The Cavaliers let two games slip away.
In Game 1, they kept the game close for most of the way and were in position to win the game. Although he did not have a wide-open look, LeBron James should have made the layup at the end of the game; Kendrick Perkins had conceded and not contested the shot. Despite the loss, the Cavaliers had proven that they can keep up with the Celtics.
In Game 2, the Cavaliers seized control of the tempo early and dominated the first quarter. They continued to show the offensive abilities of Zydrunas Ilgauskas while playing decent defense. However, once the Celtics took control back, the Cavs lost their composure and never closed the gap.
During the season, the Celtics went 35-6 at home; they are 6-0 at home in the playoffs. The Celtics have not lost at home since March 24th against the Philadelphia 76ers. Thus, a win or two in Boston would have been huge for Cleveland, who has been an average NBA team on the road (18-23 in the regular season; 2-3 in the postseason).
Boston's "Big Three" is stoppable.
Paul Pierce and Ray Allen had off nights in Game 1, leaving Kevin Garnett to have to play more like LeBron than LeBron James did himself. While Pierce, Allen, and Garnett are all excellent players and career All-Stars, they all have something in common: they have never won the NBA Championship. Although they have a common goal, they have a common experience of failure. The key is to attack the sense of vulnerability that they are trying to hide.
The Celtics have seen success this season because they have played the roles of intimidators.
The hype had built up since the summer, and the team rolled with it. They went a league-best 66-16, including a 'Texas sweep' in a 3-1 Western road trip. As was mentioned previously, the "Big Three" seem to hide a sense of vulnerability. This is reflective of their whole team. When the Hawks believed that they could beat the Celtics, they took all 3 games in Atlanta. The Celtics won Game 7 in dominant fashion, but they definitely lost some confidence in that first round series.
Role players still determine which team will win in a playoff series.
Everyone knows who the best players are. More times than not, the best players will get to show that they are the best players. However, Boston was smart in picking up veteran players James Posey, Sam Cassell, and P.J. Brown. All 3 have playoff experience, with Posey and Cassell winning NBA titles. Meanwhile, younger players such as Perkins, Rajon Rondo, and Leon Powe are hungry and know what they have to contribute.
While the majority of what the Celtics did was in the offseason, all of the Cavaliers' moves occurred during the season. Thus, although Cleveland has the better overall roster, Boston has a better sense of identity. In turn, Boston's role players have looked more comfortable so far. Perkins played well in Game 1, while Powe and Cassell picked up the pace in Game 2. Posey played well in both games.
On the other hand, only the shooting of Wally Szczerbiak and Daniel Gibson in the second half of Game 1 stood out for the Cavaliers. Anderson Varejao and Joe Smith played okay in both games, but Delonte West--a former Celtic--forced too many shots and passes and needs to regroup for Game 3. Ben Wallace looked ready to have a big game in Game 2, but unexpected health issues took him out of the game.
In terms of the point guard position, the Cavaliers have taken a bold risk this postseason: they have been running the point with West, Gibson, and James. The past 2 years, they had used Eric Snow, Damon Jones, Larry Hughes, Flip Murray, Gibson, and James. Snow, Jones, Hughes, and Murray were all veteran players. Jones is still with the team, but he only plays sparingly now; Snow is hurt and might retire. Even though Hughes and Murray were more of shooting guards than point guards, they had the composure and experience of veterans. West and Gibson are solid players that should become better over time, but they are and still play like young players. They could use the help of Jones or Devin Brown at the point in this series. As is sometimes forgotten, playing point guard is not just about running the offense; it also involves steadying the front of the defense and passing on instructions from the bench to the court.
The referees are getting overprotective.
Sam Cassell should not have been called for the flagrant foul in Game 1--he got mostly ball and was not trying to hurt James. He even tried to hold James so that James would not fall onto the ground. The league realized this and overturned the flagrant foul after the game. In the meantime, other 'touch' fouls were being called. Quite frankly, neither team can play its best defense when they are unable to play physically and aggressively. If the referees start to call technical fouls like they did in the Cavs-Wizards series, then the rest of the games will become longer and more tension-filled than necessary.
Team leadership needs to be re-evaluated in Cleveland.
First, Mike Brown and the rest of the coaching staff need to assert themselves. Sure, the team has a superstar prodigy and has added some experienced veterans. However, the coaches are still in charge; they need to show this. They have a lot of knowledge and tend to scout the opposition well. They need to make sure that the players learn and use this knowledge not just during practices but during games.
Second, LeBron James needs to keep his composure and continue to develop. Granted, at 23 years old he is still quite young. However, James is a two-time All-NBA First Team selection, an annual MVP candidate, and a multimillionaire striving to become a billionaire. He has faced his share of pressure. Moreover, James gets more support from his peers and fans than a lot of other talented players do, including the rest of his teammates. Yet, he still lets his bad habits and flaws get him into trouble: he misses too many free throws, shies away from a midrange game (that other comparable players such as Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady have) in favor of ill-advised outside shots, demands (or is given, not sure which sometimes) the ball in all clutch situations, including times when 3-point shooters or inside players would better fit the situation, and generally fails to adjust when the opposition finds ways to stop him. The good news here is that James still has room to grow, but he must embrace these growth opportunities in order to evolve from basketball prodigy to basketball legend.
Third, Zydrunas Ilgauskas is a leader on this team. Ilgauskas has been with the Cavaliers franchise for his whole NBA career. He is the only remaining player from the Cavs' last playoff era (1997-1998). He has survived multiple foot surgeries in both feet as well as the stillborn death of his children. Two years ago, he looked like he might be done; he struggled in the series versus the Detroit Pistons. Despite all of the adversity, Z has continued to work hard and strive for bigger things. Yet, he too often gets pushed off to the side. Last year, he was taken out of a two-point game against the Pistons when he had 22 points (including 8 points in the fourth quarter) and 13 rebounds. In the first two games of this series, he has scored 41 points and grabbed 17 rebounds, but he again was forgotten by his team on the offensive end. Instead of standing and watching the actions of James, perhaps the team needs to follow Z's example for the players to realize what needs to be done to win this series.