The top two teams in the East clash as the Cleveland Cavaliers visit the Boston Celtics. This is the 4th, and final, meeting between these two teams this season. The Celtics won the first game 120-117 in Boston on November 19. The Cavaliers won the second game 115-111 on December 1 in Cleveland. The Celtics won the third game between them 112-105 in Cleveland on February 4.
The Celtics won the series 2-1 last season. They won both of the games in Boston and won the lone game played in Cleveland. The Celtics are 141-88 overall all time against the Cavaliers. They are 86-27 in games played in Boston. This is an important game for the Celtics. If they win, they once again cut the Cavs lead to 5.5 games and they would win the tie breaker between them. If they lose, they drop to 7.5 games back and also lose the tie breaker between them.
These two teams have much in common with how they handled the offseason. Both teams mostly stood pat without making any major trades or free agent signings. The Cavs did make a big move when they fired JB Bickerstaff and hired Kenny Atkinson as their coach and they drafted Jaylon Tyson. They also signed JT Thor to a 2 Way contract. At the trade deadline, they traded Caris LeVert to Atlanta for De’Andre Hunter and signed former Celtic Javonte Green after he was bought out by New Orleans.
The Celtics are 2nd in the East, and are 6.5 games behind the first place Cavaliers who have won their last 8 games. They are 3.5 games ahead of 3rd place New York and 8 games ahead of 4th place Indiana. The Celtics are 18-10 at home and 8-2 in their last 10 games. They are 31-10 against Eastern Conference opponents. They had won 6 straight games before a loss to the Pistons in their last game.
The Cavaliers are first in the Eastern Conference. They are 6.5 games ahead of 2nd place Boston, 10 games ahead of 3rd place New York, and 14.5 games ahead of 4th place Indiana. They are 21-6 on the road and 9-1 in their last 10 games. They are 32-7 against Eastern Conference opponents and have won their last 8 games.
After a 10 point win on Tuesday night at Toronto and a 20 point loss in Detroit on Wednesday, the Celtics are beginning a 7 game home stand. After this game against Cleveland, the Celtics will host Denver, Portland, Philadelphia, LA Lakers, Utah, and Oklahoma City. After the 7 home games they will play 8 of the next 9 games on the road, including another trip out West.
The Cavaliers are playing in their second straight road game, having won in Orlando on Tuesday and had 2 days off before this game. They will play at home against Portland before a game at Chicago. They then play at home against Miami, at Charlotte and at Milwaukee, home vs Brooklyn, at Memphis, and at home vs Orlando. They then have a 5 game Western road trip through the LA Clippers, Sacramento, Phoenix, Utah and Portland.
After missing Wednesday’s game with a thigh contusion, Jaylen Brown is once again questionable for this game. He participated in shoot around so there is hope that he will play in this game. Luke Kornet is questionable for the third straight game due to personal reasons. Jrue Holiday has been ruled out for this game due to a finger injury.
Kristaps Porzingis is a late addition to the injury list with a non-covid illness. He missed the Raptors game with the illness but was able to play against the Pistons, but he struggled in that game and once again he will be a game time decision for this game. I’m guessing that White will start at the point and that Sam Hauser will start in place of Holiday. I’m hoping that Porzingis can play but if not, it’s possible that Horford will start for him. For Cleveland, no one is out as of this time.
Probable Celtics Starters
Celtics Reserves
Payton Pritchard
Torrey Craig
Xavier Tillman, Sr
Jordan Walsh
Baylor Scheierman
Neemias Queta
Al Horford
2 Way Players
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Anton Watson
Injuries/Out
Jrue Holiday (finger) out
Jaylen Brown (thigh) questionable
Luke Kornet (personal) questionable
Kristaps Porzingis (illness) questionable
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
Probable Cavaliers Starters
Cavaliers Reserves
Javonte Green
De’Andre Hunter
Ty Jerome
Sam Merrill
Isaac Okoro
Craig Porter, Jr
Tristan Thompson
Nae’Qwan Tomlin
Jaylon Tyson
Dean Wade
2 Way Players
Emoni Bates
JT Thor
Luke Travers
Injuries/Out
None Listed
Head Coach
Kenny Atkinson
Key Matchups
Derrick White vs Donovan Mitchell
Mitchell is averaging 24 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game. He is shooting 45.5% from the field and 39.5% from beyond the arc. This season against the Celtics, Mitchell averaged 33.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4 assists 1.3 steals while shooting 49.3% from the field and 36.1% from beyond the arc. Slowing Mitchell down will be key to getting a win for the Celtics.
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Jrue Holiday
Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images
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Darius Garland
Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Jrue Holiday vs Darius Garland
Garland and Donovan have formed a very good backcourt for the Cavs. Garland is averaging 21.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He is shooting 49.3% from the field and 42.5% from beyond the arc. In the first 3 games against the Celtics he averaged 18.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 6 assists while shooting 30.2% from the field and 35% from beyond the arc. As with Mitchell, slowing Garland down is key to winning this game.
Honorable Mention
Jayson Tatum vs Evan Mobley
Mobley is averaging 18.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game. He is shooting 57.1% from the field and 36.7% from beyond the arc. Against Boston this season, he averaged 12.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4 assists and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 37.5% from the field and 11.1% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to try to keep him out of the paint and off the boards.
Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense is always the key to winning games. The Cavaliers are a good defensive team with a 110.9 defensive rating, which is 7th in the league. The Celtics have a defensive rating of 109.6, which is 5th in the league. Last season, the Celtics were 1st and the Cavaliers were 11th with basically the same rosters. The Celtics must make defense a priority and they have to play that tough defense for 48 minutes and not let up. The Celtics must especially defend the Cavs on the perimeter as they are tops in the league, shooting 39.1% as a team on threes. But they can’t ignore defense around the basket either, because the Cavs are 8th with 51.3 points in the paint per game. The Cavs are going to play tough defense and so the Celtics will need to match or exceed their defensive intensity.
Rebound – Next to defense, rebounding is the biggest key to winning. Much of rebounding is effort and desire and when the Celtics put out the extra effort on the boards, it usually carries through to the rest of their game. Against the Pistons, the Celtics were out-rebounded 51-32 and that can’t happen if they want to win games. The Celtics are averaging 45.3 rebounds per game (9th) while the Cavs are averaging 45.2 rebounds per game (10th). Rebounding is important to winning. The Celtics must work harder to grab rebounds and to box out the Cavaliers on the boards.
Effort and Focus for 48 Minutes – The Celtics need to stay focused for 48 minutes. They have to play with extra effort. The Cavs play hard and so the Celtics need to match that effort and play even harder. The team that plays harder and is more aggressive is usually the team that comes out on top and that also gets the better whistle. The Celtics allowed the Pistons to play harder than them on Wednesday and they have to do better in this one. The Celtics also have to stay focused. They have to focus on taking good shots and making them and on playing as a team and making the right play every time. They also have to keep that effort and focus up for 48 minutes with no let up and no collapse. The Celtics effort and focus was missing against the Pistons and if they hope to win this game, they have to give maximum effort and stay focused for 48 minutes.
Move the Ball Carefully – The Celtics need to move the ball in order to find the best shot on each possession. When the ball sticks and players try to do too much, the Celtics struggle. They are at their best when they pass the ball and keep it moving. But they have to make careful passes and not get sloppy because the Cavs average 19.4 points off turnovers per game (4th). Against the Pistons, they Celtics turned the ball over 17 times and that shows a lack of focus. The Celtics have to move the ball carefully and they can’t get caught up in playing hero ball
X-Factors
Playing at Home – The Celtics are playing at home where they have admitted that they need to play better. They have already lost 10 games at home where they lost just 4 all last season. They need to lock in and focus on defending their home court. They need to gain motivation from the crowd and from playing on their familiar court. The Cavs are playing on the road and so will have distractions of travel, a hostile crowd and an unfamiliar court. The Cavs are a good road team and so it won’t be easy but the Celtics have the advantage if they stay focused and play hard.
Injuries – The Cavaliers appear to be at full strength for this game. The Celtics, on the other hand have 3 players questionable for this game. It goes without saying that the Celtics will have a tougher time if Jaylen Brown and/or Jrue Holiday can’t play. They will also miss Luke Kornet if he is out once again, because the Cavs have a good center rotation.
Officiating – Officiating is always an x-factor. Every crew calls the game a little differently with some calling it tight and others letting them play. The Celtics can’t let bad calls and no calls affect their focus on the game. They have to adjust to how the game is being called and focus on the game and not on the officials.
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