The Cavaliers only shot 38.4% from the floor tonight and that trumped the fact that they outrebounded the Celtics 48-37. LeBron James came to play tonight as he finished up with 27 points, 19 rebounds, 10 assists, 3 steals and 1 blocked shot. But he was a tad sloppy with the ball as he had 9 turnovers in this game. Mo Williams pitched in with 22 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Shaquille O’Neal only played 24 minutes and he finished up with 11 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist. The Cavaliers lose this series 4-2 to the Celtics and I think some heads are going to roll because of it. I fully expect Mike Brown to get fired over the weekend as there is no reason why the Cavaliers should have lost this series.

The Cavaliers looked like they didn’t want to play last night. They were outrebounded 41-31 and they didn’t play any D as the Celtics shot 55% from the floor. After the Cavs came out of the locker room at the half they quit as they were outscored 70-44! Shaquille O’Neal was the only Cavs’ player who really came to play as he finished up with 21 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 4 blocked shots in only 27 minutes. LeBron James had one of the worst games I can ever remember him having as he finished up with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists on 3 of 14 shooting from the floor. Anthony Parker pitched in with 14 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist last night. The Cavaliers are now down 3-2 in this series with Game #6 in Boston tomorrow.

The Cavs were outscored 23-15 in the 4th quarter yesterday as the Celtics appeared to want this game a little more than they did. The Celtics also outrebounded the Cavs 47-33! LeBron James led the way for the Cavaliers in this game with 22 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot. Shaquille O’Neal was solid yesterday in his 28 minutes on the court as he finished up with 17 points, 5 rebounds and 2 blocked shots. Antwan Jamison was so-so with 14 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists in this game. Mo Williams (13 points) and Anthony Parker (10 points) also pitched in offensively in this game for the Cavs. This series is tied up at 2 games apiece with a game in Cleveland tomorrow night.

The Cavaliers looked pissed off tonight as they ran out to a 36-17 first quarter lead and they never looked back as they beat the Celtics in every single quarter! The Cavs shot 59.5% from the floor and they outrebounded the Celtics 45-30 in this game which helps explain the complete beatdown they gave them on their own court. LeBron James look like a man possessed as he led the way for the Cavs with 38 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocked shots. Antwan Jamison also played a great game for the Cavs tonight as he finished up with 20 points, 12 rebounds and 2 assists. Delonte West was solid off the bench with 14 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists in 29 minutes. Shaquille O’Neal (12 points), Mo Williams (12 points) and Anthony Parker (11 points) all helped out offensively for the Cavs. The Cavaliers have taken a 2-1 lead in this series as they have sent a loud message to the Celtics tonight!

The Cavaliers looked like they didn’t want to play last night as the Celtics outscored them 31-12 in the third quarter and they eventually led the Cavs 91-66 at one point before the Cavs showed some signs of life but it was too late. The Cavs didn’t play any D as the Celtics shot 51.3% and the Cavs were outrebounded 41-32 which explains the beatdown in Cleveland last night. LeBron James led the way for the Cavs last night with 24 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocked shots. Antwan Jamison pitched in with 16 points and 6 rebounds last night. J.J. Hickson brought some energy off the bench with 13 points and 1 rebound in only 19 minutes on the floor. The Cavaliers are now tied 1-1 in this series as if shifts to Boston for the weekend.

The Cavs were down 11 points at halftime last night but they woke up in the second half outscoring the Celtics 58-39 in the second half to pull away with a rousing home victory. LeBron James’ elbow might have been bugging him a bit but it didn’t show as he finished up with 35 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocked shots. Mo Williams energized the Cavs in the third quarter when he scored 8 consecutive points including his first dunk ever as a Cav over Paul Pierce. Williams finished up with 20 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists last night. Shaquille O’Neal finished up with 11 points and 4 rebounds on 4 of 12 shooting from the floor but he had a couple of really hard fouls on Rajon Rondo that discouraged him from driving the lane in the second half of the game. J.J. Hickson made a brief and outstanding performance for the Celtics last night with 11 points and 2 rebounds in 12 minutes off the bench. The Cavaliers are up 1-0 in this series which continues tomorrow night in Cleveland.

This could be a epic series as both of these teams have deep rosters and they don’t like each other. Remember it was Glen “Big Baby” Davis who slapped Shaquille O’Neal’s thumb which caused him to miss the last two months of the regular season. Here is a closer look at the matchups in this series:

POINT GUARD: Mo Williams is one of the best outside shooters the Cavs have on the roster but he might have a hard time getting open shots against Rajon Rondo who is a elite defender. Williams played in 5 games (all starts) against the Bulls in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 37.2 minutes, 15.6 points, 2.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game.

Rajon Rondo is the guy who makes the Celtics go both offensively and defensively. He will be right in Mo Williams’ face most of this series. Rondo played in 5 games (all starts) against the Heat in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 42.0 minutes, 14.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 10.2 assists and 2.4 steals per game.

EDGE: CELTICS

SHOOTING GUARD: Anthony Parker was signed last summer to play defense for the Cavaliers and he did a pretty good job on Kirk Hinrich in the first round. Ray Allen is a different animal though as Parker will have to play him tight because of his shooting prowess. Parker played in 5 games (all starts) against the Bulls in the first round of the playoffs in which he averaged 26.4 minutes, 8.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.

Ray Allen still can shoot the lights out as he hit 52.4% from the floor and 52.8% from the three point line against the Heat in the first round of the playoffs. The Cavaliers usually like to double the basketball but I don’t see them doing that in this series because of Allen’s shooting. Allen played in 5 games (all starts) against the Heat in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 35.4 minutes, 19.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.0 steal per game.

EDGE: CELTICS

CENTER: Shaquille O’Neal might be getting old and he has problems with some of the better athletes at center like Joakim Noah. He won’t have that problem in this series as Kendrick Perkins is a bruiser just like him. O’Neal played in 5 games (all starts) against the Bulls in which he averaged 20.6 minutes, 9.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.4 blocked shots per game. Shaq can still dominate in short spurts for the Cavs.

Kendrick Perkins has really improved this season but going against the Cavs’ big men is quite a different animal than what the Heat sent out. That’s because the Cavaliers are really deep in the frontcourt. Perkins played in 5 games (all starts) for the Celtics against the Heat and he averaged 27.4 minutes, 5.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 2.2 blocked shots per game.

EDGE: CAVALIERS

POWER FORWARD: Antwan Jamison gave the Cavs a needed shot in the arm since coming over at the trade deadline from the Wizards. He gives the Cavs a second top scorer to go along with LeBron James. Jamison played in 5 games (all starts) against the Bulls in which he averaged 35.0 minutes, 19.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 blocked shots per game on 50.7% shooting from the floor. He might be giving up a little size against Kevin Garnett but he hustles more than him which will even things out a bit.

Kevin Garnett is a Hall of Fame player but he’s definitely starting to slow down on the basketball court. He did seem to find a second wind against the Heat and the Celtics hope he can keep up the good work. Garnett played in 4 games (all starts) against the Heat in the first round of the playoffs in which he averaged 35.5 minutes, 15.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.8 blocked shots on 57.8% shooting from the floor.

EDGE: EVEN

SMALL FORWARD: LeBron James is quite simply the best player on the Planet Earth right now. He was showing off against the overmatched Bulls as he shot 56.7% from the floor and 54.2% from three point range. If he keeps shooting like he is right now the Celtics are going to be in deep, deep trouble. James played in 5 games (all starts) against the Bulls in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged an amazing 31.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, 8.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 2.4 blocked shots per game!

Paul Pierce is the Celtics’ go to man whenever they need a big shot. But in this series he will have to deal with LeBron James who is a outstanding defensive player. Pierce will have to make James work on both ends of the floor in a attempt to get him tired. Pierce played in 5 games (all starts) against the Heat and he averaged 38.6 minutes, 19.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. He also shot 40.7% from three point range which is pretty darn solid.

EDGE: CAVALIERS

BENCH: The Cleveland Cavaliers have a very deep and talented bench. Look for ex-Celtic Delonte West to be inspired playing against his old team. He played in 5 games (0 starts) against the Bulls in which he averaged 8.0 points, 2.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.0 steal per game. The Cavs have awesome depth on the front line as Anderson Varejao, J.J. Hickson, Jamario Moon and Zydrunas Ilgauskas bring muscle in waves. And don’t forget sharpshooter Daniel Gibson who is the best pure shooter on the Cavs.

The Celtics have a talented bench but they don’t use them much. Glen “Big Baby” Davis will likely get the most P.T. of the bench bunch in this series. He played in 5 games (1 start) against the Heat in the first round of the playoffs in which he averaged 22.4 minutes, 8.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 0.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Rasheed Wallace will also likely be needed a lot in this series to help the Celtics combat the depth of the Cavs front line. Tony Allen will likely be the first guard off the bench as he deserves that honor based on seniority. Michael Finley, Nate Robinson, Marquis Daniels and Shelden Williams all could help the cause if needed by the Celtics.

EDGE: CAVALIERS

COACH: Mike Brown generally dominates the first two rounds of the playoffs but that is because the Cavs usually don’t play a team the quality of the Celtics. He has a bad habit of double teaming the basketball which leaves opponents witih open three point shots. Still, the Cavs do have a 40-25 (61.5%) record under Mike Brown in the post season.

Doc Rivers knows how to win the big game. He is a outstanding motivator and he will have the Celtics ready for this series. The Celtics have a record in the post season of 30-22 (57.7%) under Rivers.

EDGE: CELTICS

PREDICTION: With the Celtics getting old I think they will falter late in this series plus the Cavaliers look pretty hungry. I like the Cavaliers in six hard fought games in this series.

The Cavaliers won a hard fought battle with the Bulls last night to move on to the next round of the NBA Playoffs. Antwan Jamison led the way for the Cavs last night with 25 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 1 blocked shot. LeBron James filled up the stat sheet with 19 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists and 2 blocked shots. Delonte West was solid off the bench in this game with 16 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists in 31 minutes. Shaquille O’Neal was solid around the basket with 14 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists in 26 minutes on 7 of 9 shooting from the floor. The Cavaliers win this series 4-1 and they will start up against the Boston Celtics in Round #2 of the playoffs starting Saturday in Cleveland.

The Cavaliers punished the Bulls yesterday as they shot 53.2% from the floor while holding the Bulls to 37.4% shooting from the floor which helps explain the scoreboard. LeBron James was unstoppable for the Cavs yesterday as he got a impressive triple double with 37 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists and 2 steals. Antwan Jamison backed up LeBron with 24 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocked shots. Mo Williams pitched in with 19 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists in this game. Anthony Parker (12 points) and J.J. Hickson (10 points) both pitched in offensively for the Cavaliers yesterday. The Cavaliers are now up 3-1 in this series as they will be looking to put the Bulls away in Game #5.

The Cavaliers didn’t play any defense last night as the Bulls shot 50% from the floor and they dug too big of a hole in this game to come all the way back and win it. The Cavaliers woke up outscoring the Bulls 38-29 as the “Cleveland Sucks” chants seemed to fire up the team. LeBron James was outstanding as usual last night as he finished up with 39 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocked shots. Mo Williams did a solid job also last night with 21 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists. Antwan Jamison was very tough inside as he finished up with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 2 assists last night. The Cavaliers are now up 2-1 in this series as the Bulls now have their full attention.