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Three days off after their gut-wrenching Game 2 loss, in what felt like a must-win Game 3, the Cleveland Cavaliers finally got on the board with a blowout 30-point win.
They were once again led by LeBron James but Game 3 was all about the supporting cast finally stepping up and the Cavs, as a whole, playing with energy and intensity on defense. They held a Boston Celtics team, that was averaging 107.5 points through the first two games of this series, to just 86 points in Game 3.
On the flip side, the Cavaliers had only managed a high of 94 points prior to this game in the series but tonight they went off for 116 on 48.7% shooting from the field and 50% from beyond the arc (17 3s) - their best shooting percentages in this series.
There was a huge performance difference in Game 3 for the Cavaliers. So without further ado, let's get to Cleveland's Player Ratings:
LeBron James - 9.5/10
Stat line: 27 points, 12 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks and 3 turnovers on 8-12 FG's
Similar to Game 2, LeBron James hardly put a step wrong on Saturday night. He didn't have a 42-point triple-double but being the great player that he is, he knows how to balance his output once he can sense that his teammates have got it going early.
He struck that balance perfectly in Game 3. Yes, he had 3 turnovers and 3 personal fouls (oddly-high by his standards) but that's us nit-picking unnecessarily. Moreover, defensively James looked tuned-in like he has ever been this year, at least this postseason.
He knocked down 3s in a rhythm (3-3 for the game), drove the ball when necessary but for much of the night, he was a passer. A GREAT PASSER to be precise.
He dished out some unreal dimes in this game. He had a spectacular double-clutch reverse jam as well. It was basically a celebration in the Quicken Loans Arena, one that was orchestrated by James and supported well by his teammates.
George Hill - 8/10
Stat line: 13 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal on 4-of-11 shooting
George Hill's 13 points were huge for the Cavaliers, a team that was struggling to find offense from any of their role players not named Kyle Korver. At the end of the game, his shooting percentages (36.3%) was great but with respect to Hill, it was all about how he started the game.
At the end of the first quarter, when the Cavaliers led 32-17, Hill had 8 points and 2 assists. In fact, he had scored or assists on the team's first 9 points - scored 5 and dished out 4.
He doesn't need to have 20-point games. In fact, none of the Cavaliers' supporting cast need that. All of them just need to contribute their bit, which is 10-15 points each game, and LeBron will do the rest. Then, more often than not, they'll find themselves winning games rather than being 1-2 down after 3 games in a series.
JR Smith - 8/10
Stat line: 11 points, 5 rebounds on 3-of-8 shooting (3-of-4 3s)
Again, like we mentioned earlier, not a great night but at least JR Smith got it going. After scoring a combined 4 points in the first two games (0-7 on 3s), Smith got at least something to fall in this game. His reaction after he got the shot to fall was classic JR - telling himself to just shoot it [not to think about it].
11 points is not a lot for somebody that was averaging 12.5 through 4 games against the Toronto Raptors but just getting something to fall makes the defense react. Going 3-of-4 on 3s will have the Celtics closing out to him a lot more, which automatically opens it up for the rest of his teammates.
Smith and Hill at least putting up some points and finding the range from long distance made them threats the Celtics couldn't ignore, which in turn, opened up the game for LeBron.
Kevin Love - 7/10
Stat line: 13 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 turnovers on 4-of-12 shooting (1-4 3s)
All-Star Kevin Love did his bit but can certainly do a lot more.
Other than his double-digit rebounding numbers, the rest of numbers are quite below par. He can score more, 4 turnovers are far too much for how less he handles the ball and he can be better than 4-of-12 shooting. He's got to be more effective on his post-ups. Right now he's hitting the front of the rim on a lot of his hook shots. Not only does it look really bad but if he gets better in the post, it allows LeBron to rest more on those possessions with the Celtics needing to pay attention to Love..
There was no real issue with him defensively in the first two games of this series but when the rest of the team stepped it up on this end in Game 3, to his credit, he brought it as well.
Tristan Thompson - 7/10
Stat line: 10 points, 7 rebounds (3 offensive) on 3-of-5 FG's, 4-of-4 on FT's
Tristan Thompson, the "energy guy" for the Cavaliers, once again didn't have huge numbers to boast off about but he did his bit by impacting the game early and doing it on the offensive glass. It's where he is most impactful.
He also played a huge role in the team's early stifling defense that restricted the C's to only 17 points in the first quarter. Not to mention making 3-of-5 on his shot attempts and knocking down ALL of his free-throw attempts.
Kyle Korver - 8.5/10
Stat line: 14 points, 2 rebounds on 5-5 FG's (4-of-4 3s)
Kyle Korver has been the only non-LeBron player that the Cavaliers have been able to rely on each game. In Game 3 too, he had just 14 points but it's about doing his bit and his efficiency at it. He didn't miss a shot in Game 3, going 5-of-5 and 4-of-4 on 3s.
Bringing him off the bench, allows the team to have some kind of a scoring punch off their reserves. His presence on the floor always opens up the game for everybody else, given how the defense reacts to his cuts and curls.
Also, it might be quite natural for teams to go after him defensively, given his age but he's been able to contribute effectively and he's even thrown his body around for deflections and steals.
Jeff Green, Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. - 7/10
It's a little difficult to rate these players despite them having played around 20 minutes or so in this game but this game was wrapped up early so a majority of their minutes came during inconsequential basketball.
Nonetheless, they put up decent numbers in the minutes they received and together, as one bench unit, receive a 7. The trio combined for 23 points and while Green and Clarkson's box score were just about scoring, Nance Jr. also had 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals to show for.
Rest of the bench - Jose Calderon, Cedi Osman and Ante Zizic - Not Rated
The rest three guys only participated in the final 5 or 7 minutes of the game. While Calderon had all zeroes in his 7 minutes, Cedi Osman put up 3 points, 1 assist and 1 steal in 7 minutes. Ante Zizic put up 2 points and grabbed 2 rebounds in his 5 minutes.
Guess the Lakers players!
