Celtics Vs. Cavaliers Final Score: Celts Get Revenge (Barely), 93-90

Can somebody find out where the Cleveland Cavaliers of last year went? After doing what everybody expected them too a season ago -- fail miserably without LeBron James -- the rebuilding process has sped up considerably this season.

Cleveland gave the Boston Celtics quite the shock on Sunday when Kyrie Irving sunk the game-winning layup with 2.6 seconds left to give his team an improbably 88-87 victory. On Tuesday night, Irving and his squad almost did it again.

After falling behind by 21 points, the Cavaliers used a huge fourth quarter (in which they outscored the Boston, 32-17) to bring themselves within three points. Alas, that was as close as they would get as the Celtics were able to maintain their lead and escape with a 93-90 victory, which put them at .500 for the season.

Revenge? In one way, yes. But all things considered, it was a bittersweet result.

Paul Pierce, fueled by his lack of playing time down the stretch in Sunday's loss, put forth a productive game, finishing with 20 points, six assists, four rebounds and three steals. Kevin Garnett and Brandon Bass both finished with 13 points while Ray Allen and Jermaine O'Neal, who made his return from a knee injury, had 12 points. Boston (10-10) shot 50.7 percent.

Anderson Varejao had his way for Cleveland (8-12), notching a 20-20 game (20 points, 20 rebounds) as the Cavs dominated Boston on the glass, 39-28. Varejao himself out-rebounded Boston on the offensive boards, 10-7. Irving scored 21 and had six assists as the Cavs shot 45.3 percent in defeat. Antawn Jamison totaled 12 points while Alonzo Gee chipped in with 11 points and four steals off the bench for Cleveland.

Boston has a quick turnaround, as it returns home to host the Raptors on Wednesday.

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Celtics Vs. Cavaliers Halftime Score: Boston Leads Cleveland, 51-39

Coming off an embarrassing loss on Sunday, the Boston Celtics made sure to put their best foot forward right from the start as they took a 51-39 lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers after two quarters at Quicken Loans Arena on Tuesday.

Paul Pierce led the charge with a team-high nine points in the half while managing not to turn the ball over. Brandon Bass provided the C's with a nice spark off the bench, totaling eight points and six rebounds. Kevin Garnett had seven points and three boards and both Avery Bradley and Jermaine O'Neal scored six points. Ray Allen did not score a point but leads the team with five assists at the half. Boston is shooting a sturdy 52.5 percent on 21-of-40 shooting through 24 minutes.

Anderson Varejao is having another nice game against the Celtics, leading all scorers with 14 points while alos grabbing seven rebounds. Antawn Jamison scored eight points and Kyrie Irving, who scored the game-winning basket in Sunday's 88-87 win for the Cavs, was held to six first-half points and five assists. Cleveland is shooting 42.4 percent from the floor.

For more Celtics and Cavaliers coverage, visit CelticsBlog and Fear The Sword.

Celtics Vs. Cavaliers: Jermaine O'Neal Returns, Rajon Rondo Still Out

Jermaine O'Neal should provide the Boston Celtics with a little boost on Tuesday night when the veteran center returns and starts for the team as they face the Cleveland Cavaliers in the finale of a home-and-home series at 7:00 p.m. EDT.

O'Neal missed the team's last three games, including the game against Cleveland on Sunday, with a left knee injury. O'Neal has been somewhat productive for Boston this season, averaging 5.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks.

Rajon Rondo, meanwhile, will not play on Tuesday night as he continues to recover from a sore right wrist suffered against the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, Jan. 18. Rondo, who will miss his seventh straight game, is averaging a career-best 15.0 points while leading the team in assists (9.4 APG) and steals (1.7 SPG) in 13 games this season.

For more Celtics and Cavaliers coverage, visit CelticsBlog and Fear The Sword.

Celtics Vs. Cavaliers: Paul Pierce, Boston Seeks Revenge In Cleveland

Paul Pierce was as distraught as he's ever been (at least this season) after he and his Boston Celtics blew an 11-point fourth quarter lead to the Cleveland Cavaliers in an 88-87 defeat on Sunday afternoon at TD Garden. Pierce, who finished with 18 points, missed the potential game-winning basket as time expired and was naturally very unhappy.

Now, it's time for a little revenge. Pierce and the C's head to Cleveland to take on the same Cavs in the finale of a home-and-home series at 7:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday night at Quicken Loans Arena (TV/Radio: CSNNE/WEEI).

Cleveland has now beaten Boston in back-to-back season series openers, doing so last year as well in the team's first game of the post-LeBron James era. However, the Celtics rebounded to win the final two meetings and win the series.

In Sunday's debacle, Ray Allen led all Celtics with 22 points in his return from a left ankle injury that caused him to miss three games. Kevin Garnett had 14 points, Brandon Bass added 13 points and three players scored four off the bench for Boston, which outshot Cleveland (52.2 percent to 43.0 percent) despite their defeat.

Kyrie Irving was the hero for Cleveland, beating Avery Bradley for the game-winning layup with 2.6 seconds left in the game. Irving finished with a game-high 23 points and had six assists and four rebounds. Anderson Varejao added 18 points and nine rebounds, Alonzo Gee scored 14 off the bench and Antawn Jamison finished with 10 points in victory.

Clearly, revenge is the driving factor in this one. Plain and simple, the C's want payback.

For more Celtics and Cavaliers coverage, visit CelticsBlog and Fear The Sword.

Celtics Schedule 2012: Boston Has Rematch With Cavaliers On Tuesday

The Boston Celtics will be in action during three weekday games this week. After a quick road trip, Boston will return home to host a pair of games.

The Celtics first game of the week will be on Tuesday at the Quicken Loans Arena against the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7 p.m. Boston fell to 9-10 with a loss to the Cavs on Sunday. The loss broke a four-game winning streak. Boston will be looking to get back to .500 overall and are 3-4 on the road this season. Cleveland is 8-11 overall and only 3-4 at home this season. Ray Allen did return for the C's against Cleveland on Sunday after missing three games with injury.

Here's the complete Celtics weekday schedule with TV/Radio information:

Tuesday, 1/31: Celtics at Cavaliers (7 p.m., TV/Radio: CSN/WEEI)

Wednesday, 2/1: Celtics vs. Raptors (7:30 p.m., TV/Radio: CSN/WEEI)

Friday, 2/3: Celtics vs. Knicks (8 p.m., TV/Radio: ESPN and CSN/WEEI)

To see the full Celtics 2011-2012 schedule, click here. For more Celtics coverage, visit CelticsBlog

Celtics' Ray Allen Doesn't Miss A Beat In His Return Vs. Cavaliers

BOSTON - Missing time didn't seem to have an effect on Ray Allen, who had 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting in 25 minutes for the Boston Celtics in their 88-87 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night at TD Garden.

Allen jammed his left ankle during the Celtics' win over the Washington Wizards last Sunday and missed three and a half games because of it. But the C's got a boost from their sharpshooter when he returned to the lineup in Sunday's game.

"Ray looked good," Celtics head coach Doc Rivers said. "I mean, he looked fresh. I thought he - 9-for-14 - in some ways you look at the stats, he was probably our most efficient player. You know, missed the big lay-up down the stretch and goot some, I thought he have up some middle drives and some baseline drives that creates those offensive rebounds that we talk about. And those are things we have to get better at. But overall, I couldn't be happier with his play."

Allen continues to find success, as the 36-year-old guard is shooting a shade over 50 percent from the field this season and is averaging 14.9 points for the Celtics. Allen's steady presence is key if Boston has any hopes of contending.

For more Celtics and Cavaliers coverage, visit CelticsBlog and Fear The Sword.

Celtics Overtime: Boston Takes Foot Off Gas, Pays Price In Loss

Celtics Overtime is a postgame feature providing extra news, notes and analysis from each game. Boston was defeated by the Cleveland Cavaliers, 88-87, on Sunday night at TD Garden.

Kyrie Irving looked more like a 10-year veteran than a rookie playing in his 19th career game on Sunday night. Irving finished with a game-high 24 points, including the game-winning layup with 2.6 seconds left, and has six assists and four rebounds to lead the Cavs past the Celtics in stunning fashion.

More: Pierce Irked with Doc's Decision

Irving took control in the fourth, scoring eight points on 3-of-4 shooting in six minutes. The Cavaliers erased a 70-62deficit after three quarters by outscoring Boston 26-17 in the final twelve minutes to capture win No. 8 of the season.

Needless to say, it was an ugly loss. In the end, here's what it came down to.

SLOPPY EXECUTION COSTS BOSTON IT'S WINNING STREAK

Fifty percent shooting is something any team should strive for, and both the Celtics and Cavaliers notched that goal in the first half on 19-of-38 shooting. Oddly, the Celtics' shooting got even better in the final half as they made 54.8 percent of their field goals while holding Cleveland to 36.6 percent shooting. Alas, both scored 44 in the final half, and the Celtics couldn't hold their advantage over one of the league's basement dwellers.

"It's funny, we shot 52 percent and the entire game I thought offensively we were sloppy," said Celtics head coach Doc Rivers. "I thought we were in the home-run pass mode instead of making simple passes and then I thought there were times when the ball stuck. I told out guys at halftime, 'We're shooting 50 percent and that's the worst 50 percent shooting team I've ever seen. I mean, that's not how we play. And we've been playing so well."

Turnovers also hurt the Celtics, who finished with 16 giveaways -- six of which came in the final quarter. Paul Pierce, who scored 18 points, was the turnover king in this one, leading all players with six turnovers. Go figure, Doc wasn't happy.

"I thought he did too much with the ball; it's just that simple," Rivers said about Pierce. "He's been playing great for us. And I thought he just predetermined some passes instead of just making the simple play."

CAVALIERS SPURRED ON BY HUGE ADVANTAGE IN THE PAINT

It's never good when there's a 22-point advantage in points in the paint, unless you're the team who has more. Sadly, the Celtics were not on Sunday. Cleveland badly bruised the C's under the bucket, outscoring them 54-32. This was due in part to the Cavs' 11-5 advantage on the offensive glass helped them finish with an 11-6 edge in second-chance points.

"They did. Four of them were on the ground. You know what I mean?" Rivers said about the Cavs' stretches of offensive rebounds. So to me, that's what I meant by the 50/50 game. They count as offensive rebounds. I'm going to say three-to-four for sure were balls that were laying on the ground; long rebounds that someone has to get and we should have to get one of them. You would think. And we didn't. But I also think it's difficult when you have kind of turned it off. They're going to make the effort plays, and I thought that's what happened. We had Pau definitely get fouled, Ray [Allen] misses a layup - we had a lot of thing that could've gone right. But to me, I always jokingly talk about the basketball gods; when you don't take care of the game, things come back to haunt you. And I thought it did tonight."

CELTICS HAD NO ANSWER FOR KYRIE IRVING IN SECOND HALF

Kyrie Irving is good. We've already established that. But Irving was totally in control during the time he was on the court in the second half. He had 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting while dishing out two assists and grabbing four rebounds.

"He did a great job," Cavs head coach Byron Scott said about Irving. "Put the ball in his hands the last play of the game, told him we wanted him to go at about seven seconds. I didn't want to go quick, I wanted to go for the win and he was able to get to the basket."

It shouldn't come as a surprise that the Celtics knew Irving would have the ball in the end.

"Oh yeah. Yeah pretty sure," Rivers said. "And the reason that Kyrie's so food is the play was for him to make a play. Whether that be by shooting the ball or making a pass. And he pretty much makes good decisions. I thought he dominated the fourth quarter. He single-handedly in my opinion willed that win for them."

BOTTOM LINE: The Celtics screwed up. Really, there's not much more than that. This was a winnable game, one that Boston had in its grasp with five minutes to spare. But they got content and lazy. The end result? A bad, bad loss.

NEXT UP: Wouldn't you know it -- the Celtics face these same Cavaliers. Boston travels to Cleveland for a rematch of Sunday's debacle. Knowing this group, you can bet this embarrassing set back will not happen again. Seriously, it won't.

For more Celtics and Cavaliers coverage, visit CelticsBlog and Fear The Sword.

Celtics Vs. Cavaliers Final Score: Kyrie Irving Slays Boston, 88-87

BOSTON - Kyrie Irving made the game-winning layup with 2.6 ticks left as the Cleveland Cavaliers shocked the Boston Celtics with an 88-87 win, snapping the C's four-game winning streak on Sunday night at TD Garden in Boston, MA.

"He did a great job," Cavs head coach Byron Scott said about Irving. "Put the ball in his hands the last play of the game, told him we wanted him to go at about seven seconds. I didn't want to go quick, I wanted to go for the win and he was able to get to the basket."

Irving finished with a game-high 23 points, six assists and four rebounds for Cleveland (8-11), which shot 43 percent. Anderson Varejao had 18 points and nine rebounds and Alonzo Gee added 14 points off the bench for the Cavaliers.

"Oh yeah. Yeah pretty sure," Celtics head coach Doc Rivers said about the expecting the ball to go to Irving on the final play. "And the reason that Kyrie's so food is the play was for him to make a play. Whether that be by shooting the ball or making a pass. And he pretty much makes good decisions. I thought he dominated the fourth quarter. He single-handedly in my opinion willed that win for them."

Ray Allen and Paul Pierce put the Boston Celtics (9-10) on their backs, scoring 22 and 18 respectively. Kevin Garnett added 14 points and seven rebounds and Brandon Bass, starting in place of Jermaine O'Neal, had 13 points.

Despite Pierce's offensive production, he turned the ball over a game-high seven times.

"I thought he did too much with the ball; it's just that simple," Rivers said about Pierce. "He's been playing great for us. And I thought he just predetermined some passes instead of just making the simple play."

The first half featured 12 ties, but it was the Cavs who took a one-point advantage at the intermission 44-43. Both teams made 19-of-38 field goals to shoot 50 percent. The Celtics had 12 first-half rebounds while Cleveland totaled seven.

After pulling away in the third quarter, the Celtics succumbed to a late push by Cleveland in which the Cavs cut the lead down to one point, 87-86, with just over one minute remaining. Allen had a chance to push the lead to four, but missed the corner three. Garnett got the rebound but traveled under the basket.

Irving missed a layup on the Cavs' next possession, but Cleveland maintained possession and found an open Jamison at the top of the arc, but he missed the three. Ever determined, Varejao fought for the loose ball and the Cavs called timeout. Irving took the ball and took the clock down to 2.6 seconds before making the go-ahead layup. Pierce had a chance to win the game, but took too long on the shot and missed.

"It feels good," Irving said about his game-winning bucket. "Especially, like I said, having the confidence of my teammates. And they gave me the ball at the end of the game and they trusted me to make that shot."

Boston is off until Tuesday, when it travels to Cleveland for a rematch with the Cavs.

For more Celtics and Cavaliers coverage, visit CelticsBlog and Fear The Sword.

Celtics Vs. Cavaliers Halftime Score: Cavs Clinging To 44-43 Lead

BOSTON - The first half feature 12 ties, but the Cleveland Cavaliers pulled away late in the half to take a 44-43 lead over the Boston Celtics heading into halftime of Sunday night's game at TD Garden.

Ray Allen and Paul Pierce carried the scoring load for the Celtics, scoring 12 and 11 respectively in the half. Kevin Garnett had eight points and four rebounds and Brandon Bass, who started with Jermaine O'Neal injured, had six points. Chris Wilcox had four points and two boards in six minutes off the bench as the Celtics shot 50 percent in the half.

Anderson Varejao had 12 points and four rebounds to lead Cleveland, which shot 50 percent from the floor. Kyrie Irving had nine points and four assists while Ramon Sessions chipped in with seven points off the bench for the Cavs.

For more Celtics and Cavaliers coverage, visit CelticsBlog and Fear The Sword.

Celtics Vs. Cavaliers: Ray Allen Returns; Rondo Out; J.O. Questionable

BOSTON - Healthy is a word that has eluded the Boston Celtics for pretty much all of this season. The C's have been without four of their five starters for significant portions of the season. Thankfully, that changes tonight. At least, a little.

Ray Allen will make his return to the lineup after suffering from a jammed left ankle during the Celtics' 100-94 win over the Washington Wizards last Sunday. With Allen's return, that means the Celtics will have nearly all of their starters in the fold for this game, with Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Allen all healthy.

Jermaine O'Neal's status is still up in the air, as Celtics head coach Doc Rivers said that JO was a game-time decision for Boston. Rajon Rondo and Keon Dooling are the only Celtics ruled out for Sunday night's game.

For more pregame news and notes, listen to the following interview below.

AUDIO: Doc Rivers Pregame Interview (1-29-12) *WARNING: Doc uses graphic language. Sort of...

For more Celtics and Cavaliers coverage, visit CelticsBlog and Fear The Sword.

Celtics Vs. Cavaliers: TV/Radio Schedule, Time, Odds And More

Paul Pierce and the red-hot Boston Celtics host the rebuilding Cleveland Cavaliers in search of their fifth straight win early Sunday evening at TD Garden in Boston, MA.

Event: Cleveland Cavaliers (7-11) vs. Boston Celtics (9-9) - NBA Regular Season, Game 19.

Date/Time: Sunday, January 29, 2012 - 6:00 p.m. EDT.

Location: TD Garden (Capacity: 18,624), Boston, MA.

Broadcast Info: Sunday's game between the Celtics and Cavaliers will be televised regionally on Comcast SportsNet New England, with Mike Gorman, Tommy Heinsohn and Greg Dickerson/Kyle Draper calling the action. In addition, the game can be heard on the WEEI Sports Radio Network, with Sean Grande and Cedric Maxwell on the call.

Odds: Boston is a 6 1/2-point favorite over Cleveland, with the over-under set at 110 points.

Celtics Roster 2011-12: Ray Allen, Brandon Bass, Avery Bradley, Marquis Daniels,Keyon Dooling, Kevin Garnett, JaJuan Johnson, E'Twaun Moore, Jermaine O'Neal, Sasha Pavlovic, Mickael Pietrus, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, Greg Stiemsma,Chris Wilcox. Head Coach: Doc Rivers.

Cavaliers 2011-12 Roster: Omri Casspi, Semih Erden, Christian Eyenga, Alonzo Gee, Daniel Gibson, Luke Harangody, Ryan Hollins, Kyrie Irving, Antawn Jamison, Anthony Parker, Samardo Samuels, Ramon Sessions, Mychel Thompson, Tristan Thompson, Anderson Varejao. Head Coach: Byron Scott.

Celtics And Cavaliers In 2011: Boston and Cleveland met three times one season ago, with the Celtics taking two of the three match-ups. The Cavs dealt Boston a 95-87 defeat in their first game in the post-LeBron James era in their season opener, but Boston responded to win 106-87 on Nov. 30 and 112-95 on Jan. 25 in the season series finale.

Last Time Out: Boston has been on a roll as of late and is coming off of a 94-87 victory over the Indiana Pacers on Friday night. Paul Pierce had 28 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists to pace Boston, which shot 45.8 percent from the floor. The Celtics had five players score in the double digits, including Chris Wilcox (14 points) and Kevin Garnett (13 points) in defeat.

Cleveland was topped by the New Jersey Nets, 99-96, in its last game. Kyrie Irving had a game-high 32 points and added six rebounds for the Cavaliers, who shot 46.9 percent from the field. Antawn Jamison finished with 20 points and Ramon Sessions added 11 points off the bench.

Stats Central: Paul Pierce is the Celtics' leading scorer, averaging 17.7 points. Rajon Rondo is averaging team highs in both assists (9.4) and steals (1.7). Kevin Garnett is the team's leading rebounder (7.5 RPG) and Jermaine O'Neal is averaging a team high 1.4 swats. Boston ranks 25th in the NBA in scoring (89.8 PPG), 29th in rebounding (39.1 RPG), ninth in assists (21.6 APG) and third in points allowed (87.9 PPG).

Storyline: It's not as easy as it seems. But make no mistake, it shouldn't be all too hard. The Boston Celtics, rolling in the last week despite what has appeared to be the final decline of the Big Three, are still looking to turn heads and prove they matter in the Eastern Conference. To do so, they will need to beat the bad teams, like Cleveland. The Cavaliers are much improved (OK, maybe a little improved) from their horrible post-LeBron season one year ago. However, with Kyrie Irving and a smattering of other capable players, they can pose the aging Celtics a problem. It's not clear whether or not the C's will get Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen or Jermaine O'Neal back Sunday, either. Still, beating the hapless Cavs without that trio of veterans shouldn't be an issue. Shouldn't is the key word. Who knows, right?

Players To Watch: Paul Pierce has looked like his old self this last week (not his old self age wise, but his old All-Star self ... you know what I mean). Pierce along with Kevin Garnett have carried the Celtics on their backs this week without a plethora of starters and role players. If they can get rolling early, it may be enough to boost Boston to another win.

Kyrie Irving is the man to watch for Cleveland, as perhaps the only bright spot on an otherwise bleak season, Irving has already proven he can play early in his rookie season, and guards have seemed to have better luck against the Celtics defense than most others through most of this season. Antawn Jamison is also another solid option for Cleveland.

Prediction: This is one of those "there's no excuse for losing" games. Boston, old and all, is still a much better team than Cleveland. In turn, that should and probably will be reflected on the scoreboard. Final Score: Celtics 98, Cavaliers 82.

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Celtics Vs. Cavaliers: Streaking Boston Hosts Rebuilding Cleveland

Paul Pierce and the streaking Boston Celtics (9-9) host Kyrie Irving and the rebuilding Cleveland Cavaliers (7-11) at 6:00 p.m. EDT on Sunday evening at TD Garden in Boston, MA (TV/Radio: CSNNE/WEEI 93.7 FM/850 AM).