#1- Mitchell and Tatum erupt in second half
The primary half was not variety to both of the sport’s two greatest stars. Jayson Tatum was 1-of-5 on 3-point makes an attempt and 4-of-12 from the sector for 12 factors within the first half, whereas Donovan Mitchell was struggling to generate any type of success, taking pictures 2-of-8 from the sector and 1-of-4 from the road, managing simply 5 factors and two assists.
The opening minutes of the second half instructed one other story, one the place the celebrities shined brightest, taking up the sport on the best way to an entertaining end between the top-2 groups of the East.
Tatum and Mitchell traded threes proper out of the gate, adopted by a profitable journey to the road for Tatum and an acrobatic layup from Mitchell. Tatum scored Boston’s first eight factors of that quarter, fully taking up the third with 17 of his 33 factors on 6-of-8 taking pictures, changing on all three of his 3-point makes an attempt.
Then, Mitchell took over (extra on that in a bit). It was the type of takeover that warrants a shrug of the shoulders, and possibly a prayer. We’ve seen it earlier than, we’ll see it once more. When Mitchell will get a positive change and area to function, the very best you are able to do is keep in entrance, get a hand up and hope that stepback doesn’t show deadly. On Sunday evening, it did, and it was simply sufficient at hand the Celtics their first loss in 19 days.
#2- Tatum continues to hunt Garland
Jayson actually likes the Darius Garland matchup. It was evident of their NBA Cup matchup, when the Celtics narrowed in on searching the Cavs guard as he struggled by way of a significant off-night on the offensive finish. It got here again round within the rematch.
In two video games and 5 minutes of matchup time, Tatum has scored extra factors over Garland than some other matchup he’s confronted this season, taking pictures 8-of-19 for 18 factors on these switches. It performed an enormous half in Tatum’s second half exhibiting, the place 5 of his eight subject objectives got here on the Garland change.
Tatum scored 11 factors over Garland within the second half, seven of which got here within the third quarter. He significantly favored placing Garland on an island close to the left elbow, the place Tatum bullied the 6-foot-1 guard.
All of it led to at least one final faceoff between the 2 with 50 seconds left and the Cavaliers main 103-101. Tatum as soon as once more acquired the matchup he needed, crossing over to his proper hand and placing his shoulder into Garland for a top quality layup try that bounced off the rim and out.
That’s a shot Tatum received’t miss usually, however on this case, it was a back-breaking consequence on a play the place Tatum did every thing proper on a positive matchup.
#3- Pritchard outduels Jerome in battle of 6MOTY opponents
Payton Pritchard is taken into account the betting man’s favourite to win the sixth Man of the 12 months award this season, and rightfully so. That hasn’t stopped Cleveland followers from emphatically throwing “For Your Consideration” campaigns out into the social mediasphere for UVA product Ty Jerome.
In a battle of top-tier bench scorers, what began as a sluggish evening for all concerned quickly changed into one other productive outing from Pritchard, who shook off a 2-for-8 first half with 19 second half factors, 17 of which got here within the fourth quarter. Jerome, in the meantime, performed simply 11 minutes and completed with six factors on 1-of-4 taking pictures. It was his third-shortest look within the rotation this season.
Early within the third, that matchup was on full show, with Pritchard driving previous Jerome on two events, each ending in layups.
On the finish, with the Celtics taking part in from behind, Pritchard saved hope alive along with his free throw taking pictures, together with a step-back three with 15 seconds left. It was Pritchard’s third straight recreation of 20+ factors.
#4- Drew Peterson cracks the rotation
Coming into Sunday evening, Drew Peterson had simply half-hour on an NBA flooring, seven of which got here this season. Towards Cleveland, Peterson completed with 25 minutes, second most off the bench behind Payton Pritchard.
With the staff shorthanded and on the primary evening of a back-to-back, Joe Mazzulla turned to the ahead on a two-way contract, and he held his personal, ending with eight factors on 2-of-6 taking pictures, 4 rebounds and one steal.
Whereas initially tentative with the ball, Peterson ultimately discovered some confidence to fireside, drilling one off-the-catch three within the second quarter and one other within the third quarter off a drive-and-kick play from Jayson Tatum.
Peterson performed some succesful protection, significantly on one possession the place he stayed in entrance of Mitchell and drew an offensive foul with 7:16 left within the recreation.
With 7 seconds left, his efforts face-guarding Darius Garland on an inbounds play shouldn’t go unnoticed. His protection helped pressure Cleveland to make use of a timeout, and it displayed some good effort from a participant making his minutes rely.
His evening wasn’t something spectacular, however Peterson held his personal when given the possibility, making it one of many extra attention-grabbing narratives of the sport.
#5- Celtics wrestle to attain within the paint
It was a tricky evening contained in the restricted space for the Celtics, who shot simply 44% inside 4 toes. Loads of these struggles got here from Jrue Vacation (1-for-4 inside 4 toes) and Jayson Tatum (2-for-6), who had few points moving into these seems, however struggled to transform.
It was an particularly powerful evening for Vacation, who shot 2-of-9 total and located himself trapped in awkward spots across the hoop on a number of events.
Being with out two efficient play finishers in Brown and White didn’t assist issues, however the inside presence of Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen and even Isaac Okoro thwarted a lot of Boston’s assaults to the rim, making it an off evening for a Celtics staff that’s been efficient changing from shut vary.
#6- Cavs efficiently attacked the paint
On the flip aspect of the final takeaway, Cleveland was way more efficient in its seems close to the ring, ending on 54% of these seems and 50% between 4-14 toes. It’s not at all an elite determine, however down the stretch, it was an space the Cavs have been efficiently in a position to convert on.
Coming off three consecutive threes within the midst of his fourth quarter heater, Mitchell broke the tie with an 8-foot floater off a Horford change, after which discovered Okoro on the roll that led to a layoff to a reducing Mobley for a two-possession lead.
Boston’s pre-Porzingis video games shared a typical prevalence of questionable rim safety, nevertheless it was once more an space the Cavs preyed on down the stretch that helped them pull off the win.
#7- Mazzulla sticks with an eight-man rotation (principally)
Except for a 7-second look from Jaden Springer late within the recreation, the Celtics caught with an eight-man rotation with two starters down. It meant 30+ minutes for each Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford, who each may get some relaxation for the tail-end of the staff’s back-to-back.
With Drew Peterson, Luke Kornet and Payton Pritchard featured off the bench, we noticed the staff principally depend on a mix of double-big lineups, beginning with the Porzingis/Horford pairing earlier than increasing off into Kornet/Horford and Kornet/Porzingis frontcourts.
Essentially the most profitable mixture was the beginning 5 of Vacation/Hauser/Tatum/Horford/Porzingis, which performed a team-high 11:53 and completed a +7 and shot 8-of-15 from past the arc because of respectable taking pictures nights from Hauser, Tatum and Porzingis. It’s a lineup that is smart as a possible playoff rotation, and one price maintaining a tally of with Porzingis again on the ground.
#8- Fourth quarter protection offers up 43 factors
Boston’s fourth quarter protection has been middling this season, sporting a 112.2 defensive ranking within the quarter (sixteenth within the league). Late-game free throws actually performed a task final evening, however Boston’s protection struggled to maintain up with Mitchell’s scorching heater and the gravity that got here with it, and the Cavs closed a 12-point hole to take the lead with 1:07 left.
There’s solely a lot they may do when Mitchell’s connecting off his step-back, which beat Sam Hauser twice within the fourth quarter.
With out White or Brown to supply support on that project, it’s laborious to be too pressed about it, however a 43-point quarter given up in a four-point recreation is a tricky capsule to swallow for the league’s eighth-best protection.
#9- Cavs win the foul recreation
The tempo of play slowed to an absolute halt within the closing 34 seconds of the fourth quarter, after Evan Mobley minimize from the dunker spot and delivered a dunk that set the Cavaliers up with a four-point lead. From there, these closing seconds changed into almost 20 minutes of actual time, because the Celtics and Cavs challenged one another to a very good ol’ original free throw bonanza.
Neither staff flinched underneath the stress, with the Celtics taking pictures 7-for-7 earlier than an intentional Pritchard miss resulted in a lane violation. The Cavaliers by no means slipped up in their very own proper, hitting all 10 of their makes an attempt to ice the sport and maintain on for the win. Regardless of an off-night on the line from Mitchell, Cleveland was in a position to benefit from their makes an attempt, taking pictures 20-of-25 (80%) for the evening, a slight uptick from their 79% taking pictures for the season.
The Celtics saved the door open at a attainable last-gasp alternative to increase or win the sport with their very own execution, however the Cavaliers have been proficient on the charity stripe when it mattered most.
#10- Derrick White’s fourth quarter heroics have been missed
It might probably’t be overstated how very important Derrick White is to Boston’s clutch execution. Properly, possibly it may be overstated, however that’s simply a sign of how outrageously efficient White is with the sport taking place to the wire.
The Celtics are 7-3 in video games that attain clutch minutes that includes White, who’s a +18 and shoots 50% from three in these conditions. Usually, the Celtics are 6-4 with out White on the ground previously two seasons. These 4 losses have been by a mixed 14 factors.
Whether or not it’s a well-timed 3-pointer, a show-stopping block, or a drive-and-kick move that forces a rotation, when White performs late within the recreation, the Celtics simply execute higher.
