Celtics-Cavaliers Preview

By BRETT HUSTON
Posted Jan 31 2012 12:50PM

Looking much better after a woeful mid-January stretch, the Boston Celtics were hoping Ray Allen's return Sunday would help them continue to overcome the absence of Rajon Rondo.

Unfortunately for the Celtics, there was still a dominant point guard on the floor.

Rookie Kyrie Irving capped his latest impressive effort - and the Cavaliers' game-ending 12-0 run - with a last-second layup that ended Boston's four-game winning streak, a loss the Celtics will try to avenge Tuesday night in Cleveland.

Boston moved back to .500 with four straight victories after a 5-9 start, and the Celtics looked well on their way to a fifth when Brandon Bass' free throw put them up 87-76 on the Cavaliers with 4:25 left Sunday.

That was the last point Boston (9-10) would score. Irving had six of his game-high 23 points in the final 4:13, splitting two defenders for a layup with 2.6 seconds left to give Cleveland a stunning 88-87 victory.

"I thought he dominated the fourth quarter," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "He single-handedly, in my opinion, willed that win for them."

It was the same play the Cavaliers (8-11) called for Irving with the score tied in the waning seconds Dec. 30 at Indiana. He missed an easy runner in that spot, and the Pacers went on to win in overtime.

"He (learned) not to miss the layup this time," Cleveland coach Byron Scott said. "He had that little look in his eye like he wanted it, almost like he wanted to redeem himself."

Irving, who had a season-high 32 points Friday in a home loss to New Jersey and leads all rookies with 17.9 per game, isn't just putting up points. He's also been remarkably efficient with his attempts, shooting 51.6 percent to rank fifth in the league among guards - just behind Allen and Rondo.

Though the Duke product isn't even one-third of the way through his first season, he's holding some impressive company early. No rookie guard has shot a higher percentage over a full season since Magic Johnson connected on 53.0 percent in 1979-80.

Irving made 10 of 14 shots Sunday. His clutch play late made the defeat difficult to swallow for Boston, which held its opponents to 36.9 percent shooting during the winning streak before the Cavaliers shot 43.0 percent.

"This was a bad loss for us," Rivers said. "Not that it was Cleveland; it was that we had the game under control. And we didn't take care of it."

Rondo won't play again Tuesday - he could return later this week - but Allen looked good Sunday after sitting for three games with an injured ankle. The 10-time All-Star had 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting in his first game back, a vast improvement over the 9.3 points he averaged while shooting 40.4 percent in his previous seven contests.

Rondo's absence has forced the Celtics to run their offense through Paul Pierce more often, and while Pierce has averaged 24.6 points and 8.0 assists in his last five games, he's also averaged 5.2 turnovers.

He gave it away seven times against the Cavaliers, his most in nearly two years.

Boston also needs to figure out a way to slow Anderson Varejao, who had 18 points and nine boards Sunday. He's averaged 14.6 points and 10.2 rebounds in his last five regular-season games against the Celtics while shooting 69.8 percent.

Cavaliers guards Anthony Parker (back) and Daniel Gibson (neck) are both out Tuesday, meaning Scott may have to start rookie Mychel Thompson in the backcourt with Irving.

Boston returns to TD Garden for a five-game homestand starting Wednesday, but it's eager to have another shot at the Cavaliers so soon.

"We'll be prepared," guard Avery Bradley said. "We just need to come with a chip on our shoulders and come and play hard like we've been doing."

Celtics survive Cavs' comeback 93-90

By TOM WITHERS
Posted Jan 31 2012 11:02PM

CLEVELAND (AP) The Boston Celtics didn't completely collapse.

They merely crumbled this time.

Two days after blowing a big late lead and losing at home to Cleveland, the Celtics nearly did it again before recovering and hanging on for a 93-90 win over the scrappy Cavaliers, who trimmed a 22-point deficit to 2 in the final minutes.

Paul Pierce scored 20 points, Ray Allen had 12 in the third quarter and Kevin Garnett made a key jumper down the stretch for the Celtics, who came away victorious but unfulfilled.

"I hate it," Allen said. "We won, but I take it as a loss in terms of getting better. Being able to play for a full four quarters is what I want. Every day we have to get better."

On Sunday, Boston wasted an 11-point lead in the final 4:25 as the Cavaliers scored the game's final 12 points, capped by sensational rookie Kyrie Irving's layup with 2.6 seconds left, to stun the Celtics.

It nearly happened again, but the Cavs couldn't quite climb out of a 22-point hole.

"We just couldn't finish it off," said Irving, who scored 13 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter. "We fought back. They gave us their best shot and it came down to the final minutes. We're just got to keep our energy up for 48 minutes."

Garnett and Brandon Bass added 13 points apiece for the Celtics, who were again without All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo. He missed his seventh straight game with an injured right wrist, and although the Celtics improved to 5-2 without him, it was anything but easy.

Anderson Varejao added 20 points and a career-high 20 rebounds for the Cavs, who were also short-handed while playing without injured guards Daniel Gibson and Anthony Parker.

Boston entered the fourth leading by 16 - a reasonably comfortable margin. Or so the Celtics thought.

The Cavs weren't done.

With Varejao outworking Boston's big men underneath for nearly every rebound and loose ball and Irving taking control, the Cavaliers stormed back and closed within 78-71 when Alonzo Gee drained a 3-pointer with 6:36 to play, sending Cleveland's crowd into a frenzy.

Pierce and Garnett restored order with buckets and the Celtics pushed their lead to 11. But the Cavs kept fighting and were only down four with 1:18 left when Irving scored on a layup eerily similar to the game-winner he dropped after spinning down the lane at Boston Garden to win Sunday's game.

On Boston's next trip, Garnett hit the game's biggest bucket. His turnaround jumper from 13 feet caromed off the rim and halfway up the backboard before dropping in, giving the Celtics, who looked and played tight down the stretch, some breathing room.

"I've been struggling with my shot a little bit," Garnett said. "I came down and hit one."

Varejao then missed two shots and Irving misfired before Pierce was fouled and hit two free throws with 2.6 seconds left to give the Celtics a 93-87 lead.

Irving hit a 3-pointer from the corner as the final horn sounded, ending a frantic fourth quarter and allowing the Celtics to slip out of town with a win they nearly gave away.

"We'd like to end the game a little bit better with such a big lead," Pierce said. "They really scrapped back and put pressure on both sides. I didn't think, `Here we go again.' We just needed to respond. That's it. This type of thing happens quite a bit. We have to figure out how to make big plays down the stretch and we did that."

Varejao left his imprint on the Celtics and all over the floor, diving, pushing and battling for rebounds. Celtics coach Doc Rivers believes Varejao deserves All-Star consideration.

"He's always an All-Star, in my opinion," Rivers said. "They should keep a spot for a role player. That's what he does. What did he have, 20 points? I guarantee you they didn't run one set for him. He had 20 rebounds, but he probably kept 10 more alive."

Pierce also offered a compliment, of sorts, to Varejao.

"Anderson Varejao is a pain in the butt with his offensive rebounding and the way he knocks down shots and the way and keeps balls alive," Pierce said. "He's probably one of the most underrated players in the league. I was kind of joking saying we need to double-team him on the rebound when the ball goes up."

Notes: Rondo traveled with the team, a strong sign he'll be back soon. Boston opens a five-game homestand Wednesday against the Raptors and will host the New York Knicks on Friday. "He's really close," Rivers said. ... Gibson returned to Cleveland after being hospitalized for two days in Boston with a neck infection. Gibson, who is being treated with antibiotics, will undergo further tests Wednesday before the team can determine when he'll return. ... Cavs rookie F Tristan Thompson did not return after injuring his left ankle in the second quarter. ... Allen had missed three of Boston's previous four games with an ankle injury.

Notebook: Celtics 93, Cavs 90

By Brian Dulik, for NBA.com
Posted Tuesday January 31, 2012 11:53PM

THE FACTS: Small forward Paul Pierce scored 20 points, including a pair of free throws with 2.6 seconds left, as the Boston Celtics held off the Cleveland Cavaliers 93-90 at Quicken Loans Arena. Power forwards Kevin Garnett and Brandon Bass each added 13 points for Boston, which held a 75-53 lead late in the third quarter. Center Anderson Varejao powered Cleveland's comeback with a season-best 20 points and a career-high 20 rebounds, while rookie point guard Kyrie Irving had 21 points and six assists.

QUOTABLE: "Going forward, we need to sustain that energy that we had in the fourth quarter. We tried to come back against a good Boston team, but it's tough to do. They have a ton of talent, I mean, that's the 'Big Three' [Pierce, Garnett and shooting guard Ray Allen] right there. It's hard to get stops on them."
-- Kyrie Irving

THE STAT: Varejao posted the Cavaliers' first 20-20 game since Carlos Boozer had 23 points and 20 boards at Dallas on March 30, 2004 -- and just the 19th such performance in the franchise's 42-year history. "Varejao is just a pain in the butt with his offensive rebounding, the way he knocks down shots and keeps balls alive," Pierce said. "He's a major factor out there." The eighth-year pro also grabbed a career-high 10 offensive boards, and equaled his NBA bests in field goals made (10) and attempted (17).

TURNING POINT: After the Cavaliers cut their deficit to 89-87 with 1:18 left in the fourth, Boston coach Doc Rivers called a timeout and drew up a play for Garnett. K.G. promptly buried a 13-foot turnaround jumper to make it a two-possession game. Cleveland then missed its next three shots, allowing Pierce to seal the victory at the foul line with two makes that extended the Celtics' advantage to 93-87. "Tonight was about guys having the will to win," Boston center Jermaine O'Neal said.

QUOTABLE II: "It's good to have a game like that, but we didn't take care of our home court. We have to win more games at home. It was a tough loss. At least we gave ourselves a chance to get back in the game and tried to win."
-- Anderson Varejao

HOT: Allen had a season-high eight assists for the Celtics, along with 12 points and two steals. "I said, 'Ray, they're going to trap you all night. Tonight is going to be your pass night,'" Rivers said. "Kudos to Ray. He just kept moving the ball." ... Irving is averaging 14.0 points and shooting .762 from the field in the fourth quarter over his last three games. He had 13 points in the final 12 minutes against Boston, including a 3-pointer as time expired. ... In two games against the Celtics this season, Varejao is averaging 19.0 points on 18-of-29 field goal attempts and 14.5 rebounds.

NOT: The Cavaliers failed to score 100 points for the seventh time in eight home games in 2011-2012. They also lost their second straight home contest and fell to 3-5 on the campaign. ... Boston center Chris Wilcox had zero points, two turnovers and two fouls in 11 minutes off the bench. ... The Cleveland players not named Varejao combined for 19 rebounds. ... Cavaliers small forward Omri Casspi was 0-of-2 on free throws and 0-of-2 on two-point field-goal attempts. ... The Celtics allowed a 34-14 run after taking a 22-point lead with 2:43 left in the third quarter.

QUOTABLE III: "Varejao is always an All-Star, as far as I'm concerned. I think they should keep a spot [on the All-Star team] for a role player, because he plays his role perfectly. He had 20 points, and I guarantee they didn't run a single play for him. He had 20 rebounds, but he also kept about 20 more rebounds alive."
-- Doc Rivers

GOOD MOVE: Scott kept energy players Varejao, Irving, small forward Alonzo Gee, and guard Ramon Sessions on the floor for the entire fourth quarter as the Cavaliers outscored the Celtics 32-17. His only substitution came five minutes in, when Antawn Jamison replaced Samardo Samuels at power forward. "To compete the way that we competed to get that game to two points, I thought was great," Cavs coach Byron Scott said. "I was very proud of the way they played, how hard they played."

BAD MOVE: Boston's starting frontcourt of Garnett, Pierce and O'Neal attempted to box out Varejao on the glass, rather than aggressively going after the ball themselves. The strategy failed miserably as the aforementioned trio had 11 total boards -- nine less than Varejao. "He has a knack of somehow coming up with the ball all the time," Pierce said. "He's probably one of the more underrated players in the NBA with how much energy he gives this ballclub."

NOTABLE: The Celtics are 5-2 without point guard Rajon Rondo (right wrist strain), who could return to action tonight against the Raptors. ... Bass made 6-for-9 field-goal attempts and led Boston with six rebounds. ... Cavaliers power forward Tristan Thompson twisted his left ankle in the second quarter and did not return. ... The Cavaliers did not have the services of shooting guards Anthony Parker (lower back strain) and Daniel Gibson (soft tissue infection in neck). ... Gee made four steals against Boston for the second time in three days. ... Cleveland shooting guard Mychel Thompson had eight points and four assists in his first NBA start. ... There were two calls overturned by video replays in the final minute, one in favor of each team.

UP NEXT: For the Celtics, Wednesday vs. Toronto, Friday vs. New York, Sunday vs. Memphis. For the Cavaliers, Friday @ Orlando, Saturday vs. Dallas, Tuesday @ Miami.

• Celtics: Dooling, Rondo
• Cavaliers: Gibson, Harangody, Parker

• Celtics: --
• Cavaliers: --

• Lead Changes: 2
• Times Tied: 2

• Arena: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
• Officials: #17 Joe Crawford, #47 Bennie Adams, #77 Karl Lane
• Attendance: 14798
• Duration: 2:18