LeBron James scored 38 points to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to an emphatic 98-83 home victory over the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics on Friday. The All-Star forward filled out the stat-sheet with seven rebounds, six assists, four steals and three blocks as Cleveland improved their league-best record to 29-6.
Cleveland Cavaliers hand deliver message to Boston
Before the Cavaliers took the court to battle the Boston Celtics last night at Quicken Loans Arena, LeBron James had one simple statement, “It’s not just a January game.”
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James then proceeded to score 38 points as the Cavs controlled the entire game on the way to a message-sending 98-83 victory that was not only delivered to the Celtics, but to the rest of the NBA.
The last two days many of the Cavs constantly said they were going to prepare for the Celtics like all of the rest of the teams in the NBA. Their preparation might have been the same, but their intensity level was raised a few notches as soon as the game started.
Air of Superiority
The Celtics have a four-game losing streak and appear to have lost some confidence, along with their ability to dominate the opposition. But captain Paul Pierce insists the swagger has not turned into a stagger.
The Celtics (29-9) have lost seven of nine games since Dec. 25 and dropped their fourth in a row for the first time since the 2006-07 season. Cleveland (29-6) extended its home record to 19-0 and boosted its lead atop the Eastern Conference to 1 1/2 games over the Celtics.