After a comeback victory in Game One, Mike Brown was like a nervous schoolgirl giggling at her newfound crush.  Either that, or he was high.

After a crushing Game Two defeat, Brown was singing an entirely different tune. (Yahoo)

“We have to decide if we are going to take the fight to them and take these games. Nothing is going to be given to us at all. Ain’t a [expletive] thing going to be given to us at all in this series. We have to come out and fight better than we did tonight. … If we expect to win this series, we have got to bring more of a sense of urgency.”

He was about out of breath. About.

“We are going to see what we are made of come Game 3.”

Lebron: "Dont worry, coach. Im the MVP." Brown: "Im worried, damn it."

Mo Williams, who had just gone 1-for-9 from the floor and watched opposing point guard Rajon Rondo dish 19 assists, emerged from the shower to find a gaggle of reporters waiting for him. He looked dumbfounded.

“Damn,” Williams said, with a smile. “What you all want?”

If Mo were me, I’m coming out of that shower with a scowl on my face. I’m mean-mugging the reporters and telling them I’m ready for Game Three. Either that, or I’m staying in the shower ’til all the reporters are gone, drinking that beer some guy threw on the floor to drown my sorrows. The LAST thing I’d be doing would be smiling. After going 1-9 in a game that breathed hope into the Boston Celtics? No chance I’m smiling. Not an effing chance.

But Williams’ most famous teammate took the loss the same nonchalant way.

Afterward, LeBron was asked if he was embarrassed or humiliated.

“I wouldn’t go that far,” he replied. “Those are pretty harsh words.”

He needs to find harsher ones. James said Brown wasn’t screaming at the team in the locker room and appeared surprised at his coach’s anger. Maybe Brown doesn’t feel comfortable lighting up his guys directly. That would be a problem. Maybe the players just missed his anger. That would be, too.

In the end, it shouldn’t matter. LeBron should’ve been the one demanding better directly.

“No one said it was going to be easy,” LeBron said. “The postseason isn’t easy. … That’s why I’m up here talking the way I’m talking. I know how the playoffs are.”

But apparently Lebron hasn’t learned his lesson. When he refused to shake hands after losing to the Magic last season, I thought he’d come back hellbent on destroying the competition. I thought he’d be breathing mother-f*cking fire this year. But he’s not.

So yeah, Lebron, you know how the playoffs are. But you’ve never won anything. You don’t know what a championship feels like. And, if you keep responding to losses like they were exhibition games, this season may not be your year.

The Celtics have gotten rid of their morning walkthrough, but that doesn’t mean we have to. Here are a few Celtics links, and maybe even an NBA link or two, to help wake you up and get you focused for the day.

Pierce: "Hey Ray, that dude just threw a beer at me." Ray: "Nah, that beer was aimed for Mo Williams."

Steve Aschburner, NBA.com – “Compare that to Boston coach Glenn (Doc) Rivers, who said that his players “adjusted” by simply doing what they should have done from the series’ start. ‘We didn’t make any. Honestly,’ Rivers said. ‘We felt that we just didn’t do our jobs in the first game. We didn’t do our defense. We weren’t in the spots we should have been in, and all we talked about was, ‘Let’s see if we can do that first. Then if they score, we can make an adjustment.’ The only adjustment we really made was doing it the way we should do it.’ B-b-b-b-b-but the results were so different: Fifteen points shaved off Cleveland’s total. Re-newly crowned MVP LeBron James was held to 24, almost six points below his season scoring average and more than eight off his mark (32.3 ppg) through the Cavs’ first six postseason games. Four points from Mo Williams rather than 20. Defensive shooting percentage that bumped to 40 percent only when it was too late for Cleveland, compared to 48.7 percent in Game 1. This time, Boston looked like Boston rather than the defensive impostors who showed up Saturday. ‘Our whole team defense is the same all the time,’ Rivers said. ‘We always talk about shrinking the floor and letting everybody see five guys in the paint. In Game 1, there were so many gaps when we watched the film. Everybody was hugging up on their guys. I thought [this time] we did a great job in the paint and then on drive-and-kicks, in recovering back out.’”

Sam D’Amico, NBA.com – “This one wasn’t much different than the first one, with the Celtics clearly outplaying the Cavaliers in the first two quarters. The Celtics beat the Cavs to loose balls and rebounds, and kept them from getting many good looks at the basket. Just like Game 1, the Celtics had to deal with a massive Cavs rally in the second half. This time, though, they didn’t act surprised. This time, the Celtics kept scratching, clawing and battling, and this time, they finished the job. And while Rondo (13 points, career-high 19 assists) was again remarkable, chalk this one up to a team effort in the truest sense. ‘We have a good team, but we’re not gonna beat anybody individually as we are,’ said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. ‘But if we do it together, we have a shot.’ While not even league MVP LeBron James could get anything going for the Cavs, the Celtics were as balanced as they’ve been all season.”

Gary Washburn, Boston Globe – “The Celtics spent the past three days in Northeast Ohio obliterating the mystique of the Cavaliers. Cleveland spent all season treating itself like an NBA champion, adoring itself with pregame charades and finally crowning LeBron James with his second Most Valuable Player award Sunday in Akron as if it was a precursor to more glittering hardware. Now the Cavaliers head to Boston for Friday night’s Game 3 with major concerns following the Celtics’ 104-86 whitewashing last night, which included a 31-12 third-quarter surge. The Celtics then withstood a 5-minute-40-second scoring drought in the fourth quarter and ended Game 2 not sagging on the ropes, but punching back with a late flurry and extinguishing any Cleveland momentum heading into a three-day break. The Celtics entered this series as decided underdogs. Many NBA pundits said the Cavaliers would win in four or five. Cleveland is one of the tougher road venues in the NBA and the crowd made a difference in the third quarter of Game 1, when Mo Williams scored 10 consecutive points and the Cavaliers played themselves back into the game. Last night, the Celtics again started strong and reduced the crowd effect. And a team that has been mostly dreadful this season in the third quarter reacted with a 21-4 run to quiet not only the crowd but the supremely confident Cavaliers, who had not lost a home game with LeBron James in the lineup since Feb. 18.”

Chris Broussard, ESPN – “It started out as the celebration of a young phenom, with David Stern handing LeBron James the Maurice Podoloff Trophy and thousands of adoring fans raising “MVP X2″ placards. But after all the hoopla and fanfare, it quickly became a reminder that old champions don’t die easily, that contrary to popular belief the glory days may not be over for Boston’s group of proud and feisty veterans. Oh, and they have a young phenom too. Don’t count Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce out just yet. They’ve got warriors’ hearts and, just as importantly, Rajon Rondo, a slick point guard who’s at his best when the stakes are sky-high. Though some, including me, penned their epitaph in March, the Celtics appear more poised to seize the moment than do the ballyhooed Cleveland Cavaliers, whom the Celtics demolished 104-86 Monday night to even the series at 1-1 and steal away the home-court advantage.”

Rich Levine, CSNNE – “‘He just had a great floor game,’ Rivers said. ‘That’s the second one in the playoffs where I’d call him [Jason] Varitek. I just thought that he called great balls and strikes, if you want to put it that way. He felt the game, through the coach, and when you get that, with a point guard.’ To which Rondo responded: ‘That helps my confidence a lot. Doc and I have been in the same system for four years now. I’m starting to know exactly what he wants me to call at certain times in the game. And we just have a great relationship right now to where we know exactly what we want to call.’ There are many places around the NBA where this public display of respect and understanding wouldn’t be cause for this story. But in Boston, it’s important. It’s a testament to how far these two have come in their relationship off the court, and confirmation of the strides Rondo’s made as a leader and player on it. Sure, there are still fleeting moments when the focus might be lacking; where you still wish he’d be more assertive or aggressive around the hoop. But those are now far out-weighed by the times where you sit back and think to yourself, ‘Wow, this guy’s an absolute star.’ And on Monday night, that’s exactly what he was.”

Ron Borges, Boston Herald – “Call it the Sheedshank Redemption if you want. Call it a miracle if you must. Call it whatever you’d like, but in the end the smart thing is to call it what it was last night at Quicken Loans Arena. It was a warning. The Cavs may have the league’s MVP. They may have the best record in basketball. They may have youth and the NBA hierarchy on their side, the latter rooting for a LeBron vs. Kobe NBA Finals. But they don’t have the Celtics convinced of anything except that they are not going quietly to an early summer vacation.”

Chris Forsberg, ESPNBoston – “According to the wizards at ESPN Stats and Information, Rondo single-handedly accounted for 59 of Boston’s 104 points, his 19 assists leading to 46 points. LeBron James, who accepted his second consecutive MVP award Tuesday night, and Mo Williams, who took over Game 1 with a furious third-quarter outburst, combined to account for 53 points for the Cavaliers. James heaped praise on Rondo, even after Cleveland’s Game 1 victory Saturday, but only foreshadowed Monday’s outburst when he noted, ‘He poses a threat to our interior because he’s so fast and gets into our interior. He breaks our interior down where he’s able to get a layup or kick out for a 3-pointer. We have to do a better job of trying to keep him out of the paint.’”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “‘We knew they were going to make a run because they’re at home and they’re a good team,’’ said Garnett. “But I thought we withstood that and made a run of our own and shut the game down after that.’ When the focus withered and the Celtics looked as if they’d give back a lead they spent three quarters building, a light bulb went on. ‘When we went up, we kind of relaxed like we were surprised that we were up,’ said Glen Davis, who scored 6 points in 13 minutes. ‘We’ve got to know that we’re a great team. We’ve got to know that we’re a team that can play with this team, the Cavaliers. We can’t give them any hope. We can’t give them any sunlight. We’ve got to let them know we’re going to beat them.’”

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald – “‘Not only outside but the drives, as well,’ said Rivers. ‘I thought establishing Kevin (Garnett) . . . you know, Kevin was going way too fast in the first half. But he still was a concern on the post, and I kept telling our coaches, ‘I don’t care that he’s not converting right now. They’re trapping. They’re worried about him down there, and if we keep hammering down there, eventually the outside would open.’ And that’s what happened for us.’ Garnett’s first seven field goals were paint products. (His last was an open 19-footer with 1:14 remaining and the Cavaliers crawling toward their dressing room.) Hey, the fact KG took 21 shots was huge. By continuing to go into the post to wrestle with Antawn Jamison, it gave the Celtics a consistent presence that changed the game for others. Garnett was much more pleased with his 6-for-12, 14-point second half, and was lamenting his missed opportunities. ‘I’ve got to be a lot more patient on the post,’Garnett said. ‘I know they’re starting to double now, and I’m a decent passer so I’ve just got to wait. But at the same time, when they’re not (double-teaming), I’ve just got to be aggressive and stay aggressive. I thought Sheed (Rasheed Wallace) and everybody who was in the post was aggressive tonight. We got Paul being aggressive, Ray, everybody who played tonight was pretty much aggressive. And that’s how you’ve got to do this team. They’re a very good defensive team, and you’ve got to continue to attack.’”

Chris Forsberg, ESPNBoston – “When Boston’s Rasheed Wallace bricked a 3-pointer at the conclusion of the third quarter in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, he stomped back to the bench in mock frustration, a big smile across his face. It was a familiar moment for Wallace, who has misfired on a passel of trifectas since coming to Boston this season — 208 of the 290 he hoisted during the regular season, and all three he had previously attempted in the postseason coming into Monday night. Those misses — and other transgressions — have left Celtics fans stomping mad in genuine frustration with a player who was brought in to lift the Green over the second-round hump they got stuck on last year in the playoffs. Rasheed Wallace, who answered coach Doc Rivers’ challenge with 17 points and solid defense, finally had reason to smile Monday. On Monday night, both Wallace and the fans who want to love him could both smile. In what amounted to a must-win for Boston, that 3-pointer was the only shot Wallace missed.”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “Wallace knocked down his first five shots last night, and when the ball went long off the back iron after he pulled his sixth, he kicked at the hardwood, hopping mad as he went back the other way. He was expecting perfection, even if the outside world had written him off as a bust. Wallace finished with 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting, going 3 of 4 from the 3-point line, a shot that abandoned him most of a the regular season. He said nothing after the game, letting the numbers — and his teammates — talk for him. ‘That was the difference in the game,’ Davis said. ‘Rasheed Wallace came and he did some huge things for us tonight and each night it’s going to be somebody different.’”

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald – “Rajon Rondo, the Celtics’ first-half hero of Game 1, followed up a career-playoff-high-tying 12-assist performance with a new personal best. He outdished the entire Cleveland lineup, 19 assists to their 17. ‘His role is just to play with speed and that’s why we get the ball to him as much as possible, because he causes havoc,’ said Celtics forward Paul Pierce. ‘He’s one of the quicker point guards in the league, if not the fastest, and we want to play him to his strengths. That’s what we do when we get the ball to him early in transition.’ An openly upset Cleveland coach Mike Brown scolded his Cavs for a lack of urgency. ‘They kicked our behind from the beginning,’ he said. James, the calmer of the two, shrugged off the result, including a third quarter the Cavs forward called, ‘One of the worst we have had this year on offense and defense.’”

Dan Shaughnessy, Boston Globe – “The Cavaliers won more games than any team in basketball this season. They are supposed to bring Cleveland its first championship of any kind since 1964 (Browns). They are 74-8 at the Quicken Loans Arena the last two regular seasons. And the Celtics beat them, 104-86, last night. Impressive. ‘They kicked our behinds from the beginning,’ said perturbed Cleveland coach Mike Brown. ‘We did not fight back until late. We’ve got to decide if we’re going to take the fight to them. There ain’t a thing that is going to be given to us in this series. Coming from behind in the first game, coming from behind in the second game, that’s not good enough. We’ve got to bring a greater sense of urgency than we did tonight.’”

Have a link I might want to look at? Send it my way by email (jayking@celticstown.com) or Twitter.

One of the mid-game adjustments given some credit for Cleveland’s dominant Game One second half was Mike Brown’s decision to have Anthony Parker, rather than Mo Williams, defend Rajon Rondo.

Doc Rivers disputes the notion that Parker guarding Rondo had any negative effect on the Celtics. (WEEI)

“Honestly, it didn’t really affect us much,” Rivers said. “I thought Rondo’s fourth foul affected Rondo far more than Parker guarding Rondo. I think Rondo likes that matchup in a lot of ways. But that’s what you do. That’s what teams do. That’s what I would do. It’s always better to put a longer guy on a quicker guy. We actually thought it would be LeBron more.”

I’m with Rivers here. It’s not like Rondo disappeared in the second half; he had 8 points and 4 assists. We can’t expect him to score 19 points and notch 8 assists (his totals in the first half of Game One) every half, can we? It was more that the Celtics didn’t get stops, so Rondo couldn’t demonstrate his open-court brilliance as often. Believe me, it wasn’t Anthony Parker’s stunning speed or mind-boggling length that slowed Rondo down.

The Celtics are also in agreement that they need to be tougher in Game Two.

“We do have to be more physical,” Kendrick Perkins said. “We have to take it to them tonight. We have to be the more physical team. Last game they were, so tonight we just got to go out there and do what we got to do to get the win.”

And, uh, Mike Brown thinks Shaq’s Game One takedown of Rajon Rondo wasn’t a foul.  Brown actually sent tape of the play to the league office for review.

Perhaps the light was shining off Doc Rivers’ ring and into Brown’s eyes?

Nice hat, Varejao... ya goof.

From the Boston Globe:

Asked how he felt about the Cavaliers passing on practice yesterday as James accepted his Most Valuable Player trophy, Pierce said, “It doesn’t bother me.’’

Pierce didn’t say it bothered him, but don’t your competitive juices have to get flowing after hearing that Cleveland decided to have a day off yesterday?  That they didn’t feel practice was necessary to win Game Two?

Does anyone else feel offended by this?  That the Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t even have a short practice yesterday?  That they took a day off, in the middle of the playoffs?  That watching Lebron James hold a press conference to accept his MVP Award was deemed more important than preparing for the Boston Celtics?

Because I find it belittling.  I find it condescending.  I find it unimaginable that they wouldn’t at least hold a small shootaround yesterday, at the very least to diagram some way to try to contain Rajon Rondo.  Or just to get some shots up to stay in rhythm — or, in the case of some Cavs, to GET in rhythm.  I mean, it IS the playoffs, right?  The time to focus on basketball, winning, basketball and, well, winning some more.

But ya know what?  I kind of like it.  I like that the Cavs didn’t have practice, because now it’s less likely they’ll be ready for Game Two.  If I were the Cavs, I would have been in the gym for hours.  I would have been shooting jumpers ’til my arm went numb.  I would have been working on help defense to collapse on Rajon Rondo.  I would have been working on rotations to continue to keep the Celtics’ shooters silent.  I would have put Antawn Jamison into a human stretching machine so he could possibly have the length to contest Kevin Garnett’s low-post turnaround.

While the Celtics held practice, the Cavs got all dolled up so they could celebrate Lebron’s MVP Award.  Why Mike Brown didn’t hold a practice earlier in the day, or later in the day, I’ll never know.

But I sure as hell hope the Cavs regret it.

The Celtics have gotten rid of their morning walkthrough, but that doesn’t mean we have to. Here are a few Celtics links, and maybe even an NBA link or two, to help wake you up and get you focused for the day.

Anderson Varejao, goofy as usual. Sheed, sleeping during games as usual. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Chris Forsberg, ESPNBoston – “In fact, Kevin Garnett went so far as to suggest the team was more confident following the game. ‘We felt like we had this game,’ said Garnett. ‘We have a lot of confidence now. When you’re at home, you play your hardest; you play your best basketball. We all know they’re a good team at home. We’ll go back to the drawing board, watch the film, and try to get Game 2. We come in here with confidence, we’re not lacking that. We just have to be more consistent coming down the stretch.’”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “‘I just thought we went away from our game plan,’’ said Rivers. “We didn’t sustain 48 minutes of focus. Give them credit, they turned the heat up and we didn’t handle it very well.’ The Cavaliers outscored the Celtics, 22-15, in the fourth, making another Boston lead disappear as they had three times during the regular season. ‘It’s over with now,’ Rajon Rondo said. ‘We definitely lost an opportunity to sneak a game . . . But it’s over with and we have to move on.’”

Dan Shaughnessy, Boston Globe – “‘We were winning because we were attacking,’ said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. ‘In the second half we went away from what we were supposed to do. I was really upset with our guys and the execution. In the second half, I thought we settled. We’re playing a good team. We knew they had a run in them. It happens. This is not going to be easy for either team.’ The Celtics have made it particularly tough on themselves because they must win a road game to advance and last night was a golden opportunity. It was a game they should have won.”

Paul Flannery, WEEI – “Rajon Rondo has an interesting perspective on the man who’s guarding him: He doesn’t see him. ‘I look at the second defender,’ he said. ‘I don’t really look at my man really.’ During the first half, his man didn’t see him either. Rondo turned Williams inside out and put him through the spin cycle with a variety of finishing plays, one more spectacular than the next. When he didn’t finish at the rim, he finished at the free throw line where the notoriously suspect free throw shooter made 12-of-14 shots. ‘Shorty was aggressive,’ Garnett said. ‘Not only aggressive, but he was finding guys. He controlled the huddles, which is rare for him. You love to see it. He’s very, very locked it. That’s what we’re going to need. We need everybody’s contributions to defeat this team.’”

Duane Rankin, Boston Globe – “When Cleveland coach Mike Brown was asked if he thought Williams could dunk, he must have laughed for 10 to 15 seconds before answering. ‘That surprised me,’ said Brown. ‘Yeah. Mo jumped and the ball went [in] and I didn’t even know what happened, you know. I just kind of figured he had to dunk . . . but that was a heck of a play by Mo. Heck of a play, boy.’ Williams did more than dunk, though. He had 10 straight points to trim Boston’s 11-point lead to 5, 73-68, with 3:12 remaining in the third. The Cavaliers ended the quarter on an 11-5 run to take a 79-78 lead heading into the fourth quarter. ‘When he picked it up, it kind of gave the whole team a lift with that dunk,’ Cleveland second-year forward J.J. Hickson said.”

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald – “The end was a series of errors during which time the Celtics were tentative and unsure of themselves. Varejao ripped a rebound out of Rasheed Wallace’s hands. A sprawled James reached up from the floor and took the ball from Paul Pierce. Then Shaq applied the coup de grace with a third-chance tip-in between Garnett and Kendrick Perkins for a 98-93 lead with a minute left. ‘I think we stopped being aggressive and they turned it up,’ Rondo said after 27 points and 12 assists. ‘It was tough. You know, we’ve been there before. We were up at halftime again. We lost a double digit lead – again. And we didn’t get the win.’ Again. ‘Yeah, it was,’ said Perkins of the regular season reprise. ‘The last three minutes of the third quarter we started going downhill. We didn’t take their punch very well. They punched us and we just kind of . . . I think we gave in just a little bit.’”

Chris Forsberg, ESPNBoston – “But, truth be told, the Celtics weren’t that upset after Saturday’s game and likely bit their tongues enough to avoid any $35,000 requests from the NBA offices. Even the Celtics admitted the referees didn’t decide the outcome of the game. But they certainly didn’t make things any easier on Boston. ‘It had an impact, but not that big,’ said Rivers. ‘It was with us. Maybe mentally, guys were worried about fouls. I told them at halftime, I don’t care if everybody fouls out by the third quarter — don’t change. We were winning because we were attacking. [The Cavaliers] won the game because they attacked in the second half. You can’t worry. We had enough guys. I told the bigs that. I told [Davis], ‘I don’t care if you foul out in the first half. You have to be energy guy. I’m using Baby as an example, but he went away from being an energy guy because he was concerned about his fouls. I thought, overall, in the second half, we just went away from what we’re supposed to be.’ Echoed Rondo, Boston’s offensive spark plug all night: ‘We stopped being aggressive. Not just offensively, but defensively as well. We stopped our pressure, they started attacking us, and we fell back on our heels.’”

Gary Washburn, Boston Globe – “Of the 17 Cleveland fouls, nine were on Shaquille O’Neal and Antawn Jamison, meaning the other eight players amassed a total of eight fouls in 183:17 of action. That allowed for more aggression, more ability to use hands and arms when chasing rebounds or contesting shots. The Cavaliers didn’t win because of the officiating; they won because they were allowed to be the more physical team in the second half. And the Celtics, who spent too much of the regular season barking at officials, were at it again, but with good reason this time. ‘You are on the road man, you are on the road,’ forward Kevin Garnett said. ‘I have never been in the series where you have been on the road and the refs have given the road team anything. You gotta play through it. It’s not the time to be [expletive] and complaining to the refs. If they are going to let you play, you gotta play. You say your two cents and your peace and you gotta keep it moving.’”

A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE – “Rondo, who had 27 points and 12 assists – 19 and 8 came in the first half – was dominating action in the first half because he was getting out and running, which often created scoring opportunities for himself or whoever was on the floor running along with him. But that all changed in the second half. Of course Rondo’s foul trouble had something to do with that. But even when he was in the game and looking to run, often he had no one to pass to because no one was really running with him. After the game, Celtics coach Doc Rivers was quick to praise Cleveland for their play defensively. But even he acknowledged that Rondo’s teammates were conspirators in his struggles as well. ‘We walked the ball up a ton (in the second half),’ Rivers said. ‘We stopped spacing the floor and we stopped sprinting up the floor. A lot of it wasn’t Rondo’s fault. I thought Rondo kept pushing the ball up the floor, but there were three guys behind him.’”

Chris Sheridan, ESPN – “It was an odd game for James. Not odd in that he wasn’t productive — he posted 35 points, seven assists, seven rebounds, three steals and two blocks — but odd in that, until late in the game, he eschewed the jump shot. Playing with a strained and bruised right elbow, he drove to the hoop or posted up almost exclusively in the first three quarters, through which he took only three jump shots. James admitted he wasn’t playing his normal game until Williams cornered him in the third, effectively saying ‘Be yourself.’ ‘I stayed close to the rim,’ said James, who made 12 of 24 shots. ‘I tried not to hyperextend it any worse than it was. Did I come out a little tentative? I thought about [my elbow] a little bit too much. Mo could see me thinking about it. It’s kind of the first real injury I’ve had to play with, especially with it being on my shooting hand. I came out tentative, but if I’m on the court, then I have to be productive.’”

Adrian Wojnarowski, Yahoo! Sports – “When had a Cavalier ever had to snap James out of something – never mind in the playoffs? Truth be told, no one had heard him talk this way, because nothing has ever bothered him. James had come out like the boxer protecting his ribs, measured and cautious and babying that right elbow. He feared hyperextending it, so he stayed with his dribble and drove to the rim. Whenever possible, he used his left hand – even when it was awkward and going back across his body. He still scored on the move, still made it to the free-throw line, still played productively. With one hand behind his back, James still can be a force. With two, he’s untouchable. Perhaps James wasn’t himself until the fourth quarter, when he would score 12 of his 35 points, block two shots and hit two crushing 3-pointers. Eventually, resistance was futile for the Celtics. They used to have a defense that could clog him, contain him, but those days are long gone. James fears his elbow will still be an issue, that it has lingered too long to just go away. He refused to take a cortisone shot for the pain Saturday night, insisting, ‘I don’t like needles.’ Two armfuls of tattoos offer evidence to the contrary, but whatever: The King is the King here, and his proclamations seldom are met with skepticism. As much as James seems oddly willing to discuss the elbow – an open invitation for Celtics bullies like Kendrick Perkins and Glen Davisto pound away at it – coach Mike Brown shrugs and plays the innocent. ‘I didn’t think he was favoring the elbow. There was not one thing said to me by him, by our trainers. …’”

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald – “General manager Danny Ainge confirmed yesterday that the Celtics associate coach, considered one of the NBA’s premier defensive strategists, has drawn feelers from the Los Angeles Clippers and New Orleans Hornets regarding their head coaching vacancies. Both the Clippers and Hornets have asked Ainge for permission to interview Thibodeau, though no meetings have been scheduled.The Philadelphia Daily News also reported that Thibodeau, who interviewed last year for positions with the Sixers and Sacramento Kings, is once again on Philadelphia’s list.”

Have a link I might want to look at? Send it my way by email (jayking@celticstown.com) or Twitter.

KG played well, but when he was out Cleveland ran the pick-and-roll to perfection. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Mo Williams streaked down the right side, Lebron James down the left, Paul Pierce the only Celtic back on defense.  Though Williams had the ball, Pierce did what any human being with half a brain would; he shaded toward Lebron.  Williams could either a) lay the ball in himself or b) leave it off to Lebron. Unfortunately for the Celtics, he picked answer c) none of the above.

What Williams did next stunned the world and humiliated Pierce; he turned the ball over and dunked on Pierce’s late-rotating face.  It was like Shaq pulling up for three, Mike Brown substituting himself into the game, or Nate Robinson posting up on 12 straight possessions.  And it turned the entire game around.  An easily winnable game for Boston turned into nothing but a missed opportunity and a 101-93 loss.

Before Williams’ dunk, his first as a Cleveland Cavalier, the Celtics were in control.  Rajon Rondo looked like the best point guard in basketball.  Paul Pierce scored 8 quick first-quarter points.  Kevin Garnett had his way with Antawn Jamison.  Kendrick Perkins limited Shaq. But Williams’ dunk, and his ensuing hot streak from the floor, was exactly the spark the Cavs needed.

The Celtics looked great for a half, but halftime adjustments by Mike Brown changed the game for the worse.  Anthony Parker started guarding Rondo.  Cleveland decided to exploit Boston’s pick-and-roll defense.  Lebron James continued to do Lebron James things.  And Paul Pierce started tossing bricks.

After this one, I don’t know whether to be encouraged by the fact Boston easily could have come away with a W or devastated by the fact they might have just let their best opportunity to steal one in Cleveland slip right through their cracks.  Boston was completely in control for 30 or so minutes of this game, but the last 18 minutes were all Cleveland.

P.S. Lebron had the quietest 35, 7 and 7 in history.  The Celtics can’t play much better defense on the two-time MVP.

*****

Game Notes:

• Rondo finished with 27 points, 12 assists, 6 rebounds.  Straight killin’.
• Perk had 9 points and 11 rebounds, and did a good job on Shaq.  Nice game by the Beast.
• I stick by what I said before the series: Kevin Garnett can abuse Antawn Jamison.  18 and 10 for KG, 7 and 9 for Jamison.
• Pierce started off burning hot, but cooled down quickly.  He finished with 13 points on 5-17 shooting.
• Boston’s bench was thoroughly atrocious. Cleveland’s wasn’t.