Cavaliers hold off Celtics 124-118 
​ BY STONE LEXINGTON
CAVALIERS BEAT WRITER
LeBron James got an early birthday present Thursday night. The NBA’s biggest superstar will turn 32 years old on Friday, and his team picked up a pre-birthday gift for James Thursday with a 124-118 victory over the Boston Celtics.

When Cleveland (24-7) led by as many as 20 points with 1:20 remaining in the third quarter, it seemed as if the Cavs were going to run away with game. It didn’t turn out that way.

“We kind of let our guard down a little bit, turning the basketball over, didn’t take them serious,” Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue said. “They were able to make some shots, be aggressive and play aggressive, and they were able to get their team back into the game.”

When Celtics shooting guard Avery Bradley sank a three-pointer with 4:48 remaining in the fourth quarter, Boston (19-14) had considerably cut Cleveland’s advantage and trailed 110-105. When Bradley threw down a dunk less than two minutes later, the Cavs’ advantage shrank to one point, 113-112. The one-point deficit, though, was the closest the Celtics came the rest of the way.

Boston had the ball as Cleveland led 120-118 with 21 seconds to play, but Boston forward Jae Crowder missed a three-pointer that would have given the Celtics the lead. Richard Jefferson grabbed the rebound and was fouled with 8.5 seconds remaining. The Cavs veteran sank both free throws to give Cleveland a 122-118 lead, essentially icing the game.

“We wanted to put in Kyrie and ‘Bron to start the fourth quarter to put the game out and the last six minutes be able to rest,” Lue said. “They just came in and played hard. They scrapped, they made shots and we turned the basketball over. We didn’t make shots, and they were able to come back and change the game.”

The Cavs’ ‘Big Three’ carried Cleveland. Kyrie Irving finished with 32 points, 12 assists and five rebounds, while Kevin Love wasn’t too shabby himself, totaling 30 points and 15 rebounds. For good measure, LeBron James chipped-in a ho-hum 23 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists.

Since the Cavs and Celtics faced each other in the 2015 playoffs, the Cavs have now won eight of the last nine meetings between the two teams. With the victory, Cleveland moved to 11-2 in their last 13 games and have won seven straight at The Q.

Thursday’s contest was Cleveland’s final home game in what was a magical 2016 for the Cavs that included the franchise’s first NBA title and Cleveland’s first sports parade in more than 50 years. While James may get some nice gifts for his birthday tomorrow, the ring he received in October likely can’t be topped.

What would Lue get James as a gift if he could?

“Does the gift have to be tomorrow?” Lue asked receiving a reply of “no” from a media member.

“Another championship,” Lue chortled. “That’s the best gift you could possibly give him, a man who has everything.”
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​POSTED 12/29/2016 23:16
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