Recap: Celtics 97, Cavs 87 (Or, 10: Too much Rondo)
2010-05-09
Overview:
The Celtics locked in on defense in game four, holding the Cavaliers to 40% shooting en route to a 97-87 win. Rajon Rondo had one of the best games of the playoffs, leading all players in points, rebounds and assists. LeBron James led the Cavaliers with 22 points on 7-18 shooting from the field.
Game Summary:
Easy baskets were the story on Sunday. The Cavaliers didn’t get easy baskets; the Celtics did. Boston made a concerted effort to push the ball at every opportunity, even on made baskets. The strategy worked, and the Celtics outscored the Cavaliers 23-7 in fast-break points.
The Cavs didn’t did a decent job on the defensive glass, but they could not get an extra possession to save their life. They managed to get all of three offensive rebounds in 48 minutes. What’s more, none of those rebounds led to second-chance points. Most of the 50-50 balls in the game went to Boston. The Cavs were able to force 12 Boston turnovers, but negated that advantage by turning it over 17 times themselves. Thanks to offensive rebounds and turnovers, the Cavs ended up getting nine fewer field goal attempts than the Celtics did. That’s a tough way to win in the playoffs.
All game long, it seemed like the Celtics would build a lead in the blink of an eye, the Cavs would scratch and claw to get back in the game, and then the Celtics would go on another run. The Cavs would get it close, then they’d miss a close shot, the Celtics would push the ball, and the lead would go from five to seven.
Not only did the Celtics tighten the screws on defense, but the Cavs couldn’t make an outside shot to save their lives. They made seven shots from outside the paint all game long. Three of those were contested jumpers off the dribble. That’s four assisted jump shots in 48 minutes. One good drive-and-kick a quarter is not going to get it done against this defense. Some of that is on the shooters. Some of that is on the Cavs’ playmakers not looking to set them up with good looks. The Celtics didn’t hit from outside on Sunday either, but they were getting enough easy baskets to make up for it. The Cavaliers were not.
The Cavs were attacking in the fourth quarter. The problem was that the Boston defense was packing the paint and waiting for the Cavaliers to come to them. When the Cavs got into the paint, there were green jerseys all around, and a missed layup or a turnover was generally the result.
The Cavs cut the lead to two points with 4:22 remaining. Here are some highlights of what happened next:
-The Cavs doubled Kevin Garnett in the post, who found a cutting Tony Allen on the weak-side to push the lead to four.
-With the Cavs down four with three and a half minutes remaining, LeBron got KG on a switch and went to the top of the key. The Cavs tried to set up some back-screens to free up Mo Williams for a jumper or give Jamison a lane to drive through, but the Celtics rotated beautifully. When the help came on LeBron, the only open Cav was Varejao, who tossed up a brick from mid-range. Good defense by the Celtics + horrible offensive decision-making by the Cavs = 0 points on a crucial possession.
-After a Varejao free throw cut the lead to three, Rondo got into the paint and made an absolutely beautiful bounce pass to Pierce, who was lurking on the baseline. Great play by a great player.
-With the Cavs needing a stop to stay in it, KG got the ball in the post and Parker came over to double. He missed the shot, but with Parker out of position, Rondo slipped in for the offensive rebound and drained a floater. Ballgame.
Cavs-Related Bullets:
-Not a great performance by LeBron. I’m not sure if “lack of aggression” is the right diagnosis — he didn’t really settle for jumpers unless the clock was winding down, he was 4-9 at the rim, and most of his seven turnovers were from attacking the paint when he didn’t have an opening.
He didn’t have his outside game going, his shooters weren’t making shots, he wasn’t getting the ball on the move, and he was forced into help when he did drive. About the only thing he could have done is try to take over the game by posting up or going to a mid-range game in isolation, which are the weakest parts of his game. He definitely came up short in this game, but I’m not sure that it’s for lack of trying. He’s not going to be able to shoot like he did in game three every game, or most games. All five Cavs on the floor at a given time have to make an effort to mix it up so Boston can’t sit on LeBron’s drives like they did in the fourth quarter. To recap, I agree LeBron was weak tonight, but disagree with the sentiment that he could have flipped the switch and taken the game over if he wanted to. Give the Boston defense a lot of credit for the job they did on LeBron on Sunday.
-Love Jamison working off the dribble — he was able to find holes in the Celtic D a few times with that drive off the pick-and-roll, and it was a lot of fun to watch. Would have loved to see him make a jumper, get an offensive rebound, and attempt more than two free throws.
-Shaq was much more good than bad tonight. He got in there, made some tough baskets, got the Celtics in foul trouble, and even knocked down free throws. He forced things from the post a few times, but he was much more involved off the ball than he’s been. Actually, the interior passing in general was good by the Cavs tonight. The problem was they couldn’t keep the floor spaced.
-Anthony Parker and Delonte: 3-14 from the floor. After making tough shot after tough shot in game three, Delonte went 0-7 in game four. Really, really not good.
-Well, Mo Williams got his first threes of the series and managed to get in the paint a few times. He still had a bad game. He absolutely, positively cannot get loose against Rondo on the perimeter, even when he uses a pick — it really seems to be having an impact on the Cavs’ ability to run their sets. Freaking Rondo.
-The Cavs gave up five layups in the five minutes Hickson was on the floor. They also gave up three points on free throws. Both fouls were committed by Hickson.
Bullets of Randomness:
-Rondo’s biggest adjustment was to go hard to the hole and look for contact instead of waiting for the driving lanes to be there. He wasn’t making that many buckets in the half-court, but he got to the line over and over and made his free throws. That and the Celtics’ effort to push the ball is what allowed Rondo to go off like he did. Also, he had more offensive rebounds than the Cavaliers did. Good lord.
-Even on a night where he went 8-21 from the floor, it’s beautiful to watch Ray Allen play offense. He’s so good running the offense off that pin-down — he can score the ball from any angle going to the basket, and his passing is vastly underrated. Sometimes I wonder what he’d do if he looked to run the offense and drive more in the half-court and only go for the jumper if he was really and truly left open — he could have a TS% of 65.
-Shaq and LeBron were the only Cavaliers to outscore Tony Allen. He brought a lot of energy, but his big game is a clear indication of how lazy the Cavs were about watching the weak side. The Celtics should not have been able to get away with Perkins, Tony Allen, and Rondo on the floor at the same time offensively.
Alright, that’s about all I have right now. Biggest game of the season at the Q on Tuesday. Get ready.
Thanks you Cavalier TRUTH! Finally, a Cavs fan that speaks the truth. “We have to give Boston’s D their due. They are not going to give up anything easy in the paint. The good news is, we should get all the calls in game 5 like we did in games 1 through 3. Stern will make sure of it. Even with the help of the refs, our outside shooters will still have to hit their shots to win.” The other guy that thought the Celtics got all the calls, is obviously not watching the same game. Can we agree all… Read more »
No, Mike, there are those of us who are putting 2 and 2 together as well and starting to see a trend with Varejao. Sudden and major dropoffs in his production when the playoffs start. I know Krolik is giving it time, but eventually he is going to have to touch on this issue and what kind of value that means Varejao really has with this team, because Krolik has argued he is the second most important playeron the team…and clearly that isn’t the case.
@ Kevin Anthony Parker can shoot threes. A lineup with AP, Lebron, Moon Jamison, and Varajao would be a lineup with three Three point shooters for Lebron to pass to. AP is their best three shooter, Moon could guard Pierce when Lebron is on Rondo, Jamison can shoot the three,and Varejao is the Cavs best fighter for long rebounds off of three point shots. Then Lebron can post up with a spread floor. He’ll score, get fouled, or find open shooters. Mo Williams has been very poor so far, because he’s small. The best he can do is shoot threes,… Read more »
I guess I’m not the only one to notice that Varejao is having a lackluster postseason. He’s not rebounding and it seems like he keeps taking the wrong angle to the ball off the rim.
And Rondo had more offensive rebounds than the Cavs did as a team! That’s just lack of hustle right there.
I thought Mo had a good 3rd quarter. When he drives to the basket and kicks it out to shooters, Boston has a hard time stopping that.
The +/- from yesterdays game would assert that Mo played much better on the defensive end than anyone is giving him credit for. I have to shake my head at people blaming the supporting cast for “coming up small.” YOUR STARS CARRY YOU ON THE ROAD. 7-18 with 7 turnovers isn’t quite getting it done folks. Stop making excuses for LeBron. All of the other 4 starters were in double figures. The superstar is SUPPOSED to play like a superstar ESPECIALLY on the road. That is how the NBA works. Cleveland fans seem so timid to call LeBron out on… Read more »
@Zak with Mo playing as poorly as he is, there is no offensive sacrifice. If Boobie gives us 3-9 (Mo’s line from game 4) and plays much better D than Mo (which he has demonstrated) it can only help… Mo getting outscored by Tony Allen AND playing zero D is too much for me.
Am I remembering wrong or did Boobie not check Rondo pretty effectively during the regular season? I know he didn’t shut him down.. but it seems like Boobie was in his kitchen constantly. There was a run there in the middle of the regular season where Gibson defended pretty much everyon effectively. Seems like his speed would really help, though the offensive sacrifice might not be worth it. Or maybe even some more Jamario on Rondo? I haven’t seen him use the pump fake much..
Scattered thoughts: – Bickering about substitution patterns is silly at this point. It’s the playoffs – that means it’s about your stars and you only go 7-8 deep. It’s always been that way. Sure, a guy can step up once in awhile if there’s foul trouble (Tony Allen,) but this thing is going to be decided by the top 3-4 players on both sides. Period. – Defense is going to decide this, even tho it’s been a fairly high-scoring series. Boston has 1 deep shooter, the rest have to score near or at the rim. Boston had tons of layups… Read more »
Let’s not panic is right.
Remember that last year’s Boston team (without Garnett) was up 3 games to 2 against Orlando in the second round. This year’s team is better with Garnett and a much much improved Rondo. (Hey Deron Wililams, come see what the best PG in the league really looks like!)
It’s not a shame to be tied 2-2 against this team. They are very good. But we are still better.
I’m giddy with excitement if Lebron covers Rondo. He’ll shut him down the next two games.
Why would Mike Brown leave Shaquille O’Neal in to cover Kevin Garnett?
Why doesn’t Mike Brown have Jamario Moon in to cover Rajon Rondo (or Ray Allen)?
These are two questions which really make me question Mike Brown.
On another note, let’s not panic.
Cavs in 7.
Here’s a post from an NBA.com insider (covers Bulls’ mostly, but talks the entire NBA) : LeBron sizing up his future http://www.nba.com/bulls/news/smith_100510.html?rss=true But what if you could get LeBron? Yes, here we go again. The Cavs and Celtics are now 2-2. It’s advantage Cavs on paper, as they now go home and have to win only at home to advance. Of course, it’s a minimum six game series now and a tough one while the Magic likely blows through its second sweep. But what seems most clear is the Cavs hardly look like a championship team anymore. The so-called supporting… Read more »
@ Happy Puppy – Why would a go to lineup involve Anthony Parker? He SUCKS. He sucks at everything, every single aspect of basketball.
From Siefer209 in this thread….”Also, if mike brown knew anything it would be to speed up the tempo of the game. That is his biggest mistake.”
Um, did you not watch the game yesterday? And you want the tempo faster than that?? Let me know how you think faster will work out better.
One more thing, didn’t we have a strategy for Rondo in Game 3???????????????? What happened in Game 4?????????
I still haven’t seem my line up. Lebron, Moon, Jamison, Hickson Varejao
And I’m 90% NOT serious about that last point.. We will see at least one hard “playoff” foul on Rondo next game. He’s not invincible in the paint
Yes Hoopsdogg- Moon on Rondo whenever possible. But really if ALL five players on the court do their job on defense it will do wonders against Rondo. The Cavs are going to watch film and see all of those backdoor cuts and open shots that Rondo found that are easily preventable.
Games 3 and 4 were simply teams reacting to getting pounded in the previous games. Maybe if the Cavs didn’t ANNIHILATE them in game 3, they would’ve been facing a less-aggressive team IMO… But killing them at home would still be preferable
Mike Brown is not doing anything wrong right now. His players refuse to put forth effort. What do you want the guy to do, bench LeBron and Mo for the rest of the series? He’s at their mercy. All he can do is call them out in the press conferences, which he has been doing FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HIS CAREER. Can’t you see how pissed he is?
From the last comment in the last thread…..”And if just one more person from the Cavs can consistently step up his game… Game over.” Story of EVERY Cavs post seasons with Lebron. Only time we won anything we weren’t supposed to win was when he went solo and scored 25 points in a row on Detroit. We can’t expect that out of him. He needed one more person against Boston 2 years ago and got no one. He needed just one more made shot out of ANYONE last year against Orlando and got none. I wouldn’t blame him if he’s… Read more »
Seeing Cleveland ‘struggle’, especially with Phoenix wrapping up their series 4-0 (and expecting Lakers and Orlando to do same today), one just can’t help but wonder…
But I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – LA, and Boston before that, had tough games en route to their championships… Their key dominant games were in the NBA finals. I just hope the Cavs can make it there… There’s a reason why this team won 61 in the regular… I hope they can find that winning formula again…
Have the athletic Jamario Moon guard Pierce for stretches while Lebron is on Rondo. If the Cavs run a fast line up and Varejao actually gets boards, then the Cavs can win. A lot of the Celtics players will be tired, honestly. Hey Rich, I’m only saying Z should be in for a little, like 5 minutes in the second quarter when Lebron James is in. Shaq is a necessity, especially now that he’s getting it going. I think the Gaurds need to get passes from Lebron somehow to hit threes, so it seems having him post up, drawing defenders… Read more »
Bassy? He’s faster than Mo on D, and he can score in bursts. Give it a shot MB.
So Lebron wants to guard Rondo. I don’t think it’s an option then, just have him do it Mike Brown, please. If your first All-defensive team player is the most athletic guy in the league and a perimeter player like Lebron James, put him on Rajon Rondo, the Celtic’s best player. I’m sure people are going to say this is outlandish, but what if they basically run Labron at the point for the beginning of the game and take Mo Williams out, like they did for a couple games this year. That would throw the Celtics off. Shaq needs to… Read more »
I agree with whoever said that the Cavs might really not mind extending this series a bit to a) get Shaq up to speed and get playoff rotations some burn together b) not get rusty like last year because of a too long break c) give Orlando that too long break and false feeling of superiority d) make some money from extra home games If that’s the case they should give Z some burn too though. And Lebron was not THAT terrible: There are only 4 players still in the playoffs for whom Lebrons game last night would not have… Read more »
Booby Booby Booby. I’ve said before and I’ll say it again. Mo is giving us nothing of the bounce anyway and Gibson is a better defend and a more reliable shooter. As for Bron’s TO’s alot of those were passes that the other guy fumbled. AP and Hickson accounted for half of those alone with butter fingers.
Moon, Moon, Moon, Moon, Moon. That’s all I can say. Rondo would NOT have gotten 18 boards if Moon was guarding him. Anthony Parker is over matched, and the drop off between Parker and Moon offensively is not that steep. Sad as it is to say, one of the best stretches of the year was when Mo was out and LBJ was playing point. I wish the Cavs would try going big against this team to emulate that. I’m surprised that Krolik didn’t mention Rebounding (of which Rondo was a huge part), Turnovers (LeBron’s 7 were deadly), and lack of… Read more »
I absolutely cannot understand not giving Gibson a rotation in the 2nd half of any game where the team gets as little from Delonte and Mo as it got in the 1st half — not only yesterday, but in Game 2 as well. In fact, since Mo can’t seem to get into an offensive flow with Rondo guarding him, and Delonte’s so inconsistent game to game, why not split the PG minutes up three ways and have everyone spend maximum energy pressing Rondo when he has the ball and keeping a body on him the rest of the time so… Read more »
You know from talking with family and friends…its apparent this team doesnt have the fire or intensity that we thought…or they just use it occasionally. Yes Boston improved but they had to, that was obvious, but the Cavs didnt do much at all different. They took more outside shots than usual and when they didnt fall they were screwed. Every time a Cavs player drove a foul was called I mean Sheed had 4 fouls in 10 minutes…yet we still didnt drive and get all their bigs in foul trouble…only perkins was in real danger…its been multiple times not only… Read more »
What I hated about LeBron was that at LEAST three or four times he was WIDE OPEN at the top of the key off a screen and he NEVER took the shot (in spite of me yelling at the TV). He shot 3 3 pointers and it seemed like all of them were contested and at the end of the shot clock.
Rich, not trying to pile on with Siefer or anything, but to be fair to people who predicted Cavs in 6 and now seem distressed, I’m sure they were imagining losses of like 79-77 or 86-82. These double digit loses I think give people a little ground to be upset even if they expected them to lose 2 games in this series.
Actually rich I disagree a coach should fire up his team and get them to play aggressively every game. He should have that ability. Look at Stan van Gundy and what he does for the magic. Mike brown is a joke. He has nothing to say during timeouts. He doesn’t fire his team up at all. They hardly even are paying attention. Also, if mike brown knew anything it would be to speed up the tempo of the game. That is his biggest mistake. Shaq is better playing with the bench and lebron should play point. What he is doing… Read more »
After another lethargic display I’m starting to wonder whether throwing a few games is just some ploy by MB and LeBron to get Shaq more game time before Orlando.
(At least I hope so!)
You gotta agree that he’s starting to roll now.
Yeah, I’m worried about this series going long- because I know who is waiting and they are ROLLING. And the effort the Cavs have put out for three of these four games ain’t going to cut it against them.
I also thought LeBron was overpassing a little bit. Hopefully with home court (and more favorable whistles) in game 5 LeBron opts to go up strong through contact, rather than passing, on more of those plays.
I only saw most of the first half but I gotta agree with Windhorst on this one: not nearly enough effort. This whole series, I’ve been kind of astonished about the laid-back attitude on the court. And of course some of it is focus too — mental effort I guess. Whatever happened to the Cavaliers who would lock anyone down on defense, even when we couldn’t get a bucket? We haven’t even played good, let alone great defense in a single game this series. They scored 96 in our blowout. Of course our shooting was going to come back to… Read more »
Ok, when people blame Mike Brown, Id like to see specific things he is doing wrong. Seriously, Z? I mean ,if that is the adjustment you’d like I’d have to disagree and do so STRONGLY. Shaq had 17 points on 9 shots. His last two games have been strong. Not time to start cutting his minutes imo. Mike Brown can’t make Delonte play like something more than a highschool player. He can’t make Varejao give a little effort on the boards. He can only put them out there. Imo, he has been much more willing to make adjustments this year… Read more »
It’s pretty simple. The Celtics are tougher than the Cavs, but the Cavs are the better team. They should use Shaq a little less next game and use some Big Z. Lebron has to assert himself in the post while running small ball with Williams, Parker, Delonte, Jamison, at key intervals. The Celtics are going to be tired, that’s one good thing from this game. Mo Williams has to get open threes. He won’t be scoring in the paint against this Celtics team. Shaq needs to hurts Rondo. Lebron and Jamison need to do pick and rolls at the back… Read more »
This is what I don’t get, a ton of people (not me) predicted the series to go to 6…a ton. And now here we are at 2-2, and people are suddenly upset the series is going 6? I’m upset cause I thought this thing should be over in 5 at the max, but all of oyu people who predicted 6, what is the problem? Did you think the Cavs would never lose while on their way to a 6 game series or…….. BTW that isn’t direct at you omni, just a general statement to those who seem distressed about their… Read more »
Yeah… ESPN analysts are generally terrible… oh well.
Also, since the Cavs lost tonight, my prediction of Cavs in 6 is still intact. Now, I only need the Cavs to win the next two games.
Lol, just saw the most hilarious breakdown of the game by the ESPN crew. Jon Barry and Mike Wilbon both suggesting that somehow not playing Ilguaskus is a big problem. Then, Hickson only playing 5 minutes, when in those 5 minutes he gave up 3 layups and committed two fouls, is a bad thing. Add to that Jon Barry saying LeBron James needs to be superhuman for the Cavs to win, when that isn’t the case at all, and I’m wondering if these guys have any idea whatsoever of what they are talking about. Z shouldn’t play. Hickson was an… Read more »
The things already mentioned certainly played a major, but when you look at the stats one thing is clear: the bench was an aboslute joke today. I think we can safely say at this point that regular season Varejao is not post season Varejao, and calling into question that contract extension is more than fair at this point. The whole starting unit was in double figures…so to only score 87 points simply means your bench was a complete no show. Delonte and Varejao…..well, they are simply going to have to look at moving one of those guys in the off-season… Read more »
I respectfully disagree about Lebron’s aggressiveness. He was aggressive at times, but it was both unpredictable and inconsistent. The fact that he took it to the rim a number of times doesn’t necessarily mean he was aggressive. If I sprint around the track for a few seconds, but walk the rest of the time, that doesn’t mean I ran a fast race, I was just fast at times. I think he clearly let the game come to him and tried to pick his spots too much. I’m not certain he could have flipped over the game and taken control or… Read more »
oh man, after begging to see jj against chicago, i cringed when i saw him tearing off his warm-ups in the 4th q. now? we haven’t seen this guy all week and he’s getting the nod in the crunch? mike brown, you astound me sometimes.
ps. urbdog — he’s coming to nj so he can knock over your trailer home and smash all the windows on your ford taurus.
I think (aside from Boston’s D), one of the reasons Lebron seems to lack aggression to start the game is to get his teammates involved early. The problem with this strategy is that his teammates feed off of Lebron. When Lebron isn’t dominating, his teammates don’t have the same confidence and swagger. This is just my opinion, but Lebron seems to be very conscious about not being perceived as a ball hog, the anti-Kobe so to speak, that he goes out of his way to show everyone that he is not a ballhog, sometimes to the detriment of the team.… Read more »
Look out folks, a troll has been spotted. Proceed with caution.
We have to give Boston’s D their due. They are not going to give up anything easy in the paint. The good news is, we should get all the calls in game 5 like we did in games 1 through 3. Stern will make sure of it. Even with the help of the refs, our outside shooters will still have to hit their shots to win.
Is Rondo that good or is the NBA that bad? He’s 6’1?! And he still got 18 rebounds?
He had his 4th postseason triple-double tonight. Larry Legend had 10. That’s pretty impressive considering, Rondo has played 49 PS games and Larry played in 164.
Excellent question Urbdog. What a great place to ask it.
I have to disagree with your assessment on LeBron, Krolik. The play that sticks out most in my mind was as the game was winding, and wll within reach, LeBron decided as the clock was running down that the best option would be to pass the ball to Anderson Varejao so he could take a solid 17ft jumper. There is no way to explain other than lack of effort or lack of aggression.
I’m not from Cleve, so I’m wondering whether most folks there think Lebron is going to NJ or NY next year??
Rondo is usually the SHORTEST player on the court. How in the world did he get 18 rebounds tonight?!