Celtics put up fight but Cavs pull away late to take 2-0 series lead

Much as they've been doing all year, the Boston Celtics were out to earn respect on Tuesday night.

While it didn't result in a victory - they fell 99-91 to the Cleveland Cavaliers to dig themselves a 2-0 series hole - they certainly made the Cavs work, opening eyes in the process.

The Celtics ultimately lacked the firepower to keep up with the far more talented Cleveland squad late, but how this seemingly rebuilding team clawed to a 40-42 record and a playoff spot was on full display. Effort, energy and defense were the items of the day, but a lack of shot-making doomed them, with Boston shooting 38.8 percent from the floor and 27.3 percent from outside.

The series now turns back to Boston, where the crowd and Celtics are sure to be game but the results are unlikely to be any different.

Turning Point

The Celtics took advantage of a second quarter LeBron James chill mode, opening up a surprising 45-36 lead with 4:37 to play in the first half. A shocking nine-point deficit seemed to wake the Cavs up, and they promptly responded with a 15-5 run to close the half. 

From there, it looked like the Cavs may cruise to a win, but the Celtics had one more punch to throw. A 77-68 lead was cut to 81-79 over the course of 3:08 early in the fourth quarter, at which point chill mode was emphatically deactivated.

Over the game's final 6:43, James scored nine points with an assist, two rebounds and a blocked shot. The Celtics, meanwhile, hit two field goals over that entire stretch, one of them a meaningless bucket at the end of regulation.

Star Performer

As of the 10:42 mark of the fourth quarter on Tuesday, only six players have ever scored more playoff points than James, who passed Jerry West with a driving layup at that point. That speaks to James' incredible run of playoff longevity and his seemingly unending dominance.

The rest of Tuesday's game was no different, with James dominating the Celtics en route to 30 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, with an 11-of-22 mark from the floor. Admittedly, he did have a little help:

The highlight reel below doesn't even include a pair of alley-oops he was a part of, because the entire game tape is basically a James highlight package, and we don't want to slow your load time like that.

The Celtics - and most other teams - just don't have the artillery to slow James. Marcus Smart is going to be an all-world defender but gives up some size and experience, Avery Bradley is exploitable in the post, Evan Turner is mostly a non-factor on defense and none of the team's bigs stand a chance. 

Jae Crowder is their best bet - the team is -7 in 53 minutes with Crowder in the game and -14 in 43 minutes with him off the floor - but even when James draws a tough assignment, the Cavs can run him through several dangerous pick-and-roll setups to create for or draw attention away from teammates.

James now has 50 points, 15 rebounds and 14 assists in the series, hardly a surprise but likely the death knell for Boston.

Highlight Reel

We linked to the James alley-oops above, but those weren't the only pretty transition passes he was making:

Of course, it wasn't all positives when it comes to James' passing:

And he had some help from Kyrie Irving, who scored 26 points of his own, none prettier than these three:

Series at a Glance

Game 1: Cavaliers 113, Celtics 100 (Cavaliers lead 1-0)
Game 2: Cavaliers 99, Celtics 91 (Cavaliers lead 2-0)
Game 3: Thursday, April 23, 7 p.m. ET
Game 4: Sunday, April 26, 1 p.m. ET
Game 5*: TBD 
Game 6*: TBD
Game 7*: TBD

* - if necessary