James Expects to Play Better in Game 2
May 8, 2008
Cleveland 's LeBron James says the rest of the Eastern Conference semifinal series between the Cavaliers and Celtics won't look anything like the first game.
James says he won't miss 16 of 18 shots or commit 10 turnovers. And he says don't expect Paul Pierce and Ray Allen to struggle, as they did in the Celtics' 76-72 win Tuesday night.
James, who missed a layup that would have tied it with 9 seconds remaining, finished with 12 points. Pierce and Allen went a combined 2-for-18, with Allen failing to score for the first time in 852 games.
"I can't play no worse than I did last night," James said Wednesday. "You don't expect those guys to have off nights like that. I don't expect myself to have an off night like I did."
After Tuesday night, though, everyone expects Game 2 tonight and the rest of the series to be a bruising battle.
"You're going to have to run through a brick wall to get to 100 points it seems like, the way these two teams play defense," Pierce said. "You just expect it to be a defensive struggle throughout."
With two-thirds of Boston 's Big Three nearly shut out, it took Kevin Garnett to bail out the Celtics. He finished with 28 points, including the go-ahead basket with 21 seconds left.
"Offensively, we were a terrible-looking group," said Pierce, who scored four points on 2-for-14 shooting.
