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After losing to the Magic in Orlando the Cavs take the red eye to Boston for a game tonight against the Celtics, who have been off for three days. Yeah, it’s a schedule loss. The Cavs have zero chance against the rested Celtics, who are 16-5 overall and 10-0 at home. Only the Timberwolves have a better record at 17-4.
On top of the three days of rest, Boston has no injuries to report. The Cavs may not have Mobley and LeVert available as they have not played in several games, although I have not seen a definitive report as of this morning.
This one shouldn’t take long to decide as everything is in Boston’s favor and they are the better team even on a level playing field. This should be a game where the benches get a lot of action, then the Cavs have a day off in Boston to rest up and hopefully give them a run for their money on Thursday.
Garland and Mitchell played 39 and 37 minutes last night so they’ll be fatigued from the Orlando game, not to mention the long flight to Boston. Jarrett Allen should be rested, however, after fouling out in 16 minutes.
The Celtics are 7th in points per game. They lead the NBA in 3-point rate, shooting a 3 on 48% of their possessions. However, they are just average (16th) in 3-point percentage, so they miss a lot of them. They’re 2nd in 2-point shooting percentage, so they would probably be better if they didn’t jack up as many 3’s.
The Celtics are average in assists, turnovers, and offensive rebounding. They’re 25th in points in the paint so when they’re not shooting 3’s they’re mostly hitting short jump shots.
Defense is where they excel as they rank 4th in opponents’ points per game. They defend the 2-pointer very well, ranking 2nd, but they are just average at defending the 3. They don’t get many steals (25th) or force many turnovers (28th), but they are great at forcing missed 2-pointers without fouling and then getting the rebound. They rank 6th in defensive rebound percentage.
Jayson Tatum is having another All-NBA season at 27.5 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Assuming Mobley is out Dean Wade probably gets that assignment, the night after having to guard Paolo Banchero. Tatum is shooting 48% from the field and 36% on 3’s.
Jaylen Brown is averaging 22.0 points and Kristaps Porzingus 19.1. Derrick White and Jrue Holiday average 15.4 and 12.4 points. Holiday is known for his defense. Last night Donovan Mitchell was shut down (6-for-18) by Jalen Suggs and tonight he’ll have to deal with Holiday.
cleaningtheglass.com ranks the Celtics’ starting lineup to be the best starting 5-man unit in the NBA as they are outscoring the opposition by a whopping 28.6 points per 100 possessions. The Cavaliers usual starting lineup is a +5.7.
The Celtics are just a very well-balanced team that ranks 7th in scoring and 4th in scoring defense. They don’t excel at everything - they’re average at fast break points, assists, turnovers, 3-point percentage, and offensive rebounding, for example. But they play great defense and have no weaknesses on either end of the court. They don’t force a lot of turnovers but they force a lot of missed shots and they don’t give up second chance points.
Their starters average a combined 97 points per game while their bench averages just 20, so they depend heavily on their five starters. Their backup center, Al Horford, is 37. Their backup point guard, Payton Pritchard, is shooting 38%. I think they are vulnerable to injury, but as long as all five starters are healthy they should continue to stay on top of the Eastern Conference.
The Celtics are at home and well-rested while the Cavs are on the second night of a back-to-back with travel, not to mention dealing with injuries. I don’t expect this game to be competitive, but let’s see what happens Thursday night, especially if the Cavs can get Mobley and LeVert back by then.
On top of the three days of rest, Boston has no injuries to report. The Cavs may not have Mobley and LeVert available as they have not played in several games, although I have not seen a definitive report as of this morning.
This one shouldn’t take long to decide as everything is in Boston’s favor and they are the better team even on a level playing field. This should be a game where the benches get a lot of action, then the Cavs have a day off in Boston to rest up and hopefully give them a run for their money on Thursday.
Garland and Mitchell played 39 and 37 minutes last night so they’ll be fatigued from the Orlando game, not to mention the long flight to Boston. Jarrett Allen should be rested, however, after fouling out in 16 minutes.
The Celtics are 7th in points per game. They lead the NBA in 3-point rate, shooting a 3 on 48% of their possessions. However, they are just average (16th) in 3-point percentage, so they miss a lot of them. They’re 2nd in 2-point shooting percentage, so they would probably be better if they didn’t jack up as many 3’s.
The Celtics are average in assists, turnovers, and offensive rebounding. They’re 25th in points in the paint so when they’re not shooting 3’s they’re mostly hitting short jump shots.
Defense is where they excel as they rank 4th in opponents’ points per game. They defend the 2-pointer very well, ranking 2nd, but they are just average at defending the 3. They don’t get many steals (25th) or force many turnovers (28th), but they are great at forcing missed 2-pointers without fouling and then getting the rebound. They rank 6th in defensive rebound percentage.
Jayson Tatum is having another All-NBA season at 27.5 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Assuming Mobley is out Dean Wade probably gets that assignment, the night after having to guard Paolo Banchero. Tatum is shooting 48% from the field and 36% on 3’s.
Jaylen Brown is averaging 22.0 points and Kristaps Porzingus 19.1. Derrick White and Jrue Holiday average 15.4 and 12.4 points. Holiday is known for his defense. Last night Donovan Mitchell was shut down (6-for-18) by Jalen Suggs and tonight he’ll have to deal with Holiday.
cleaningtheglass.com ranks the Celtics’ starting lineup to be the best starting 5-man unit in the NBA as they are outscoring the opposition by a whopping 28.6 points per 100 possessions. The Cavaliers usual starting lineup is a +5.7.
The Celtics are just a very well-balanced team that ranks 7th in scoring and 4th in scoring defense. They don’t excel at everything - they’re average at fast break points, assists, turnovers, 3-point percentage, and offensive rebounding, for example. But they play great defense and have no weaknesses on either end of the court. They don’t force a lot of turnovers but they force a lot of missed shots and they don’t give up second chance points.
Their starters average a combined 97 points per game while their bench averages just 20, so they depend heavily on their five starters. Their backup center, Al Horford, is 37. Their backup point guard, Payton Pritchard, is shooting 38%. I think they are vulnerable to injury, but as long as all five starters are healthy they should continue to stay on top of the Eastern Conference.
The Celtics are at home and well-rested while the Cavs are on the second night of a back-to-back with travel, not to mention dealing with injuries. I don’t expect this game to be competitive, but let’s see what happens Thursday night, especially if the Cavs can get Mobley and LeVert back by then.
