BOSTON — How strange sports are.
One night, the Celtics defeated the underdog Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 1 of the second round of the NBA playoff series, confirming our preconceptions that the 64-win top seed would advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. Forty-eight hours later, the Cavs defeated the heavy favorites with a 118-94 victory, tied the series, and forced us to question everything. Can they really win this?
Maybe my rise and fall was unwise. Perhaps Cleveland's naivety contributed to changing the script by 49 points from one game to the next. Boston would probably be more foolish than any other great team in recent memory to have a no-show night. Probably no one knows anything until it happens.
The Cavaliers won't help us.
“We definitely wanted to get it. [in Boston]” Cavaliers winger Isaac Okoro stated the obvious (at least after Game 1) before perusing the Rolodex of sports clichés. I know I have to protect my home court, work on every game, stay physical and take it one day at a time. ”
“I like the way you threw it in too,” teammate Darius Garland said, tipping his hat to that last cliché.
they knew what they were doing. We all go through this rigamarole and draw conclusions every night, but we know it's a seven-game series. The Celtics will have their ups and downs. So will the Cavs. Who do you really believe will win in the end? I doubt you've changed your mind after two splits.
As it turned out, Boston, as expected, defeated the Miami Heat in Game 1 of the Opening Day series, lost the next one by double digits, and dominated the next three games by a combined 68 points. The Game 2 loss was an anomaly, as Miami made a franchise-record 23 3-pointers to Boston's eight.
Those Heat also didn't have Jimmy Butler, but these Cavs had Donovan Mitchell, who played savvy superstar play. Mitchell was the only one to hurt the Celtics in Game 1, and the Celtics forced the ball out of Mitchell's hands, but he complied and ended the first half tied at 54. He recorded 6 assists. Mitchell's biggest benefactors of gravity were Evan Mobley and Caris LeVert, who combined for 27 points in the first half. And once their performance earned the respect of Boston's defense, Mitchell returned to his usual duties, scoring 23 of his 29 points in the second half. To borrow a cliché, he took what they gave him.
“They were a little different and guarded me a little higher up in the pick-and-roll… so everybody's open,” Mitchell said. “Just trying to manipulate the game that way. And in the second half, when they're making shots, it's human nature to kind of go back to your team and try to spread the game.”
For his part, Mobley feels like he's found his rhythm thanks to a dismal fourth quarter in Game 1 where he went 5-of-5, and in Game 2 he went 9-of-15 shooting, a playoff career high. He scored 21 points. .
“I feel like it was the last game, the second half. I started to get the flow and see how they defended me and where I could score from. Then I watched a little bit of film and came out here. “I tried to come in and do the same thing and attack the guy.'I got the spot.'” Mobley added 10 rebounds, five assists and two blocks. “And that's what I did.”
(As long as you're breaking the fourth wall here, can you build momentum from wasted time? Can you sleep two nights during a streak? Can you understand what's going on after 25 matches? Interesting stuff (These sports.)
There is a possibility that this second match will also be an abnormal situation. The Cavs were shooting 46.4% from three, compared to the Celtics' 22.9%, but it didn't feel that way at the moment. It felt like a beatdown, and Boston's Jaylen Brown called it “unacceptable.”
Brown also said after Game 1, “It's going to be tough for a team that has to beat us four times,” and he's right on both counts. Your guess is as accurate as theirs when it comes to whether the content of either game is reproducible.
Overnight, Cleveland's game plan worked perfectly. The Cavs scored more points than they did in the entire postseason and held Boston to the fewest playoff appearances. The plan depended on Mobley in two ways: 1) Defensively he takes the Celtics away from the arc and forces him to protect the rim, and he 2) Offensively he forces him to own the paint.
The first part was, well, everyone should have known that, and the Cavaliers recognized it right away.
“It's a big benefit for us [Mobley] said Cleveland head coach JB Bickerstaff, whose team won its first road game of the playoffs. “The level of trust from the players and the understanding that he's there makes their job a lot easier and gives the opposing team a lot more confidence on the ball.” An elite attacking player. ”
Part two? LeVert may have slipped past that cliché.
“They started the game [Al] “Horford is their five,” he said, “he's the only rim protector on that unit, and they are.” [Luke] The second one is a cornet. And after that, it's just the two of them. I think we did a great job of finding mismatches tonight. Evan did a great job of punishing switches, and I think when Horford was on me and other guards, we did a great job of beating him and finishing at the rim. you'll need to understand. ”
Hey, someone told us how they really feel. That said, the Cavaliers aren't afraid of a frontcourt without Boston's Kristaps Porzisis. “We have a lot of different ways to win games, and it's going to be hard for other teams to try and figure them out,” Boston's Jayson Tatum said after Game 1.
So who is right? Maybe they both are. Perhaps this best of seven will last longer than we think.
We'll have a better idea of how this series will play out after Game 3. Then no further adjustments are required. Just in basketball, anything can happen, but the best team usually wins the series. or not.this teeth Sports.
