2024-25 Season | Game #50 | Celtics @ Cavs | Feb. 4, 2025 | 7:30 p.m. | TNT

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They’re definitely not unbeatable but they’re a much better team than I think this board often gives them credit for

Even if we’re the 1 seed, we’re still the underdogs in that series

They’re beatable, but we need to bring much better than we usually do against them

We didn't play well tonight.

We have to play better.

I'd like to see how we do when we've got Ice and Dean back healthy before giving up on the postseason as some are saying.

I do believe Boston is far more experienced, bigger, more physical and better than any other team in the game including CLE and OKC (OKC may not be disadvntaged physically but theyre still NBA playoff kids like us).

Some team is going to have to prove otherwise by winning a series against them.

I think we can do that but ... maybe not this season. We have a multi year window.
 
I know I made the post earlier. But I’m still in the parking garage.

Niang entered the third quarter at the 7:07 mark and didn’t leave the game until 5:30 left in the fourth. How’s that plausible?!!?!

I couldn’t tell if if was a Celtics fan or not but he was also chirping any a fan on the baseline during this time too. When he finally sat down he yelled at the fan and threw his hand up at the fan to wave him off. Kenny was really upset with George’s after a missed D assignment for a dunk too.
 
I do believe at least one move should be made

But even IF all that happens is a buyout player signing, IF All our main guys + Wade and one of LeVert and Okoro are healthy in the playoffs, I still feel like this team could reach the Finals this year.
Wouldn’t take them as the favorites over the defending champs, but maybe 30%

Making the finals is absolutely the goal but this team hasn’t made it past the second round yet. Make it ti the ECF, win at least 2 games and even in the stinging disappointment, it’d still be a good progression
 
Their bench obliterated ours. Hauser +18, Kornet +10, Pritchard +19, and Horford +19. On our side it was LeVert -23 in 17 minutes, Jerome -11 in 15 minutes, and Niang -13 in 25 minutes with 5 fouls. The three of them combined for 11 points in 57 minutes. Only Merrill contributed off the bench.

Every Celtic starter had a negative on/off except Tatum who was +1. The bench won it for them.

Mobley did not look anything like an All-Star, shooting 3-for-14 overall and 0-for-4 on 3's. It looked like Porzingis got into his head early and he was done for the night. The Cavs started the game 2-for-18 as they were clearly jittery, not to mention Porzingis forcing hurried shots and higher arcing shots than usual.

The Celtics picked on Garland relentlessly, constantly forcing swithches so he was guarding Tatum, Brown, or Porzingis. The Cavs tried a zone but you can't play a zone against a team that shoots 3's like Boston.

Derrick White put it away late in the 4th after the Cavs got to within striking distance and had a chance to steal the game. At 99-95 White scored 8 points in just over a minute to give the Celtics a commanding lead.

The Celtics can get a mismatch any time they want just by setting a screen. The Cavs switch and end up with a little man on a big. It seemed like on every possession Garland was guarding Tatum or Brown or Porzingus.

Allen (17/18/2) and Mitchell (31/10/6) were outstanding, especially Donovan's rebounding. The Cavs gave up 15 offensive boards but it seemed like twice that many. In the second half it went down partly due to Donovan hitting the defensive glass.

Niang is a foul machine. Five tonight in 25 minutes.

The Cavs had a putrid shooting night outside of Allen, Mitchell, and Merrill. They were 39.6% from the field and 28.2% from the line. They were 11-for-39 on 3's. Just 14-for-39, which is still bad, gets them 9 more points in a 7-point loss. Part of it was the Celtics but part of it was just bad shooting by a team that looked intimidated and jittery.

Getting Wade in for Niang would help, I think, and LeVert needs more time since he recently returned from injury. We play these guys again at the end of the month and hopefully we'll be fully healthy by then.
 
Hearing about how much harder he’s been working after making the all-star team and seeing a performance like this is . . . annoying. There has to come a point where it doesn’t matter who you’re playing against, you’re an all-star, play like it . . .
 

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