In an altercation-free game, the Cavaliers defeated the Celtics in an intense playoff reunion.
BOSTON - The intense vibe and disdain was apparent from the jump.
When the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics took the court for tipoff, there were no sportsmanlike fist bumps, handshakes, hugs or acknowledging of one another. They just stood at center court ignoring the other until the ball was tossed.
"Whatever happened last year is last year," Tristan Thompson said before the game. "It is what it is, and it's time to move on."
Tuesday night at TD Garden was the first time these two teams squared off since Cleveland swept through the opening playoff round last season. At the end of four quarters, it was the same result: the Cavaliers won 89-77, but this time in an altercation-free contest to claim a third straight victory.
LeBron James registered a game-high 24 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals in 36 minutes. Kevin Love put in 20 points, with eight boards and five assists.
The backstory
Word around the league is playing physical with the Cavaliers would eventually wear them down. That's Boston's (14-11) brand of basketball and head coach Brad Stevens makes no apologies.
"I think anytime you're competitive and winning is really important to you, you're going to lay it on the line," Stevens said. "And that's what we expect our players to do. That's what these guys who won the East and played in The Finals have done. That's what LeBron had done his whole career. So, competitors play hard. That's the bottom line."
Playing hard is what both teams did in a bruising, defensive affair. However, only one team could keep it up for an entire game. While not as talented as Cleveland (16-7), Boston wanted to send the message that they wouldn't back down to the defending Eastern Conference champs.
Jae Crowder wanted an apology from J.R. Smith on Tuesday, but never got it. So he took his frustration to James. The two trash-talked late in the second quarter, continuing the conversation up and down the court. James even had words with Crowder while shooting a pair of free throws.
Choosing to taunt James proved to be a costly, momentum-changing decision. The Celtics claimed a 46-40 lead at halftime, but the Cavaliers were in total control after the break. Repeatedly, James overpowered Crowder in the paint for power layups. Crowder is listed at 235 pounds, yet he couldn't prevent James from getting great low-post position.
Boston was reduced to packing the paint, which opened up the floor for James to swing the ball to the opposite side for wide-open threes. A Mo Williams 3-pointer off of ball movement gave the Cavaliers a 62-52 lead with 3:31 left in the third. Nine of James' 10 field goals were in the paint.
A Williams jumper, Iman Shumpert 3-pointer and James finger-roll pushed the lead to 13 early in the fourth, but the Celtics eventually trimmed the deficit to seven on a Evan Turner jumper with 6:16 remaining. The fans erupted with cheers, but Cleveland answered with five straight points from Love and a midrange jumper by James to go up 14.
The Cavaliers coasted from there. Avery Bradley scored 17 points and Crowder chipped in 14 points and three rebounds.
The game never really get out of control, unlike Game 4 in April when Love dislocated his left shoulder after getting tangled up with Kelly Olynyk. Later, Crowder suffered a MCL sprain when Smith backhanded him during a box-out.
"It was really unfortunate the injuries that happened last year," said Stevens. "I think that both teams take pride in competing and playing the game the right way and well and hopefully you don't have anything like that coming out of any game. Basketball is a physical game when played well."
Shumpert, who had six points off the bench, left in the fourth quarter with a right groin injury. Mo Williams led all scorers off the bench with 10 points.
On deck
The Cavaliers return home for a three-game homestand with the Oklahoma City Thunder first on the docket. It will be a TNT game that tips off at 8 p.m. Philadelphia and New York conclude the stand.