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Stevens after Celtics' 25-point win: 'We're going to have to play better'

Maddie Meyer / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The Boston Celtics extracted first blood in the Eastern Conference finals Sunday, throttling the Cleveland Cavaliers 108-83. The Celts shot over 51 percent from the floor while limiting Cleveland to 36 percent, but Boston coach Brad Stevens knows that they'll have to play at an even higher level to win the series.

"I think we're very alert to the fact that we'll get a heavyweight punch (in Game 2) on Tuesday night," Stevens told reporters after the Celtics' 25-point win. "We're going to have to play better on Tuesday."

The main reason for that is one LeBron James. Boston managed to hold the King to 15 points on 5-of-16 shooting in Game 1, something few will expect to see repeated. Yet just as importantly, the Celtics rubbed out LeBron's shaky support system. The Cavs shot a putrid 15.4 percent from beyond the arc, and while James himself was 0-for-5, Kevin Love, Kyle Korver, and J.R. Smith shot a combined 2-for-12.

Still, many of those misses came on open looks, something Stevens knows shouldn't happen in the first place.

"According to Brad, we can get a lot better," Celts guard Terry Rozier said of his team's defense, according to Boston.com's Nicole Yang.

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