There’s been a common theme among some of the Cleveland Cavaliers following their Game 3 loss to the Boston Celtics on Sunday night.
The Cavs were up by 21 points in the third quarter and allowed the Celtics to get back in the game and eventually win it by three points. Cleveland was up 2-0 in the series after cruising to victories in the first two games and appeared poised to go up 3-0, but then Boston came back.
The comeback win seems to be a wakeup call for the Cavs to refocus. Kyrie Irving said as much after the game, as he noted the overconfident Cavs were served a “slice of some humble pie.”
“We got a slice of some humble pie. So we’ve got a lot to learn going forward. But they hit us in the mouth, and now it’s our job to hit them back,” Irving said.
Kyrie also touched on why Boston was so effective playing without star Isaiah Thomas.
“They played absolutely free basketball, and that becomes dangerous. They had really nothing to lose. For us, we have to command our focus and make sure our execution is at a high level.”
The comments from Irving echo what LeBron James said after the game. James said having adversity in the postseason is important. After winning their first 10 playoff games and then blowing this lead, the Cavs finally got a needed reality check.
