Both the Celtics and Cavaliers had trend-breaking nights from three-point range in Game 2
The Cleveland Cavaliers had – by far – their best three-point shooting night of the playoffs in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics. Meanwhile, the Celtics had their worst. Was it a one-off, or a sign of things to come?
In Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Thursday night at TD Garden, the Cleveland Cavaliers opened things up from three point range. They hit 13 of their 28 three-point shots from beyond the arc in the 118-94 series-tying win over the Boston Celtics.
The performance was a departure for what had come to be the norm for the Cavs in these playoffs. Their 46.4 percent hit rate from deep was a playoff-single-game-high for the Cavaliers, while their 13 total made threes was tied for the most in a playoff game this season. Their 15 outright misses were their second fewest in a playoff game this year, behind Game 4 of the first round when they only attempted 17 threes (and went 4-for-17).
Meanwhile, it was also a performance out of the norm from the Celtics in these playoffs. Their 22.9 percent mark from three was their worst of the playoffs so far this year. They were just 8-of-35 from deep, resulting in their fewest made threes and second-most misses in any playoff game so far this year (they missed 28 in Game 1, but shot 39.1 percent on 18-of-46 shots).
Given that, a big question facing this series as the Celtics try to regain control is this – was that three-point barrage from Cleveland and their own drought on Thursday night an unsustainable one-off, or a sign of things to come?
Let’s start with Cleveland. Coming into Thursday night, the Cavaliers were the worst remaining playoff team in terms of three-point shooting this postseason. Their 8.9 three pointers made per game and 28.3 percent three point percentage both ranked dead last among the teams still competing.
Obviously, that’s not great. But those numbers also aren’t fully indicative of the Cavs’ three-point potential. They were an average three-point team during the regular season, ranking seventh in total three-pointers made and 15th in three point percentage.
During the regular season, the Cavs shot 36.7 percent from three. Prior to Game 2 on Thursday night though, they hadn’t had a single night with a better percentage than that in the playoffs.
That suggests there is at least some room for growth when it comes to the Cavaliers’ three point shooting. Every game probably won’t look like Thursday night, but they’re more likely to get better than worse when comparing the next few games to their first eight of the playoffs.
In order to up the pressure and prevent that from happening, what do the Celtics need to do? After Thursday night’s game, Jaylen Brown cited the team’s offensive issues (which we’ll get to in a second) as disrupting the defense.
“I think just overall we missed some shots, and let that translate, and it’s the playoffs, that can’t happen,” Brown said. “I don’t care if – if you missing shots, you gotta guard a guy on the other end. That allows you to miss more shots if you’re playing defense. But you can’t miss shots and allow them to make shots on the other end. That was unacceptable.” Head coach Joe Mazzulla said something similar in his postgame comments.
Now, how about those Celtics’ offensive issues? They were as uncharacteristic – although in the other direction – as Cleveland’s hot stretch. Coming into Thursday the Celtics were averaging 15.5 three-pointers made per game in the playoffs, which lead the NBA. Their 40.2 three point percentage ranked third.
Unlike the Cavaliers, whose Thursday night performance saw them trend back towards their regular season number, the Celtics’ cold stretch was an anomaly in both in terms of regular season and playoff context.
So what went wrong? Mazzulla noted the Cavaliers’ defensive pressure as part of the reason his team struggled to shoot the basketball.
“Obviously, their ball pressure was better,” he said. “Their pick-up points were higher. I thought they did a better job of kind of closing out into our bodies. Making it seem like we were open and putting some indecision on whether we should shoot it or drive it, and when we did drive it, they did a good job collapsing and making us make the two-on-one read.”
Still, Mazzulla saw opportunities for a team that just went cold. Asked after the game if he liked the three-point looks his team got, he replied “from what I can recall, most of them.”
I’m sure there were a few of them that we could fight for a better shot or better spacing,” he continued.
“But I think, for the most part, they were okay.”
That belief seems to be shared by the Celtics’ leading scorer from the regular season, Jayson Tatum.
“I obviously wish I had made more shots,” Tatum said after the game when asked if it’s been ‘a challenge’ to get the shots he wants. “[I’ve] been in the league long enough that sometimes you just don’t make them. You just have to continue to take the right shots, and it’ll even out. I don’t really get caught up on that. I know how to score the ball.”
Tatum scored 18 points in Game 1 and then 25 in Game 2, but his scoring hasn’t been overly efficient. He’s 14-of-36 (38.9 percent) from the floor for two games, and 2-for-10 from three.
“It’s as simple as sometimes you don’t shoot the ball as well as you would like,” Tatum said after the game, when asked if an injury has impacted him at the beginning of this season (he said no to that part of the question). “You play enough basketball, law of averages, it’ll even out. In the meantime, find a way to win, find a way to impact the game in other ways, scoring is kind of like the least of my worries.”
Expect both teams’ three-point shooting to be a major storyline heading into Game 3, as this series shifts to Cleveland. That next game is Saturday night, with coverage beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET on the BetMGM 98.5 The Sports Hub Celtics Radio Network.
Read more about the Celtics below…
4 things to watch ahead of the Celtics-Cavaliers second round series
Rest vs. rust
Apr 24, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7), forward Jayson Tatum (0), guard Derrick White (9) and forward Sam Hauser (30) walk to the bench during a timeout against the Miami Heat in the second quarter during game two of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
As mentioned above, the Celtics haven’t played since Wednesday, when they knocked off the Miami Heat in Game 5 of their first-round series. By the time Game 1 rolls around they will have gone five full days without playing a competitive game.
Meanwhile, the Cavaliers have been grinding. Their first-round series against the Orlando Magic went seven games. Game 7 was on Sunday in Cleveland, giving the Cavs just one day of rest before facing the Celtics. Their last consecutive off days were May 1 and 2 – now a week ago.
That brings us to a timeless question when it comes to playoff matchups – rest versus rust. Does the team that is more well-rested but has been sitting and away from the floor heading into the series have an advantage? Or the team that may be more tired but is already in a rhythm?
Boston sports fans just had this conversation with the Bruins a day ago, as the Bruins went down to Florida two days after their Game 7 and picked up an emphatic 5-1 win over the Panthers, who hadn’t played in seven days. Now local fans will flip to the other side as they hope the Celtics don’t show too much rust. Of course it’s a completely different situation, and aside from it being a different sport the Bruins and Panthers are much more evenly matched than the Celtics and Cavaliers.
Rust wasn’t a problem for the Celtics out of the gate in these playoffs. They had about a week off while the play-in tournament happened before beginning their series against the Heat, and still came away with a 114-94 win in Game 1. However, they did trip up in Game 2 and fell 111-101 for their only loss of the series. Let’s see if this time they can take advantage of their rest over the first two games of the series.
The Donovan Mitchell show
CLEVELAND, OHIO – MAY 05: Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Cleveland Cavaliers reacts during the fourth quarter against the Orlando Magic in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on May 05, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
Last round, the Celtics got to play a Heat team without a star player as Jimmy Butler missed the series with a knee injury. Now they will have to deal with a star – and a focal point at that.
The Cavs are lead by All-NBA guard Donovan Mitchell, who carried the team to this point. During the regular season Mitchell averaged a team-high 26.6 points per game on 46.2 percent shooting including a 36.8 percent mark from three. No other player averaged more than 18 points per game for the Cavs (guard Darius Garland). On top of that, he was second on the team in assists (6.5 per game) and third in rebounds (5.1).
In the first round, Mitchell’s importance only grew. He averaged 28.7 points per game, with Garland managing just 14.9. In the wins alone Mitchell averaged an even 30 points per game with 39 in the clinching Game 7. He did score 50 points in one loss, but had 18 and 13 in the other two.
Mitchell is crucial to the Cavs’ success. They struggle to keep up without him (the two games he failed to score 20 points, the Cavs lost by 38 and 23 points), and even when he is on he’s usually dragging the team to a win. If the Celtics can keep him in check, there’s not much else the Cavs can do to be a threat.
Against the Celtics this year, Mitchell scored 29 and 31 points in the two Cavs losses in December. He didn’t play in the matchup in March.
Given the short rest, Mitchell’s health is something to watch early in this series as well. He left Game 6 of the first round with a knee injury, and although he returned he was visibly playing through something – even as he led the Cavs to an 18-point comeback in their Game 7 win.
Will Jarrett Allen be a factor?
CLEVELAND, OHIO – APRIL 22: Evan Mobley #4 and Jarrett Allen #31 of the Cleveland Cavaliers block Paolo Banchero #5 of the Orlando Magic during the fourth quarter of game two of the Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on April 22, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers defeated the Magic 96-86. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
While Garland was the Cavaliers’ second-leading scorer this season, there’s an argument to be made their second-most impactful player is center Jarrett Allen. During the regular season Allen averaged 16.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, in what was a career year for the 25-year-old.
In the playoffs Allen was a factor right away as well. He averaged 17 points and 13.8 rebounds per game through the first four games of the first round. However, he hasn’t played since Game 4 as he’s dealt with a rib injury.
Allen is listed as questionable for Game 1, and appeared to be a limited participant in Tuesday morning’s shootaround. If he can’t go, it likely means a bigger role for Evan Mobley, who averaged 12.1 points and 9.1 rebounds in seven first-round games. As far as the starting line up goes, Isaac Okoro started two games in Allen’s place, while former Celtic Marcus Morris started one.
The real question is here, how many games will Allen miss? If the Cavs go down early, will they show more urgency and rush him back to the floor? The Celtics are also expected to be without their top big man in his series as Kristaps Porzingis nurses that calf strain he suffered in Game 4 against the Heat. However many games Allen misses will make that absence less of a factor for Joe Mazzulla’s team.
A familiar opponent
CLEVELAND, OHIO – APRIL 30: Max Strus #1 of the Cleveland Cavaliers passes around Wendell Carter Jr. #34 of the Orlando Magic during the first quarter of game five of the Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on April 30, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
Celtics fans may remember guard Max Strus as a key part of the Miami Heat’s bench unit in each of the playoff matchups the last two years. Well, he’s now in Cleveland’s starting lineup after signing a four-year, $63 million deal with the Cavs this offseason.
For a Cavs team that is young and isn’t super deep in terms of playoff experience, Strus has been on deep runs multiple times in his career. He’s also gone toe-to-toe with the Celtics in the postseason before, so he knows what to expect. It wouldn’t be surprising if Cleveland leans on him at times in this series.
While with the Heat, Strus averaged 8.6 points per game against the Celtics in the playoffs. However he did have individual games where he was more of a factor, such as a 16-point performance in Game 3 of the 2022 ECF, and then a 15-point performance in Game 1 last year. Both were Heat wins.
That kind of production is about what Strus gave the Cavs in the first round of this year’s playoffs. After averaging 12.2 points per game in the regular season that number dipped to 9.1 against Orlando. He was heating up as the series went on though, scoring his three highest totals over the final three games (16 in Game 5, 10 in Game 6, and 13 in Game 7).
Strus played in two of the matchups between the Cavaliers and Celtics this regular season – both Celtics wins. He scored 17 points on 6-of-15 shooting, including a 5-for-11 mark from deep, in one of those games. He was limited to just five points in the other.
