The Cleveland Cavaliers entered their Eastern Conference finals series matchup with the Boston Celtics with a surplus of confidence after sweeping the conference’s No. 1 seed Toronto Raptors in the second round. Also, prior to Game 1 of the conference finals, Cavs owner Dan Gilbert posted a message to Cleveland fans on his Twitter account in which he gave praises for general manager Koby Altman, head coach Tyronn Lue, and stars LeBron James and Kevin Love.
OK @cavs fans, we have been here before. The Cavs keep ‘ignoring the noise’ & remain focused on the mission.This crew, reconstructed by Koby, operated by Ty is peaking at the right time. @KingJames, @kevinlove & this team are as committed as ever. And I believe. #WhateverItTakes
— Dan Gilbert (@cavsdan) May 13, 2018
All that confidence, however, went down in flames Sunday after Boston eked out a comprehensive 108-83 victory. It was a painful punch to Cleveland’s gut, as the team was labeled as the favorite to win the series despite not having the home-court advantage.
Dan Gilbert, however, has seen his Cavs team come out of a deeper hole than a 0-1 series deficit before. It was not a long time ago when James and company overcame the Golden State Warriors’ 3-1 lead in the 2016 NBA Finals. More recently, the Cavs won their first-round matchup with the Indiana Pacers even though they lost Game 1 of that series.
Gilbert will be cheering for his Cavs again this Tuesday when Cleveland and Boston play Game 2 of the series at TD Garden. The Cavs are 4-1 in their last five games following a loss.
