Cavs Derail the Celtics off Their Path to NBA Finals in Game Two
Boston - The Celtics are coming off of a brilliant Game One victory over the Cavs. Derrick White and Jaylen Brown were both lethal on the offensive side of the ball and continued their strong shooting performances in Game Two. Bob Myers, ESPN NBA Insider, stated in the pre-game show that “The silver lining to all this is that these young players like Darius Garland & Evan Mobley are getting playoff experience early into their career…”. Even the experts in this industry had written off the Cavaliers in this series. This proves how unpredictable the NBA is.
After a subpar offensive performance, Jayson Tatum made sure to make more of an effort to score the ball early. The NBA Finals MVP frontrunner is known to be streaky at times, but he left no doubt in his performance tonight. Unlike Game One, Donovan Mitchell was not able to score in bunches in the first quarter. The unspoken feud between Tatum and Mitchell who happened to be in the same draft class was on display and Tatum is winning the battle right now. Evan Mobley continues to be the underlying superstar for his Cavaliers. Without Jarrett Allen, due to a rib injury, his minutes have become much more important. Due to his first-quarter efforts, the Cavs had the lead at the end of the first quarter, 30-24.
The Celtics immediately, in less than two minutes, responded with a 9-0 run to start the second quarter. That run extended to a 17-5 run and Mitchell and Mobley were substituted right back into the game. Jayson Tatum was finally looking like his usual self, an MVP-caliber player. Even with Tatum’s superstar play, the Cavaliers maintained within striking distance for the entirety of the first half. This was the first time that the Celtics looked like they were missing Porzingis. His ability to guard the rim and extend the floor was greatly missed. With 2:10 left in the quarter, Jrue Holiday collided with Isaac Okoro, bumping knee-on-knee. Okoro was called for the offensive foul and both players were shaken up. This was something to monitor the rest of the game. The Cavs ended the second quarter on an 11-3 run to go into halftime, tied at 54 a piece.
The biggest takeaways from the first 24 minutes of action are the difference in bench points and the rebounding difference. Unlike Game One, the Cavs led 16-8 in first-half bench points scored. Caris LeVert stepped up big time and was truly a difference-maker. The Celtics started the third quarter extremely sluggish, turning the ball over and missing open shots. The Cavs had built themselves a seven-point lead until Tatum and Brown both finished their and-one opportunities on back-to-back possessions. Within mere moments after, the combo of Garland, Mobley, and Mitchell heated up offensively. With a snap of a finger, they had rebuilt a nine-point lead. The trio of Cavaliers were on the brink of a major upset as they had a 12-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Donovan Mitchell gave the iconic Michael Jordan shrug after banking in a deep three to open up the final quarter. It’s true what the saying says, “When you’re hot, you’re hot”. Jaylen Brown and company could simply not buy a bucket in the fourth quarter. The crowd was beginning to diminish in the final minute of the game, not wanting to see any more of the game. Missing 16 of your last 17 three-point attempts will cause some animosity around the arena. Frustrations began to arise as Tatum was assessed a Flagrant One foul for winding up and hitting LeVert on his layup attempt. In the end, the Cavaliers derailed the Celtics off their path to victory in their 118-94 win.
