By Justin Batiste
Home Court has shown to be an advantage for both teams
The series goes back to Boston tied at two games a piece. For the past two games it’s been all Cavaliers. The Cavaliers started off hot in game three and haven’t cooled down since. Not only have the Cavaliers been doing what they’ve been needing to do all series on the offensive side, which is make shots, but they’ve also done a better job of being locked in on the defensive side.
This team is playing with more energy, rotating better, contesting more shots and they’ve been the more physical team in these last two games. Also, the Cavaliers did an effective job on the offensive boards tonight. In game three the Celtics came out flat. They just couldn’t get it going on offense or defense. This game the Celtics made shots but couldn’t stop the offense of LeBron James and the Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers have been taking advantage of match-ups. They’re going right at whoever they feel they have an advantage over. When it comes to shot selection, the Cavaliers have done a better job in that area also while at home. The Cavaliers are making sure they get the best looks on every possession. Rather it’s LeBron going one-on-one, posting up Kevin Love or LeBron on smaller players or LeBron being the facilitator. The Cavaliers have found a way to get the shots that gives them the best chance to score in these last two games, and their shooting percentage shows.
The role players for the Cavaliers have increased their play tremendously, and that’s what has stood out the most in these last two games. There were multiple times in tonight’s game where the Celtics cut the game to 10 points. Although, Boston is known to be a great defensive team, tonight they couldn’t get the stops they needed to pull out a win. Cleveland finished the game shooting 50% percent from the field. With that being said, now the Celtics get to go back to Boston where they have seemed nearly unbeatable.
Home court has been a huge advantage in this series. But you have to wonder, has the momentum changed? Is this just a case of teams playing better at home or are the Cavaliers about to rally back after being down in a series again? Or can this young Celtics team rise and take control of the series knowing that the best player in the NBA is coming in this pivotal game 5 looking to dominate. Game 5 will be a test for both teams.
