Boston Celtics 99-102 Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 talking points 

#3 Kyrie Irving leads Celtics' valiant fightback

Kyrie Irving

It was no surprise that the Celtics' struggled to cope with the Cavaliers after Hayward was taken off the court on a stretcher. They scored just 19 in both the first and second quarter, to trail by 16 at halftime (38-54). Given the state of affairs and the talent deficit, Boston could have easily folded but they didn't.

They outscored Cleveland 33-18 in the third quarter and entered the final period only trailing by one. That wasn't just a flash in the pan, they kept the game competitive in the final period as well, going toe-to-toe with the Cavaliers.

The fight shown despite being undermanned is a testament to the franchise culture that the new coaching regiment as set up. In the fightback, something that didn't get as much attention was Irving's positive play. He led from the front, distributed the ball, didn't overshoot or play iso ball.