The Cavaliers look like a legitimate challenger: 6 takeaways from Celtics’ OT loss
The Cavaliers have put together a well-built, talented roster that can challenge in the East.
The Celtics and the Cavaliers are a heck of a matchup.
For the second time in less than a week, the two teams battled into an overtime period, and for the second time in less than a week, the Cavaliers squeaked out a last-second win — this time a 114-113 victory on their home floor.
Here’s what happened.
The Big Picture
In the first quarter, the Celtics experienced many of the same problems that plagued them when they played the Cavaliers last week. Slashers struggled to score against the Cavaliers’ interior presence, and the Cavs attacked the offensive glass hard. Meanwhile, Darius Garland — who was back in the lineup after recovering from an eye injury — stabbed the Celtics repeatedly from 3-point range as Cleveland scored 35 points in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Celtics rallied. The defense kicked up to a new level, which sparked a 15-2 run. That propelled the Celtics to a 29-15 win in the second quarter and a 56-50 lead at halftime.
The lead ballooned as high as 12 in the third, but the Cavaliers answered with a 10-0 run and a 19-point turnaround that built their lead back up to 83-76.
The Celtics still weren’t done. They jumped on the Cavaliers with an 11-0 run to start the fourth and re-took a five-point lead. The two teams battled down the stretch, and Cleveland took a two-point lead went Garland went 1-for-2 at the free-throw line in the final seconds. Jayson Tatum sent the game to overtime with a monstrous dunk on Jarrett Allen and a clutch block against Donovan Mitchell as time expired.
The Cavaliers surged ahead by five in the ensuing overtime period, but the Celtics battled back and had a chance to win in the closing seconds. Jaylen Brown’s jumper, however, bounced off the rim, and the Celtics fell to 4-3. The Cavaliers are 6-1.
Star of the Game
Donovan Mitchell – 25 points, four rebounds, six assists.
Mitchell was a volume scorer on Wednesday, but he grabbed a huge rebound in overtime and remains a confident, hyper-athletic menace in late-game situations. He’s not the most efficient player, but he makes the Cavaliers a lot scarier down the stretch.
What It Means
The Celtics are 4-3. They are fine, but they are yet to find a rhythm.
Takeaways
1. The Celtics’ last look was interesting. With just 2.3 seconds remaining, they lined up in a similar formation to the one that generated a dunk for Tatum going down hill to end the fourth.
That play, however, started with a pass to Marcus Smart, who hit a streaking Tatum for the slam. In the final seconds, the Celtics opened up the middle of the floor and found Brown, who flashed to the free-throw line, then turned and created a decent look for himself over Dean Wade.
Brown noted that he didn’t love his positioning.
“We had a lot of space in the middle of the floor, and it was pretty much just get me the ball and make a play,” Brown told reporters after the game. “And I came up short. …
“It felt all right. I wish I would have caught it a little closer where I could have got to my spot. I had two seconds, but two seconds is enough time to get a good look. I didn’t love it, but I got a clean look. It’s a make-able shot. I can knock that shot down. I’ve hit it before. I just came up short.”
2. The Celtics are better than the team that shot 26.8 percent from 3-point range on Wednesday, but the Cavaliers are really good — a legitimate threat in the Eastern Conference. Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell look like a nightmare pairing for opposing defenses, especially teams who put defensive targets on the floor (poor Sam Hauser holds up against some teams, but not against Garland and Mitchell). Jarrett Allen is a rock-solid rim protector. The Celtics breathed an obvious sigh of relief as soon as Evan Mobley left the floor with foul trouble in the first half. Caris LeVert does a little bit of everything.
There’s a lot of season to go, but the Cavs have a cohesive, coherent roster packed with talent. Maybe equally important (as teams like the Nets implode): They look like they enjoy playing together. Don’t be surprised if the Cavs challenge deep into the Eastern Conference playoffs.
3. Grant Williams missed some shots late, but he made a lot of under-the-radar defensive plays, like this stop against Mitchell right before halftime.
Offensively, Williams made a pair of 3-pointers including a side-step triple which increasingly looks like a real part of his arsenal. He also dribbled the length of the floor, backed Kevin Love down, and scored out of the post at one point in the first half. Defensively, he moved his feet and contested against the Cavaliers’ bigger players. Williams also grabbed seven rebounds, which matters against a team like the Cavaliers that pummels the Celtics on the glass.
Williams is really good, and if the Celtics decide to switch their starting lineup before Robert Williams returns, he’s a candidate.
4. The Celtics really miss Robert Williams. The Cavaliers scored 56 points in the paint. Evan Mobley was 7-for-8 from the field, and all of his field goals were either post-up half-hooks over smaller defenders or cutting dunks. They pulled down nine offensive rebounds, but the last three were all impactful — two in overtime, and one in the final minute which set Garland up to go 1-for-2 at the line (which meant Tatum’s last dunk tied the game, rather than giving the Celtics the lead).
If the Celtics meet the Cavaliers in the postseason, they need to hope Williams is available.
5. Marcus Smart clearly thought he was fouled on this play, but he didn’t get the call.
A few seconds later, Garland missed a tough shot and Brown took off with four seconds remaining rather than calling timeout (fortunately, Mazzulla was able to call timeout twice to advance the ball).
The Celtics should be experienced enough to avoid these kinds of late miscues.
6. We saw Garland’s eye postgame, so now you have to as well.
The Celtics face the Bulls on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
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