Let’s not overreact to game 2
But here’s why the Cavs may have a chance in this series.
Last night, Green-clad Bostonians flooded out of the TD Garden with five plus minutes remaining in game two. Why?
Because the Cavaliers were running the hometown Celtics off the floor en route to a dominant 118-94 win.
According to ESPN stats and info, the 24-point margin was the largest playoff win by a double digit underdog since 1991. It’s the first road win of the J.B. Bickerstaff era in Cleveland.
Many knee jerkers are comparing Thursday’s game to Miami’s lone first-round victory in Boston, a game in which the Heat hit a franchise-record 23 threes.
But it’s a bad comparison because Cleveland’s success feels replicable.
While the Cavs did shoot the ball better than they have all playoffs, hitting 13 of their 28 three point attempts, their excellent performance wasn’t defined by unstoppable offense. Sure, about-damn-time scoring from across the board—especially Caris LeVert’s jitterbuggy and Evan Mobley’s mantis-like 21-point nights—was a key factor in Cleveland’s win. Darius Garland had 12 of his 14 points from beyond the arc, where he was four of five. Isaac Okoro and Max Strus contributed twelve apiece. Donovan Mitchell, still clearly hobbled but moving better than he has since game one in Orlando, was five of seven from deep on his way to 29 points, seven rebounds and eight assists.
But the real reason Cleveland ran away with game two and may have found a blueprint moving forward was their effort and attention to detail on the defensive end.
The Cavs rose to their individual assignments with pride and determination. Gone for the most part were the open driving lanes and kick outs Cleveland ceded Boston in game one. Max Strus was an absolute pest in Jason Tatum’s eye all night.
The Celtics sought to attack Darius Garland at every turn. But he held his own, giving Derrick White in particular little room in which to operate. Boston’s third fiddle flamethrower had just ten points on one of eight from deep. Evan Mobley limited Boston to eight of 21 shooting as the primary defender.
After giving up 46 three point attempts in game one, the Cavs also made a concerted effort to chase the Celtics off the three point line. They stayed stuck to their marks like name tags at a trade show. They jumped to their closeouts like they heard the ice cream truck coming on a 100-degree day.
Cleveland held Boston to just 35 three pointers. They made only eight, including two of 18 second-half attempts. Boston’s 94 points were the fewest they’d tallied in a game since April 9th.
The Wine and Gold also manhandled Boston on the glass, outrebounding the Celtics 44-31. Darius Garland had a playoff career-high seven boards, matching Mitchell. Tristan Thompson, who J.B. Bickerstaff wisely called upon to fill in for four-fouls Mobley in the third quarter, pulled down three rebounds that felt like seven. Evan Mobley had the best playoff game of his career, dominating with 21 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and two blocks. Cleveland outscored Boston by 35 points with him on the floor.
A win like game two will get you thinking things that are various degrees of crazy: is a positive regression coming to the Cavs’ offense? Is Evan Mobley making the leap to stardom in front of our eyes? Does Donovan Mitchell love Cleveland? Is J.B. Bickerstaff turning the corner? Can the Cavs actually win this thing?
This is now a best-of-five series, with three of the next four games in Cleveland, and Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse is going to be buzzing.
Still, the reality is that as good as the Cavs were in game two, the Celtics couldn’t hit the side of a barn and eventually just threw their hands in the air and quit. The Cavs did that in two games in the first round and got away with it. Boston is talented enough that they probably can too.
If the Celtics are truly a championship contender, game two will be a wake up call. We shouldn’t expect another clunker from them in game three tomorrow, nor should we expect Boston to play as passively on defense as they did on Thursday. And, not to yuck every Cleveland fan’s yum, but based on how the Cavs have looked the past few months, we probably shouldn’t expect another excellent game from any Cavalier except Mitchell, either.
If Cleveland can outwork and out tough Boston yet again, if Garland can stay hot, Mobley can make last night the new standard, and LeVert can look like the Sixth Man of the Year Candidate he once was, the Cavs have it in them to protect home court and take a commanding series lead.
If they do that, perhaps we should start readjusting our expectations. But staying even-keeled served the Cavs well in game two. Here’s hoping it does the same for them and for us as the series heads back to Cleveland.
Cheers, and go Cavs.