Live Thread: Celtics @ Cavs
2024-03-05Good evening CtB!
The Cavs welcome the Boston Celtics, who are best and hottest team in the NBA right now, to the shores of Lake Erie for a massive prime time, nationally televised showdown. Unfortunately for the Cavs, Donovan Mitchell and Max Strus have been declared out for tonight. There’s a chance that Isaac Okoro and Caris LeVert may not play either. In spite of the injuries, this game serves as an opportunity for young stars Darius Garland and Evan Mobley to shake off growing reputations as overrated young players undeserving of earlier hype. Also given the injuries, it’s time for the Summer League Cavs stars Sam “I am” Merrill and Craig Porter Jr. to step up and earn more the faith of Coach JB Bickerstaff. Also it’s a perfect game to employ more Dean Wade on the wing tandem of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who did an excellent job on them in their road win early last season. Can the unheralded take down the Eastern Conference Goliath? Stay tuned…
Tip of is scheduled for 7:30PM Eastern time and will be broadcasted live on national TV channel TNT, Go Cavs!
I’ll take a five point game.
No foul should be a flop tech.
Spot on Nate! Refs have their heads screwed on right tonight
DG asking for a review
Lid on that basket.
Don’t need the lid to go on the rim right now…
LeVert has been pretty bad this game; need him to be a bit better
Shooting wise he’s not really rolling, but his D and ball distribution have been important.
Atlanta without Trae playing solid d.
They have been really tough! I was surprised
Good timeout
Merrill doesn’t have it tonight from the 3
0-9 somehow
CPJ always so competent & composed.
Merrill has a quick release, but he is rushing his shot.
LFG
Lol this team
The comeback kids!
CPJ!
I am never disappointed by Craig Porter Junior
Beautiful, slick pass by Levert to find Allen. Lovely stuff.
Laaaate whistle.
This squad does not quit!
Vet move, Merrill
LCC!
7
Was hoping Levert would warm up!
okoro again. 💪💪💪
It’s so silly when guys try to body Niang. Just back up and take him off the dribble.
Maybe he’ll foul out
🤞
11
MinimalVan
Gonna have to make some shots at some point here
Coupla good stops and drives to the hoop. Like yesterday, Okoro is the spark.
Too cold
Injury asymmetry slighly improved, shitty for Jalen though.
Niang’s de rigueor shittiness becoming impossible to overcome.
Merrill -14
Should’ve started.
He somehow has missed like 8 or so 3 point shots
I’d give Pete Nance a shot.
Man. Sorry for not getting LT up. I feel like the Cavs are playing hard but just popped and I juries hurting them.
This is a game where you would like the two bigs
Man LeVert is weak on D today
Getting bullied again. They are just getting taken into the paint for easy 2 after easy 2
Right into their chest every time.
And again
Need two bigs
Niang ain’t it
A win tonight would be huge. Keeping 5 losses ahead of 4-7 with 20 games left is monstrous
Fine game so far
“ SUMMER REPEAT” ——- SCOOPER “ REVENGE “ GAME
Hawks without Trae tho; I feel like this is winnable
Looks like Niang is starting tonight at the 3.
hope tonight is one of his occasional really good nights.
I don’t hate it against Bey and Johnson
looks like the entire summer league team is dressing tonight. Niang, Wade, Ike are starting.
ELDER MOBES HAS SOMEWHAT “ PLATEAUD “ THE LATTER PART OF THIS SEASON—— OTHERWISE HE MIGHT BE AN OPTION
POSTED BEFORE I I READ YOUR POST—— AGREE SEARCH FOR A BUYOUT
Was hoping Taj Gibson or Noel were around, or maybe you reach back out to Diakite
GUESS THERE WASNT RIGHT FIT IN BUYOUT—-WOULD BE NICE IF SCOOPER WAS OUR NEXT “CHARGE -GRAD – BREAK OUT “ ———IF JEROME IS HEALTHY/ SHOULD WE GIVE HIM SOME “ INNINGS “ TO GET HIS LEGS
Mobley missing extended time — swelling still not down yet :(
Probably need a buyout guy or two
https://theathletic.com/5321627/2024/03/06/cavaliers-evan-mobley-injury-update/
In a way it’s sort of a blessing in disguise. They haven’t really figured out how to come together (the core 4), and at least the eye test shows me they play better with one true center with shooters. Obviously, the defense may fall of a little but they seem to work better as a team.
It’s an easier style to play. And it worked for Donovan and the Jazz right until it didn’t because it can be scouted and beaten fairly easily in a series unless your #1 is Giannis or LeBron. But we don’t have other choices so might as well lean into the style and be thankful for depth and versatility. Should be enough to hold the 2-3 seed and get through a first round series if Ev is back before the playoffs. Might just have to figure out how to optimize the two big stuff in the playoffs or next year. Bummer… Read more »
The Hawks are 2.5 point favorites tonight.
seems right, down Strus and Mobley and Don.
hindsight makes me wish we’d signed a buyout guy, we are running out of innings eaters and down to fringe NBA players like Jones. Wonder if Ty Jerome plays, though I doubt it.
fuck it sharife cooper breakout time. let’s see another guy step up and then complain about him not playing.
HOW MANY MORE GAMES UNTIL TT RETURN s —— CAN HE STILL HELP BEING “ NON JUICED “
5
Hard to imagine he’ll get his minutes back unless something extreme occurs. Similarly, regarding Ty Jerome, just can’t see him being worked in to the rotation as they come down the final stretch and head in to the playoffs. It’s hard enough to find minutes for a lot of guys who have been earning it (Merrill, Wade, CPJ).
THOUGHT I READ A RECENT POST THAT TY JEROME WAS DRESSED/ WORKING OUT—— ARE THE CAVS CONSIDERING ON BRINGING HIM BACK THIS YEAR
I think he dressed a couple games ago
AGREE WITH RAOUL——-DONT LAY AN EGG TONIGHT———-ANY NEWS ON THE EXTENT OF MOBES INJURY
One of the most improbable wins I’ve ever seen. Celts were playing like the one of the best teams of all-time over the last 10 games.
Tonight is a huge game. Do NOT want to lay an egg following a huge win again.
More Wade minutes and more Sam minutes against Boston / Indiana / Philly if they are going to play like this. Not every matchup will work for them but they can stay on the floor against finesse teams, which is half of the East playoff teams and probably all of the West teams. Watching Sam move his feet and navigate screens plus Wade committing to the defensive glass and actually attacking a closeout or two was the difference for me, if they can keep doing it. Not sure they don’t get played off the floor against Milwaukee (Dame / Giannis),… Read more »
haha: works better on nights when they have the touch.
but I am with you on this. we finally have a decent bench, and JB needs to to use it!
TLDR: Steal was wrong & CtB was right about Sammy and Dean (now if only the Cavs had a Peter, Joey, and Frank).
Yup: I would like consistency but that should come, they are 27. they can play and make an impact against good teams and should be given more chances to help win games although not at the expense of continuing to develop the stars.
Rather be wrong about the bench guys than DG and Mobley (that Mobley Allstar selection / breakout series gonna hit like CRAZY).
(also give Niang his flowers, he’s trick or treat in the regular season but against Boston and Milwaukee he’s been what we wanted and would be good against Randle / Precious)
Hope Strus and Okoro will be available in upcoming games so we can see if DG, Strus, Okoro, Wade, Allen can capture some of the same effectiveness as the amazing lineup with those 4 and Donovan. Wade should be a 30 minute a night player, not 18-20. Shouldn’t necesítate an injury to figure that out.
Wade’s flashed before (it’s why we bought out K Love). Let’s wait and see there.
Hate to parrot Fedor but he’s right on the difficulty of giving everyone the minutes they’ve earned if there are only 240 in a game. Right now, if he goes in he either goes in for Strus, who keeps our offense from gunking up with his motion and playmaking, or Mobley, who is the best ISO defender in the league (or he was when he got hurt) and really good inside, or Allen, who has spent 2/3rds of the season playing like an Allstar.
yes and no. JB’s “trusted guys” are playing too many minutes, which is resulting in excessive injuries. not going deep on a B2B is totally insane.
We will see: to me, extra reps to get the core four synced on advanced execution (ie timing on plays like the Garland oops to help cut down TOs) is worth the extra minutes.
Feels like it’s a moot issue the rest of the way though, there’s not really a lot of options.
Hitting those 3s isn’t going to happen every night, but Wade is consistently one of the top three defenders on the team and, with Mobley somewhat limited this year by the injuries and time off, is also the most switchable from 2 to 4. Plus is among the better rebounders. Those skills aren’t flashes, they are constant and should already cement 20 minutes per night. But what has changed this year is he has shown he’ll shoot 3s readily and at volume when given the opportunity; that’s that he “didn’t” do the last two years. That’s not a flash either,… Read more »
I don’t see Mobley as limited at all on defense. He’s been doing great 1-5.
I like Wade a lot for what he is, and what I liked yesterday was that he actually flashed some motion shooting. He’s the best chance at the backup 3&D 3/4 we need.
Limited is a relative term – I mean he’s a step down from last year when he should have been DPOY. Recently (until this latest injury 🥲), he had looked to me more reminiscent of how he was playing last year on D. But the larger point is that Wade is ALSO a stud on D, which one would think would elevate JB’s trust in using him.
Highlights from the last 9:35 of the game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6zqe7b3abE&t=334s
Looks like we may be rolling with:
DG, Sam, Ice, Wade, & Allen for a bit. COJ, Levert, Niang, & Jones off the bench.
isn’t TT back fairly soon? I almost want us to sign the Morris that is a FA
25 games is a long time. I think TT is due back with about 5 or 10 games to go.
I think, at the time of the suspension, I figured he would be back with 12 games left in the season.
should see Jones tonight.
I gave up in the 4th.
Shame on me.
I was adamant that Allen and Garland not come back in the game in the 4th so they could rest for tomorrow.
Wow. Just wow. Watching with a pause and rewind button…garland’s decision making down the stretch wasnt as bad as the turnover total indicates. He made aggressive passes to Allen twice that should have been corralled and slammed. But the stats fail to elucidate how freaking clutch Dean Wade actually was that quarter…and for his part Niang too. Both of them played lock down physical defense in the fourth. Both played solid offense although wade clearly exceeded Niang. But the finish of that put back to get us the lead for the last time was so freaking special it deserves a… Read more »
It gets even better when i rewatch the last possession where wade gets that put back dunk. The team gave up on the play cuz garland either makes or misses that layup…they are ready for either option. Turns out you can crash the glass. Unlike Mobley or okoro…wade seems to not need permission to clean the glass on either end. He decided he wanted that rebound. He played the role of Kevin Love with cartilage still in his knees.
Every. Freakin’. Word.
Yes, Wade had those two great put-back dunks, but it was both ends – he fought for several must have d-rebs down the stretch. The above basket camera on TNT Overtime’s stream made it easier to see.
That has got to be the best defense Niang has played this year, in that one quarter at least. Even forced Tatum into a well contested miss on a late possession. The Cavs wings (including Okoro) a collective 8 for 8 on 3s that quarter. Wade hit the shot to finally stop the bleeding after the Cavs went down 22, and basically every single thing he did on court after that was the right thing in the right place.
That is Niang’s good matchup on defense. Being annoying against huge 4/5s trying to post. He’s basically tailor made to annoy Julius Randle and Brook Lopez and Porzingis.
Otherwise he’s slow butt on that end although he has flashes.
Garland’s passes were there on rewatch. Absolutely agree with you. Don’t blame JA for not making both catches clean, they were tough – but when I say the best players need time and reps together, it’s to get the timing right on high degree-of-difficulty plays that less talented players can’t make. We like CPJ for what he is but there’s no world in which he sees or tries those passes, either of which ices the game. If we want DG to be a contributor to a winning team, he needs to have that freedom to gunsling a bit more as… Read more »
Yes they weren’t easy plays but they were both makeable, and converting just one could have put the game away. Can’t knock it.
Well… well.. well… Back home from the game, finally. Absolutely unbelievable!
Complete and total KELCE BROTHERS MAGIC!
Dean Wade was EVERYWHERE! Hitting 3s, offensive rebound dunks! Every time he shot the crowd just was one with the ball.
With 4 minutes left in the game Travis Kelce got up out of his seat and motioned the crowd and the entire building stood for the rest of the game. Definitely the loudest home crowd I have heard in years.
What a win!!!
What a night to be there, Charlie! So stoked for you.
So awesome that you got to be there. What a game!
Nice!
I just checked out CELTS:theblog. They want to fire everyone.
Funny if only it existed
Celticsblog is definitely firing Mazzulla lmao you not wrong
haha — I just guessed! Imagine what it would be like in NYC!
This is how the Celtics fans are rolling
They do not lie about Tatum. Could have been called for two different offensive fouls on that play!
Mobley left the arena on crutches so I wouldn’t expect him to play tomorrow.
Sorry guys, had to work late. Just finished the game. Unreal win.
Hope the dramatic wins continue thru the playoffs!
Biggest 4th quarter comeback in Cavaliers history!
Constant huge wins means something is going right. Just need consistency
Had to miss the 4th. We weren’t really keeping it close by the yime the 3rd ended but guess it was just close enough. Cant wait to watch it now
Sit back and enjoy, Scotch. A thing of beauty.
Just think if the refs didn’t call that foul on DG. Portzingas would’ve hit the game winner.
“Celtics are yet to get over the hump. There’s always something. And tonight is an example of that.” Brad Sellers on WTAM1100
the rare overturned call in favor of the Cavs! biggest one ever?
Replay was conclusive but I was sure the refs were going to give it to Boston anyway.
Ditto
I don’t always love the refs swallowing their whistles (particularly against the Knicks who are super grabby) but they seem to not be rewarding grifting much post-ASG.
there is a reason why they play the games !
I loved the line “DEAN WADE IS NOT HUMAN!”
I mistakenly started watching the ESPN postgame.. wow what a trainwreck. Worthless
disaster how ESPN has gone downhill. worse than MTV?
Celtics shitting themselves on fourth quarter execution (again) is a bigger story. gives the rest of the league hope
God this just proved all of us right. Garland tried his best to lose it in the end. Mobley stinking up the joint. James Dean Wade going ham. Only thing the hivemind is wrong about was Niang was actually servicable this game, gotta give him some credit