as was the 33-point margin of victory.
Boston Celtics
Boston fell behind 39-36 in the second quarter which seemed to be the wake-up call the Celtics needed to not just restore control of the game but go into full-blown takeover mode.
By the time we got to the end of the third quarter, Boston had nearly doubled (65-33) Cleveland’s scoring output and beat-down was on.
The Celtics made all the hustle plays, big shots, lay-ups, put-backs … they got all they wanted whenever they wanted it for the final two-plus quarters of play.
The fourth quarter was clearing the bench time for Boston with the likes of Daniel Theis knocking down 3-pointers and Semi Ojeleye driving to the basket – not spotting up for a 3-pointer but attacking the rim – and finishing off the play with a dunk. Their two-way player, P.J. Dozier, got some time and he made his mark on the game as well.
It was the kind of win you would expect from a team that was built to contend for a title this year (Boston), over an injury-riddled squad like the Cavs that even at full strength were going to be one of the worst teams in the NBA this season.
Here are the Stars, Studs and Duds from Boston’s blowout win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
STAR
Kyrie Irving: He put his work in early, and in doing so worked over his former team with an efficient, highly dominant showing. Irving led all scorers with 29 points on 11-for-15 shooting, doing so in just 27 minutes.
STUDS
Aron Baynes: Filling in for Al Horford (rest), Baynes continues to remind us that he’s more than just a defensive stalwart for Boston. The big fella finished with a near double-double of 10 points and nine rebounds as well as three assists.
Tristan Thompson: For most of his time on the floor, Thompson did a lot of things that you had to like if you’re a Cavs fan. As a complimentary player, he’s good. But a focal point? Not so much. It was a very Tristan Thompson-like performance as he finished with a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Gordon Hayward: So, this is what aggressive Gordon looks like! Kyrie Irving’s words of encouragement (shoot the rock more Gordon!) hit a receptive audience with Hayward who was as assertive looking to score as we’ve seen him since becoming a Celtic. He finished with 14 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the field in less than 24 minutes of court time.
Marcus Smart: It was another strong night defensively for Smart, who also managed to knock down his share of shots before finishing with 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting with seven assists, three steals and a blocked shot.
P.J. Dozier: His play had absolutely no impact on the game’s final outcome, but to his credit he made the most of his end-of-the-game playing time by scoring seven points on 3-for-5 shooting in just under six minutes of court action.
DUDS
Free throw shooting: It wasn’t the actual shooting of free throws (Boston shot 81.2 percent) but the fact that the Celtics continue to fail miserably when it comes to actually getting to the line. They came into Friday’s game having shot a franchise-low 405 free throw attempts through the first 21 games. On Friday, they went to the line for 16 attempts which was less than half as many attempts (35) of the Cavs.
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