Celtics, 76-72 (final)
Throw away the tape. No one is going to want to watch this one again.
The Celtics beat the Cavaliers, 76-72, in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series at the TD Banknorth Garden. The Celtics lead the series, 1-0, with Game 2 Thursday night in Boston.
This was ugly basketball. The Cavaliers had 12 steals and forced 23 Celtics turnovers. The defense was the only thing that kept Cleveland in the game, because the Cavs shot 31 percent from the field and had 18 turnovers.
The ugliest stat of all? Ray Allen had no points.
A couple more: Paul Pierce was just 2 of 14 for the Celtics. LeBron James was 2 of 18 for Cleveland.
After starting the game 0 for 7, the Celtics built a 10-point lead after the first quarter because Cleveland couldn’t buy a bucket. The Cavs trimmed the lead to 4 at halftime, and the teams traded blunders throughout the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, someone had to win, but it seemed no one wanted to. With two minutes remaining and the teams tied at 68, Zydrunas Ilgauskas nailed a jumper to put the Cavs up, 70-68, with 1:30 left. Kevin Garnett tied it with a long jumper at the 1:17 mark.
Sam Cassell put the Celtics on top with two free throws, and Ilgauskas tied it with a layup. A post-up by Garnett gave the Celtics a 74-72 advantage with 21.4 seconds left.
With a chance to tie the game, James drove to the basket and missed a layup. James Posey gathered the rebound and was fouled with 8.5 seconds left. He nailed both free throws and sealed the win.
Garnett led the Celtics with 28 points and 8 rebounds. Rajon Rondo also had a solid game, netting 15 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds.
Ilgauskas had 22 points and 12 rebounds for Cleveland.
We’re heading to the locker rooms now to get some reaction from the players. Keep it here for more of the scene from the Garden.
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