Celtics stifle Cavaliers again, take 2-0 series lead

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05/08/2008 - Boston, MA (Basketball Betting) - Paul Pierce paced a balanced Boston attack with 19 points and six rebounds as the Celtics routed Cleveland, 89-73, in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Kevin Garnett added 13 points and 12 boards for the Celtics, who took a 2-0 series lead with the win.

Ray Allen, who was held scoreless for the first time since February 26, 1997 in the opener of this series, bounced back with 16 points for Boston, which is a perfect 6-0 at home in the postseason.

LeBron James scored 21 points but was just 6-of-24 from the floor for the Cavaliers. The Cavs superstar is now shooting a miserable 8-of-42 in the series.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas netted 19 points on 9-of-12 shooting, while Wally Szczerbiak finished with 13 for Cleveland.

Game 3 of the best-of-seven series is scheduled for Saturday in Cleveland.

The Celtics trailed by as many as 12 points, 21-9, in the first quarter after James deposited a reverse layup with just over three minutes left.

Boston rebounded a bit from there but was still down by seven points, 24-17, after the opening 12 minutes.

The Celtics continued to turn things around early in the second quarter when James took a seat on the bench. Boston used a staunch defense to run off a 13-3 spurt to start the frame and jump in front for the first time. Sam Cassell drained a long pull-up jumper with 5:21 left until intermission to cap the run and give the Celtics a 30-27 edge.

Szczerbiak finally halted the Boston momentum, momentarily, with a three. But the Celtics then rattled off nine straight points, featuring a pair of Garnett slams, to take their biggest lead of the half, 39-30.

Cassell's driving layup at the second quarter buzzer gave Boston a 44-36 lead heading into the locker room.

The Celtics really put things away by opening up the third quarter with a 10-0 burst. Allen fueled the run with a driving layup and a pair of free throws before Pierce finished it with a driving layup of his own to give Boston a commanding 54-36 advantage.

The Cavs managed to close the gap to 12, 56-44, after Szczerbiak and James deposited back-to-back buckets but the Celtics quickly restored order and pushed the lead to 20 with a 10-2 burst. Allen hit Leon Powe under the bucket for an easy slam to highlight the spurt and Boston led 66-46 with 2:38 left in the third.

The Celtics took a more-than-comfortable 70-51 edge into the final frame.

James tried to get things going for the Cavs by opening the fourth quarter with a driving layup but Cleveland just couldn't muster much of a push.

A few minutes later, Allen dropped in a pair of free throws after a Daniel Gibson clear path foul and Boston had its largest lead of the night, 80-56, with 8:57 remaining.

The Celtics coasted to the finish line from there.

Ilgauskas helped Cleveland roar out of the gates with a 10-2 run by making the Cavs' first four shots of the game.

But, any excitement for Cleveland over the quick start was tempered when big man Ben Wallace was forced to leave the contest with bouts of dizziness.

Wallace left with 8:20 left in the first quarter and nearly collapsed after walking toward his bench. The defensive standout was taken to the locker room and never returned.

The Celtics recovered from the slow start when Garnett hit a bank shot and Pierce stroked a three, but Cleveland continued to shoot well early and built its lead up to 12 points, 21-9.

Game Notes

The Celtics bench outscored Cleveland's 34-17...The Cavaliers are 2-3 on the road in this year's playoffs...This is the fourth time these teams have met in the postseason. Boston defeated the Cavaliers in six games, 4-2, in the 1976 East finals, and in four contests, 3-1, in the first round of the 1985 playoffs. Cleveland knocked out the Celtics in seven games in the 1992 East semis...During the regular season, the Celtics and Cavaliers split four contests. Both teams won a pair of games on their home court.