After sending out a message in game one of the Eastern Conference finals, the Boston Celtics appear to have the upper hand in the series. However, it appears that it will take much more than a 25-point thumping to rattle a championship-caliber team.
True to form, the Cleveland Cavaliers did not show any signs of panic as proven by their post-game interviews. Per Dave McMenamin of ESPN, veteran forward Tristan Thompson had this to say about the Celtics’ Game 1 performance:
“They punked us,” said the 27-year-old big man. “Early and often.”
Having seen his fair share of playoffs basketball and the ups and downs associated with the same, Thompson exhibited his maturity by simply accepting the fact the opposing team had the better of them in the opening matchup.
Head coach Tyronn Lue concurs and also appeared to be unfazed:
“We didn’t play well,” he said. “We understand that. We know we have to be better.”
Perhaps the overall sentiment of the defending Eastern Conference champions was most aptly put into words by none other than LeBron James himself:
“I have zero level of concern at this stage,” stated three-time NBA champion Lebron James. “I’m just as confident going into a series whether it’s a 0-0 series or I’m down 0-1. So we have another opportunity to be better as a ball club coming in Tuesday night, and we’ll see what happens.”
James and the Cavs have an opportunity to bounce back in Game 2 of the series. Although it is not completely considered to be a must-win game for them, heading back to Cleveland with a 0-2 deficit will most likely change their matter-of-fact demeanor.
