Playoff Recap: Cleveland 111, Boston 102 (Or, The Better Bullies)
2018-05-22
The Cavs’ defense showed up once again tonight, and the series is now tied at 2-2. They held Boston to just 41.2% from the field and were able to use a 16 point lead built in the first quarter to come out on top with a nine point win. LeBron James led the way for the Cavs with 44 points, five rebounds, and three assists. It was his sixth game with 40 or more points in the playoffs to date.
James wasn’t alone tonight at all though. Tristan Thompson put up 13 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. George Hill chipped in 13 too on 6-9 shooting, while Kyle Korver dropped 14 to go along with four rebounds, and three blocks.
In the first quarter, it became clear that both teams were trying to bully specific guys. Boston wanted to get Horford going and gave him the ball against Tristan on the first play of the game and he bricked the shot. Tristan held Horford to 15 points and seven rebounds.
The Celtics also gave Marcus Morris a go at Kevin Love. He hit a turnaround jumper on Love for his first bucket, but after that Love held his own. Morris had just four points in the quarter and ten for the whole evening. Love struggled to hit his shots and was getting called for fouls, but he kept tough on defense throughout the game. He put up just nine points on 3-12 shooting and got 11 boards.
In the first, the Wine & Gold offense consistently focused on pushing the pace and forcing switches. The Cavs fed TT whenever Terry Rozier was on him. The Cavs fed anyone when Rozier was on them, and it worked.
Boston tried the same strategy of attacking switches, but Cleveland shut it down. With 5:45 to go, Tristan followed Jayson Tatum to the rack and forced him to miss a dunk. LeBron capped the miss off with a slam of his own for an And-1 to put the Cavs up 10-17.
https://twitter.com/SheaSerrano/status/998728464881635335
TT showed his hustle following James’ 3-point play by blocking Marcus Smart. Everything was clicking for Cleveland. Love even did his Tom Brady impersonation finding LeBron down the floor to put the Cavs up 23-15 with 3:23 in the quarter.
https://twitter.com/SportsQuotient/status/998730200866349057
The Cavs beat down continued even when the bench checked in. Korver put up two points, but he played absolutely smothering defense on Jaylen Brown. Brown had 25 points and led all Celtics in points, but that cannot change the fact that Kyle blocked him twice in the game. He went 1-7 in the first. Look at these blocks. Korver made Brown reconsider being a basketball player. George Hill dropped a 3-pointer in transition off that first block to put Cleveland up 30-17.
https://twitter.com/twitter/statuses/998741612745412609
Larry Nance had a pivotal screen for George Hill that resulted in Marcus Morris getting his third foul and heading to the bench for a little bit. James finished the first with 11 points.
The Cavs headed into the second quarter up 18-34. During the second, the offense sort of sputtered out and Boston banged hard with Aron Baynes and Horford going against just TT. The Celts moved to within 11 points around the mid-way point, but Kyle Korver responded and dropped two quick 3s in a row to steady the Cavs. He had twelve in the quarter. Terry Rozier responded with two 3s of his own over James, but the King just bullied Tatum a possession later for two freebies. Every time the Celtics got closer than 11, James had an answer. He had 11 in the quarter. including a beautiful turnaround jumper in the paint.
Notice who it’s over? It’s Rozier. Two of his four makes in the quarter were after Rozier switched onto him. James made sure the quarter finished on a high note after TT got a steal and then ran the floor for James to dime him on an open dunk.
The Cavs started the third quarter up 68-53, but they looked gassed. They turned the ball over six times, and no one on the Cavs could really score. They had just seven makes in the quarter. James had the Cavs first six points in the quarter, but that was spread out over five minutes. Three of James’ five buckets in the quarter came out of mismatches. He had five of Cleveland’s seven makes. Nance showed some hustle at the end of the quarter to keep the Cavs mood a little more positive. He got a putback and-1, and then followed it up by running the floor after a steal to get fouled.
And, Korver showed some hustle diving for an extra possession after a jump ball with under a minute in the action.
The hustle at the end of the quarter let them keep a 89-76 lead despite Boston getting within eight.
In the fourth quarter, Boston got as close as eight points. Cleveland hung in to start the fourth behind a George Hill and Love run. They scored all nine in the first six minutes. Boston gained ground but not enough as the action went on. Even on two timeouts, the Cavs were able to stop their out of bounds plays. And, James was just James. At one point, he tossed the ball away, but was able to steal it and put it back in the basket.
LeBron with the heads up steal and finish!#WhateverItTakes 104 | #CUsRise 93
3:31 left in the 4th on @ESPNNBA pic.twitter.com/wkhrDXXvAH
— NBA (@NBA) May 22, 2018
Gripes
- Jordan Clarkson and Jeff Green were limited to just 24 combined minutes. They combined for two points and five rebounds. They weren’t completely terrible, but at this point they shouldn’t be getting any minutes. Green was at the focal point of a lot of the defensive lapses.
- The Cavs played some great defense for stretches of the game. They were in jerseys and aggravating, but it was still just for short periods of time. They didn’t put together 48 competent minutes and that’s what they need to strive for if they want to compete in the Finals.
- They need to be competent on both ends of the floor. Cleveland had 19 turnovers, which is simply too much. The Celtics got 19 points from them.
- And, the Cavs didn’t really run an offense. They had just 15 assists tonight. It’s never a good thing to have more turnovers than assists. It’s even scarier that they came with the Cavs not playing an actual offense. They ran a few plays out of timeouts, but for the most part they just played mismatches while pushing the pace.
Hypes
- Who am I to complain though? The offensive game plan of attacking switches worked. They won. LeBron’s 44 points seemed quiet, because he didn’t hunt for them. He took what the game gave him for the most part, and when he needed to absolutely score he had no problem doing so.
- Kyle Korver was amazing too. He’s 37 and he’s the grittiest guy the Cavs have. It was nice to hear Jeff Van Gundy rave about his great positional defense. Korver shut Jaylen Brown down for a decent chunk of the game.
- The Cavs won this game not relying on 3s. They went just 8-23. There’s gonna be another 15-plus 3-point game for the team before this series ends.
- Kevin Love had just nine points and was troubled by fouls. However, he kept his head in the game. He kept screening for guys, and he kept his effort up on the defensive end. Boston wanted to find him and exploit him. They couldn’t though.
- Terry Rozier had 16 points and gave them all back on switches. Jaylen Brown had 25, but he was exploited too. And, Jason Tatum had 17 points. None of them shot above 50% from the floor.
- Props to Tyronn Lue. Lue matched Tristan’s minutes to Horford’s quite successfully. And, props to Tristan. TT was a screening and hustle machine. He took advantage of what he was given and played Horford into role player status.
- The Cavs came out blazing in game three, and much of that may have been because they had two days of rest. Tonight, they started out hot and slowly fizzled. This game could have been another blowout easily. Hopefully, the team can get enough rest ahead of Thursday’s game in Boston. A win in Boston would be huge for them. It’s in reach if they can ride the momentum they currently have.
- One bonus point: Hopefully Boston doesn’t realize they need to stop switching guys on James and Love. When those two face switches they are easily able to bully them. And, when Boston has to double switches, both of them freely kick the ball out. If Boston was wise, they would actually just switch Aron Baynes onto James. James does this mind boogling thing where he won’t drive on bigs. He always jab steps them and takes a long jumper.
Game 5 Live Thread is up…
Not so hot take, game 5 winners of either series will reach finals.
If the Celtics or Rockets lose game 5 at home, I think they are toast. I think the Dubs/Cavs could lose & come back & win the last two.
Cavs can win last two but the way warriors playing, winning last two would be tall order.
If the Cavs get a team dog, they have to name it moon, right?
https://articles.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2018/05/cavaliers_are_seriously_consid.amp?__twitter_impression=true
Big one tonight. Four letter says Boy Genius is contemplating lineup changes. Really obly 2 options:
1) Start Baynes to try to help on TT. It would hurt their spacing either a little (if for Morris) or a lot (if for Brown/Tatum). The second option is better for the O but you risk foul issues for Brown/Tatum.
2) Start Smart for Rozier. Takes away Bron’s favorite switch/match, improves the D & gives you some scoring off the bench. Lose some outside shooting on O.
They start baynes then just put him in pr force switch and clear out.
The ESPN video on Kyle Korver and his brother’s death is heartbreaking. LeBron, get this man a championship!
Othet all-timers used to play big minutes like that regularly. Up through the late 60’s (at a faster pace with less timeouts) guys like Russell, Cousy, Havlicek, Wilt, West, Baylor, Pettit, & Oscar would play 48. Even into the 80s guys would play big minutes. MJ certainly did. Steph played 39 FFS. Just for comparison: here are the # of times where said player averaged x minutes per game for the entire post-season: 1) 48+: Wilt 4, Oscar, Russell, Lucas 2) 47+: Wilt 3, Russell 2, Oscar 2, Havlicek 2, Kareem, Rick Barry, Gilmore, Haywood, Iverson, Marion, Arenas, Bob Love.… Read more »
This is true for what it’s worth, but in those ’80s and ’90s days, guys would hang around by the bucket. Nobody was having to defend the three point line like they do now. Defending requires a lot more movement on defense nowadays. It’s almost a different game from the old days.
Yes! Great point and one is under-discussed. Teams now need to defend way more space and cover more ground than they did in the 80s and 90s.
I didn’t see much of the game. It could be true if he was targeted every time as an individual. However, the way the rockets usually play with four guys just standing on the three point line, the defense barely has to move at all unless sending one guy to help.
There could be something said for not being conditioned to those types of minutes. Older role players who play fewer minutes can often be gassed after a large increase of minutes. We have seen it on the cavs. However, really that is an excuse. I would believe it if he had the same amount of minutes on his body as Lebron. They just played stupid and got away from what works for them.
The smoked too. They also jogged most of the time.
I don’t think that is true in terms of the 60s. They played much faster in terms of pace. And that doesn’t just apply to the amount of shots in half court. They ran on the break on the time. If you watch Wilt the guy would near sprint on rim runs in his prime.
Interesting idea for the tribe. My bet is that this will take over the majors within four years.
https://twitter.com/BillSimmons/status/999089960497090560?s=19
Stephen A blaming too many minutes played by Curry, Green and Durant as the reason they lost last night. Crazy how none of them give credit to LeBron for playing more than those aholes at 34yo.
Sure, but the Warriors bench got torched, so it’s not exactly surprising that the starters were sent back out there.
Not following you Charlie.
Always an excuse for them. Did y’all see Haverstoh’s tweet?
https://twitter.com/tomhaberstroh/status/998914193939197958?s=19
Can’t stand the hypocrisy and favoritism these TV personalities have
Dude, Stephen A’s a joke. He’s a clown.
I’m starting to think Ty Lue practices “mad man theory.” Basically always chooses the opposite of the rationale decision lest the opposing coach be able to predict what he’ll do next.
You know Brad Stevens is in that huddle with his assistants and someone is like “They’re gonna pull Green for Nance. Green is -38 in 6 minutes and Nance is +10 in 30 seconds.”…and Stevens is like “I don’t know guys”
Hahaha you’re giving Lue too much credit.
So is George Hill the key to our offense or is simply having a competent ball handler alongside LeBron the key to our offense? Based on that run with Jose early in the year I’d argue it’s the latter.
“keep an eye on George Hill. When Cleveland’s starting point guard is on the floor during the playoffs this spring, the Cavaliers have a tremendous offensive rating of 113.5… the highest figure of all players in Cleveland’s roster. Cleveland’s offensive rating when Hill is not on the floor in the playoffs plummets to 103.4. King of the Hill, indeed.”
In terms of playing above/below expectations, Hill is the second most important for Cavalier success after LeBron. Easier to survive an off game from KLove than one from GHill. Competent ball handling and decent perimeter D very much needed.
Sadly, an off game for Love happens far too often in the playoffs. I love Love, but there must be at least one game in every series when he is in foul trouble super early and is invisible for the game or at least until the fourth.
Good thing we won anyway.
Just to put a bow on that age 37 thing we did a bit back on Korver. Age 37 seasons: 1. Kareem: 22.0/7.9, 59.9% FG, Finals MVP, all-star, 2nd team all-nba, #4 in MVP vote. 2. Karl Malone: 23.2/8.3, 49.9% FG, all-star, 3rd team all-nba, #7 in MVP vote. 3. Tim Duncan: 15.1/9.7 on 49.0% FG. POs: 16.3\9.2 on 52.3% FG, NBA Champ. 12th in MVP. Was All-nba 3rd and 2nd team all-d the folliwing year (age 38 & 10th in MVP). 4. Michael Jordan. Retired at 37. Age 38 year: 22.9/5.7/5.2 on 41.6% FG. All-star. 13th in MVP. 5.… Read more »
Actually, Jordan was just 35 during his second retirement.
How good is LeBron tho? Just racking up the 40 pt playoff games dominating the other alleged mvp candidates.
A very interesting thing to monitor in the WCF is how short the rotations are for the Warriors and especially for the Rockets. Houston essentially plays a 6.5 man rotation and even Kerr, who played Varejao, Speights and Ezeli meaningful minutes all but gifting us Game 7, played his stars over 40 minutes. Especially for the Warriors, who are by no means accustomed to playing that much, it could have a ripple effect on the next series, hopefully with the Cavs. It even showed in the 4th quarter of last night’s game when they couldn’t hit a shot to save… Read more »
That is true. Good observation, specially with the Warriors.
Good point. That game was a clankfest late. Tired minds and bodies is a good exolanation (along with good defense). With Iggy out, Kerr plays 8. Starters + Livingston, Young, & Bell. OK, Cook got a couple min, but I doubt that happens if Klay does not limp out in the 2nd when Curry was already sitting with 3 fouls. Still: Liv & Young played only 28 minutes combined. Durant & Dray (missed open dunk) played over 40. Steph & Klay 39 despite injury scans & 3 1st half fouls. Rockets. 7 guys played. 4/5 of starters 40+ and Gordon… Read more »
I think we should be way past the point where we should expect Lue to alter the rotation when it comes to playing Cedi/not playing Green so much etc. Good had to reach -100 in the playoffs to get himself thrown out of the rotation. I don’t know if we will be the fresher team per se but Lebron isn’t gonna flinch when he plays 46 minutes in the finals.
I think you are right on Lue/Cedi. However, Cedi did play meaningful minutes vs Toronto. Ty has been flexible with the rotation. Jose, TT, Nance, Clarkson, & Hood have all been in and out of it so far.
That’s true, but given his history of playing Mo freaking Williams over Delly in a game 7 of the finals, because Delly was whistled for 3 quick fouls on Game 5 I believe, I for one expect Green to play 48 minutes before Cedi checks in. Hope I am wrong though.
Warriors have no depth at guard position this year especially if Iguodala starts and Draymond starts at C.