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10 Reasons – Why the Celtics defeated the Cavs

This is another installment of 10 Reasons… to add a different spin to each Celtics win or loss this season.

Date: Friday, Oct. 26, 2007 in Boston’s TD BankNorth Garden
Final: Celtics (4-3) def. Cavs (1-6), 114-89
Box Score from NBA.com

10. There were a few negative trends entering the game for the defending Eastern Conference Champs. They had lost four straight entering last night’s game. They also lost their last two on average by a 24-point margin. The Celtics beat the Cavs by 25 in this one.

9. The Celtics were without Jackie Manuel and Dahntay Jones…because they cut them. Thus, there were more minutes available for the rest of the lineup except Scot Pollard (who was still injured). This game worked as a final tuneup for the regular season, as most everybody saw action and performed well.

8. Specifically, James Posey had a nice game off the bench. Posey shot 4-5 from the field (2-3 from 3pt-range) with 10 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and a blocked shot in 20 minutes. If he can produce an efficient game like that in just 20 minutes of play, the C’s will be very well off for the whole season.

7. The C’s held LeBron James to just 17 points (which is low for him). He was just 2-6 from the FT line with 4 rebounds, 4 asssists, and 1 block. LeBron had an ordinary game, and you can definitely put that down as a reason the C’s won. If LeBron plays at or above his level, this is a much closer game. One superstar can’t outlast three it would seem…

6 . Ray Allen shot 8-15 from the field (3-7 from 3pt-land) and finished with 20 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals in 31 minutes. If he can average this line for the season, the C’s will be golden. I suspect that Allen’s averages will be right around 20 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal or 2 per night.

5. Drew Gooden absolutely killed the Cavs. He played 31 minutes and shot only 2-of-8 from the field with 6 points and 6 rebounds. 6 rebounds is below average for a 6’10″ guy, and his shooting was atrocious. How could they let him lay waste on the floor for 31 minutes. (I think I have a vendetta against Drew Gooden…)

4. Eddie House had another impressive game off the bench. In 21 minutes, he shot 6-10 (3-4 from downtown) and finished with 16 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist. House’s game is all about the three-pointer and perimeter shooting. He did a lot of that this game, and as the stats indicate he did it well.

3. Rajon Rondo finally turned in a good game at point guard. He shot 3-4 from the field and 4-4 from the free throw line, finishing with 10 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals, and just 3 turnovers in 31 minutes of play. This was quite an efficient game for Rajon shooting-wise, and he also had a 2:1 assist/turnover ratio.

2. The Celtics as a team shot really well, connecting 59.2% of their shots (45-76). As a team they shot 8-17 (47.1%) from downtown and 76.2% from the line. The Cavs didnt fare so well shooting 42.5% from the field, 41.7% from 3, and 73.3% from the charity stripe.

1. This would have to go to Kevin Garnett. He’s the No.1 reason the C’s won because of his triple-double. He finished 8-13 from the field with 21 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists. KG dominated this game tonight, and he has the capability to do so on any given night. To perform this well in the final game of the preseason is great. This will be one exciting year.

About KC Downey

KC is the "head coach" of the Sports of Boston, LLC blog network. Follow him on Twitter: @kc_downey

Tags: Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Kevin Garnett