After Taking Down The Cavs (Again) The Celtics Reminded The World That There Are Levels To Being A Champion

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No matter how you slice it, the Cleveland Cavaliers are having a historic season. Now 40-10 with a +10.5 differential and the 2nd best offense in NBA history (trailing only the 2024 Celtics), they've been consistently dominant since the season first began. I am not someone who views what they are doing as "fake", because when you watch them play and see their pace, connectivity and passing, selflessness, shooting volume, defense etc, you can understand why they've been a problem for about 98% of the NBA.

Unfortunately for them, their biggest obstacle is the remaining 2%.

This was now the 3rd time the Celts and Cavs have faced off, and with the Celts winning 2 of the 3 (with the loss coming in a game White/Brown did not play), it's abundantly clear that much like every other team in the NBA, the Cavs have a matchup problem when it comes to playing the Celtics. We see it time and time again from a wide variety of teams who also share these same issues. Brad Stevens built a scheme proof roster. There is not a style of play that they can not adapt to and bury you with, and that's what makes them so tough to handle.

You want to play fast? They can do that. You want to take a bunch of 3s? Welcome to hell. You want to go double bigs? They can match your size and neutralize your big men. You want to go small? You're about to learn about Jayson Tatum at the 5 buddy.

So right away, the Cavs advantage against the majority of the NBA takes a hit. Their whole appeal is that they can overwhelm you with their double big lineup and high powered offense. In this matchup specifically, that presents a new set of problems that you now have to fix.

On the defensive side, these 3 games have shown us that the Cavs still face the same problem that a lot of other contending teams have when playing in this matchup. They have too many areas to attack. A player like Darius Garland is so important to the Cavs offense, but as we saw and continue to see, he's going to be attacked every single possession defensively. Sometimes that's going to be with a bigger wing, sometimes it's going to be a KP switch. There's no solution for it. You can double, but then you're giving a 40% shooter a wide open 3PA. If you don't, Garland is going to have a tough time consistently winning that matchup.

On the wing, things are no better. Max Strus, George Niang, Sam Merrill, Caris LeVert, this is not going to stop the bleeding from the wing position defensively. Too small and too slow. This is where not having Okoro/Wade hurt the Cavs, but it helps illustrate the overall point.

If you don't have the perimeter defense to limit the Celts 3s in addition to staying in front of their two best players, you're in trouble. If you have a defensive weakness that can be exploited over and over and over again in a playoff series, the Celts will relentlessly attack it until you do something about it. The problem is there's really no answer. You can't go zone because of the shooting/KP element, and you can't hide a bad defender in man coverage because the Celts will just move the ball until they can find the mismatch.

Again, the Cavs are awesome and absolutely are a team that should be taken seriously as a contender. Their body of work tells you as much. But in the playoffs, things boil down to matchups. Can you solve the problems your opponent presents to the tune of winning 4 out of 7. Dating back all the way to last year, the Cavs have yet to show they can consistently overcome their matchup problem. They should have little problems getting through pretty much any other team in the East, but unless they figure out how to address the roster holes that continue to plague them every time they play the Celts, I'm not sure what else matters.

With that said, let's dive in

The Good

- If we've said it once we've said it a thousand times. As Derrick White goes, so do the Celtics. He's not their best player, but he's making one hell of a case for being one of their most important players. The proof is in both in the footage

and the numbers

During the Celts slump, you couldn't go a day without hearing all these insane theories as to why the Celts were dropping games. You had people declaring Joe Mazzulla couldn't coach. That his offense (which is the 5th best in NBA history) was #actuallybad. That there was all this internal drama and guys not knowing their roles and blah blah blah blah. All very embarrassing theories when in reality it was pretty simple.

Guys were missing open looks.

Nobody missed more looks than Derrick White as you can see in those middle numbers 39/32% splits were brutal and frankly, it felt worse watching it live. And wouldn't you know it, once he worked his way out of that slump and got back to making his open C&S 3PA, look at what's happened! The Celtics haven't lost.

This is why I kept stressing that while it was a boring explanation for their struggles, all it really came down to was the fact that the entire roster was having a collective shooting slump, especially in open and wide open looks. 

Given how teams are going to defend Tatum/Brown, guys like White, Horford, Hauser, Pritchard etc need to make them pay for it. They are going to get the open looks, and it's pretty much non-negotiable that they have to make them at an acceptable clip. We know it, they know it, everyone knows it

KP is right, Derrick White is the best clutch time shooter on this roster, and it might not even be close. Ever since he went bald, nobody makes more MASSIVE dagger 4th quarter 3s than Derrick and this game was another perfect example of that. All 4 of his 3s in the 4th were gigantic, and they were pure. To me, that's how you can tell Derrick is feeling good. When his shots don't even come close to touching the rim (outside of that one that rolled around and dropped), I want him taking whatever shot he wants from whatever zone he wants. Aggressive Derrick White is the X-factor for this team, because he's the guy who makes what I call the "backbreaking" 3s. You play good defense, you try to take away Tatum/Brown and then boom, Derrick has buried another 3 right in your eyeball. It deflates the defense, takes the crowd out of it and you now have to adjust.

- There are only a handful of games during the regular season where the Celts are going to ask Al Horford to empty the tank, and games against CLE are certainly one of them. Another guy who's been struggling recently, if there's one thing I will never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever do is worry about Al Horford. When I need Al, Al will come through for me. 

13/10/2 on 5-12 (3-9) with fantastic defense on Garland/Mobley and a +19 in his 26 minutes, Horford is such a big part of why the Celts are able to neutralize this matchup. He singlehandedly has the ability to limit two of the Cavs most important pieces. How he's able to stay in front of Garland and contest without fouling at his age remains insane, but it's no different than what we saw in their playoff series last year.

With Mobley, it's the same thing. Horford is too savvy of a defender and too good at contesting without fouling that when he's locked in and unloading the clip, performances like this are what you get. Shit, we even saw him successfully handle Donovan Mitchell a few possessions in isolation which even I can admit is a bit of a prayer. 

The point is, when this team needs Al to turn into Playoff Al, he's clearly still very capable and that's what my biggest takeaway is from this win with him. Sure there are going to be games he absolutely doesn't have it, and on those nights I need Joe to pull him and let him rest. But when it's clear he does have it? Al is still every bit the difference maker this roster needs him to be on both ends. 

- One of the bigger reasons the Cavs have taken this leap is because a guy like Evan Mobley has exploded. His development has been crazy, and the versatility he provides is a huge part of their success. So, when I see the following defensive production from the Celts bigs against Mobley, I consider that one of the biggest contributing factors in the win

Completely removed him from the game. In fact, the way the Celts handled the double bigs from CLE all night was massive. Their starting unit of Mitchell/Garland/Strus/Mobley/Allen had just a 85 ORTG in this game while they were on the floor together. For the season? That group averages a 122 ORTG.

You'll remember, the Cavs didn't have to face KP in the playoffs last year and he didn't play in the first meeting. His ability to protect the rim both on Mitchell/Garland drives as well as taking away the offense of Evan Mobley is another matchup problem I'm not sure how the Cavs solve. He changes everything.

But the surprise of the night had to be the work Luke Kornet was able to do in that matchup against Mobley. Possession after possession in isolation and Luke continuously came out on top. Great defense without fouling, moved his feet well, what a value for a guy on the minimum.

- Celts took the lead at 7-6 with about 5:50 to go in the 1st quarter and then never trailed again. A basically wire to wire win on the road against the team with the best record in the NBA is nothing to sneeze at, and now at 20-6 the Celts once again own the best road record in the NBA.

Not only that, they are now 19-9 vs teams .500 or better. I'll remind you, the Celts own 2x the road playoff wins than the next closest team in the entire NBA since the Bubble. They are road warriors and it's why it doesn't really matter where they play. if that doesn't give you confidence, I'm not sure what can.

- He didn't shoot the ball all that well, but I thought overall Jayson Tatum was an extremely impactful player in this win. The final box score is whatever, just 22/4/7 on 7-23 (3-11), but the impact? He controlled the entire game all without scoring

At some point, coaches are going to realize that doubling Tatum is not a winning strategy right? Is the idea that you just pray everyone else misses every shot they take? Because there is not a defensive scheme that Tatum can't pick apart with his passing, and giving this roster an abundance of open looks is asking to get blown out.

In other poor shooting games it can sometimes feel like Tatum is sleepwalking, but I didn't really get that vibe from him in this game. The effort was there, the jumper wasn't. That's it. But as we know, there are many ways to impact winning, especially when you're the offensive hub. I know there are some that rage when Tatum makes the right play and passes to a teammate instead of forcing up shots, but he did take 23 in this game so that's not really what it was.

It was more he gave the game what it needed when it needed it, which is perfectly fine by me.

- Make no mistake, Jaylen Brown carried this team early. He scored the first 12 points when no other Celtic could make a shot, which was huge because it also came at a time when the Cavs couldn't make a shot to save their lives. Wasting that opportunity would have been a disaster, and Jaylen showed again why unless you have the size and speed to guard the perimeter, it's going to be a long night

To be honest, the Cavs got bailed out through insane officiating that put Jaylen in foul trouble, thus removing him from the game, because the Cavs certainly couldn't do it.

It was very clear that the idea was whenever Jaylen has the ball, make sure it's in a matchup against Darius Garland. He was the hunted, and it worked. Granted he was able to bait Scott Foster into a horrible offensive foul with a very obvious flop, but for the most part that was easy money whenever the Celts went to it.

Again, explain to me how the Cavs solve that problem in a playoff series? 

This was also another game in which Jaylen finished with at least 5+ assists, something that has now become the norm for him. There were a few brutal possessions where he struggled with a double team on back to back possessions, but overall I thought this was another game where the Jays were great. In a game like this it's crucial your best player make a winning impact, and that's what they both were able to do.

- Celts won the rebounding battle, the points in the paint battle, the fastbreak points battle, and were close in 2nd chance points. Add in only 12 TOs and going 15-18 from the FT line and they were MUCH better around the margins in this win. 

They do all that while also make 17 3PM on 35% shooting, and that's simply too much for an opponent to overcome. To do it all on the road is even better.

The Bad

- My guess is both sides were pretty tight when this game first started, because combined they were like 4-30 through the first 6 minutes of the 1st quarter. The misses were what was so shocking, as neither side could make a layup, both sides had wide open 3s hit about 95% of the rim and then not go in, floaters wouldn't drop, it really was incredible to witness.

These are the two highest powered offenses in the sport, and they combined for 10 points in half a quarter. That was bizarre.

At the time, I found it to be very annoying because as someone who ahs watched a lot og Cavs this year, they don't have these types of cold shooting games very often. You HAVE to make them pay for it when they do, but for a long stretch before Jaylen got going the Celts simply couldn't score on the other end. 

It's also very funny that despite not making a shot for 6 minutes, the Celts still put up 28 in the opening quarter. Just a hilarious team but man was that start frustrating,

- Along those same lines, the Celts were very fortunate to have a 10 point lead despite 80% of their starting lineup being extremely inefficient in the first half. I'm not sure what it is about this team going on these collective slumps, but it was as gross as you think

You do that against a team like CLE, and more often than not you're down 25, not up 10. And while it was frustrating to see the Celts 20 point lead get cut in half, a lot of it came because the Celts simply couldn't make a bunny. How many KP jumpers did he miss from like 5ft? Derrick and Tatum couldn't buy a 3 to save their lives, regardless of where they took it from. Jrue was battling CTE all night. In my opinion, the Celts got extremely lucky here.

There's of course another way to look at it. That they were this bad and still had a double digit lead on the road is somewhat encouraging. That's fine, but also, stop missing every shot you take. That can be an option too ya know.

- We don't need to dive too much into it, but we all saw what took place with the officiating in this game. To no surprise, they were a factor in helping the Cavs get back into the game in the 4th quarter. You knew it was coming with Scott Foster involved and my biggest thing is the lack of consistency. It was very obvious that one team was playing with a certain whistle and the other wasn't. From the physicality defensively that was allowed, to straight-up inconsistent calls, it was another national TV game where the officiating couldn't stay out of the way.

All I ask is for consistency. So when a play like this with Derrick White is not a foul

Then how on earth is this Garland play a foul? Because he fell and yelled?

It was your classic case of the Celts being in the bonus with about 7 minutes left, and then at the end of the game they call a bunch of fouls on the Cavs when the game is decided so the foul totals look even, but everyone watching the game could see what the deal was.

Every single offensive possession for the Cavs as they were cutting the lead was a foul. They removed Jaylen from the game because of bait. 

Does Adam Silver care? Of course not.

- Celts really need to practice wide open layups. The rate at which they miss point blank 2pt FGA is starting to get alarming. Even the completely wide open uncontested layups somehow cannot be made. It makes no sense and all the sense in the world at the same time, because nobody trolls quite like the Boston Celtics. Jrue, Jaylen, White, I mean what are we doing here.

The Ugly

- I also find it a little concerning that the Celts continue to have extreme cases of CTE basketball in the 4th quarter of these games. What we saw against Philly was great, but last night was much more along the lines of what this team has bene in the 4th quarter.

Inefficient offense, poor defense, and inexcusable boneheaded turnovers in the final seconds when all you have to do is hold onto the ball.

Payton going full Jrue Holiday here was certainly not ideal

Let me make this crystal clear considering nobody seemed to learn the lesson after the ATL fumble and loss.

JUST HOLD ONTO THE FUCKING BASKETBALL

That fucking Christ Tatum came in and stole that ball, because make no mistake, Donovan Mitchell was going to make that 3PA. The point is, we should not have to be stressing these situations where the Celts are up 5 with the ball in the last 20-30 seconds of a game. The only thing you CANNOT do in that spot is turn the ball over, and that's somehow all that happens. I don't get it. These are smart players, these are veterans, how can nobody understand how to close out a game? 

But listen, 4 in a row, 4-4 to go until 40/20 and a big time road win against an elite opponent is really all that matters. Finishing out the schedule strong into the break is now the top priority with big games against DAL/NYK on deck. The Celts are starting to look like a team turning the corner, so let's see them keep it up until they get their much deserved rest.