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Cavaliers spoil Pierce’s jersey party

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LOS ANGELES: The Boston crowd came out to celebrate Paul Pierce on Sunday — but LeBron James and his new Cleveland supporting cast had other ideas as the Cavaliers routed the Celtics 121-99. James shook off a first quarter leg injury to finish with 24 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds for the Cavaliers who were one of the busiest teams at the NBA trading deadline. Cleveland acquired four players and dealt away six others as they attempt to make a push for their fourth straight NBA finals. “We got some players that are pretty smart and they picked it up like they had been here all year,” said James, who played just 28 minutes.


Despite the home team’s loss, the night belonged to Pierce and his family as they got to hear tribute videos from Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson and see his number 34 raised to the rafters of the Boston Garden arena.  “It definitely gave me chills, especially with LeBron out there,” Pierce said afterwards. “I wanted to be out there.” Pierce, who retired at the end of last season, watched the game from his sideline seat, waiting for the post-game ceremony. But when the Cavaliers raced to a 27-point lead halfway through the final quarter the crowd couldn’t hold back chanting “We want Paul Pierce.” James scored 13 of his 24 points in the second quarter. He chipped in eight during a 13-2 burst that turned a one-point deficit into a double-digit lead. — AFP


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