A Fast Start, A Crazy Comeback And A Statement Win

I hope you stayed up for that one.

Seriously.

Friday night’s matchup between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics had all the makings of an early-season prize fight and it didn’t disappoint.

The Wine and Gold slugged it out with the reigning Eastern Conference Champions. They needed overtime, but they came away with an emotional, early-season statement win in a 132-123 victory over the Celtics to run their current win streak to four games.

The Celtics showed up as one of the top offensive teams in the NBA. The Cavs walked in as one of the stingiest teams on the defensive end. The two teams traded punches and exchanged runs. Cleveland led by as many as 13 and then trailed by as much as 15.

Ultimately, the Cavs pulled away in overtime for another double-digit win.

Caris LeVert and Donovan Mitchell were spectacular. The two started together in the Cavs back court in the absence of Darius Garland and lit up the parquet. LeVert had 41 points and 7 assists. Mitchell added 41 of his own leading to the dup combining for 82 of the Cavs 132 points.

Caris LeVert and Donovan Mitchell talk to @SerenaWinters about the team's comeback in Boston. The two go on to compliment one another's performances, as well as their other teammates.#LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/5QIT6oUvlP
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) October 29, 2022

With that, here are five thoughts and observations on the Cavs best five-game start since 2016.

Double Your Luck

Only two times have there been multiple 40-point scorers in the same game in Cavalier history. One was Friday night at TD Garden with LeVert and Mitchell went off for 41 apiece.

The other was Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals. Some guys named LeBron James and Kyrie Irving each scored 41.

LeVert was unbelievable. There must be something about the parquet floor at TD Garden that gets his attention. LeVert had a career-high 51-points on the same floor two years ago while with the Brooklyn Nets and followed it up tonight with easily his best performance as a Cavalier.

Each time the Cavs needed a clutch bucket, the ball found itself in LeVert’s hands.

Mitchell was equally as spectacular. He seemed to get better as the game wore on. Mitchell scored seven points in the first quarter, ten in the second and 12 his 19 second-half points in the third quarter to help lead a rally coming out of halftime.

His bone-crushing dunk on Luke Kornet was just the latest highlight-worthy material that Mitchell has provided in his first five games as a Cavalier.

LeVert was not to be outdone, however. He wrapped up regulation with 30 points.

LeVert outworked everyone on the floor for a pair of second-chance opportunities as the fourth quarter ended. H pulled down a huge rebound with 1:12 left on a missed shot by Mitchell and calmly escaped to the corner to can a critical three pointer.

But overtime was perhaps his finest work in the Wine and Gold. LeVert scored 11 points in the extra-frame and single-handedly helped the Cavs outscore the Celtics 18-9 in overtime.

LeVert forced a massive turnover down the stretch and canned a dagger from beyond the arc. He was fouled on the play by Malcom Brogdon, which was deemed a Flagrant I and gave LeVert two extra shots and the ball to cap his magnificent night.

Fast Start Didn’t Last

The Cavs got off to a fast start, knocking down 11 of their first 14 shots on their way to running out to a 22-9 lead over the game’s first six minutes. After a few games where the Wine and Gold had gotten off to sleepy starts, it was good to see the Cavs come out charging, particularly against a team like the Celtics.

But Boston showed why they advanced all the way to the NBA Finals last year. The Celtics woke up and ended the quarter on a 17-4 run that was punctuated by Sam Houser’s buzzer-beating three pointe to give the Celtics a one-point lead at 34-33 to end the 1st.

The Celtics shot 66 percent from the field and 56 percent (9-of-16) from three-point range in the first half on their way to putting up 75 points. Boston had 16 assists on 25 made field goals in the first 24 minutes.

The Cavs bench, which has been a strength for the Wine and Gold this season and particularly so in the first half, was outscored by Boston’s reserves 21-9 in the first half.

Boston led for more than 30 minutes after the first quarter until the Cavs clawed back at the end of regulation. They never held an advantage in overtime as the Cavs seemed to hit another gear.

We talked a lot about conditioning and beep tests and how tough camp was throughout the preseason, but it looks like it’s paying dividends early.

Foul Fest

The first quarter was littered with whistles.

The Cavs and Celtics combined for 20 fouls and 24 free-throw attempts in the first quarter. Isaac Okoro and Blake Griffin where each whistled for three personals. Neither player saw the floor for more than three minutes.

Okoro was called for an offensive foul with 1:19 to play in the 1st while setting a screen for Mitchell as the quarter drew to a disappointing end. He also missed a pair of wide-open threes in the first quarter to highlight a frustrating opening frame.

Okoro had more fouls (3) than minutes played (2:35) in the 1st quarter and once again scored just two points.

Tight D On The 3

The Cavs came into Friday ranked second in the NBA this season in opponent points per game (100.8) and sixth in opponent field goal percentage (.438). Boston shot 65-percent from the field in the first half and connected on 9-of-16 three pointers in the first half.

It looked like the Cavs weren’t going to be able to keep up with the Celtics fire power and slow down Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The Celtics have scored 117 points or more in three of their first four games and rank third in the NBA in offensive rating.

By halftime, Brown had racked up 24 points and Tatum added 14. The two combined for just 17 points in the second half. Brown scored seven in overtime but was no match for LeVert.

The Cavs as a team locked down the Celtics from the perimeter in the second half. In the first 24 minutes, Brown and Tatum were doing a good job of getting into the paint, forcing rotations, and kicking it out for open threes.

Boston shot just 23-percent (3-for-13) from deep in the second half as the Cavs roared back to force overtime.

Allen And Mobley Have Another Strong Night

Not lost in the insanity that was the comeback and the effort by Mitchell and LeVert should be Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley’s night.

They each had a double-double with Mobley following up his 20-point performance against the Magic with an 18-point, 10 rebound effort against the Celtics.

Allen?

He casually recorded his third-straight double-double and fourth this season. Cleveland was 26-6 last season when he recorded a double-double. With a basket in the first quarter he recorded career-point number 4,000 just one game after he pulled down his 3,00th rebound.

While Mitchell and eventually Darius Garland will likely garner a lot of the spotlight and attention, what Mobley and Allen do cannot be understated. The pair anchor the defense and quietly go about their business on a nightly basis.

It sounds ridiculous to take for granted a double-double but that’s the type of production these two can come up with regularly.

Mobley seems to be rounding into form after a slow start. His ankle injury in the preseason may have had more of an impact than we thought, simply for the fact that Mobley couldn’t stay up on his conditioning and missed three of the Cavs four preseason games.

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