The Celtics opened the Eastern Conference Semifinals with a 120-95 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in Boston. They are once again in Boston for Game 2 of the best of 7 series. The Celtics started the first round series with a 114-94 over the Miami Heat. It looked like it would be a sweep until the Celtics came out flat in Game 2 and allowed the Heat to have a historic night shooting 3’s and lost the game on their home court.
The Celtics need to learn from their mistakes in that second game and come out strong in this game. They should not take the Cavaliers for granted and they must play with effort and intensity, especially on the defensive end. If the Celtics come out flat in this game, the Cavaliers have enough talent to make them pay and can steal a game in Boston. The Celtics must expect the Cavs best and they have to come out looking to put them away. Do not give them any confidence.
Much has been made of Jayson Tatum’s shooting slump and lack of offense in Game 1. Even though he didn’t shoot the ball well, shooting only 36.8% from the field and going 0-5 on 3 pointers, but he was able to influence the game in other ways. He pulled down 11 rebounds, dished out 5 assists, and blocked 3 shots. He was very active on defense and the fact that he can influence the game without having to take over the offense shows growth in his game.
This is the first meeting between these two teams in the post season since 2018 when the 4th seeded Cavaliers beat the 2nd seeded Celtics in 7 games. In 2017, the 2nd seeded Cavaliers beat the 1st seeded Boston in 5 games. In 2015, Cleveland beat the Celtics in the 1st round in a sweep. In 2010, Boston won in 6 games in LeBron James last year in Cleveland before moving to Miami. In 2008, when the Celtics won the title, Boston won in 7 games in the 2nd round. Previously, they met 3 times with Boston winning in 1976 and 1985 and Cleveland winning in 1992.
Kristaps Porzingis remains the only player on the Celtics injury report. He is dealing with a calf injury that he suffered in Game 4 of Boston’s first-round series against the Heat. He was at the Celtics’ practice on Wednesday, putting up shots. He was also seen walking normally without a limp. The Celtics started Al Horford in Game 1 and is likely to do so again. Luke Kornet came off the bench and brought energy and played very well, pulling down 10 rebounds, blocking 2 shots and contesting 9 others.
The Cavaliers have already ruled out 3 players and have a 4th listed as questionable. Dean Wade, who was the hero of the Cavaliers lone win in the regular season, has been out since March 8 with a knee sprain and will remain out for this game. Ty Jerome is out as he recovers from ankle surgery. Craig Porter, Jr has missed 8 games with an ankle sprain and is out for this game.
Jarrett Allen played very well in Cleveland’s first 4 games against the Magic averaging 17.0 points, 13.8 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocks. He took a hit from Franz Wagner in Game 4 and sustained a rib injury that kept him out of the last 3 games of that series. He missed Game 1 and is listed as questionable for this game. He will be a game time decision but he didn’t participate in this morning’s shoot around. His presence at center would make the Cavs a much tougher team should he be cleared to play.
Probable Celtics Starters
Celtics Reserves
Oshae Brissett
Sam Hauser
Svi Mykhailiuk
Payton Pritchard
Jordan Walsh
Jaden Springer
Xavier Tillman
Neemias Queta
Luke Kornet
2 Way Players
JD Davison
Drew Peterson
Injuries/Out
Kristaps Porzingis (calf) out
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
Probable Cavaliers Starters
Cavaliers Reserves
Damian Jones
Caris LeVert
Sam Merrill
Georges Niang
Marcus Morris, Sr
Tristan Thompson
Two Way Players
Emoni Bates
Isaiah Mobley
Craig Porter, Jr
Injuries/Out
Ty Jerome (ankle) out
Dean Wade (knee) out
Craig Porter, Jr (ankle) out
Jarrett Allen (ribs) questionable
Head Coach
JB Bickerstaff
Key Matchups
Derrick White vs Donovan Mitchell
Mitchell is averaging 29.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game in the playoffs. He is shooting 46.2% from the field and 27.0% from beyond the arc. Against the Celtics this season, he averaged 30 points, 7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1 steal while shooting 50% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc. In Game 1, he finished with 33 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal while shooting 48% from the field and 35.4% from beyond the arc. Slowing Mitchell down will be key to getting a win for the Celtics and it is likely that White, Holiday and Brown may all get a chance to try to defend him.
-
Al Horford
Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
-
Evan Mobley
Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images
Al Horford vs Evan Mobley
Of course, if Jarrett Allen can play, he would be the matchup here. Mobley is averaging 12.8 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 2.8 blocks in the playoffs. He is shooting 50.6% from the field and 27.3% from beyond the arc. He played in only 1 game against the Celtics in the regular season and finished with 4 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. He shot just 25% from the field but didn’t hit a 3. In Game 1, he finished with 17 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 block, while shooting 66.7% from the field and he didn’t take a 3. The Celtics need to try to keep him out of the paint and off the boards.
Honorable Mention
Celtics Bench vs Cavs Bench
In Game 1, the Celtics reserves were a difference maker for them while the Cavs bench didn’t contribute all that much. In the regular season, the Celtics had the top ranked bench play with a net rating of 6.2. They have done even better in the playoffs with a net rating of 9.6 for their bench in the first round. The Cavs bench was 15th in the regular season and improved to 11th in the playhoffs with a net rating of 3.2. The Celtics bench loses a lot with Al Horford moving into the starting lineup. The Celtics bench outscored the Cavs bench 24-15 in Game 1. They will need Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet to play well once again in this game.
Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense is always a key to winning games and especially in the playoffs when defense becomes even more important. The The Celtics have a defensive rating of 110.6, which is 2nd in the playoffs. Cavaliers have a 112.1 defensive rating, which is 7th in the playoffs. The Celtics owe their Game 1 win to playing tough defense and they must continue to make defense a priority in this game and they have to play that tough defense for 48 minutes and not let up. 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 next 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. The Celtics are averaging 47.2 rebounds per game in the playoffs (1st) while the Cavs are averaging 40.8 rebounds per game (13th). In the first round, the Celtics won every game they out-rebounded the Heat and lost the only game the Heat had more rebounds than them. The Celtics out-rebounded the Cavs in the first game 55-38 and they must work harder to grab rebounds than the Cavaliers in this game as well.
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 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 were missing in Game 2 of the first round and they should not make that mistake a second time.
Three Point Shooting – The Celtics led the league in 3’s taken in the regular season, taking 42.5 per game. In Round 1 of the playoffs, they took 39 per game (2nd). The Cavaliers were 8th in the regular season, taking 36.8 threes per game. Against the Heat, the Celtics took 38.5 threes per game (2nd) while the Cavs took 30.8 threes per game (14th) against the Magic. The Celtics were 1st with 14 made 3’s per game while the Cavs were last with just 8.6 made 3’s per game in Round 1. The Celtics are 59-7 this season when making the same number or more 3’s than their opponents. They are just 10-12 when they make fewer 3’s than their opponents. In Game 1, the Celtics made 18 threes while the Cavs made just 11. The Celtics need to make their 3 pointers and at the same time, defend the perimeter well to limit the 3 point shooting of the Cavs.
X-Factors
Home vs Road – The Celtics worked hard in the regular season to get home court for the playoffs. They lost only 4 games at home in the regular season. However, they have struggled at home for some reason in the playoffs, They are just 15-14 at home in the last 4 post seasons, including their Game 1 win. The only game they have lost in these playoffs was at home. The Celtics need to protect home court and use the crowd support for motivation. The Cavs had to travel after closing out their series on Sunday. They also have to deal with staying in hotels and playing on an unfamiliar court and in front of hostile fans. They are also 0-10 on the road in the playoffs under JB Bickerstaff. The Celtics need to make their home court a tough place for other teams to play on.
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. They seem to be letting them play more in these playoffs so far, but that could change with any given crew and any given game. The Celtics have to adjust to how the game is being called and focus on the game and not on the officials.
Official Report
Crew Chief – John Goble – Goble has a home win/loss record of 19-12. In the regular season, he called 47% of fouls on the road team and 53% on the home team. In the playoffs, he calls 43% fouls on the road team and 57% on the home team. The Celtics are 6-4 in their last 10 games with Goble while the Cavaliers are 5-5 in their last 10 games. Goble was the crew chief for Game 5 in Miami. The Celtics took 18 free throws to 12 for the Heat in that game.
Referee – Bill Kennedy – Kennedy has a home win/loss record of 35-33 this season. In the regular season, he called 54% of fouls on the road team and 46% on the home team. In the playoffs he calls 52% on the road team and 48% on the home team. The Celtics are 10-0 in their last 10 games with Kennedy. The Cavaliers are 6-4 in their last 10 with Kennedy. Kennedy was on the crew that called Game 2 vs Miami. The Celtics took 16 free throws to 6 for the Heat.
Umpire – Nick Buchert – Buchert has a home win/loss record of 32-33. In the regular season he called 50% of fouls on home and road teams. In the playoffs, he is calling 52% of fouls on the road team and 48% on the home team. The Celtics are 9-1 in their last 10 games and the Cavs are 4-6 in their last 10 games with Buchert. This is his first game in the playoffs with the Celtics.
