Cleveland rolls over Boston in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals

Ryan Young
·Staff writer
0
LeBron East Finals GAME 3
LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers dominated Boston in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday night, picking up their first win in the series. (Getty Images)

It was only a matter of time before the Cleveland Cavaliers showed up.

After falling down 2-0 to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals, the Cavaliers finally answered back. They dominated Boston 116-86 on Saturday night in Cleveland, picking up their first win in the series.

Cleveland’s hot start

Boston never led at Quicken Loans Arena on Saturday night. Not once.

The Cavaliers mounted a massive 20-4 run over seven minutes to start the game, 10 of which came from LeBron James. From there, the Cavaliers cruised to the massive 30-point win. Boston never found a way to climb out of that hole, and trailed by double figures for the final 42 minutes of the game.

The Celtics didn’t hit double figures until more than eight minutes into the game, and by halftime they had fallen into a 20-point hole. Boston big man Al Horford, who was unstoppable in Game 1 of the series, didn’t even attempt a field goal in the opening half.

James, on the other hand, put up 19 points.

The Cavaliers didn’t let up off the gas in the second half, either, and the Celtics simply looked dead. It even turned into such a blowout that at one point, the announcers on ESPN started talking about the royal wedding on Saturday morning instead of the game.

Cleveland’s team effort

All five players in Cleveland’s starting lineup put up double figures on Saturday night.

James led the way with 27 points, 12 assists and five rebounds. He went 8-of-12 from the field, and shot a perfect 3-of-3 from behind the arc. Kyle Korver dropped 14 points, and Kevin Love and George Hill each added 13.

Jayson Tatum led Boston with 18 points, shooting 60 percent from the field. Terry Rozier finished with 13, and Jaylen Brown added 10.

As a team, Cleveland shot nearly 50 percent from the field and went 17-of-34 from the 3-point line. They shut down Boston’s offensive defensively, too, holding them to just 6-of-22 from the three-point line and shooting only 39 percent from the field. Horford and Marcus Morris, who combined for 41 points and dominated down low for the Celtics in Game 1 of the series, combined for just 16 total points and four combined made field goals.

Eastern Conference Finals: Game 4

Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals will take place in Cleveland on Monday night.

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