The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Boston Celtics 118-94 in game two of their second round series. Despite the narrative that the Cavaliers would struggle to make the series competitive, they came out and put up a stellar performance. Here’s a look back as the Cavs steal game two in Boston.
With Jarrett Allen still out, the Cavaliers started Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Isaac Okoro and Evan Mobley.
Mobley, scoring his career high for a postseason game, was the biggest highlight for Cleveland. Finishing with 21 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, and two blocks and a steal, he was the driving force in this upset. An impressive feat considering he missed a big chunk of time with foul trouble early.
Mitchell, finishing with a team high 29 points, was the primary scorer for the Cavs. Although he also had seven rebounds and eight assists with no turnovers, so he had a positive game overall.
Garland finally looks to be finding his groove, finishing with 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists. He also committed only two fouls and two turnovers. Hopefully, for the Cavaliers, this kind of play can be consistent.
Caris LeVert, who seems to always play well in Boston, scored 21 and remains one of the best sixth-men in the league. Okoro and Strus each chipped in twelve points.
The Celtics, although playing excellent defense for most of the game, struggled to gain ground offensively. Jayson Tatum scored 25 points with seven rebounds and six assists, yet played what felt like an underwhelming game.
Jalen Brown’s 19 points was also not ideal for Boston, and their next highest scorer was Payton Pritchard with 13.
The Celtics, as a unit, struggled from deep. They posted a three point percentage of 22.9 percent. They almost pulled ahead early with a nine point lead, but this was their largest of the night while Cleveland’s was 29.
The Cavaliers grabbed more rebounds, dished more assists and posted a higher field goal and three point percentage. Turning the tables from last game, the Cavaliers effectively shut the Celtics down.
Although this kind of win from Cleveland can’t be expected to be repeated throughout the rest of the series, it’s still a very positive sign for the Cavaliers. Especially considering they failed to take a single game in Orlando, and Boston is known to be a much more difficult arena to play in.
Even with Allen still out, they managed to play not just well, but dominantly. The first half was close, ending in a 54-54 tie, but the second half belonged to Cleveland, as Boston never led. That’s not to say Allen’s absence wasn’t felt, as Boston had more than twice as many second chance points, but the fact that Cleveland was able to play this well against one of the best teams in the league without him is another indication that this series is still very much alive.
The series heads back to Cleveland for game three, this Saturday (May 11) at 8:30 pm.
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Featured photo courtesy of NBA.com
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