For two consecutive series, the Celtics dropped Game 2 just days after blowing out their opponent in Game 1.
In the first round, it was Miami going for a franchise-record 23 three-pointers that led to a double-digit loss.
This time, it was Cleveland that exploded offensively, scoring their most points in a playoff game (118 points) since 2018.
Joe Mazzulla didn’t have much to say at the podium after the Celtics 28-point defeat, but he did reiterate a similar talking point from the Game 2 loss against Miami: winning playoff games isn’t supposed easy.
“It’s a playoff series against a really good team [and] really good players,” Mazzulla said. “Well-coached. So, yeah. I expect it — like I said before, it takes what it takes. I expect it to be difficult.”
And while Cleveland didn’t seem like the most formidable of opponents in Game 1, several Cavs players were elite in Game 2. Donovan Mitchell had 29 points (10-19 FG), 8 assists, and 7 rebounds, exploding for 16 points in the third quarter. Evan Mobley was dominant from the jump, adding 21 points on 9-15 shooting, along with 10 rebounds, and 5 assists. Even Darius Garland, who’s had a difficult postseason run, added an efficient 14 points on 4 of 5 from downtown.
Jaylen Brown was vocally frustrated in his postgame presser, calling out the Celtics’ “unacceptable” defensive performance. Cleveland shot 54.7% from the field and 46.4% from three – with no Cavaliers player shooting below 50% from the field.
They also out-rebounded the Celtics 44 to 31, despite being without Jarrett Allen for the third consecutive game.
“It’s the playoffs,” Brown said. “That can’t happen. I don’t care if – if you’re missing shots, you gotta guard a guy on the other end.”
But Brown made clear the Celtics wouldn’t wallow in the Game 2 performance for too long.
“You learn from it,” Brown said. “Take it on the chin. You learn from it and come out and put your best foot forward for the next game. Obviously, this was an unacceptable performance, and we need to be ready to respond.”
Jayson Tatum finished with 25 points on 7 of 17 shooting, continuing his postseason shooting struggles. But he said that while there’s a lot of noise following Celtics losses, the locker room is looking forward to turning the page.
“Nobody was in there defeated, deflated,” Tatum said. “I mean, [we] never want to lose, especially in the playoffs – lot of things we can learn from. World thinks we’re never supposed to lose and we’re supposed to win every game by 25. And it’s just not gonna be like that all the time. We don’t expect it to be easy.”
Jayson Tatum didn’t make any comparisons between the two Game 2 losses:
“That series is behind us. So, I’m not thinking about that at all. You know, they all count the same whether we lost by 3 or lost by 25. So, get this one behind us, watch film, and get ready for Saturday.”” pic.twitter.com/r9vjSJwU5i
— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzellNBA) May 10, 2024
Tomorrow, the Celtics will study what went wrong on Thursday night, and travel to Cleveland. On Saturday, they’ll play in a pivotal Game 3, and Mazzulla has made it a point all year to note that the mindset entering a game doesn’t change, regardless of whether the Celtics are coming off of a win or a loss.
“You treat it the same way you would a win,” Mazzulla said. “Come in tomorrow, you watch the film, and get better for Game 3.”
This one was particularly brutal in that the Celtics ultimately fell behind by 28 points. But Tatum said the point differential doesn’t matter — only the final outcome does.
“They all count the same whether we lost by 3 or lost by 25,” Tatum said. “So, get this one behind us, watch film, and get ready for Saturday.”
Al Horford didn’t want to give any definitive statements about what went wrong in the game before getting the chance to watch film. But he expressed confidence that the Celtics will bounce back, just as they did after the Game 2 loss to Miami. In both Game 2s, the Celtics were out-hustled and out-executed.
Against Miami, they responded with three consecutive blowout losses to close things out. Doing so against Cleveland will be more challenging, but this Celtics team has shown all year it bounces back well from losses — that’s how they ended up with a league best 64-18 record, and lost consecutive games only three times.
“We’ll look into it and we’ll see how we can be better, learn from it,” Horford said via CLNS Media. “That’s what we did the last time, and we have to understand that we’re going into Saturday into a hostile place. It’s going to be a battle. We just have to make sure that we’re at our best and I’m confident we’ll be ready to go.”
