Photo: Michael Dwyer/AP

It really couldn't have been much worse for the Cavaliers in the first half in Boston. They lost their only true center, Shaquille O'Neal, to a significant thumb injury, Mo Williams was getting destroyed by Rajon Rondo, and the Cavaliers allowed a staggering 60% shooting to the Celtics. The tables turned in the 2nd half as the Celtics cooled off and LeBron James took charge. Then, the Cavaliers took the lead without LeBron on the floor, fueled by a lineup led by Mo Williams, Anderson Varejao, and J.J. Hickson, propelling the Cavs to a blowout 20 point victory when they were in danger of getting rickroll'd themselves.

No Pierce: All-Star forward Paul Pierce missed tonight's game with a sprained thumb, and Marquis Daniels started in his place. The Celtics certainly missed Pierce's scoring and outside threat, because Daniels had just 4 points in 31 minutes. Ironically, Shaquille O'Neal left with a similar injury midway through the second quarter.

Can't get much better than that: It really couldn't have been much better for the hometown Celtics in the early going. They built a double digit lead in the first thanks primarily to Rajon Rondo's flatout abuse of Mo Williams as Rondo made 6-of-9 shots for his 12 points and handed out 6 assists. Williams offered virtually no resistance as Rondo knifed through the lane and had several easy layups and just as many dishes for open dunks as the Cavalier frontcourt did a poor job of helping and recovering onto the Boston bigs. Boston hit 10 of their first 13 shots and finished the quarter with a staggering 70% shooting and a 10 point lead.

Going beyond 8: Mike Brown's eight man rotation didn't really last too long. First of all, he split up the minutes between both Jamario Moon (11 minutes, 3 rebounds, 1 assist) and Jawad Williams (10 minutes, 1 assist), and he also used J.J. Hickson sparingly in the first quarter and a half. When Shaq went down, Hickson re-entered as an integral part of the big man arsenal (23 minutes, 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block). Leon Powe also made his first appearance of the season, a meaningful one being against his former team. Powe managed 4 points and 2 boards in 4 minutes at the end of the second and fourth quarters. Powe looked suprisingly active, and he'll see some minutes if Shaq misses any significant time.

At least Andy's motor is running: As lazy an effort as the Cavaliers turned in during the first 24 minutes, Anderson Varejao may have been the only one bucking that trend. Andy was crashing all over the place for offensive rebounds and was the only one other than LeBron scoring in the first half. Wild Thing had 10 first half points and 7 first half rebonds, finishing with 14 and 10 total for the game. Varejao has time and again proven to be a matchup issue for the slower-footed Celtic bigs who can have problems keeping track of the Andy spin-cycles. Andy also got some points in LeBron's book for coming to his aid in the second half after a minor tussle with Kendrick Perkins, for which he received a technical foul. With Z gone and Shaq out, Andy took over as chief enforcer and bodyguard to LeBron, and despite the fact that Perkins didn't really do anything, Andy didn't know that and he did the right thing.

Shaq-tastrophy!: As bad as the play on the court was in the first half, it was a Glen Davis strip on Shaquille O'Neal that proved to be the most devastating shot on the Cavaliers in the game. Shaq left the game on the next dead ball, calling timeout after catching the ball in the post, and the big guy did not return after suffering a "significant" sprain of the right thumb. Shaq said after the game that he would be okay, but he is definitely out tomorrow night, and with a sprain being essentially a ligament tear, The Diesel could be powered down for a longer stretch. Shaq left with 6 points and 2 rebounds in 12 minutes. With Zydrunas Ilgauskas's return still up in the air and at least 24 days away, a Shaq-less stretch leaves the Cavaliers with one "center" in Anderson Varejao, who is only used to playing center in small matchups for small minutes. Next on the depth chart would have to be either J.J. Hickson or Darnell Jackson, who will likely be recalled after a fantastic game for Erie of the NBDL tonight (32 points, 14 rebounds). By the way, Big Baby, what goes around comes around, and I hope a nice elbow in your throat is coming after trying to squeeze Shaq's thumb after injuring him in the first place.

Newcomer with 3 big ones, LBJ gets fierce: Antawn Jamison was fairly timid for most of the evening, not looking comfortable against the stout Celtic defense, but he did string together a couple of big buckets in the third in timely fashion. The real workhorse in the third, however, was LeBron James. LBJ actually carried the team through the first three quarters offensively, notching 32 points with 11 of those in the third alone. James did a solid job of attacking the interior which he shied away from in the Orlando game, making 15 trips to the foul line on the night. LBJ also did a much better job of controlling his three point attempts, hitting 3 of 6. LeBron was able to pull the Cavaliers to within one at the end of the third, but it took the supporting cast to put the Cavs over the top and not repeat LeBron's 38 point effort earlier this year against the Celts which resulted in a loss.

Taking the lead without royalty: Mo Williams, Delonte West, Jamario Moon, Anderson Varejao, and J.J. Hickson were the five primarily on the floor when the Cavaliers took the lead as LeBron rested. The Cavs outscored Boston 11-4 while LeBron sat for just over four minutes, and buckets from West, Mo, and Hickson lifted them. The lineup worked so well that Antawn Jamison didn't get back in the game after the 9:30 mark as Mike Brown rightly went with the Hickson and Varejao frontcourt tandem that was working so well. Both of the big men were active on the glass and defensively, causing trouble for Wallace, Perkins, and Garnett.

Disco infer-MO!: Mo Williams was downright terrible for most of this game, but just when you are ready to give up on him, Mo Gotti comes through with a healthy barrage of threes that sent the Celtics packing. Mo hit 3 three pointers in a span of 1:16 to give the Cavaliers a quick 9-3 run and a 10 point lead. He had 14 of his 19 points in the fourth, and it was the main reason the Cavaliers were able to distance themselves from Boston in the fourth quarter. There's going to continue to be some issues to work through with Mo while he gets back to 100% with his shoulder, but when he hits clutch buckets like that, he will find a way to stay on the floor.

Small frontcourt changes the landscape: The Cavaliers are staring down a new dynamic without either Shaq or Z, becoming a more fast-paced team. Charles Barkley has been clamoring in favor it for several seasons, and it appears that he may in part get his wish for the time being. The Cavaliers did run more in the 2nd half of this one, and with Varejao and Hickson playing the center spot, that will more than likely continue. The strategy now will be to pack the three point shooters around LeBron and create transition buckets for Varejao and/or Hickson. It's going to cost them against certain teams, like possibly tomorrow in Toronto. Luckily for the wine and gold, though, their schedule eases up a bit now and they may be able to take some lumps while still winning games.

goes to: Mo Williams, Anderson Varejao, and J.J. Hickson. Mo hit the quartet of threes in the fourth, and both Andy and J.J. stepped up in the absence of Shaq to provide a boost in the fourth over the Celtic bigs. Mo scored 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including 5-of-9 from three. Hickson had 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block, while Andy added 14 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 blocks.

Team Grade: A-

This was downright ugly, and it should've been worse than the scoreboard indicated early. The Cavs played virtually zero defense in the first half, but their resolve to not phone it in after Shaq's injury inside their house of horrors was inspiring and the stuff of champions. They held the Celtics to a miraculous 22% shooting in the second half and just 3-for-21 shooting (14%) in the fourth quarter, routing them 35-14 in the fourth. The Cavs won the boards 43-40, and hit 10-of-21 three point shots. Cleveland also turned it over just 11 times, shooting 53% and holding the Celts to just 41% for the game. Take out Pierce and Shaq, and that's basically a wash. This game was one the Cavaliers desperately needed. That type of defense displayed in the fourth by the Cavs is the type that will get them where they want to go.

The wine and gold face the second half of a back-to-back tomorrow night in Toronto when they take on the Raptors. Toronto's already beat them once this season, and with their frontcourt of Turkoglu, Bosh, and Bargnani, the Cavalier frontcourt sans Shaq will surely be tested.

All for one. One for all.

Kirk

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