CELTICS HOLD LEBRON 11% FG

Lebron's 11% 2-18 FG shooting, 10 turnovers, 12 points was held by Boston Celtics.

Celtics Shut Down James in Game 1 ECSF Win

BOSTON, May 6 (AP) - LeBron James only offense game is to drive to the basket, possession after possession. He reached out toward the rim, rolled the ball off his fingertips...

And missed.

Again and again (and one more time, when it was too late anyway), James' shots went awry flat in the final minute, completing one of the worst nights of his career and giving the Boston Celtics victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Lebron James is frustrated with himself in Game 1 of the NBA Playoffs against the Celtics

Game 2 is Thursday night in Boston.

"This was a great game played beautifully with good team defense, just body-punching," said Kevin Garnett, who scored 28 points to make part for the rest of Boston's Big Three. "There was no finesse, no jabs, just an all-out, beat-down, defensive fight."

Boston held James to 12 points on 2-for-18 shooting; only once in his career has he made fewer baskets. He missed three drives and a 3-pointer in the final minute, including the potential game-tying layup with 8.5 seconds left.

"I missed a lot of shots" James said, staring at the stat sheet incredulously after scoring just two points in the second half and missing his last six shots in all. "I missed layups. Those layups I've made my whole life."

Paul Pierce and Ray Allen of the Celtics were able to contain and shutdown the Cleveland's superstar. Pierce scored four points on 2-for-14 shooting; combined with Allen's 0-for-4 from the field for his first scoreless performance in his last 852 games since 1997. They matched the dud James put out there miss-for-miss.

"Me and Ray, we figure if we play him to a standstill...we give ourselves the best chance," Pierce said. "He is not going to go 2-for-18 every game but, hey, we're going to do our best to try to make him."

At least Pierce could smile about it.

Despite the worst offensive playoff performance of his career, he drew two charging fouls against James and the Celtics protected the home-court advantage that helped win their first-round series against Atlanta in seven games and could take them all the way to their NBA-record 17th championship.

They can thank their MVP candidate, Garnett, who finished third in the voting announced Tuesday, behind winner Kobe Bryant and runner-up Chris Paul. James finished fourth.

"That is why we have three superstars," said Celtics center Kendrick Perkins, who had 12 rebounds.

Three superstars can beat one. Three heads are better than one.

Only once has James made fewer than two baskets - in a Dec. 29, 2004 game against Houston when he missed all five shots in just 17 minutes. "I kept missing shots and eventually lost aim," he said immediately when asked about it.

He'll remember this one, too.

James scored Cleveland's first basket and then missed his next 10 shots before driving for a layup that cut Boston's lead to 66-65 with 5:34 left. He finished with nine rebounds, nine assists and 10 turnovers.

"He had a tough night, and he is entitled to it," Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said. "Knowing him, he will definitely bounce back in Game 2."

Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 22 points and 12 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who was the team's leading scroer and rebounder. Daniel Gibson hit a 3-pointer to tie it with 3:18 left.

Ilgauskas made a jumper on a feed from James with 90 seconds left, then Garnett hit a fallaway to make it 70-all. James drove against Pierce and flopped to the court while throwing up a desperation layup that wasn't close.

Sam Cassell made two free throws; James missed again, but this time Ilgauskas was there to tip it in and draw within striking distance. Garnett moved across the lane to give Boston back the lead as Cleveland called a timeout with 22 seconds left.

James dribbled at the point before finding a lane to the basket, but his shot wouldn't fall and James Posey was fouled by James after grabbing the rebound. He hit both free throws.

James missed a long but meaningless jumper to capitalize his night.

Notes: "I just thought that LeBron should have been higher," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said of the MVP voting, pausing for effect. "We're playing Cleveland, right? As a matter of fact, I thought he should have won."...Cleveland shot 18 of the game's first 22 free throws...Cassell was called for a flagrant foul against James with 5 1/2 minutes left in the half. The replay seemed to indicate that James enhanced the damage, and the Boston fans let him know they were on to him...Cleveland's Wally Szczerbiak made his first five shots before going to the bench in the first quarter...Boston's Rajon Rondo had all of his 15 points in the first half.

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• boston
• celtics
• lebron
• kobe

[kennyrogers71]

lol, I'll give you a thumbs up for that one. I say Kobe's still the MVP.

[DerrickthePinecone]

Better than Kobe?

Riiiiiiiiight.

[EmVThree]

@2pacisthebest90 then y u aint in the nba?

[2pacisthebest90]

@ZaireBetter lebron sucks

[kbryant8124]

@ZaireBetter he quit. hes a quitter

[ZaireBetter]

LeBron was terrible this game also. Did he quit? Bottomline is the Celtics in certain games have owned LeBron. He didnt quit. Some games he played great against them. The fact that the Cavs got blown out in game 5 is the only reason people said LeBron quit. When clearly the team was playing crap as a hole. And please dont say he "quit" in game 6 either. He didnt play great..but he still had "27 points, 19 boards, 11 assists" ...

[one1truplaya]

It sounds like KG was about to say "we wanted to cut that shit out" lol. KG MVP!

[DemonXY2J]

Well he still had his precious triple double

11% 10 turnovers and 12 points

[AllKobe24]

@Dunkmaster3333 When did I say Lebron is the best?

[Dunkmaster3333]

@AllKobe24 wade is the best player on that Miami Heat team, you stupid boy

[AllKobe24]

@HALFTIME552 These are one series...it doesn't mean anything. Wade and Brian Scalabrine can fight over 2,037,725,276th place.