Talk about "chill mode."
If the Cleveland Cavaliers are the favorites to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals for the fourth straight season, they've yet to show why on Sunday. Entering the second quarter of their Game 1 matchup with the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Cavs find themselves already trailing by a score of 36-18 following a disastrous first quarter.
The biggest culprit of the Cavs' problems was a 17-0 Boston run, which allowed the Celtics to turn what was a tied game into a 21-7 advantage. Boston proceeded to outscore Cleveland for the remainder of the opening period, with rookie forward Jayson Tatum closing the quarter with a jumper just before time expired.
LeBron James and Kevin Love were the only starters to score for Cleveland in the first quarter, with the former leading the team with a mere five points. All-Star center Al Horford, meanwhile, scored 11 first-quarter points for the Celtics, as forward Jaylen Brown led all scorers with 13 points.
Sluggish Game 1s are nothing new to the Cavs, who lost the opening game of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinals matchup with the Indiana Pacers before winning the series in seven games. In Game 1 of their conference semifinals matchup with the Toronto Raptors, the Cavs overcame a double-digit second-half deficit to win the game in overtime before going on to sweep the series.
Overcoming the Celtics' strong start, however, could prove to be their toughest test to date. For all the latest from Game 1, follow our live blog and join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #3Cavs.
