Combined Efforts of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum Lead to a Game Three Road Win
Cleveland - It is impossible to expect the Boston Celtics to win every game and win those games by 20 or more. The Cavaliers were bound to win at least one game this series. We learned from the pregame show that ESPN personnel interviewed Jayson Tatum and found that the Celtics played a little more relaxed at home which resulted in their loss. Being on the road, the Celtics have a little more to play for and are looking for an appropriate response in Game Three. The Cavaliers have not lost at home this postseason and the Celtics have not lost back-to-back games in the postseason. One pattern is going to inevitably break tonight, and it went in favor of the Celtics. At the final buzzer, the Celtics had successfully won 106-93.
Donovan Mitchell got the crowd rocking to begin Game Three. The Cavs superstar drilled two early threes which were then matched by opposing superstar, Jayson Tatum. It was raining threes early and often in Cleveland. Dean Wade entered the game halfway through the first quarter which marked his return after being out with injury. The Cavs bench has been lacking thus far and Wade is a welcoming sight for Cavs fans. By the end of the quarter, both, Mitchell and Tatum were in double figures. These two all-stars played with a fiery intensity to open the game.
Jrue Holiday was finally having the performance that the Celtics needed him to have. He was having his way with basically whatever he wanted. His 15 first-half points were the most he has scored all postseason. Donovan Mitchell continued to be the ultimate difference maker, knocking down six three-pointers before halftime hit. He is the sole reason that the Celtics could not pull away and build a proper lead. We learned from Cassidy Hubbarth that Tatum was dealing with some elbow soreness, keeping a heating pad on the bench and having it looked at by team staff. He did return to the game and didn’t seem that big of a deal. Despite the poor officiating, the Celtics lead at halftime 57-48.
With Mitchell being the only source of consistent offensive for the Cavs in the first half, someone else needed to step up. Unfortunately for them, nobody did. Instead, the Celtics came out firing and extended their lead to 23 points within the opening three minutes of the second half. To make matters worse, Evan Mobley turned his left ankle after landing on it improperly, trying to secure a rebound. Missing their two frontcourt starters is a recipe for disaster. Although playing “small ball”, with Wade at the center, the Cavs went on a 9-0 run. J.B. Bickerstaff might have found a lineup that can compete without having either big man in there. Mobley ended up checking back into the game, after receiving treatment, but it didn’t matter as the Celtics extended their lead 84-69 at the end of three-quarters of play.
The Cavs found some sort of groove to begin the final quarter of action. They immediately narrowed the lead to single digits and forced Joe Mazzulla to use a timeout. Payton Pritchard silenced the home crowd, soon after, by swishing a logo three. Pritchard wasn’t the only Celtic to have a major impact in the fourth quarter. Derrick White was a menace on the defensive end, coming from behind and swatting Darius Garland's layup attempt away with only minutes left to play. In addition to White’s fourth-quarter play, Jaylen Brown's ability to score from all areas of the floor was crucial down the stretch. Brown (28) and Tatum (33) combined for 61 of the total 106 points, something the Celtics were looking for. Jayson Tatum finally answered the bell and has put down the notion that he isn’t good enough to lead the Celtics to an NBA Championship.
