LeBron James, Kevin Love, and Kyrie Irving combined for 74 points; the Celtics as a team scored 86. The Caviliers have never trailed in the Eastern Conference Finals and won Friday night by 44 points.
After the first half Cleveland led Boston 72-31, the 41-point halftime lead being the biggest lead at the half in NBA playoff history. At the conclusion of the game, the Cavs broke their franchise record for total points in a playoff game; and they’d won their 13th straight playoff game, which tied a league record.
For the 8th consecutive playoff game, LeBron scored 30 or more points – tying Michael Jordan for the third-longest streak in NBA postseason history. Next on the list are: Bob McAdoo and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar at nine, and Elgin Baylor with 11.
Isaiah Thomas didn’t make good on a single field goal attempt, and left the game early after playing just 18 minutes due to a right hip injury with two points and six assists in the disappointing loss. The only bright spot for the Celtics was rookie Jaylen Brown, who scored a team-high 19 points to go with four rebounds and two steals.
LeBron finished the night with 30 points, seven assists, four rebounds, four steals, and three blocks on 12-18 shooting and 4-6 from deep. While filling up the stat sheet on both ends of the floor, LeBron passed Jordan for 2nd on the all-time playoffs steals list with his 377th steal of his career. Scottie Pippen sits at the top of the list with 395; but if LeBron’s impressive play throughout his career (and especially as of late) is a sign of things to come, that record may not stand for much longer.
With the series going back to Cleveland, it seems a foregone conclusion that LeBron and the Cavs are just two games away from their third straight Finals appearance.
