For example, with 2:45 Avery Bradley hits a 3 to make it 95-92, Cleveland then missed a shot. If we grab the rebound there with 2:17 left we have a chance to tie. Unfortunately, Thompson got the offensive rebound and Love drilled an absolute dagger. The teams then exchanged stops before crowder got fouled with a chance to get us within 4. Unfortunately we missed a free throw. We stopped them on the other end, but again, we were foiled by an offensive rebound by Tristan Thompson leading to a second 3 point dagger from Love. We get those rebounds or even if Love just misses the 3's we are very much in the game. I don't know how that is not close, everyone watching them was on the edge of their seat including you.
Thank you for that unpleasant trip down memory lane.
What it all reminds me of is that yes, the Celts conceivably could have pulled within a possession toward the end of those games. But they consistently failed to make the plays necessary to keep the games close, while the Cavs made those plays, pretty much every time they had an opportunity to do so. I remember in one of those games the Cavs grabbed something like 5 offensive rebounds in one possession to kill almost a minute and a half of clock time. The Celts were utterly helpless to do anything about it.
Again, this is what makes me feel it wasn't a particularly close series. When it came time to seal the deal at the end of the game, the Cavs crushed the life out of the Celts, while the Celts really couldn't make any of the necessary plays.
That happened in two out of the four games. In the other two, the Cavs were up by double digits.
All of this is what made me feel that the series was similar to what happens when the high school JV team faces off with the varsity squad.