Celtics smother Cavaliers to win opener

BOSTON (Reuters) - The Boston Celtics shut down LeBron James to grind out a 76-72 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in their Eastern Conference semi-final series opener on Tuesday.

Boston's defense smothered James, holding him to just 12 points and forcing him into 10 turnovers.

Kevin Garnett scored 28 points to lead the Celtics, who host Game two in the best-of-seven series on Thursday.

Both offenses struggled to kick into gear all night, with Boston's Paul Pierce scoring only four points and Ray Allen being held pointless in a game for the first time since 1997.

"There was no finesse, no jabs, just an all-out, beat-down, defensive fight," Garnett told reporters.

"We tried to make him (James) take tough shots. For the most part it was just great team defense."

James missed numerous key shots down the stretch, although he almost had a triple-double with nine rebounds and nine assists.

"He had a tough night, and he is entitled to it," Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said. "Knowing him, he will definitely bounce back in Game two."

James was disappointed, especially after a strong opening round series against Washington.

"I missed a lot of shots I know I can make," James said. "It was just one of those nights."

Both teams were error prone, with the Celtics committing 21 turnovers to 17 for the Cavs.

The game was tied at 72-72 until Garnett's basket with 22 seconds left gave the Celtics the lead. James missed a shot on the next possession and Cleveland fouled, James Posey making a pair of free throws to seal the win.

(Writing by Roger Lajoie in Toronto; Editing by Peter Rutherford)