Many in TD Garden had the same response to this game, when Cleveland bounced back from a 25-point defeat in Game 1 and put on an impressive performance in the second half of Game 2 against the Boston Celtics. They easily won 118-94, tying the series at one game each in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Mitchell praised Mobley’s strengths in defending the paint, particularly in this game where he was able to guard the ball and prevent opponents from making shots and layups. It’s a challenge for other players to attack Mobley in this way, so having him be a formidable defender while also contributing offensively was crucial for our team.
“Our top priority is to protect our home court. While winning this game is great, we only have one day to prepare and ensure we maintain our advantage when playing at home.”
“Be prepared for Saturday,” mentioned Tatum, who scored 25 points but dealt with ongoing shooting difficulties during the playoffs, only making 7 out of 17 shots. “Despite not winning, nobody was feeling defeated or discouraged. Losing is never desirable, especially during the playoffs, but we can take away valuable lessons from it. We understand that people expect us to always win and even by a large margin. However, that’s not always going to be the case.”
Boston made 3 out of 11 shots within 10 feet of the basket against Mobley according to data from ESPN, and shot 8 out of 21 overall with Mobley as their primary defender.
However, the most notable change from the previous game was the standout performance of Cavaliers center Evan Mobley. Despite typically playing as the team’s power forward, Mobley stepped up to play the center position throughout the game due to Jarrett Allen’s injury. His all-around play was exceptional, recording 21 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks in 33 minutes. This was his first 20-point, 10-rebound playoff game and he made a significant impact on both ends of the court, particularly on defense.
The Celtics did not have much success in their efforts, as they followed up a lackluster performance in a comfortable Game 1 win with an even less impressive display in Game 2.
Boston experienced a sense of deja vu with this defeat as it mirrored their first round series against the Miami Heat. Similar to the previous series, after dominating Game 1, the Celtics fell short in Game 2 against an opponent that seemed to be outmatched. Cleveland performed exceptionally well, while Boston struggled with their 3-point shooting, making only 8 out of 35 attempts. However, data from Second Spectrum tracking revealed that 77.1% of these shots were heavily contested, the highest percentage during coach Joe Mazzulla’s tenure in the past two seasons. This loss adds to Boston’s playoff woes at home, as they now have a record of 14-14 at TD Garden over the past three postseasons.”We don’t expect it to be easy. These are good teams we’re playing, second round of the playoffs. So this is going to be fun the rest of this series and especially come Saturday. We’ve bounced back plenty of times. We lost, what, 16 games this year? So I like to think that we respond pretty well the few times we do lose.”
Cleveland dominated every aspect of the game, converting 13 out of 28 attempts from the 3-point range and shooting almost 55% from the field. They also outscored their opponents 60-44 in points in the paint and 44-31 on the glass.
Mitchell stated that he is willing to contribute in various ways, whether it’s through assists or rebounds, in order to help the team. He also recognized the importance of stepping up when it matters and acknowledged the need for him to focus on shooting when necessary.
However, when Brown and Tatum were being defended by Mobley, their combined shooting percentage from the field was only 20%.
Following his shot, which appeared to miss as it left his hand, the ball bounced off the backboard and went through the net. Mitchell shrugged as he moved backwards down the court.Tim Bontemps, ESPN
After scoring 29 points in the game, including 23 in the second half, Mitchell expressed his satisfaction with their road victory. According to ESPN Stats & Information, he joins LeBron James as the second Cavalier to achieve at least 25 points in five consecutive playoff games. Despite the positive performance, Mitchell acknowledges that it ultimately only counts as one game and does not have a significant impact.
According to research by ESPN Stats & Information, Cleveland, who was considered a 12.5-point underdog, achieved the largest playoff victory by a double-digit underdog since 1991, almost doubling the previous record for winning margin.BOSTON — In the opening minute of the fourth quarter Thursday night, Cleveland Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell came off a screen at the top of the key and fired up a 3-pointer.
Jaylen Brown, who scored 32 points in Game 1 and 19 in Game 2, expressed disappointment in the team’s performance, calling it a “poor game.” Despite struggling offensively, Brown was most frustrated with the team’s defensive effort, which allowed 118 points and lost the rebound battle. He acknowledged that they must do better in that aspect in the future.
Though the Celtics were unhappy with their performance, the overall message from the team was similar: they will return to practice on Friday and then travel to Cleveland to try to regain home court advantage in Game 3 on Saturday.
