Recap: Celtics 116, Cavs 106 (or, Addition by Subtraction)

The old adage that less is more was in full effect tonight at the Quicken Loans Arena. In the macro sense, for the Cavaliers less wins equals more ping pong balls in the upcoming Lottery. In the micro sense, less Kyrie Irving equals more wins for the Celtics.

To further pile onto the Live Thread introduction, Uncle Chicken didn’t bother making this latest return trip to play his former team… and, not un-coincidentally, his current team ended their longest losing streak of the season at four games. Sure, this is a Cavs team that fights hard but typically folds towards the end… but there’s an interesting pattern forming. After this win, the Celtics are an incredible 11-2 minus their “leader” vs. 33-29 when he plays. And, if you think that sample size is small… consider that the Celtics looked a whole lot more like the team that took last year’s Cavs to the brink in the Eastern Conference Finals tonight then they have with Kyrie on the floor lately.

Meanwhile, the Cavs added some toughness off their bench… while subtracting some shooting from the starting lineup… particularly Kevin Love. It was a pretty rough night for Kev, as the front line of Aron Baynes, Al Horford and Jayson Tatum gave him fits shooting the rock. He was 0-8 in the first half on his way to a brutal 3-13 (0-5 from three), though still managed an ugly double double with 10 points and 11 boards. Support did come from the pine… not just in the form of points (45), but also with some surprisingly decent defense at times to help the Cavs continually yo-yo back into the game.

It was also another good game by Collin Sexton who continued to subtract the mid-range from his repertoire in favor of adding three point shots and drives. Boston is a good defensive team, so the Young Bull was just 3-7 from downtown as many of them were contested. Still, he finished 9-19 overall, and chipped in three assists against just one turnover.

As mentioned, it was a yo-yo type of affair, where the Cavs would fall behind by 8-12 points… only to claw their way back with stops, hustle and timely buckets. They kept things competitive right up until the last two minutes when they were still within six. At that point, the Marcuses (Smart and Morris) took over on both ends… scoring and preventing scores with equal efficiency.

The first quarter was all about Jayson Tatum showing what he can do minus the yoke of Kyrie running the offense for the Celtics. He scored 14 points in the period, and all 21 of his total points in the first half, making all three of the triples he took before halftime. Fortunately for the Cavs, Cedi Osman and Jordan Clarkson helped subtract the deficit with plays like this touchdown reception…

Jordan Clarkson does his best Uncle Rico impression for a State winning touchdown pass to Cedi! #BeTheFight pic.twitter.com/2hk0hCH0Lv

— Bally Sports Cincinnati (@BallySportsCIN) March 26, 2019

Though the wine & gold trailed by just five at the end of one, they fell behind by as much as nine early in the second. Once again though, Cedi Osman helped spark them with a deep three from the top of the arc…

.@cediosman is starting to cook.

📺 #BeTheFight on @FOXSportsOH pic.twitter.com/wMV8gZT6W1

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) March 26, 2019

Then Collin Sexton added to the comeback, giving the Cavs their last lead of the game (51-50) with a five point burst. But, the Celtics finished the half on a 7-0 run authored by Al Horford and Jayson Tatum, and the Cavs trailed 57-51 at the break.

The Cavs went dry to start the second half, making just one FG in the first six minutes. They fell behind by 12 at several points, as the starters couldn’t get the ball in the hoop. Once again, the claw back was ignited by a Cedi triple… and followed up by some more Jordan Clarkson playmaking magic…

.@JordanClarksons is droppin' dimes tonight. pic.twitter.com/y2FPBDgwaX

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) March 27, 2019

How about that wrap-around dime to Nance, Jr.?

The Marcuses pushed the lead back out with a barrage of threes (as they’re wont to do against the Cavs… especially when Kyrie isn’t playing), but the Cavs hung tough, down just seven at 88-81 going into the final frame on the strength of this roll-out Young Bull dunk just before the buzzer…

FLEX THOSE HOPS, ROOK! #BeTheFight pic.twitter.com/M1bQHdzv76

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) March 27, 2019

The momentum really seemed to be in the Cavs favor over the first three minutes of the fourth, as they continued to close the gap, and finally pulled even with the Celtics on a rare five point spree by Marquese Chriss. The big quiche threw down a dunk on a dime from Nance, Jr., and then drained a triple to knot things at 92. After that, Boston turned up the defensive intensity, the Cavs got sloppy with the ball, and Horford drained what looked to be a heartbreaking dagger three.

But, the Cavs kept being the fight, subtracting the gap down to six with just under three minutes remaining on this LNJ jam over a prone (and floppy) Baynes…

Give @larrydn22 a runway and he's bound to take off! 🛫

📺 #BeTheFight on @FOXSportsOH pic.twitter.com/Us2f2DBm7p

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) March 27, 2019

From there, the Marcuses multiplied their effort and divided the Cavs’ chances for victory.

Pluses

The Cavs shot 49% from the field and spent the night moving the ball well, adding up 24 assists.

Collin Sexton and Cedi Osman stayed relatively hot from deep, combining to hit 6-13.

The bench was a positive integer with 45 points on 17-30 shooting, with 15 rebounds and 13 assists.

Larry Nance, Jr. and Jordan Clarkson both had above average games.

Kevin Love still wound up totaling a double double, even though his shot wasn’t falling.

David Nwaba provided a defensive square root on the second unit to help keep the Cavs in the game.

Minuses

The Cavs allowed the Celtics to shoot 50% from the field and spent the night not closing out on shooters.

Tristan Thompson and Brandon Knight were limited in their limited minutes.

The Boston bench was almost as good as the Cavs with 40 points, 20 rebounds and seven assists.

The Marcuses, Gordon Hayward and Horford had great games, and Tatum had an insane first half.

Kevin Love almost shot the Cavs out of this game by himself in the first half going 0-8.

The Celtics defense turned the Cavs over 14 times which was costly.

All Things Being Equal

While it wasn’t quite the satisfying close loss the Cavs suffered at the hands of the Clippers last Friday, it also wasn’t the blowout they experienced against the Bucks on Sunday. It was somewhere in between, but still served the purpose of keeping the wine & gold locked into the third best odds to win the NBA Lottery. It was also (aside from my diatribes) completely free of the misery of Kyrie Irving. Honestly, I’m glad to have the youthful exuberance and refreshing candor of a Collin Sexton over the petulant snark and dramatic self-centered aura that exudes from Uncle Chicken. The Cavs might win less games without him around anymore… but the Celtics might just start to realize they can win more. He’s probably still the addition they need once the playoffs start… but for now, he’s just a subtraction from their collective focus.