Energy. Effort. Consistency. Attention to detail. You name it, it probably didn't happen against Boston. The Cavs ultimately dug themselves too deep of a hole to get out of even if this wasn't the Boston team of old. Despite a torrid shooting start, the Cavs cooled off as the game went on but their defense, and rebounding, failed them more than their offense did. 105 points is typically not enough to win in this league, at least anymore, but 125 against this Celtics team is not enough to win in any league.
By the Numbers
133: Boston's offensive rating for the game. Their oRTG coming in was 114.9.
55.3%: Boston's eFG% for the game. Their eFG% coming was 52.9%.
75: First half points by Boston. That would have been a top-10 worst defensive half performance for last year.
5: 3PM's by Sam Hauser in the 1Q. He finished 7-for-13.
18: Offensive rebounds by Boston. Their 36.7% oREB% for the game was 4% above their season average and would be top-5 in NBA this year.
+13: Advantage of second chance points held by Boston in the 1H.
52: Number of 3PAs by the Cavs, accounting for 59.8% of their shot profile.
0: Second half points by Donovan Mitchell. He was 0-for-4 including 0-for-2 from the free-throw line.
7: First half rebounds for Neemias Queta.
1: First half rebound for Jarrett Allen.
-22 and -25: Plus-minus for Evan Mobley and De'Andre Hunter.
29.4%: Field goal percentage by De'Andre Hunter on 17 FGA.
19: Points by Jaylon Tyson, leading the Cavs in scoring. He shot 8-for-11 from the field, and 2-for-5 from three.
94: Cavs pace for the game, nearly 10 points lower than their season average.
By the Players
Donovan Mitchell: He popped up on the injury report midway through the day with a hamstring, and after this game, probably wishes he sat out. He led the team at half with 15 points although it was largely due to his hot shooting 1Q with 4 3PM. Otherwise, he had just 2 points from the 2Q to the 4Q. Outside the 1Q, he was largely quiet.
Jaylon Tyson: Without a doubt his best game. His energy provided a spark at a few low points during the game and was one of the few Cavs bringing it on a possession-by-possession basis. Playing hard will be his best skill -- creating extra opportunities, moving offensively, getting hustle points, and competing defensively. 6 of his 8 FGM were dunks or layups; he also shot 40% from 3.
De'Andre Hunter: Even though he lacked accuracy (29%) he didn't lack confidence (17 FGA, 12 3PA). Hunter had an off night offensively, and the team's dRTG with him on the floor was almost 23 points higher than him off the floor. The box score stats don't look terrible and he had a few offensive pops but he struggled for a majority of the game wasn't impactful in other spots.
Evan Mobley: 19 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal doesn't look bad... but -22, 36.8% shooting, 8 paint + restricted area FGAs (which is same as 3PA), 25% 3P%, -7.1% REB% net rebounding %, 103 oRTG when on the floor. Not great when you look under the hood. What started so good, ended up being a relatively clunky offensive performance where Mobley struggled in iso attempts.
Jarrett Allen: As long as he continues to have 1 rebound half's against backup-level centers who have 7 rebounds in the same time, it's going to be hard for him to beat the allegations. If 4 FGA, 8 FTA and 12 points not going to get him in the game in other aspects then what is? It's s shame rebounding is the focus, but it's where we're at, because he has such a soft touch around the rim and is a good passer that focus is being taken away from things he does so well to things he struggles to do consistency.
Lonzo Ball: Hopefully the shot comes soon -- he was 1-for-5 with all of them being 3PA. He had 5 assists and his net ratings on offense and defense were both significantly positive but some of his lowlights were the continued lack of attention to long rebounds leading to second chance points.
Tyrese Proctor: He was a -9 in 8+ minutes. Kenny tried him again to see if they could get a spark but he was unable to produce much of anything positive.
Craig Porter Jr: He's stringing together some solid performances, and evening out after a rough couple of outings to begin the year. The three-point shot is coming along (2-for-3) but it wasn't enough against Boston as they needed his POA defense and rebounding more than they did more scoring.
Dean Wade: Was he even out there? 3 rebounds and 40% shooting from three-point range but nothing to note as far as positives or negatives for him on the game -- just another ho hum game for Deaner.
Larry Nance Jr: Think he would tell you he didn't have his best performance. Kenny said he liked his uptick in 3PAs, but can't imagine he was too thrilled when Nance Jr attempted back-to-back 3PAs in quick order on offense. He had 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 0 points in 13+ minutes and failed to make much of an impact on either end. This is where, combined with Allen's rebounding, some Thomas Bryant minutes couldn't have hurt.
Game Notes
- Rebounding. It's been the name of the game early and it's not likely to let up any time soon -- especially performances like these. Allen and Mobley will catch a lot of the flack, and they're not immune to it, but rebounding is a team job. If one player doesn't box out, it leads to a weak link and that's how offensive rebounds occur. The Cavs have not been a good team rebounding team -- often with one or two components failing. Whether it's off an overhelp leaving the rotations exposed, guards leaking out too quick leaving long rebounds to their man or simply not putting a body on player, they're not doing the little things consistently to win.
- Rebounding is also a mentality. Positioning, and desire to get the board drive rebounding more than athleticism does. The Cavs are not doing this consistently, and it's coming back to bite them. Albeit they were better in the second half (-1), they were still outrebounded for the game (-10).
- If the Cavs are able to make a concerted effort like they did on the second night of a back-to-back in Detroit, there's no reason for them to look like they did, or as Kenny Atkinson said they lacked the "juice". The regular season may not be as important as the regular season, and it's game five, but it's where you start and develop habits -- both good and bad. Just as quickly as they arise, you have to cut them out if they're bad ones.
- The defense has also been inconsistent. They've struggled to defend the three-point line going back to last year allowing the 8th most 3PA and allowing middle of the pack success rates. The Celtics were off their rocker early on, and cooled off later, but some of the 3PA they allowed no one was in the area.
- They scored 42 points in the 1Q and somehow were only up 2 points and then went down by 15 points at halftime. Figure that one out.
- There was a period after they cooled down in the 2Q where they didn't score for 3+ straight minutes as they attempted to continue their perimeter shot searching. This has been a bit of an issue as they've tried to balance what success looks like versus how they approach lulls from the perimeter. It took them a bit too long but they finally figured it out and their offense started to kick into gear: a few trips to the free-throw line and JA finishes.
- And this is where the football analogy comes in. If you have two really good running backs, or two really good bigs, why not establish the ball? Yes, it's a passing league, but lean into your advantage. It doesn't mean you have to do power iso's the only entire game but lean into your run and use play-action to play off your run game to set-up your pass game. Similarly, play inside out and allow your bigs to help facilitate more open looks, and at the same time, keep them involved. If you have two backs and you revert to having a high neutral pass frequency then what's the point of the backs?
- To that point: The Celtics can't be a +6 in paint points if you're going to run two bigs out there and they run Queta and Minott out there. Can't happen.
- This was a really solid game and one I hope he can build on. If he wants to be a super-charged role player, the opportunity is there as Kenny will look to a primary wing defender for when the playoffs roll around without Isaac Okoro anymore and if Tyson can offer a bit more offense, and even take a slight back defensively, the job is there to take from Wade.
- Kenny didn't mince any words in his postgame comments and you can tell there's a sense of expectation not being met and urgency to get them corrected. He was honest, fair and realistic in how and what needed to be fixed including rebounding, and more attention to details more consistently.
- Please keep in mind also what Kenny said postgame: This is a process, and it's going to be ugly at times. It doesn't mean losses, or play in losses are acceptable, but as they work some things out -- new lineups, new players, new roles -- it's not always going to be pretty early. People want the results but don't want to watch the pain it takes to get to the results. There's going to be some growing pains as they figure this out espcially with Mobley's offensive role and others but throughout that they have to play with a consistency, and attentiveness on a night-in, night-out basis that isn't there... yet.
Highlights & Box Score
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