84 108

From a Celtics fan’s standpoint, this game can be summed up on this: same old song and dance on a different day. Boston’s aura of defensive magnificence has once again disappeared on the road. The sense of urgency we saw at the TD BankNorth Garden was simply non-existent, Boston was unable to counter Cleveland’s adjustments (specifically failing to stop the Cavs from taking advantage of the weak side when the C’s loaded up on the ball-side), and the Celtics completely failed to close out on the perimeter. Offensively, they came out with a similar mindset to their road games in Atlanta. That mindset would be to settle, settle, and settle some more.

Credit Cleveland for winning this game, however. Defensively, they played as well as they have throughout the entire postseason, and once again did a great job of making adjustments. The big story on the offensive end was the impact of the role players. LeBron had another sub-par shooting night, as he hit just five of 16 from the floor, but the difference from the first two games of the series was that the help decided to… help. Delonte West was terrific from all angles offensively; the former Celtic shot the ball beautifully from the perimeter, attacked the rim, and played with a great deal of energy throughout the contest. Fellow newcomers Joe Smith, Wally Szczerbiak, and Ben Wallace made also their presence felt, as they combined for 42 points, 15 rebounds, and 62.5% shooting.

James may not have found the touch, but make no mistake about the fact that he made an impact on the game. As previously mentioned, perhaps the biggest offensive adjustment Cleveland made was to take advantage of the weak side of the floor when the Celtics loaded up to close off LeBron’s angles to the rim. James made good use of his freakish court vision and passing ability by whipping the ball to unoccupied sections of the floor, thus creating open or one-on-one opportunities for his teammates. Defensively, he was as active as ever. His four steals and three blocks virtually tell the story.

Whether Boston’s main issue was mental, motivational, or diagrammatic is up for debate, but it’s safe to say that the C’s must show improvement in each area. Game film breakdowns and mental adjustments will be essential for the preparation of Game 4. Cleveland has already made this a series, and LeBron has yet to put together a breakout game. If the Celtics aren’t careful, they could be heading home for Game 5 with the momentum shifted in the Cavaliers’ favor. It’ll be interesting to see if the C’s can break out of their shell and seize their first postseason road victory on Monday night.

Box Score

Player of the Game

Delonte West
21 PTS, 5 REBS, 7 ASTS, 1 STL, 7-11 FG, 4-6 3FG

Series Standings: Boston leads series 2-1

Game 4: Monday (5/12/08) at 8:00 pm ET.

3 Responses to “We Have A Series”

1. Celtics247.com » Blog Archive » Today’s Links 5/11 Says:
   May 11th, 2008 at 10:01 am

   [...] Herald Road worriers: C’s out of their element C’s turtle in Game 3 No place like home For this team’s legacy, it’s title or bust Point blank reason for loss Players burn over pot shot Ex-mates West, Szczerbiak singe C’s Magic act shut down by Pistons Globe Cleveland clinic Starting five: Cavs 108, Celts 84 Another disturbing roadblock Posey was denied home run The saving of the Green Bad start a tipoff of things to come Nothing eerie here in city ‘by the ocean’ Giddy, and a little sheepish, loyal fans return James gets lift from supporting cast Celtics.com Rondo: “I Need To Be More Aggressive” Blown Out at Q, Celtics Never Mounted Big Rally layoff postups from game 3 CelticsBlog Assorted rantings on a brain jumbling loss Garnett and Russell LOY’s Place Comments from the other side - Cavs game 3 Celtics leave defense in Boston once again ESPN The deadline deal never looked better Cavs rally around supporting cast, storm past road weary Celtics Wicked Good Sports In Danny and Doc we trust Red’s Army Not worried ProJo Garnett can’t understand why Celtics can’t get it done away from Boston As Rondo struggles, Cassell forced into bigger role for Celtics Cavaliers dominate Celtics in Game Three LeBron remains confident after third poor shooting performance LeBron credits the Celtics for causing his struggles SI.com Fast breaks: Game 3 Celtcs - Cavs CelticsNews We have a series Hoopsworld Cavs need their secret weapon Full Court Press Celtics stumble, crumble and bumble on the road again Plain Dealer West gets point across with productive night Teamwork: Balanced Cavs rip Celtics 108-84 Cavs superman super enough Rivers baffled as Celtics become road kill Columbus Dispatch Team effort puts Cavs in series Beacon Journal Cavs finally get a move on A resounding response Worcester Telegram Road kill Sealy’s memory unites ex-mates Chronicle Telegram LeBron gets a lot of help from his friends in game 3 Dime Tough road for the Celtics Connecticut Post Ground Hog Day - Celtics version News Herald Celtics keep forgetting to bring their lucky charms Cavalier Attitude Home court advantage? Sports of Boston Celtics continue to struggle on the road X’s and O’s of Basketball Cavs overload on defense leaving Rondo to beat them NECN Pierce, Garnett: We need to make adjustments Boston Blood Sox An unfortunate trend Fox Sports Struggles on the road continue for Celtics Sporting News Cavs make shots, extend Celtics road woes Milford Daily News Allen calm amid low scoring totals Hardwood Paroxysm Celtics-Cavaliers live blog Sox and Dawgs Cleveland rocks Celts in Game 3 LA Times Pau Gasol is the incredible shrinking Laker BallerBlogger LeBron’s career at a crossroads BostonSports Celtics shrink on the road again Green Bandwagon Game 3 recap Enterprise Celtics wary of road rut Patriot Ledger Cavs used to being behind 8 ball Gino’s Blog Dropping the gloves [...]

2. walter ward Says:
   May 11th, 2008 at 12:24 pm

   The trouble that the Boston Celtics are having is self induced. It may sound silly to some but they just need to change jerseys. In their home whites they have that swagger and confidence. You may attribute this to being at home. I attribute it to the nice home jerseys. The green jerseys used for away games are not very nice looking. The player don’t even walk the same with those uniforms on. CHANGE TO THE BLACK AND GREEN AWAY JERSEYS! it will make a huge difference. Walter Ward

3. Celtics » Blog Archive » We Have A Series Says:
   May 12th, 2008 at 1:12 pm

   [...] Dustin Chapman wrote an interesting post today on We Have A SeriesHere’s a quick excerptFrom a Celtics fan’s standpoint, this game can be summed up on this: same old song and dance on a different day. Boston’s aura of defensive magnificence has once again disappeared on the road. The sense of urgency we saw at the TD … [...]

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