Lebron Is Human (And That's Just Fine)

So the Celtics won at home 96-83. Not a shocker. They showed a lot of poise when the Cavs whittled down a 16 point lead to an 8 point lead in 3 minutes flat during the second quarter and eventually built and even larger lead. Nor surprising at all. Marcus Morris got a tech, definitely not unexpected. Jayson Tatum is already a star. Okay, that's a bit surprising but not shocking.   

What was unexpected was Lebron James showing signs of fatigue during the game. James was sloppy (6 turnovers), off target (1-6 from 3pt land) and worse, lacked his usual energy on defense (1 steal, 0 blocks)

Rockets Hang Tough, Proves Point.

Until Game 4, the Rockets haven't really proven that they can win against the Warriors when the going gets tough.

But why is that so important?

It goes to that great intangible mental toughness. It speaks to the ability to shut out the screaming crowd, the score, the fatigue, the person guarding you and make that shot you'd make 10 times out of 10 during practice.

It May Be 2-2 But Cavs Have The Edge Now

Before we get all huffy-puffy, let me just say that this Boston team is scary. With their two best players (Irving, Hayward) sidelined, they have proven themselves to be more worthy rivals to the Cavs than the Raptors ever were.

And yes, I remember that Boston beat Cleveland in Game 1 by 25 points, and in Game 2 by 13 points. It isn't about that, or about the Cavs returning the favor by beating the Celtics by 30 points in Game 3 and by 9 just today. (That's +1 for the Cavs by the way.)