12-05-2010

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Celtics Push Cavs to the Brink. Last LeBron James Game at the Q? »

In the Eastern Conference semifinal series between the Celtics and Cavaliers, it’s all just been a matter of who wants it more. Right now, that honor belongs to the old pros from the one of the league’s oldest franchises, as the visiting Celtics took a commanding 3-2 series lead with a 120-88 hammer job of the Cavs on Tuesday night. Yes, it really is commanding, considering Game 6 is Thursday night – in Boston. It’s true that the Cavs already won there once in this series (Game 3), but it would be fair to wonder if they have the motivation to do it again. When it has meant the most, LeBron James and the Cavs have been playing their worst. LeBron looked particularly out of sorts – attempting just four shots in the first half, hitting none. The two-time MVP didn’t fare much better in the second stanza – going just 3-for-10 from the floor and making just two trips to the line. He finished with as many turnovers as made field goals.

“I spoil a lot of people with my play,” James said in one of the few borderline candid comments he made in his postgame interview. “When you have a bad game here or there, you’ve had three bad games in a seven-year career, then it’s easy to point that out. So you got to be better. I put a lot of pressure on myself to be out there and be the best player on the court, and when I’m not I feel bad for myself because I’m not going out there and doing the things I can do. But I don’t hang my head low or make any excuses about anything that may be going on, because that’s not the type of player or person I am.”

Photos Copyright Notice: Copyright 2010 NBAE via Getty Images. Photos by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images, Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images, David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images.