Older and wiser, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum prepare for another playoff clash with Cleveland
Six years later, the Celtics and Cavaliers meet again, with Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals set for Tuesday.
Jaylen Brown leaned back and stared ahead as he remembered the last time the Celtics faced the Cavaliers in a playoff series, the 2018 Eastern Conference finals.
Six years ago, Brown and Jayson Tatum embarked on their first postseason run together. It came to an end when the LeBron James-led Cavaliers closed out the Celtics in seven games. Brown is determined to ensure this year’s series has a different outcome.
“That was a long time ago. 2018? Sheesh,” Brown said. “I feel like I’ve come a long way.
“Obviously, that was a great experience and journey being able to play in the playoffs that time they had LeBron. It still stings a little bit that we lost in the end in Game 7, so we’re going to make sure this series is a little different.”
This week, the Celtics and Cavs will meet again, with Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals set for Tuesday night at TD Garden.
Donovan Mitchell is starring for Cleveland this time around, averaging a team-high 28.7 points on 45.9 percent shooting during the playoffs.
“Donovan is an explosive, strong, three-level scorer,” Brown said. “I think his strength gives him an advantage over a lot of defenders. He’s good at changing direction. He’s just a good basketball player.”
When asked about his friendship with Mitchell, Brown said, “Ain’t no friends in the playoffs.”
Coach Joe Mazzulla said the Celtics have to pick their poison while attempting to contain Mitchell, who scored 50 points in Cleveland’s Game 6 loss to Orlando last round. Mitchell followed up with a 39-point, 9-rebound, 5-assist gem as the Cavs took Game 7, 106-94, on Sunday.
“When you’re playing against guys like him, and a team that has dynamic guards, usually it comes down to the other things,” Mazzulla said. “It comes down to the impact that [Caris] LeVert, [Max] Strus, [Evan] Mobley, [Isaac] Okoro and those guys have.
“Transition defense, offensive rebounds, turnovers — just really all the details in the margins that we talked about in the last series, go under shadow when you see a caliber of a player like a [Darius] Garland or a Mitchell. It still comes down to the margins and the details and the small things.”
The Celtics also will have to deal with Cleveland’s length on the defensive end.
Mobley averaged three blocks per game last round. Center Jarrett Allen grabbed 13.8 rebounds per game over the first four games of the Magic series before missing the final three games with bruised ribs.
“They have a lot of guys that can create problems,” Derrick White said. “We just have to continue to keep the right spacing, the right tactics, and make the right decisions at the rim. They’re all great defenders and it’s going to be a challenge.”
White’s emergence
After his playoff career-high 38 points in Game 4 vs. Miami, White gave his teammates credit for empowering him to become a better player.
Through five games this postseason, White is second on the Celtics in scoring at 22.4 points per game, which is up from 13.4 last postseason.
White said Mazzulla’s belief in him has been a key ingredient in his development.
“I think just having a coach that believes in you,” White said. “I mean, that’s what every coach kind of says, but he just goes above and beyond to prove it to me. I think at the beginning of the year he was like, ‘You’re my point guard, I believe in you, I trust in you.’ So just hearing stuff like that is always big.”
White came off the bench during his first Celtics playoff run in 2022. Brown says he’s seeing an increased level of confidence in White that has led to a stronger game.
“I think D-White’s confidence has just grown and excelled over the years,” Brown said. “Now he’s coming into his own, and I think that just making the right plays, taking advantage of matchups, and being aggressive, I think we were a better team when he’s like that. We need him to keep playing well going into this series.”
Porzingis update
Kristaps Porzinigs was spotted at Monday’s practice. Mazzulla said he’s seeing some improvements in the injured center’s walking.
The 7-foot-2-inch big man, who departed Game 4 vs. Miami with a calf strain, is expected to miss at least the first three games of this series.
“The thing about KP is that he puts the time in,” Mazzulla said. “With a guy like him, every single day he knows exactly what he has to do. And he always puts the work in, whether he’s playing or coming back from an injury.
“I just saw him walking a little bit better, but I trust his work ethic and know he’s doing everything he can to get back as fast as he can.”
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