Some scores of other Celtics' home games this year against their stronger opponents:
Boston 155, Indy 104
Boston 119, Milwaukee 116
Boston 125, Philly 119
Boston 114, Knicks 98
Boston 133, Knicks 123
Boston 119, Miami 111
Boston 121, Brooklyn 107
The Celtics are now 11-0 at home. Losing by 7 points with our best defensive player out is not bad at all, especially given that they arrived in Boston at 2 a.m. while the Celtics had three days off and no injuries.
I want to see these teams play in Cleveland with everybody healthy and both teams having a day or two off.
That being said, the Celtics came out sloppy in the first quarter and let the Cavs build a 12-point lead. Maybe they were complacent and expecting an easy win. They battled back to within one point at halftime and both teams slugged it out evenly for 18 minutes after halftime before the Cavs broke.
After the game the Cavs were complaining about the refereeing but it looked to me like Tatum and Porzingus were just too quick, big, and skilled to be defended without fouling them. They combined for 18 of the 26 free throws. The Cavs need to keep their hands back when contesting jump shots so they don't contact the shooter's forearm on his follow-through.