2023-24 Playoff Series #2 | Game #1 | Cavaliers @ Celtics | May 7, 2024

[Damage]

And where is he right now? He plays a good series vs Orlando and we act like NY wouldn’t abuse his ass again.

He has a broken fucking rib after playing 81 games during the regular season. What exactly are you insinuating, that he's soft?

 

[dirtywax]

I'm not blaming injuries 100%, as our offense "playbook" is an absolute embarrassment. But I think Dean Wade and JA would have made us much more competitive.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

• Starting the game, it was eye opening to see the amount of space created on the floor with the Celtics lineup. They space you out so well 1-5 and create a decision for your defense: Force individual point-of-attack defenders to hold up against Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum so help defenders can stay attached to shooters or sag off to help on Brown and Tatum and let the shooters make their mark. Either way, you’re choosing versus two perennial All-Stars or the league’s best shooting team.

This is the key to the series - how do the Cavs contest 3's while not getting beaten off the dribble by Tatum, Brown, and White? It's pick your poison. Okoro could do nothing to stop Brown. White shot a 3 over the shorter Garland whenever he wanted, and rarely missed.

• Early on, Max Strus was losing that battle. Brown is a good player, but he was in getting whatever and wherever he wanted. Brown had 15 first quarter points included 5-for-6 from the field, and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.

Brown ended up with 32. He was too quick, strong, and skilled at the bounce and the shot to be defended. He's good at shoving his defender away to create space for an easy jumper.

• Speaking of Strus, how many times will he step on the sidelines for a turnover?

After 89 games you'd think that wouldn't be happening any more.

• Seeing Okoro be aggressive on the offense end and make his perimeter shots is always fun to see. When Okoro is playing decisive and confident, he’s a positive offensive player. With some more coaching and more confidence there’s no reason why he can’t be a Josh Hart like player.

That's the guy Isaac has to pattern his game after. Hart gets tons of rebounds and is a non-stop high energy guy.

• The Cavs giveth and the Cavs taketh. After the last Mitchell three-pointer, which gave the Cavs the lead, the Cavs didn’t have a field goal for another three minutes.
• And this is the Cavs offense in a nutshell: When they’re on, they’re on and when they’re not, they’re not. Expert analysis, I know.

They did not score a point for the first 4:20 of the second quarter. The score went from 40-34 to 47-34. You can't put guys like TT, Merrill, and Okoro on the floor together and except to score. With Allen and Wade out and Niang MIA our bench is really depleted.

 

[kidduck]

I'm not blaming injuries 100%, as our offense "playbook" is an absolute embarrassment. But I think Dean Wade and JA would have made us much more competitive.

The Cavs offensive playbook must be as elaborate as a grade school Dick
and Jane first reader book with most of the pages missing.

 

[Dr. Claw]

I'm not blaming injuries 100%, as our offense "playbook" is an absolute embarrassment. But I think Dean Wade and JA would have made us much more competitive.

agreed.

this is why, regardless of how this ends, JBB must go. I still think Orlando is further ahead than the Cavs in how they run offense despite not being able to shoot.

 

[kidduck]

Joe Mazzulla had praise for Luke Kornet and the rest of the bench guys: “It goes back to moments of the regular season, you can’t be a good team unless those guys win you games.”

 

[The Oi]

The Cavs offensive playbook must be as elaborate as a grade school Dick
and Jane first reader book with most of the pages missing.

That spacebar on your keyboard was under FBI investigation for the first half of your post.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

A couple of Q and A's for The Athletic's Celtics writer:

Boston didn’t feel the absence of Porziņģis in this game. How much did it feel the absence of Jarrett Allen?

King: This could sound weird, but Horford might be better to stretch out this particular defense. Unlike Porziņģis, who often hits the paint on rolls or post-ups, Horford usually stays stationed outside the 3-point arc. He will space out Mobley. Once Allen returns, Horford will also put him in a difficult predicament: Should he stick with Horford, a sharpshooter, or leave him alone to defend the rim? Either option will leave the Celtics with plenty of paths to score. Porziņģis seems to be more missed against switch-heavy teams.

Boston outscored Cleveland by 21 at the 3-point line. Is there anything Cleveland can do about that moving toward?

King: The Cavaliers actually produced 42 3-point attempts after averaging only 29.9 per game during the first round. I thought their approach on that end of the court made sense. To pull off an upset, they will need to open up their offense and generate 3s. Without Allen, they downsized with more shooting on the court and launched away – they just didn’t make many. Only Isaac Okoro (3 of 8) really had any success from downtown. They need more from their better shooters, including Max Strus and Sam Merrill (if Merrill stays in the rotation).

The only way an inferior team can beat a superior team is to get hot from deep. The Cavs beat the Celtics in Cleveland because they went 20-for-42 on 3's. I don't think the Cavs have much choice but to keep throwing up 40+ per game and hope they start falling.

Actually my preferred approach is to pound it inside to Mobley and Allen and try to get Horford and Tatum in foul trouble, but with Allen out we can't do that. I hate Franz Wagner for throwing an unnecessary elbow into Jarrett's ribs when he didn't even have the ball.

I've been waiting all year to see what this team can do against the Celtics with a full roster, and now it won't happen. Allen is still in so much pain he's having trouble sleeping. I can't believe he'll be ready to play before this series is over.

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

This Celtics team plays almost the exact opposite style as Orlando, in part because they are so much better shooters. It was a tough adjustment to go from playing Orlando on Sunday, to playing the rested and well-prepared Celtics last night.

It's definitely an uphill fight, and I think the odds on the Cavs winning the series are low. But I also think they'll look more competitive than they did last night.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

Donovan Mitchell went off for 33 points on 12-for-25 shooting, but Cleveland still managed to score just 102.2 points per 100 possessions, which would have comfortably ranked last in the NBA during the regular season. - Jay King, The Athletic

We really need Garland, Strus, Okoro, and LeVert to step up. Can't keep missing those uncontested jumpers from the elbows. Mobley needs to be able to make those little jump hooks and fallaways in the paint. He can't just be a dunker - we can't generate enough dunks to win.

 

[ryanf]

We've seen him make an All-Star game with that same mind and if he's as damaged as some say he is then is it worthwhile to take pennies on the dollar?

here's the thing, the year he made all-star is a contract year, but played abysmal the years before that. then after that all-star year he regressed. there is a big argument whether the all-star year is an aberration rather than the norm.

 

[Dr No]

We are not beating the Celtics, even at full strength, unless we shoot lights out from 3 in 4 games and play great defense at the same time. Thats a tall order but we would certainly have more of a punchers chance with Wade and Allen. We have almost no shot without them. Our training staff may be the most important “players” the rest of the way. Can they get JA & Dean healthy enough to contribute once we get back to Cleveland?

 

[Kizzle]

Can we just name the next game Celtics VS Donavan Mitchell?

He’s the only mofo that’s gonna show up anyway

 

[Kizzle]

This Celtics team plays almost the exact opposite style as Orlando, in part because they are so much better shooters. It was a tough adjustment to go from playing Orlando on Sunday, to playing the rested and well-prepared Celtics last night.

It's definitely an uphill fight, and I think the odds on the Cavs winning the series are low. But I also think they'll look more competitive than they did last night.

I ask this not to be a douche or devils advocate. I truly want to know why you would think this?

Optimism?


Cause Iv got nothing

Celtics in 3.

After they win game 3 we’ll quit

 

[bushwick_bill]