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George Hill: Cleveland Cavaliers still have backs against the wall despite Game 3 win over Boston

Point guard George Hill feels the Cleveland Cavaliers still have their backs against the wall despite a 30-point win over the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals.
Credit: Gregory Shamus
Cleveland Cavaliers point guard George Hill fires a three-point shot from the left wing during the first half of Game 3 of the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.

CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Cavaliers’ reaction was a subdued one after their 116-86 win over the Boston Celtics in Game 3 of the 2018 NBA Eastern Conference Finals at Quicken Loans Arena Saturday night.

Although the Cavaliers defeated the Celtics by 30 points, they know it only counts as one victory in the best-of-seven series, which they still trail by one game heading into tonight’s Game 4 matchup in Cleveland.

“We’ve still got our backs against the wall,” point guard George Hill said following the win. “We’re still down, 2-1, so we can’t be satisfied. You’ve got to forget about it. We’ve got to come out with the same effort. It’s a must-win for us. We’re down, 2-1, so there’s no time to be settling for one win.”

And Hill was far from the only Cavaliers player who felt that way after the win against the Celtics.

“It just felt like one,” shooting guard JR Smith said. “We’ve been down before. We’ve just got to keep fighting our way out. It’s just one game. We’ve got to win two at home, take the show back on the road and try to get one in Boston.”

After struggling on both sides of the floor during lopsided losses in Games 1 and 2 at Boston’s TD Garden, the Cavaliers found their shot early in Game 3 and never looked back.

The Cavaliers outscored the Celtics in every quarter of Game 3, building a 15-point lead (32-17) after the first period, and then, pushing their 20-point halftime advantage out to 30 in the second half, which has been a problem for the team all season.

“Not being down 0-3 was the main key,” Hill said. “No one on this team wants to come home and lay an egg in front of our fans. Much deserved to give them something to cheer for and have fun out there. It was a must-win situation for us.”

With there being one more game in Cleveland before the series shifts back to Boston for Game 5 on Wednesday night, the Cavaliers are looking to parlay a similar effort into a 2-2 with the Celtics.

“Man, these playoffs are emotional rollercoasters, right?” Cavaliers shooting guard Kyle Korver said.

“From game to game, it’s just kind of crazy the outlook on a series and the narrative around what is going on in a series. I thought we would play a lot better, and that’s what happened. We played well. They probably feel they didn’t play their best, and Game 4 is going to be huge.”

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