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Game Thread | Game #67 | Celtics @ Cavs | March 6, 2023

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And the Dawg doing some Dawg stuff:

 
Some Donovan highlights:

 
Lucky win, but I'll take it. They all count.

Can't believe Grant Williams, an 83% free throw shooter, missed both shots. It's a gift to the Cavs, who deserved to lose after giving up 68 points in the first half, including the inexcusable sin of letting a guy leak out for a dunk off a made free throw with 2 seconds left in the first quarter. If Williams makes just one of those free throws the Cavs lose on that play.

Kudos to Bickerstaff who inserted Lamar Stevens to start the 4th after giving up on Cedi and Okoro. It changed everything as Stevens was a +18 in 17 minutes and had six offensive boards. He was the difference.

Jarrett Allen checked out for the second straight game against the Celtics, following up his 5-point performance last week with 4 points tonight.

Garland had a bad shooting night at 6-for-18, missing many shots he normally makes, but he had 12 assists and was a +17. He made two huge free throws and a 3-pointer late.

Mitchell missed 20 shots, which is probably a season high, but still got 40 points on 34 shots. Mobley had one of his best games of the season with 25 points, 17 rebounds, 3 blocks, and a lot of stops and contested shots.

LeVert had another solid game off the bench with a +9 on 7 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks. He does a little of everything. This was his fourth straight game at +9 or better.

However, in the end this was a discouraging game as it should have been an easy win with the Celtics missing three starters. They shredded the Cavs for 68 points in the first half before the Cavs got serious and held them to 41 in the second and 5 in overtime. The Celtics made 13 threes in the first half but only 3 in the second. It was a lucky win against a team missing three of its' starters and playing on the second night of a back-to-back on the road after a double OT game the night before.

Wade, Osman, and Rubio combined for 8 points and no assists in another 36-minute no show. The Celtics' bench outscored the Cavs' bench 50-23 and that was with their three best bench players starting.

After playing 47 minutes last night Jaylen Brown was just 1-for-7 on 3's. Marcus Smart, who played 39 minutes last night, was 4-for-17. The Cavs would have been smoked if this game was played tomorrow. This was definitely a schedule win.

If these teams meet in the playoffs with both teams healthy the Cavs have no chance. Add Tatum, Horford, and Robert Williams to the team Boston had tonight and it's not close.
 
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Lamar and Mitchell interview:

 
jjvors said:
OT highlights. Savor, my friends.

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So much bad luck, in that last minutes. Stevens loses the ball after the rebound, and then the Celtics somehow DON’T lose it, and Brown scores. Game could have been over a minute earlier.
 
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Wham with the Right Hand said:
Lucky win, but I'll take it. They all count.

Can't believe Grant Williams, an 83% free throw shooter, missed both shots. It's a gift to the Cavs, who deserved to lose after giving up 68 points in the first half, including the inexcusable sin of letting a guy leak out for a dunk off a made free throw with 2 seconds left in the first quarter. If Williams makes just one of those free throws the Cavs lose on that play.

Kudos to Bickerstaff who inserted Lamar Stevens to start the 4th after giving up on Cedi and Okoro. It changed everything as Stevens was a +18 in 17 minutes and had six offensive boards. He was the difference.

Jarrett Allen checked out for the second straight game against the Celtics, following up his 5-point performance last week with 4 points tonight.

Garland had a bad shooting night at 6-for-18, missing many shots he normally makes, but he had 12 assists and was a +17. He made two huge free throws and a 3-pointer late.

Mitchell missed 20 shots, which is probably a season high, but still got 40 points on 34 shots. Mobley had one of his best games of the season with 25 points, 17 rebounds, 3 blocks, and a lot of stops and contested shots.

LeVert had another solid game off the bench with a +9 on 7 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks. He does a little of everything. This was his fourth straight game at +9 or better.

However, in the end this was a discouraging game as it should have been an easy win with the Celtics missing three starters. They shredded the Cavs for 68 points in the first half before the Cavs got serious and held them to 41 in the second and 5 in overtime. The Celtics made 13 threes in the first half but only 3 in the second. It was a lucky win against a team missing three of its' starters and playing on the second night of a back-to-back on the road after a double OT game the night before.

Wade, Osman, and Rubio combined for 8 points and no assists in another 36-minute no show. The Celtics' bench outscored the Cavs' bench 50-23 and that was with their three best bench players starting.

After playing 47 minutes last night Jaylen Brown was just 1-for-7 on 3's. Marcus Smart, who played 39 minutes last night, was 4-for-17. The Cavs would have been smoked if this game was played tomorrow. This was definitely a schedule win.

If these teams meet in the playoffs with both teams healthy the Cavs have no chance. Add Tatum, Horford, and Robert Williams to the team Boston had tonight and it's not close.
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JBB did insert Okoro to run along side Pritchard with 4 seconds in a tie game. Kinda like an escort
 
KilgoreTrout said:
So much back luck, in that last minutes. Stevens loses the ball after the rebound, and then the Celtics somehow DON’T lose it, and Brown scores. Game could have been over a minute earlier.
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I would say we got even on the “back luck” (whatever the f*ck that is) when Williams choked.

We won and nobody got injured. Now we take our talents to South Beach for a couple games.

As far as Boston likely hammering us in the playoffs if we get that far - well no shit. Same if we face the Bucks. It’s not just the missing 3&D or shooting in general - we’re criminally inexperienced compared to Boston. We face Horford who experienced enough that TT dominated him before the latter knocked up a Kardashian (or was is a Cardassian?). We’re going to have to pay some dues in the playoffs before we’ll be ready to challenge legit title contenders. Ideally we’d win the first round to gain confidence and then no matter what happens after that the players will learn what it’s like to take on beasts beyond the first round.
 
Dr No said:
No. Stevens was out-hustling Luke Kornet for those rebounds - Luke Kornet is worse than Lopez. He likely wouldn’t have gotten more than 1 or 2 against a legitimate front line and then all you have is a guy who should be getting back on d out of position and giving up buckets on the other end. Everything he did was against a totally spent team. He isn’t any different than he was. As Rich already said - this game is exactly why you keep Stevens around, but he’s not a better option most nights than Wade or Cedi or whoever’s minutes he’d be taking.
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Stevens is at his best when he can play bully-ball against a smaller frontcourt, or against someone really slow. Against athletic teams, he lack the skill to compensate and becomes useless.
 
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