The Cleveland Cavaliers avoided falling down a 3-0 playoff hole last Saturday, when they took down the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals series at home, 116-86. While it is great for the Cavs to have cut Boston’s series lead down to a game, they are not out of the woods yet. A loss Monday night would push them on the brink of elimination – a familiar scenario for Cleveland and former team forward Richard Jefferson.
In a recent appearance on ESPN’s The Jump, Jefferson hilariously alluded to the Cavs’ miraculous comeback in the 2016 NBA Finals, when they successfully climbed out of a 3-1 series hole to give Cleveland its first-ever NBA title, per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic.
After getting blown out of the water in the first two games of this year’s conference finals, the Cavs showed signs of life in Game 3, thanks in large part to their outside shooting. The team knocked down 17 triples, the most the Cavs have had so far in these playoffs, while also shooting 46.7 percent from the field.
The Celtics, on the other hand, have been tremendous in the postseason but seems to constantly struggle when they’re on the road. In fact, Boston has won just twice over its last 10 games away from TD Garden dating back to the regular season.
The 37-year-old Richard Jefferson played for two seasons with the Cavs before being traded to the Atlanta Hawks in October. In 153 games in Cleveland threads, the veteran forward averaged 5.6 points, 0.9 assists, and 2.2 rebounds.