Cavs-Celtics Game Six: First Half Diary

At this point in this series, there is no logical reason to think that the Celtics aren't the better team. They've got advantages, seemingly, at four out of five starting positions. They have no health issues. They seem to have the better bench and coach. But you never know, right? Besides, with the home team gagging it up to historic level three times in five games, this isn't exactly the surest bet you'll make.

So let's give this one the full game diary it might deserve, before the last three series of the year, none of which I'm really looking forward to seeing right now. Besides, as this might be the last game where most of America likes LeBron James, it's kind of historic.

In the first, as Jeff van Gundy praises the move, Mike Brown puts Shaquille O'Neal on Kevin Garnett, and Garnett scores. Twice. Easily. There's a reason JVG isn't a coach anymore, folks. After an early LeBron James dunk, he turns it over on a drive, and it looks like he's got to handle it every possession... but since the C's start 4 for 4, I'm not sure it's going to matter. The Cavs finally get a stop by fouling Kendrick Perkins. Start the Hack a Perk!

Mo Williams with a couple of early makes, but a heat check 3 doesn't get the tie, and he also can't convert in transition. Anthony Parker picks up two quick fouls, leading to Delonte West. Garnett goes 3 for 3 over Shaq, who also misses on the other end, then loses Perkins for an eternity in half court. The dunk leads to commerce, a 14-7 lead, and honestly, the last time anyone should see Shaq tonight. I'm begging.

After commerce, Perkins blocks James at the rack, but a nifty Jamsion steal turns it back and gets the re-layup. An easy runner shows more bad Cav defense, leading to a Jamison runner, then Ray Allen getting to the rack easily with a Shaq foul. Cleveland's defense might not have had a single good possession in half court in six minutes. 18-11 Celtics.

Shaq collects the foul, the last thing he does really well. Williams turns it on Rondo harassment, and the lead could be double digits soon. Another wide open Garnett jumper, and honestly, Shaq's just a gift to the Celtics right now. West turns it, and the lead is nine. Rondo misses on penetration, and James finds an active Williams for a layup and foul on a back cut. Interesting. Shaq finally leaves for Vareajo as Williams makes it 20-14.

Vareajo with an instant steal, and James recovers from his turnover on the other end with a steal of his own, leading to Pierce's second foul and Tony Allen. Williams misses from distance, but James collects another steal. A no-call on the offensive end makes James vocal, but Vareajo creates another possession, and Sideshow Anderson is great so far tonight. A make-up 2-shot foul on Tony Allen is called, and after a 1-for-2 trip by James, it's 20-15 and a game.

Sheed misses a 3; he's Boston's Shaq. After commerce, he goes into the block where he belongs and scores. A James turnover, and we have a Zydrunas Ilgauskas sighting, because JJ Hickson must have offended someone, I guess. Vareajo draws a foul on Rondo, yet another big play by the hustle player. James to the paint picks up a foul on Sheed, mostly on rep. The MVP makes both foul shots, and the lead is five.

Jamario Moon in for the Cavs, also makes a play. Gosh, maybe the Cavs should use their athletes who play defense against an old team? Nah. Moon forces a turnover, leading to a James putback as Boston Fan gets nervous. Big Baby Davis with a miss, matched by a West miss on the other end, and James picks up his second foul trying to impede Rondo, who probably flopped. Yikes. I can't imagine James fouling out of this game, but it puts him on the bench anyway. Rondo makes one, and Williams hits a 3, giving him 10 for the game, and the lead is one. Not a good night for the Celtic bench so far in this one.

Sheed to the line on a Z foul for two makes stops the run, leading to the worst possession you'll ever see: 24 seconds of Williams dribbling and not getting a pick or plan. Hickson finally gets in the game for the last 10 seconds of the quarter. Hooray! We can take his picture off the milk carton. Pierce gets handled by Moon to miss at the buzzer, and the quarter ends 25-22.

In the sideline interview, Mike Brown thinks that Garnett's first quarter jump shots were contested. May I suggest a drug test?

The second begins with West getting to the line as the bench players stay out there, but the gun lover only makes one. Rondo then changes the game on an Iverson-esque drive, a circus scoop that also lands him a Vareajo foul and the old-school three. Rut-roh. A terrible Cav possession -- 20 seconds of West dribbling without pick or plan -- leads to Allen dunking over Williams, and he also gets the reputation foul on Williams. James returns after the lightning 6-0 run, and the Celtic lead is 8.

Another Cav turnover, another Celtic layup by Tony Allen, and that's the largest lead of the game and a panicky timeout from Brown. The road team's offense is all home-run back cuts and no flow; it's dunks if the passes get there, and dunks the other way if they don't. You'd never know that the Cavs have good defenders on the floor right now, because no one looks good running after guy a dunk.

After commerce, van Gundy is advocating '80s hard fouls, because that's in no way expected or tired. James goes to the rack, gets the roll and the make as Celtic Fan chants something. Rondo travels but isn't called for it, and Davis misses an easy one on karma. Z tries to go beyond the back, and it hits Davis on the leg, then is collected by Moon for a layup to cut it to five, and the de rigeur free throw miss. A Z block leads to Williams running off the court on an absurdly bad fast break. Seriously, the point guard somehow missed James in transition. Pierce misses over Vareajo, who might be the best Cav on the floor, and Sheed gives the Cavs an easy point with his third foul and first technical. What. A. Maroon.

The tenth turnover of the night for the Cavs is a James travel. Vareajo draws Pierce's third foul on a charge, and there's no question that he's the best Cav tonight. James feeds him down low for a layup, and the lead is 2. Rondo misses, Vareajo boards, but misses in traffic on the other end, leading to the C's getting in transition and a Moon foul. Tony Allen's makes push the lead back to four. Z misses his sideline jumper, and Rondo toasts Moon in transition for a layup. Williams answers on a drive and dunk to Vareajo. The remains of Michael Finley miss and a Vareajo board. James can't finish down low, Moon misses a three horrifically, and the Cs avoid an obvious Rondo travel for another transition hoop. The refs bail out a terrible Cav possession with a defensive three second violation call. Williams makes the free throw as Vareajo sits (no!) for Jamison.

Williams to the hoop and he's got 14. Can't say the supporting cast hasn't shown up. Rondo makes a jumper on a bad possession. Williams gets to the rack and we've got commerce. James now with 12-6-4, but 4 turnovers. Williams with two makes to cut the lead to three, and Shaq's back. Williams with a steal, drive and finish; wow. 18 points in 17 minutes for him. Perkins with a loose ball foul, his second, which puts Shaq on the line. The Big Washed Up hits the second, and that's his first point of the game, and a 41-all tie.

Defensive three second call puts Ray Allen on the line for the auto-point; he then misses an open three. Shaq with a board, terrible dribble and miss, but Williams gets the board and feeds it back him for a dunk and the road team's first lead of the game. Williams just from out of nowhere tonight, and OK, he's been better than Vareajo. He then turns it. Sigh. The C's overpass in the half court, but the Cavs turn it back, leading to Shaq fouling Perkins. Can these guys both intentionally foul each other until they are both out of the game? The eyes of a nation would thank them.

Perkins, of course, makes both. Stupid Perkins. That Cav lead didn't last long. James goes 1 on 5 with Ray Allen making the stop. Tony Allen then kicks the ball like a moron, giving the Cavs a 14-second clock. Yeesh. The terrible possession continues with a bad entry pass and a Jamison miss. Wow, that was bad. Perkins with a board and a Jamison foul, and Jamison-Shaq is just killing the Cavs right now. The Celtics center misses like he's supposed to, but the second goes in for a 2-point Celtics lead.

James with a sideline miss as Ray Allen flies at him; you'd think the MVP would just lean into that and go to the line. Shaq collects and scores, but then loses assignment on the other end for a Tony Allen layup. Rondo got lost in conversation, leading to an intentional foul on the other end -- his third. Wow. Shaq makes two after a lane violation, and the game is tied again at 47.

Cs just collecting offensive boards now, and that's Williams' second foul as well. Tony Allen to the line, and his makes give the Cs a 2-point lead again. Deep bench in for the Cs due to foul trouble. Williams with a great fake and make, and he's now got 20. Tony Allen with a huge finish rocks the house and shames Jamison, leading to the inevitable turnover, but Ray Allen misses the momentum three as the Cavs dodge a bullet. Shaq can't dribble and score, Tony Allen misses at the buzzer, and the score at the half is 51-49.

The Lemur seems to want to say that James is more aggressive, but honestly... Williams and Vareajo were the two best Cavs. And if the Cavs had a coach that used his athletic and defensively good players, they wouldn't be in an elimination game right now. More later.