Inside The Celtics

Cavaliers Stun Celtics in Series-Evening Route

Bobby Krivitsky

May 9, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) dunks in Game 2 vs. the Boston Celtics.
May 9, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) dunks in Game 2 vs. the Boston Celtics. / David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
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Perplexing losses that leave people questioning the Celtics' effort and overreliance on threes are baked into their DNA.

Their Game 2 loss to the Heat featured half-hearted closeouts, poor screen navigation, and an inability to find the right adjustments. They played with less vigor but somehow also appeared tighter when it was time to let shots fly, compared to Miami's firing without hesitation.

But above all, Boston lost that matchup to a Heat team missing Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier because it dramatically lost the battle from beyond the arc as Miami made a franchise record 23 threes, two shy of the playoff record the Cavaliers set in 2016.

In Game 2 of their Eastern Conference Semifinals clash against Cleveland at TD Garden, the Celtics regressed to allowing misses at one end to impact their resistance at the other.

After starting the third quarter tied at 54, the visitors outscored them 64-40 in the second half.

The Cavaliers, operating with pace, aggression, and decisiveness, shot 56.8% from the field in the final 24 minutes, including 10/18 (55.6%) from three-point range.

Whether it was Donovan Mitchell, who scored 23 of his game-high 29 points in the final two frames, stepping into threes off screens, Caris LeVert getting comfortable off the bounce, or creating points at the rim off cuts, Cleveland seemed to get whatever it wanted on offense in the second half.

Conversely, the Celtics couldn't buy a basket, shooting 36.1% from the field, with half of their shots coming from beyond the arc. They fared 2/18 (11.1%) from three-point range.

Now for a deep dive into a perplexing 118-94 loss that sends this series to Cleveland tied at one. 

1. The Celtics raced out to a 14-5 lead to start Game 2, largely thanks to inside-out basketball, including a Jayson Tatum drive leading to a Jrue Holiday swing pass to Derrick White for a clean look at an in-rhythm three.

After all the talk about Tatum struggling to score in the series opener, ignoring his all-around impact, Boston made a concerted effort to get him the ball in different spots in the first frame. 

That included feeding him at the basket on the hosts' opening possession. That, coupled with the five-time All-Star attacking downhill from the perimeter, combined to earn him six first-quarter free throws, converting on five.

That approach helped Tatum produce a team-high eight points in the opening 12 minutes. 

2. However, the offense dried up for the Celtics as the period progressed. And at the other end of the floor, they consistently got beat off the dribble.

Their lack of resistance on drives translated to the Cavaliers making a living at the rim and generating 22 points in the paint in the first frame. That propelled them to a 30-24 lead entering the second quarter.

3. Boston did a much better job of combatting Cleveland's attempts to get downhill in the second period, including Jaylen Brown keeping Donovan Mitchell quiet, forcing him to give up the ball or settle for a contested fadeaway, and Derrick White stonewalling a Caris LeVert drive.

That led to stops that allowed the hosts to play at a faster tempo, helping spark a 12-4 run that included a transition flush from Jrue Holiday, a rarity, that sent the TD Garden faithful into a frenzy.

4. Those points represented two of the Celtics' 18 in the paint in the second quarter, as they took 12 of their 22 shots from there, including eight in the restricted area.

Those high-percentage looks helped them flip the first-frame results and outscore the Cavaliers 30-24, entering halftime tied at 54.

Jayson Tatum entered intermission with 16 points, leading all scorers, though he did try to force the issue in attempts to break out of his shooting slump. While he knocked down 2/5 threes, he fared 3/10 from the field in the first half.

While Cleveland built a 36-24 edge in points in the paint and got 15 points from Evan Mobley, plus 12 off the bench by LeVert, Mitchell, who played 19:22 of the first 24 minutes, entered the break with six points on six shots. 

However, he dished out five assists, tied with Mobley for the most on either side. He also had no turnovers, helping the five-time All-Star earn a +11 plus-minus rating.

5. The Celtics' offense stalled in the third frame, including a stretch where they made two shots in seven minutes. As they threw up one miss after another, the Cavaliers staged a 19-6 run, pulling in front 62-57.

6. The visitors, operating with pace and decisiveness, drilled 7/10 third-quarter threes. There was also Mitchell breaking out of his shooting funk, making 4/5 attempts from beyond the arc. Cleveland's star guard put 16 points on the board in the third period, including a three off the dribble to beat the buzzer, extending the Cavaliers' lead to 90-78 entering the last 12 minutes.

7. At the other end of the floor, the hosts shot 36.8% from the field, including 0/8 from three-point range. Derrick White accounted for half of those long-range misses. 

While his attempts were often well off the mark, they came within the flow of the offense, even when they were early in the shot clock. It was the quintessential example of Boston's inability to find a rhythm against an improved and more varied Cavaliers' defense on Thursday.

8. In a bit of a surprise move, after making his presence felt on defense, including shutting down a Caris LeVert drive, Xavier Tillman Sr. didn't return to Game 2 until the final minute of the third period.

Quickly after checking back in, he switched onto Mitchell, stayed with him off the dribble, and challenged a missed fadeaway jumper on a long two-point attempt.

While it's easy to second-guess, especially when you're not involved in the decision-making, from this vantage point, it was worth getting Tillman back into the game sooner.

9. Cleveland continued to get what it wanted on offense in the final frame, shooting nearly 70% from the field in the first seven minutes. At the other end of the floor, the hosts took eight of their first 11 attempts from behind the arc, missing seven of those and faring 3/11 from the field.

That led to a small chorus of boos from the home crowd as the Cavaliers extended their lead to 25.

With 4:58 left and the Celtics trailing 111-87, Joe Mazzulla waived the white flag and emptied his bench, accepting defeat.

10. Game 3 is on Saturday night at 8:30 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Further Reading

Shooting Struggles Not Preventing Jayson Tatum from Positive Impact: 'They'll Fall'

Derrick White Discusses Joining Elite Company in Game 1 Win vs. Cavaliers

Jaylen Brown Leads Celtics to Tone-Setting Win in Game 1 vs. Cavaliers

Celtics Detail Challenge of Containing Donovan Mitchell: 'No Friends in the Playoffs'

Kristaps Porzingis Discusses Target Date to Rejoin Celtics' Playoff Run: 'Doing Everything I Can'

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Bobby Krivitsky

BOBBY KRIVITSKY

Bobby Krivitsky's experiences include covering the NBA as a credentialed reporter for Basketball Insiders. He's also a national sports talk host for SportsMap Radio, a network airing on 96 radio stations throughout the country. Additionally, he was a major-market host, update anchor, and producer for IMG Audio, and he worked for Bleacher Report as an NFL and NBA columnist.