Many expected LeBron James to have a legendary performance in game two following his teams’ embarrassment in game one, and that he did. Fortunately for the Boston Celtics, they were able to overcome the 42 point, 12 assists, and 10 rebound performance displayed by the three-time champion and won Game 2 107-94.
21 of James’ points came in the first quarter, which allowed the Cavaliers to jump out to an early double-digit lead. James then took a hard foul from Jayson Tatum to the head area, where he exited the game but shortly returned with what was reported to be a neck strain.
Cleveland maintained a lead throughout the rest of the first half and for the first seven minutes of the third quarter. Marcus Smart then stepped into a deep three and drained it with 4:34 left in the third to give Boston its first lead since the score was 3-2.
The Cavaliers pulled the lead to single-digits in the final four minutes of the fourth quarter, but the momentum stopped when Al Horford did what he does best. The play began with J.R. Smith pushed Horford out-of-bounds on a layup attempt, which resulted in a flagrant foul. Horford knocked down both free throws, then converted a layup on the next possession to expand the lead to twelve.
Similar to the first game of the series, the benches were emptied to close the game with Boston shocking the world once again. The Celtics are now 9-0 at home this postseason.
The only other players for the Cavaliers that scored in double-digits were Kyle Korver, who scored 11, and Kevin Love. Love ended the outing with 22 points and 15 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Boston had six players in double-figures, made up of their five starters plus Marcus Smart.
Horford had a rough shooting night, but was still a great leader and played championship-level of defense on the many faces he was tasked with containing. Horford ended the night with 15 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists.
Jaylen Brown continued to be promising for the Celtics as he shot 50 percent from the field. The 21-year-old rising star led the Celtics with 23 points and added seven rebounds.
Terry Rozier—who had an awful start to the evening—picked up the pace in the second half and contributed 18 points.
The Eastern Conference Finals is now headed to Cleveland, where the Cavaliers will try to get on the board with a win. Game 3 is set for Saturday, May 19 at 8:30 p.m.
