7 stats explaining how the Celtics pushed the Cavs to the brink
One. That’s the number of wins standing between the Celtics and a place in the NBA Finals. Win in Cleveland, or back home in Boston, and Brad Stevens’s team will be moving on to face the Golden State Warriors or the Houston Rockets.
The Celtics put themselves in that position by knocking off the Cavaliers 96-83 in yet another game that gave white-knucklers watching at home room to relax. No game in the Eastern Conference finals has been decided by fewer than nine points.
Here are some of the stats that explain how the Celtics pushed the Cavs to the brink:
15
The number of turnovers the Cavaliers committed in Game 5. Also the number of points the Celtics scored off of those turnovers.
98
Wednesday night was the 98th game of the season for LeBron James. He played in all 82 regular season matchups. Head coach Ty Lue said Cleveland’s star “looked a little tired.”
9
The difference between the Celtics’ point total at the free throw line (21 for 23) and the total for the Cavaliers (12 for 19).
26
The number of points scored by Boston’s bench. Marcus Morris and Marcus Smart both chipped in 13 points.
26.5
Cleveland’s three-point shooting percentage. The Cavaliers went 3 for 6 on three-pointers in the first quarter and 6 for 28 the rest of the way.
4
Number of steals for Jayson Tatum. The 20-year-old also had 24 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks.
22
Kevin Love’s plus/minus was -22. Al Horford’s plus/minus was +22.
