The NBA playoffs standings has the Cleveland Cavaliers leading the Boston Celtics 2-0 in the first round series in the eastern conference and the team has won both games at home and now the Game 3 matchup shifts to Boston, while the Washington Wizards took a commanding lead with a win on the road against the Toronto Raptors.
The Cavaliers have won both games at home to take a 2-0 lead, while the Wizards have been impressive winning two games on the road. The Celtics played the Cavs tough once again, but they just did not have enough and LeBron put up another strong performance. James had 30 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, while Tristan Thompson led the way with 11 rebounds.
The Cavaliers outscored the Celtics in all but the first quarter and they held the team to just 18 points in the third and that ended up being the difference, as they lost 99-91. The Celtics got 22 points and seven assists from Isiah Thomas, while Evan Turner led the way with 12 rebounds. The Wizards won 117-106 to take a 2-0 lead over the Raptors and they got a strong game from John Wall, who led with 17 assists.
Wall had 26 points in the game, while Bradley Beal led with 28 for the Wizards. DeRozan had 20 points and seven assists for the second game and Jonas Valanciunas had 10 rebounds for the Raptors. The Raptors lost in seven games to the Nets last season and now they are in danger of getting swept out if the Wizards can win at home. The same goes for the Celtics, but now they get the chance to play at home.
Making this even more impressive for the Wizards is the fact that they slumped heavily down the stretch on the road, losing all but four of their last 19 away from Washington. The team now returns to DC with a 2-0 lead and that puts the Raptors in a very tough spot. The Raptors won the division and had home court in this series, but unless they can win two in Wahsington, all that is gone.
The Cavaliers are considered the favorites in the east along with the Atlanta Hawks and many think that those two teams will be there in the conference finals. The Cavs got off to a slow start this season, but some trades and some strong play from LeBron James has pushed the team into the top part of the east. The Cavs finished the season second to the Hawks in the east and they now have the Celtics in the first round.
