Boston playoff star Jayson Tatum and Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue are cousins. The Cavaliers and Celtics might as well be.
The Eastern Conference’s top two teams have been intertwined for more than a year – from a summer blockbuster trade
Tremaine Edmunds Color Rush Jersey , from opening night, from afar.
Although there were long stretches this season when it seemed at least unlikely, and maybe impossible, that the Celtics and Cavs would reach the
conference finals, they’re back again and meeting in the playoffs for the third
time in four years.
The series everyone wanted. The one few expected to see.
And yet here they are: the odds-defying Celtics, guided by baby-faced coach Brad Stevens and prospering without injured stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon
Hayward, versus the Cavs, who despite a massive roster makeover in February are
rolling as 33-year-old LeBron James enhances his legend with every game.
”There’s been a lot that’s happened throughout the season with us and for them,” Cavs forward Kevin Love said Thursday as Cleveland prepared for Sunday’s
series opener in Boston. ”Both teams have raised their level of play and been
through it, but are here now and have to lay it all on the line.”
It’s hard to process how much has changed for these teams since they played last May.
Major moves, injuries, upheaval.
After the Cavs beat the Celtics in five games in last year’s conference finals to advance to their third straight NBA Finals, there were no hints the
two franchises would ramp up their rivalry with a trade that caught their entire
league
Ravens Lamar Jackson Jersey , well, off-guard.
The Cavs succumbed to Irving’s trade demand – he was tired of playing in James’ shadow – and sent the All-Star to Boston for Isaiah Thomas, a first-round
draft pick, forward Jae Crowder and center Ante Zizic. The 5-foot-9 Thomas had
bravely carried the Celtics in the 2017 postseason despite a balky hip and
broken heart following his sister’s death in a car crash.
With so many subplots, the league scheduled Boston at Cleveland in the season opener.
However, Irving’s awkward reunion with James was quickly overshadowed by Hayward, Boston’s big free-agent signing, grotesquely breaking his ankle just
feet from the horrified Cavs bench. As Hayward left on a stretcher, the Celtics’
season seemed to be riding to the hospital with him.
Boston, though, showed grit and reeled off 16 straight wins before injuries resurfaced. Marcus Smart had thumb surgery and the Celtics lost Irving, who
needed more knee surgery and won’t get a crack at dethroning James.
Irving will watch this series from the bench. Thomas is much farther away.
He spent the first two months in Cleveland trying to get healthy, but wasn’t the same when he came back and never connected with his new teammates.
With Thomas a mess and the season slipping away
Cody Latimer Color Rush Jersey , Cavs general manager Koby Altman traded him on Feb. 8 to the Lakers for Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. Altman
didn’t stop there, dealing Crowder and Derrick Rose to Utah for Rodney Hood,
sending Dwyane Wade back to Miami and acquiring point guard George Hill from
Sacramento.
Three days after the trade, the new-look Cavs beat the Celtics 121-99 in Boston as Hill, Clarkson and Hood combined for 44 points to the delight of
James, who seemed rejuvenated after weeks of moping.
He’s now on a mission as he prepares to face the Celtics for the seventh time in the postseason. James is averaging 34.3 points, 9.4 rebounds and 9.0 assists
in 11 games in these playoffs, which has included him making two buzzer-beaters,
scoring 45 points in Game 7 to oust Indiana and dispatching Toronto with
shocking ease.
”LeBron’s on just a ridiculous run of play,” Stevens said. ”We know that it’ll be quite a challenge.”
The Celtics may not have anyone of James’ stature, but they have a complete team that’s clicking. Tatum and Jaylen Brown are two of the game’s rising young
stars and Cleveland native Terry Rozier has emerged as a postseason menace,
filling in for Irving and quickly winning over Boston fans, who have dubbed him
”Scary Terry.”
Lue knows the Cavs have their hands full.
”They’re well-coached
http://www.billsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-jeremy-kerley-jersey ,” Lue said. ”Despite all the circumstances of guys getting hurt with Kyrie out,
with Gordon being out for the whole year, they just keep plugging guys in and
keep playing. (Boston executive) Danny Ainge has done a good job of getting guys
in that fit that mold of Celtics basketball and they’ve been playing well.”
Especially the 20-year-old Tatum. He averaged 23.6 points in Boston’s series win over the Philadelphia 76ers, who didn’t do enough to slow him down.
That now falls on Lue, who has known Tatum – or ”Little Jay” as he called him – since he was a kid. They’re related on Lue’s grandfather’s side of the
family.
”He’s not scared, he’s not afraid and he’s always been that type of kid,” Lue said. ”He wants these type of moments and he’s taking advantage of it. With
Kyrie and Gordon going down and him having a chance to play the minutes he’s
been playing, starting and playing in the playoffs the way he has, he’s taken
full advantage of it. But he’s never been scared, he’s never been afraid of the
big moment. You can see that.”
Six years ago, a 14-year-old Tatum posted a picture of himself, wearing a replica Kobe Bryant jersey, with James on Twitter and asked Cleveland’s
superstar to follow him.
Lue smiled when shown a picture of his cousin.
”Now The high-powered New York Yankees were stymied by Tampa Bay’s relievers.
Six Tampa Bay pitchers combined on a five-hitter
Quenton Nelson Color Rush Jersey , and the Rays beat the New York Yankees 2-1 Friday night.
Utilizing a bullpen day, the Rays improved to 14-31 against teams with a .500 or better record with the victory over the team with the majors’ best record.
New York is 40-5 when allowing four or fewer runs.
”You just don’t limit that team to one run very often,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. ”So as far as piecing it together and guys coming in and doing their
jobs, that’s probably as good as you can make it.”
Winner Ryan Yarbrough (6-3) entered in the second and allowed one hit in 3 1/3 scoreless innings. Sergio Romo worked the ninth for his fifth save in nine
chances.
”Getting those tough wins against a really tough opponent was great,” Yarbrough said.
The Rays, 12-19 in one-run games, are 3-5 during a stretch of 16 games with the Yankees, Washington and Houston.
Willy Adames put the Rays ahead 1-0 with a run-scoring single off CC Sabathia (4-3) in the fourth. Sabathia allowed two runs and nine hits in 5 1/3
innings.
Tampa Bay has just two established starters in its rotation with injuries to Chris Archer and Jake Faria.
”Whatever kind of combination they’ve got going on over there, it worked tonight,” Sabathia said.
Tampa Bay went up 2-0 in the fifth on C.J. Cron’s sacrifice fly, a drive with two on that Yankees right fielder Giancarlo Stanton snared with a leaping catch
at the wall.
”That was a really special play,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.
The Rays wasted a chance to extend the lead in the sixth when Johnny Field struck out on a failed third-strike bunt attempt with two on and Matt Duffy hit
a two-out grounder with the bases loaded to complete a 12-pitch at-bat against
Adam Warren.
”That was on me, poor communication on my part.
http://www.49ersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-jeff-locke-jersey ,” Cash of the Field strikeout. ”That’s not how we drew it up. I didn’t take it
off. I made the mistake.”
Aaron Judge made it 2-1 on a seventh-inning RBI single off Chaz Roe. Jose Alvarado prevented further damage by getting a two-out grounder from Didi
Gregorius with runners on second and third.
New York left fielder Brett Gardner went 2 for 5 after missing the previous five games due to right knee soreness.
After taking three balls, Gardner hit into a game-ending double on a 3-2 pitch from Romo.
The announced crowd was 27,252, more than double Tampa Bay’s second-lowest average attendance in the majors of 13,414.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Yankees: RHP Masahiro Tanaka (strained left and right hamstrings) will have his first bullpen session Sunday and could start a simulated game late next
week.
Rays: RHP Chris Archer (left abdominal strain) had a 20-pitch bullpen session. The opening-day starter will likely be out until after the All-Star
break. ”(Saturday) will be big to see where my level of soreness is,” Archer
said. ”The last week my body has really come a long ways. I don’t wake up with
any soreness.”
MINORS’ MATTERS
Yankees: RHP Clarke Schmidt, taken 16th overall in the 2017 draft, allowed two runs and three hits over one inning in his first Gulf Coast League game. He
missed all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Rays: Two-way prospect Brendan McKay is on Class-A Charlotte’s disabled list with an oblique injury.
MOVING DAY
Tampa Bay reinstated INF Daniel Robertson (left hamstring strain) from the 10-day DL and optioned RHP Austin Pruitt and outrighted OF Rob Refsnyder to
Triple-A Durham.
UP NEXT
Yankees RHP Sonny Gray (5-4) and Rays RHP Wilmer Font (0-3) are Saturday’s scheduled starters.
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