Inside The Celtics

Celtics Discuss 'Unacceptable Performance' in Game 2 Loss to Cavs

Bobby Krivitsky

May 9, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) drives to the basket vs. the Boston Celtics.
May 9, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) drives to the basket vs. the Boston Celtics. / David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
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Old habits crept in on Thursday night at TD Garden. The Celtics entered halftime tied at 54, then saw their offense dry up. 

They shot 36.1% from the field in the final two frames. Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of it was half of those attempts came from beyond the arc despite faring 2/18 (11.1%) from three-point range.

The lack of variance and an inability to find their rhythm or successfully crash the glass to overcome it allowed the Cavaliers to live in transition.

Steepening that challenge was Boston allowing its misses to pull from its effort and physicality to get the stops needed to play with more tempo and perhaps create higher-quality looks, including opportunities at the rim.

Instead, Cleveland, operating with pace, aggression, and decisiveness, shot 56.8% from the field in the final two quarters, including 10/18 (55.6%) from beyond the arc.

Donovan Mitchell led the charge, producing 23 of his game-high 29 points in the second half of the visitors' 118-94 win, sending the series to Cleveland tied at one.

After the loss, Jaylen Brown, who finished with 19 points and four rebounds, voiced of the need for the Celtics to stay focused when shots aren't going down, "That's the key. I think defensively, that's the key, and rebounding it. We gotta play defense, and you gotta rebound, get them off the glass. And those are two things that we didn't do tonight. 

"We didn't rebound very well, and we also didn't defend at a high enough level. They were close to 50% from three. They shot the ball pretty good, but we also can do a lot better on defense."

As for whether he believes Boston's role in the Cavaliers shooting 54.7% from the field, including 13/28 (46.4%) from behind the arc, an appreciable uptick after entering Thursday averaging 8.9 made threes per playoff game, the third-fewest this postseason, had more to do with effort or execution, the two-time All-Star conveyed the following.

"It was just a bad game," said Brown. "Obviously, we didn't shoot the ball very well tonight. Defensively, it was an unacceptable performance. I think that's where - we look at that - I'm the most upset. Defensively. You know, we gave up 118 points. Then, on top of that, we lost the rebound battle. So, we didn't help ourselves tonight."

When Jayson Tatum, who registered a team-high 25 points, pairing it with seven rebounds and six assists, but fared 41.2% from the field, extending his shooting struggles, expressed of the Celtics maintaining their intensity in other areas when shots aren't falling:

"My feeling was that we were playing solid defense, and they were hitting tough shots," stated the five-time All-Star. "I felt like we continued to stay with it. (At) the end of the third, it was right there, and Donovan makes a tough shot like Payton (Pritchard) made a tough shot (in) Game 1. 

"That happens, but I felt like even though they hit us and they were kind of there, I still felt good going into the fourth quarter and for a good part of the fourth. It was just about trying to get something going, and we just weren't able to."

Perhaps Thursday was a one-off in this series, much like Game 2 against the Heat at TD Garden in the first round. But a lack of resistance on defense and variance on offense had Boston on its heels, bringing out some of this team's worst traits.

That likely won't cost them from returning to the Eastern Conference Finals for the third straight year, but there are only so many times they can be their own worst enemy and still end this season as champions.

Further Reading

Cavaliers Stun Celtics in Series-Evening Route

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.