Recap: Cavs 99, Celtics 91 (or, Great, Kid! Don’t Get Cocky…)

Well, Game 2 turned out to be a significantly closer dogfight than many thought it would be (okay maybe I’m just over-reacting to my wildly optimistic prediction of a runaway 20 point win). It’s easy to forget that this Cavs team is still filled with (and coached by) relative playoff rookies, and is defining itself with each passing postseason game. Many of them (sans LeBron and the bench vets) are still learning to walk in the playoffs before they can run. They’re also still learning how to make the jump to hyperspace after a momentum changing run and how to shoot down the last remaining hopes of an inferior opponent instead of letting them hang around and blast away.

After a back and forth battle of skill versus will and muscle versus hustle for most of this game, the Cavs emerged victorious due in large part to the overwhelming firepower and greatness of their two fourth quarter heroes. That’s not to say they didn’t have plenty of help along the way from some key contributors (even the Falcon would have had a real quick trip if old Ben hadn’t knocked out that tractor beam before he fouled out got cut down). However, the wily gunslinger and the kid who is strong in the force did what was necessary to get the job done in crunch time and maintain home court advantage.

But with the next real test coming in fast with a pivotal Game 3 on the road in the hostile environs of the TD Garden, now is no time to get cocky…

Here’s how all the action from this one went down…

First Quarter:

“Mr. First Quarter”

Game 2 started off with a bang when JR Smith made the first of his career high five steals. He then got the ball to LeBron who quickly found Kevin Love for a three (which would turn out to be his only one of the game). The Celtics countered immediately by going to their plan of feeding “Mr. First Quarter” Tyler Zeller early and often. MFQ not only accounted for seven of Boston’s first nine points, but also scored nine (of his 11 total points for the game) and had four (of his six total) boards in the opening frame.

Despite a great inside pass from Kyrie to Moz for a layup, an LBJ triple and three “Moz-Blocks” (including this one on Evan Turner) within the span of a minute, the eerie pattern from Game 1 continued with a Boston mini-run to grab the lead. Marcus Smart capped the 9-0 run with a three off of a broken play following LeBron’s third turnover of the quarter, and Coach Blatt took a consternation time out. The Celtics’ run also coincided with KLove having to sit with a second quick foul, and JR missing several jumpers (also not unlike the first game).

Out of the timeout, the Cavs came storming back to score eight straight in 90 seconds, featuring two sidewinder layups by Kyrie and two ferocious dunks from Moz. On the second one, he rolled over MFQ like a Russian tank before destroying the rim. K.I. and Mozilla continued their assault on the rim, scoring nine and eight points respectively in the quarter. Aside from giving up a Sullinger triple, Cleveland mostly contained the Celtics until the last 30 seconds when Isaiah Thomas tricked JR into fouling him outside the arc (using his best Eddie Murphy laugh). Then Delly (in for Kyrie who also picked up a second early foul) nearly evened things up by drawing a bailout foul of his own. Cavs trailed 26-25.

Second Quarter:

The teams traded baskets for the first half of the second period, each having the answer for the other. While Jae Crowder and Evan Turner took turns badgering and generally playing physical with LBJ, the King was content to be a distributor and settle for outside shots. A deletion of a Crowder drive seemed to wake LeBron up though (despite a second chance three by Avery Bradley), and he made his first drive to the rack at the 9:30 mark. During a “wired” timeout, Coach Blatt could be heard imploring his guys to keep moving the ball and not get too stagnant in isolation.

The Celtics then embarked on another mid-quarter run, this time powered by Kelly Olynyk and Turner as they outscored the Cavs 12-2 over a four minute span. The only respite was KLove victimizing Olynyk into careening into him on a three point try (they should really play the Axel F theme from Beverly Hills Cop when Kev pulls this move that seems to happen at least once a game).

Just when it looked like the Cavs might be in some trouble against these gutsy guys in green, they finally realized they could push the ball inside at will (if they so chose). Moz hit a soft turnaround hook, JR jumped a passing lane for a steal and a runout dunk and KLove worked it into the paint for a hook. Even after a timeout where Brad Stevens (aka the Metric System — Joey B, you win a t-shirt) told his guys to continue being the more physical team, the Cavs kept going inside. LBJ got a head of steam thrice: once where he finished at the rim; once where he kicked out to Kyrie for three; and the last where he got to the line for two. Cavs finished the half on a 13-5 run of their own to lead 51-50.

Third Quarter:

After losing the second chance points battle to the Celtics in the first half 15-4, the Cavs determined the best remedy was to limit Boston to one or zero shots per possession for the first few minutes of the third period. There was not an offensive board to be had until Sullinger finally snagged one at the 6:20 mark. In the meantime, the Cavs went berserk on the offensive side of the ball. They went on a 17-4 tear, featuring inside buckets from Moz, multiple trips to the line and two of the sickest alley-oop throwdowns of these young playoffs. The fact that one featured LBJ throwing the hammer down is unsurprising, but the identity of the other hammer-thrower was a shocker…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HrwQK688ww

Yes, Virginia… there is a Santa Claus… and P.S. — apparently Kevin Wesley Love can not only get off the ground, he can also “Throw The Hammer Down” in reverse!

And for good measure… here was LeBron’s attempt to decapitate Marcus Smart…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95ShnX61_vU

These successive plays pushed the Cavs’ lead to a game-high 14 points and worked the crowd at the Q into a frenzy. Unfortunately, they also may have lulled the Cavs into letting their foot off the gas too soon. Despite having the advantages of momentum and putting the Celtics into the penalty with about 7:30 to go in the quarter, the Cavs decided to revert primarily to jacking up long twos and threes for the rest of the period.

They took 10 shots outside of 20 feet (seven from beyond the arc) and converted only two (including the one and only three from JR), all the while allowing the Celtics to claw their way back into it. The shot selection was especially disconcerting because the Celtics had put the Cavs in the bonus at the 7:48 mark. Boston drove inside repeatedly and cut the deficit in half by the end of the quarter. Cavs led 75-68.

Fourth Quarter:

As mentioned, this quarter was all about The King and The Kid. In fact, going back to JR’s lone triple at the 5:28 mark of the third, no Cav not named LeBron or Kyrie scored for the rest of the game.

The Celtics built on the momentum they generated at the end of the third and pulled to within just two points twice in the first half of the quarter. Each time, Kyrie and LeBron took turns playing hero ball to propel the Cavs and gain some breathing room. LBJ went off for 15 points (of his game-high 30) and Kyrie for nine (of his second-best 26 points), as they gunned down Boston’s hopes and dreams of stealing a game in Cleveland.

On the defensive end, once Moz checked back in at around the eight minute mark, he was seemingly everywhere challenging shots and working hard to protect the rim from Isaiah Thomas. Even though Ike got 11 points (of his 22 total) in the fourth, the Cavs made the Sixth Man of the Year runner up work hard to get them (five came from the charity stripe).

Once Moz exhausted his foul limit and had to head to the bench with 2:30 remaining, TT relieved him and pulled down a few more of his team-high 11 boards (five offensive) to save the last couple of possessions to help claim the victory. Cavs take Game 2, 99-91.

The Evil:

Where’d the ball go? After minimizing turnovers in the first half of Game 1 (just four), the Cavs have now lost the ball 26 times in the last six quarters against the ball-hawking Celtics (including 18 in Game 2). LeBron had a game high six (after five in Game 1), and told Rachel Nichols in the post-game interview that he’s got to clean up his act. Given that the Celtics only had six steals, many of these turnovers are just careless mistakes being made by the Cavs and should be an easy thing to address. They’d better do it soon, otherwise Game 3 may be a lot harder than it needs to be.

In search of a lead foot. On three different occasions (the middle of the first and second quarters, and the first half of the third), the Cavs blitzed the Celtics with a barrage of scoring and defense that Boston had no answer for. Each time, instead of pushing the advantage and putting their foot on the gas or Boston’s throat, they seemed to ease up and settle for outside shots. There will be other nights in these playoffs where those shots will fall, but tonight wasn’t one of them. They were a miserable 24% from three (7-29), but they went 24-26 from the line for 93%. The most egregious example was the run in the first half of the third which could have put the game away early, especially given that Boston was in the penalty from the 7:48 mark onward. The Cavs need to take better advantage of closeout situations like this.

Share the rock. This isn’t anything new that we don’t already know about the Cavs. They are even harder to defend when they move the ball. They had 18 assists for the game with seven in the first quarter, four in the second, and five in the third, but only two in the fourth when ISO reigned supreme. Obviously, when your team has two of the best hero-ball players in the league, it can work. But advancing in the playoff will require more guys getting involved.

Who took JR’s shot? Earl has been maybe the most out of sync with his shot in any time since he joined the Cavs in January. He had another rough shooting night, going 3-12 (1-8 from deep). Unlike Game 1, he didn’t let ticky-tack fouls fluster him, and instead focused his effort on defense to deliver a career-high five steals.

Too many second chances. In the first half, the Cavs gave up a ton of second chance opportunities to the Celtics (15 in all). They let Boston out-rebound them and beat them to loose balls. The good guys largely remedied this in the second half however as Moz, TT and KLove all started cleaning the defensive glass.

A spike of Ike. While the guards and big men did a better job defensively on Isaiah in the first three quarters, they let him get loose and get to the rack for half of his points in the fourth quarter. They succeeded in chasing him off the three point line, and if they can avoid foul trouble for Moz and KLove going forward, they should shut him down in the lane as well.

Foul trouble. Moz fouled out, Kev had five and Kyrie had an early two. Cavs can ill-afford to lose any of these guys for long stretches of playoff games. The early fouls on the big men led to Perk playing a few cameo minutes in the first quarter.

The Genius:

The heroes took over. LeBron and Kyrie did what stars are supposed to do… carry the team in the fourth when other guys aren’t hitting shots. While LBJ seemed somewhat tentative in the first half, preferring to facilitate and choosing not to drive inside initially, he turned on the jets in the second half, and fourth quarter in particular. Kyrie also hit shots at just the right time when the Cavs needed them most. He and LeBron are a lethal combination when they play off one another. Give them 56 points (including all 24 in the fourth and the final 28 of the game) on 19-40 shooting with 14 boards and 13 assists between them.

Moz was magnificent. Even though he fouled out, Moz came up huge in this game. He scored 16 (on 7-11 shooting) with seven boards, and five tremendous blocks. He was a mountain in the middle, clogging up the paint and changing shots at will. He was seemingly everywhere in the fourth quarter before fouling out, and was a game-high +17 on the floor — a terrific bounce-back from Game 1.

Love in the air. KLove could have done nothing else this game, and he would still have provided the most memorable moment. That half-court, alley-oop backwards jam is destined for Vine and screensaver fame. While he didn’t have his best shooting game, he still gritted it out on D even though he was hampered with foul trouble. And come on… that dunk was just otherworldly. He even looked like he was shocked it happened.

TT the possession saver. Canadian Dynamite didn’t score, but he had a Rodman-esque 11 boards in 26 minutes (five offensive). He saved numerous possessions at key moments.

The defense didn’t rest. The Cavs improved their perimeter defense and held the Celtics to just 38% shooting (27% from three) after giving up 47% in Game 1. They blocked 10 shots, had seven steals and came back to win the rebounding battle 47-39.

Blatt’s sense of humor. This came courtesy of Cory…

Held home court. Most importantly, they didn’t let the pesky Celtics steal a game in Cleveland.

Final Thought:

The Cavs will face their toughest test yet on the hostile floor of the TD Garden on Thursday. It will be interesting to see how they respond, and whether or not the success of the first two games goes to their heads, or steels them mentally for it.

Also, for those counting along at home:

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