The Celtics, who had a 25-point blowout victory over the Cavaliers in the first game of the series, suffered a bitter defeat by 24 points today, indicating that they failed to defend their home court in both the first and second rounds of the playoffs. In response, Celtic head coach Joe Mazzulla pointed out the main reasons for the loss after the game, emphasizing the need to carefully review game footage to identify problems and prepare to win the next game.
In today’s game against the Cavaliers, although the Celtics had a 9-point lead at one point in the first quarter, they lost their advantage due to their inability to contain Evan Mobley. Despite the halftime score being tied at 54-54, the Celtics faltered in the second half, shooting just 2 for 11 from beyond the arc, while the Boston made 10 of 18, resulting in a final score of 94-118 in favor of the Cavaliers.
(G3)Cavaliers vs. Celtics – Game Overview
Mazzulla stated in a post-game interview that the Cavaliers executed their tactics excellently, while the Celtics struggled offensively, leading to a lack of focus on the defensive end. He emphasized the need for better responsiveness, stating, “The Boston were very effective in pressuring the ball and executing pick-and-rolls today. We need to have better responses. Once we make frequent mistakes on the offensive end, it also affects our defense.”
As for how the Celtics will adjust in Game 3 on Sunday (12th), Mazzulla admitted, “Whether we win or lose, we need to approach the game in the same way. We will find time to focus on reviewing today’s game footage, trying to identify areas where we didn’t do well and need to improve, and prepare for the next game.”
Game Analysis
Interestingly, since last year’s Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics have failed to win a Game 2 in three consecutive playoff rounds. Additionally, while the Celtic have a regular-season home record of 97 wins and 26 losses, with a win rate of 78.9%, their playoff record at home is only 14 wins and 14 losses, with a win rate of 50%. How to maintain their home court advantage steadily has become crucial to whether they can win their 18th championship in team history.
In today’s game, the Boston broke the Celtics’ home court advantage with a 118-94 victory, tying the series 1-1.
To sum up, although there was a large number of spectators leaving the arena early, indicating disappointment with the game content, the overall structure of the series remains unchanged even though the Cavaliers won one game. Celtic fans can rest assured.
Coach’s Remarks and Adjustment Plan
Turning back to the game itself, it needs to be analyzed in terms of the first and second halves. The Celtic started the first four minutes of the game fairly well, led by Derrick White, with a 14-5 lead, showing both inside and outside scoring and smooth passing. However, the second half of the game was like night and day.
First Half: Both teams were evenly matched.
At the start of the game, both teams had a slow offensive pace, with the Celtic taking a 9-point lead first, but only maintaining it for less than five minutes. The first quarter was better for the Cavaliers, and the second quarter saw the Celtics mount a comeback, with both teams shooting poorly from beyond the arc, creating an atmosphere of defensive struggle.
Cavaliers’ star player, Donovan Mitchell, faced tough defense from Jrue Holiday, struggled to score (only 6 points in the first half, shooting 2 for 6, and missing all his three-point attempts), but managed to contribute with 5 assists, helping teammates score and reducing the damage.
Series Overview and Home Court Advantage
With the main star contained, the Cavaliers relied on bench guard Caris LeVert to challenge the paint and Evan Mobley’s pick-and-roll actions, as well as Isaac Okoro’s outside shooting and inside presence. Several successful team plays and fast breaks injected life into the offense, providing unexpected contributions to the team.
Mobley displayed excellent interior scoring and passing throughout the game, with 11 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks in the first quarter alone, and finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and 2 blocks overall, delivering his best playoff performance so far in the absence of Jarrett Allen.
On the Celtics’ side, after the mid-stage of the first quarter, both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown resorted to “inefficient” isolation plays, leading to an 11-3 run by the Boston, resulting in a 6-point deficit for the Celtic at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, Tatum drew fouls to get to the free-throw line (making 8 of 10 free throws in the first half) and Al Horford hit some three-pointers (2 for 4, making 3 of 4 three-pointers in the first half), along with the assistance of backup guard Payton Pritchard, keeping the game tied at halftime (54-54).
Game Breakdown: First and Second Halves
Niang, mentioned earlier, saw a significant increase in playing time (from 4 minutes in Game 1 to 14 minutes in Game 2), providing support for Mobley and Okoro and avoiding early foul trouble for them (both players had 2 fouls in the first half). Although he did not make any three-pointers, his contribution was not only reflected on the stat sheet (4 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist) but also in his hustle and intangible contributions on the court.
Second Half: Spider-Man returns, Celtics’ outside shooting falters.
The Celtic encountered problems in the second half, particularly with their outside shooting, which ultimately led to the widening of the score gap. The disparity between the teams was not as large as the scoreboard suggested.
First Half
The turning point of the game came in the middle of the third quarter when Mobley hit a lucky mid-range shot, followed by Okoro’s baseline cut and finish, giving the Boston a 9-point lead (with 5 minutes and 44 seconds left in the quarter). Celtics’ head coach Joe Mazzulla called a timeout, attempting to regroup and stop the Cavaliers’ momentum, but with little success. The gap remained at around 10 points afterward.
While Brown gradually woke up in the second half, joining forces with Darius Garland to outscore the Celtic, with both players making a total of 7 three-pointers (Brown – 4 for 5, Garland – 3 for 3).
Second Half
On the other hand, the Celtics struggled in the second half, particularly with White’s poor shooting, going 0 for 5 from beyond the arc, disrupting the team’s rhythm and preventing them from reclaiming the lead from the duo of Tatum and Brown. The gap widened to around 10 points from the middle of the third quarter onwards, and the Celtics never caught up.
The pivotal moment that crushed the Celtics’ hopes of victory was likely when Mitchell hit a three-pointer over Tatum’s contested shot just before the end of the third quarter, giving the Boston a 12-point lead entering the fourth quarter (90-78).
Although a 12-point deficit may seem significant, with the Celtics’ usual outside shooting accuracy, there was still plenty of time left in the game, provided they stabilized their defense and improved their three-point shooting. However, the Celtic shot a dismal 2 for 18 from beyond the arc in the
second half, with a particularly poor performance in the critical third quarter (0 for 8).
The game was effectively over at this point. The Celtics’ comeback efforts in the remaining nine minutes only yielded 11 points.
The last five minutes saw both teams substitute their key players, entering garbage time.
Key Points for Improvement
My basic opinion remains unchanged by today’s game result. However, there are a few points the Celtic need to pay attention to:
- How to stabilize the game with defense when the offense struggles? The Cavaliers’ outstanding offensive performance today was unexpected. The Celtics’ defensive strategy should focus on containing Mitchell.
The principle is simple: allowing Mitchell to score a lot doesn’t necessarily mean losing, but an above-average shooting percentage could bring danger. The Celtic suffered greatly from Mitchell’s dominance in the latter part of the third quarter, leading to an expanded gap and paying a heavy price. Even if other Cavalier players performed well, both teams were evenly matched until then. The outcome was unpredictable.
- White is bound to have off days. How to steady the ship when he struggles? White’s off day equates to the failure of the winning formula.
Today, White played only 30 minutes, and especially in the second half, his shooting was very poor, only maintaining his defensive level without being able to control the game. (10 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, shooting 1 for 8 from the field)
Tatum or Brown might have chosen to attempt more three-pointers to catch up (Jaylen, it’s you!), but one chose to retire early due to frustration, even making ineffective drives or being forced to catch the ball early due to defensive adjustments.
Their physical condition is undoubtedly top-notch, as TNT broadcasters mentioned during the broadcast, saying that Tatum has the physical or size advantage against 95% of defenders in the league.
If so, after so many years in the league, have these two superstars learned to interpret defense and lead the team more carefully besides using their physical advantages? There will always be times when you’re behind in a game, but is playing hero ball the only solution?
Regardless of the series outcome, if they want to lead the team to championship glory, these two top players need to reflect deeply.
- Clearing the bench, do the Celtics still have any tricks up their sleeves?
The Celtics gave up the game in the last five minutes, clearing the bench and utilizing garbage time.
Unlike the Heat, the Celtics’ bench players seemed frozen, struggling with passing, movement, and shooting, as if they didn’t gain any shooting touch or teamwork in those 5 minutes. It seems that there are only 8 players the Celtic can rely on in this series, at most adding one more backup big man like Xavier Tillman. Pritchard was the best performer off the bench in this game.
Pritchard contributed with 3 assists in the second quarter and made crucial plays in the second half, not only hitting open three-pointers but also making two deceptive moves to score inside, showing great courage and skill. His improvement this year has been evident, and he didn’t lose his fighting spirit and judgment even when facing adversity. He will have more opportunities to shine in the future.
Conclusion
In summary, while it might seem like the Celtics played poorly today, their team turnovers were only 7, fewer than the Cavaliers’ 10. The main issue was their poor three-point shooting and the reliance on isolation plays by Tatum and Brown when White struggled. (Tatum’s drives were less effective today, turning into suicide drives or being forced to change direction due to defensive adjustments)
This also proves the importance of White in the Celtics’ lineup. When he struggles and cannot control the game’s pace, the team collapses directly when facing adversity.
Even so, the Celtic still have the upper hand in this series.
The reason is that the Cavaliers’ outstanding offensive performance today was perhaps the most balanced since the playoffs started this year, with 6 players scoring in double digits, and Mitchell only scoring 29 points to win the game. The team’s three-point shooting percentage was as high as 46.4% (13/28), similar to the Heat’s performance in Game 2 against the Celtics in the previous round, which cannot be expected every time.
As long as the Celtics grasp the key points mentioned above, it won’t be difficult to listen to the next game away from home.
Table of Contents
Tomorrow’s game recommendation:
G3 Cavaliers vs. Celtics — 03:30AM
- Cavaliers win
- Cavaliers -3.5
- Total over 211
