The Cavaliers trailed by 11 at halftime, but a 36-24 third quarter run spearheaded by Mo Williams’ 14 points (including 10-straight) gave Cleveland a one-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. From there, the Cavs turned up the pressure defensively, and LeBron James (35-7-7) asserted himself offensively, allowing Cleveland to pull away to win, 101-93.

Williams finished with 20-5-6, but was actually outplayed by Rajon Rondo (27-6-12) for three quarters of the game. The Celtics turned the ball over 16 times and Paul Pierce missed 11 of his last 12 shots, finishing with just 13 points on 17 shots. That’s not going to get it done.

The good news for the Celtics is that Kevin Garnett (18-10) looked fresh, and if Pierce would have had a usual performance, the C’s would have won. Part of the problem for Pierce is that he has the best athlete in the world (LeBron) on him defensively.

Game 2 is on Monday night.

Photo from fOTOGLIF