Boston Celtics are currently battling Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals, and have been a better opponent than anyone could expect. Celtics entered the playoffs without their two-star players, Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving, but still managed to get this far and NBA Finals now don’t look impossible.

Missing out the series against the Cavs has been especially tough for Kyrie Irving. He was traded to the Celtics by the Cavaliers in 2017 and was de-facto the leader of the team until he went down with a left knee injury in early April. According to Celtics coach Brad Stevens, it’s “killing” Irving that he can’t make a contribution to the team’s efforts, but the good news is that his recovery is going great.

“In our sit-downs, or just our casual conversations, he seems to be in a great place,” – said Stevens. “It’s killing him not to be out on the floor. But I think that would be the case, obviously, any time you’re playing this deep into the playoffs, especially in a new place. Other than that, his recovery is going great. We’re excited about that. But he seems to be in a good place.“

Despite not being out there on the basketball court, Kyrie Irving has been present at Celtics’ home postseason games providing leadership and guidance to this young roster.
After asking for a trade from Cleveland in summer of 2017, Kyrie Irving landed in Boston who sent Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and Brooklyn Nets 2018 first-round draft pick in the opposite direction.

Irving ended up playing 60 regular season games in his first season with the Celtics, averaging 24.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

The post Brad Stevens: It’s “Killing” Kyrie Irving That He Can’t Play In Playoffs appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Cleveland Cavaliers have lost Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics, and now have to work their way up from a 0-2 deficit. If you ask Cavaliers coach, Tyronn Lue, in order to get back into the series, Cavs have to be “tougher” since Celtics are “gooning the game up.”

“We have to be tougher,” – said Tyronn Lue following 94-107 loss on Tuesday night. “I think they’re playing tougher than we are. We’re seeing that. They’re being physical. They’re gooning the game up, and we have to do the same thing. We have to be tougher mentally and physically.“

"We've got to be tougher. I think they're playing tougher than we are."

Ty Lue on the Celtics.#GameTime pic.twitter.com/xz0lEvYPui

— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 16, 2018

Cavs’ guard J.R. Smith started playing tougher in Game 2 already but took it too literary showing Celtics’ center Al Horford as he attempted a layup attempt. Smith was assessed with a flagrant-one foul and then got into a scuffle with Marcus Smart, which got him a technical foul.

“It was a good call. I blatantly pushed [Horford],” – said Smith after the game. “It wasn’t like I was trying to low bridge him or something. I just wanted to make sure he didn’t get it. It was a good, hard foul. I understand why they gave me a flag there.“

Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics will resume Eastern Conference Finals series on Friday at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.

The post Cavs’ Coach Tyronn Lue Says Celtics Are “Gooning the Game Up” after Game 2 Loss appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Eastern Conference Finals has officially kicked off on Sunday night with a showdown between the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Although the Cavaliers were given bigger chance for the win despite not playing on the home court, it was the Celtics who made the statement in the Game 1 and ended up on the better side of the 108-83 score.

Celtics have been playing this entire postseason as the underdogs, being without their two main stars in Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving. Still, Brad Stevens managed to find a winning formula against the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers, and now maybe even the Cavs.

Cavaliers never really settled into the game and were trailing 26 points in the first half. They managed to cut into the deficit in the third and entered the fourth quarter being 14 points behind, but that was all they could do. Celtics once again made a big run in the fourth and closed out the Game 1.

LeBron James managed to score only 15 points to go with 9 assists and 7 rebounds, while Kevin Love ended the game with 17 points, 3 assists, and 9 rebounds. The rest of the Cavs starters – George Hill, Kyle Korver, and JR Smith – combined for 14 points.

On the other side, Celtics had three players who scored 20 points or more. Al Horford had a monster game, delivering 20 points, 6 assists, 4 rebound and 2 blocks while playing excellent defense on Kevin Love.

“I feel like the coaches came out with a great game plan for our group,” – said Horford after the game. “We just bought in and did what we were supposed to do.“

Marcus Morris did the same against LeBron James while managing to score 21 points and add 10 rebounds. Jaylen Brown also had a stellar performance with 23 points and 8 rebounds.

Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals is scheduled to take place on Tuesday night.

The post Celtics take 1-0 Lead in the Eastern Conference Finals Against the Cavs appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Boston Celtics are currently battling Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals, and have been a better opponent than anyone could expect. Celtics entered the playoffs without their two-star players, Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving, but still managed to get this far and NBA Finals now don’t look impossible.

Missing out the series against the Cavs has been especially tough for Kyrie Irving. He was traded to the Celtics by the Cavaliers in 2017 and was de-facto the leader of the team until he went down with a left knee injury in early April. According to Celtics coach Brad Stevens, it’s “killing” Irving that he can’t make a contribution to the team’s efforts, but the good news is that his recovery is going great.

“In our sit-downs, or just our casual conversations, he seems to be in a great place,” – said Stevens. “It’s killing him not to be out on the floor. But I think that would be the case, obviously, any time you’re playing this deep into the playoffs, especially in a new place. Other than that, his recovery is going great. We’re excited about that. But he seems to be in a good place.“

Despite not being out there on the basketball court, Kyrie Irving has been present at Celtics’ home postseason games providing leadership and guidance to this young roster.
After asking for a trade from Cleveland in summer of 2017, Kyrie Irving landed in Boston who sent Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic and Brooklyn Nets 2018 first-round draft pick in the opposite direction.

Irving ended up playing 60 regular season games in his first season with the Celtics, averaging 24.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

The post Brad Stevens: It’s “Killing” Kyrie Irving That He Can’t Play In Playoffs appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Cleveland Cavaliers have lost Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics, and now have to work their way up from a 0-2 deficit. If you ask Cavaliers coach, Tyronn Lue, in order to get back into the series, Cavs have to be “tougher” since Celtics are “gooning the game up.”

“We have to be tougher,” – said Tyronn Lue following 94-107 loss on Tuesday night. “I think they’re playing tougher than we are. We’re seeing that. They’re being physical. They’re gooning the game up, and we have to do the same thing. We have to be tougher mentally and physically.“

"We've got to be tougher. I think they're playing tougher than we are."

Ty Lue on the Celtics.#GameTime pic.twitter.com/xz0lEvYPui

— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 16, 2018

Cavs’ guard J.R. Smith started playing tougher in Game 2 already but took it too literary showing Celtics’ center Al Horford as he attempted a layup attempt. Smith was assessed with a flagrant-one foul and then got into a scuffle with Marcus Smart, which got him a technical foul.

“It was a good call. I blatantly pushed [Horford],” – said Smith after the game. “It wasn’t like I was trying to low bridge him or something. I just wanted to make sure he didn’t get it. It was a good, hard foul. I understand why they gave me a flag there.“

Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics will resume Eastern Conference Finals series on Friday at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.

The post Cavs’ Coach Tyronn Lue Says Celtics Are “Gooning the Game Up” after Game 2 Loss appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Eastern Conference Finals has officially kicked off on Sunday night with a showdown between the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Although the Cavaliers were given bigger chance for the win despite not playing on the home court, it was the Celtics who made the statement in the Game 1 and ended up on the better side of the 108-83 score.

Celtics have been playing this entire postseason as the underdogs, being without their two main stars in Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving. Still, Brad Stevens managed to find a winning formula against the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers, and now maybe even the Cavs.

Cavaliers never really settled into the game and were trailing 26 points in the first half. They managed to cut into the deficit in the third and entered the fourth quarter being 14 points behind, but that was all they could do. Celtics once again made a big run in the fourth and closed out the Game 1.

LeBron James managed to score only 15 points to go with 9 assists and 7 rebounds, while Kevin Love ended the game with 17 points, 3 assists, and 9 rebounds. The rest of the Cavs starters – George Hill, Kyle Korver, and JR Smith – combined for 14 points.

On the other side, Celtics had three players who scored 20 points or more. Al Horford had a monster game, delivering 20 points, 6 assists, 4 rebound and 2 blocks while playing excellent defense on Kevin Love.

“I feel like the coaches came out with a great game plan for our group,” – said Horford after the game. “We just bought in and did what we were supposed to do.“

Marcus Morris did the same against LeBron James while managing to score 21 points and add 10 rebounds. Jaylen Brown also had a stellar performance with 23 points and 8 rebounds.

Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals is scheduled to take place on Tuesday night.

The post Celtics take 1-0 Lead in the Eastern Conference Finals Against the Cavs appeared first on SportzBonanza.