After dropping Game 2 in blowout fashion, Boston returned with intensity in Game 3.
Green uniforms. Big shots. Championship-level intensity.
The Boston Celtics looked much more like themselves in Game 3.
Jayson Tatum scored 33 points, Jaylen Brown added 28 and the No. 1-seeded Celtics bounced back from a stumble at home, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 106-93 on Saturday night to take a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
The Celtics didn’t mess around after dropping Game 2 on their home parquet floor by 24 on Thursday. They couldn’t.
“We don’t come to Cleveland for the weather, so let’s go,” said Brown, who went 13 of 17 from the field. “There’s nothing complicated about it: Play defense and the rest will take care of itself. We could have done better, but we kept them under 100.”
The lackluster performance — Boston was favored by double digits — in Game 2 was reminiscent of the first round, when the Celtics lost the second game against Miami before winning three in a row to eliminate the Heat.
“Tonight was a great test, an opportunity for us to come out and respond, and play better and harder,” said Tatum, who added 13 rebounds and six assists. “There was a purpose behind every play. We did a good job communicating our actions.”
Tatum scored on a three-point play and the Celtics opened the second half with 14 straight points to take a 23-point lead.
That was way too much for the Cavs, who overcame a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter to stun Boston in March.
“We felt like trying to punch them in the face right away was the right option,” said Jrue Holiday, who scored 15 of his 18 points in the first half.
