CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cavaliers were in the midst of another one of their clunky third quarters, something that has plagued them all season.

With Kevin Love in foul trouble and Tristan Thompson needing a breather, the hard-charging Celtics had cut a double-digit lead to eight points and the Cavaliers were leaking oil, just trying to push their way to the end-of-quarter break so they could regroup.

But then came a pivotal sequence from Larry Nance Jr.

The bouncy backup center, who spoke honestly about the challenges of finding his footing in his postseason maiden voyage, rescued a pair of offensive possessions. Then he used his youth, length and athleticism -- the traits Cleveland craved at the trade deadline -- to block rookie Jayson Tatum's dunk near the end of the quarter.

Nance's first play came at the two-minute mark. Jeff Green had just tossed an errant pass behind LeBron James, who somehow flung an off-balance shot toward the rim that clanged into Nance's arms for an offensive rebound and putback while he was fouled. That unlikely three-point play pushed the lead back to 11 points.

Then, following a Boston turnover, George Hill sprinted up the floor, looking for a fastbreak layup opportunity before the Celtics' defense could get set. Hill plowed into Semi Ojeleye and missed the shot. It looked like the Celtics had collected the rebound and were going the other way with numbers in their favor, another shot to cut into the lead.

Instead, Aron Baynes was whistled for an offensive foul, shoving Nance in the back on a box-out attempt. Nance canned a pair of free throws to give Cleveland a 13-point lead.

A little more than a minute later, it appeared Tatum had a path to the basket, with designs on a confidence-boosting thunderous dunk. It would have been a much-needed Boston bucket. Instead, Nance soared in from the weakside and turned Tatum away by getting a piece of the ball.

That sequence ended with a tie-up and the Cavs retaining possession.

"I think he sees what it takes," head coach Tyronn Lue said of Nance. "I think having a chance to play in his first playoffs -- and one things about Larry is you're going to get effort. You're going to get toughness. He's not afraid. I think now sitting out for a few games and then coming back, I think he sees what it takes. He did a good job of keeping his body in shape, playing five-on-five with the guys. The game has slowed down. He understands what it takes, what we need to do and he's been great."

Nance lost his spot in the rotation early in the playoffs. But he has regained Lue's trust and rewarded it once again Monday night. In large part because of Nance, all of the Celtics' hard work, all of the energy they expended to mount a third-quarter comeback went for naught. They were only able to cut two points off the lead in those 12 minutes.

It could've been much more. They had the momentum. Cleveland was reeling. Those two minutes were an opportunity to put immense pressure on the Cavs, who haven't always handled that like champions this season.

Instead, the hole was too deep. No matter how much Boston fought, it couldn't make up enough ground.

Nance finished with seven points, three rebounds, one steal and two blocks in 10 incredibly important minutes. It's hardly the kind of stat line that screams postseason hero, especially on a night James tallied 44 points and Kyle Korver chipped in with 14.

But Nance said he learned early in this postseason that every possession matters, no matter when it takes place and no matter how big or small it may seem at the time. It's the little things that can flip outcomes this time of year. Sometimes two points really are worth more than that.

Nance's first bucket in that stretch was one of those moments.

"It's huge for him," Love told cleveland.com following the 111-102 win. "That's a way to get settled into the moment is to get an easy bucket and get to the free-throw line. I think that type of moment was big for him and it got the crowd into it and allowed us to close out the quarter well. That can prove to be huge moving forward."

As James said early Monday morning, this postseason stage provides the opportunity for a player to make a name for himself.

The Nance name means plenty around these parts already. But that's because of the legend his father wrote.

Monday was Junior's turn. Below his dad's retired jersey, the 25-year-old big man added to the Nance legacy in Cleveland.