After dropping the first two games of their Eastern Conference Finals matchup against the Boston Celtics, the Cleveland Cavaliers have returned home for Games 3 and 4. So… can a little bit of home cooking help the Cavs in their quest? Cavs big man Kevin Love says it should certainly help.
Following Friday morning’s practice session at Cleveland Clinic Courts, Love commented on playing at The Q for the next two games, as well as the solid play of Boston’s defense in the series thus far.
“Being at home will help a lot tomorrow night,” Love told FOX Sports Ohio’s Fred McLeod after Friday’s practice.
“They do a real good job of contesting shots and being physical,” Love said of Boston’s defensive play. “They’ve played physical all of the playoffs.”
Love could say that again, as the Celtics have indeed been great on the defensive end of the floor through the first two games of this series. In fact, the C’s held the Cavs to 83 points in Game 1 and 94 in Game 2.
Cavs superstar LeBron James racked up 42 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds in Game 2. Love tallied 22 and 15. It just wasn’t enough. Blame another shoddy second half performance for that.
James scored 21 of Cleveland’s 27 points in the first quarter, tying his playoff career high for points in a period. His 42 points marked his fifth 40-point game of this postseason.
“I think I’ll be fine. I’m not going to lose sleep over it. You go out and when you lay everything on the line, at the end of the day, you can live with that,” James told ESPN after Game 2. “They did what they had to do, and that was protect home, and now it’s our time to try to do that, as well.”
Speaking with the media after Friday’s practice, Cavs sharpshooter Kyle Korver noted that Cleveland needs to play with more pace. Love agreed.
Saturday’s Game 3 matchup is slated to tip inside Quicken Loans Arena at 8:30 p.m. EST with ESPN having live broadcast coverage. At this point, it’s a must-win game for the Cavs in front of their home crowd.
