Two weeks into the season, the Celtics have realized lots. Their protection continues to want sharpening. They have to be higher on the glass. Consistency has eluded them by seven video games.
And, amongst different issues, the Cavaliers have introduced themselves as a serious downside, to the Celtics and the remainder of the league.
In the matter of 5 days, the Celtics have realized that lesson the onerous manner in two video games that might be an early preview of a playoff collection subsequent spring. The C’s appeared poised to avenge final Friday’s additional time loss on Wednesday night time in Cleveland, however given one other further session, the upstart Cavs proved to be an excessive amount of.
Jaylen Brown scored 30 factors and Jayson Tatum overcame a gradual begin to rating 26, however the Cavs as soon as once more made extra successful performs down the stretch. All-Star guard Darius Garland returned to put up 29 factors and 12 assists, and Donovan Mitchell was massive late because the Celtics fell to the Cavs, 114-113, in an additional time traditional. Brown’s game-winning try on the buzzer missed because the C’s fell to 4-3.
“If we want to get to where we want to get to, we have to go through games like this,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla advised reporters in Cleveland. “We have to, including myself, we have to learn how to win these games, we have to learn how to execute. Our guys played hard, both teams played really hard. It came down to just a couple plays.”
In a generally chaotic recreation of punches and counter-punches, the Celtics discovered themselves inside one possession for a lot of the fourth after dropping a double-digit lead within the third quarter.
They trailed by two within the last seconds when Tatum – who began gradual offensively however was nonetheless impacting the sport in different methods – created an MVP-like sequence to pressure additional time. With 10 seconds left in regulation, Mazzulla drew up an ideal play out of a timeout, as Marcus Smart discovered a operating Tatum, who drove to the ring and slammed a vicious one-handed dunk over Jarrett Allen to tie the sport.
Tatum needed a foul referred to as, however regained his composure alternatively to make a formidable block of Mitchell on the buzzer to ship the sport to additional time.
But the Celtics couldn’t carry the momentum to a victory. Garland hit a second-chance 3-pointer to start the additional session, and Allen’s dunk with 1:50 left gave the Cavs a five-point lead. Still, the C’s had an opportunity. Brown and Tatum hit back-to-back buckets to chop the deficit to at least one, and with 46.9 to go, Smart drew an offensive foul, his second down the stretch.
But on the following possession, Smart pressured a foul shot. And with 26 seconds left, the Celtics selected to not foul and Garland missed a 3, giving the C’s an opportunity to win with 2.3 seconds left. But Brown, defended effectively by Dean Wade, couldn’t hit a fadeaway try.
“I thought it was going in,” Mazzulla stated.
The Celtics trailed by as many as 11 late within the first quarter as they allowed a 35-point body to the Cavaliers, however appeared like a distinct crew within the second quarter. It all began on the defensive finish.
Grant Williams and Tatum set the tone to start the interval with back-to-back blocks and the Celtics began getting out in transition. Brown began a 13-0 run capped by Tatum’s dunk in transition to assist in giving the Celtics a six-point lead at halftime after the C’s outscored the Cavs 29-15 within the quarter and held them to 6-for-24 capturing, after Cleveland scored 35 within the first.
But as their irritating seek for consistency continued, the Celtics, who led by 12 within the third, gave all of it away as they blew one other double-digit lead. The Cavs went on a 12-0 run within the third and took a lead as massive as 9 by the top of the interval earlier than the C’s responded with a 12-0 spurt of their very own to start the fourth, which arrange the entertaining end as each groups went blow for blow.
But in addition to the Celtics performed, the Cavs – like final Friday in Boston – simply made extra performs in crunch time.
“To get over the hump, it’s little, small details,” Mazzulla stated. “There are just habits you have to build consistently and every night, there’s no nights off and it’s just small plays here or there. Like I said, our effort’s always there, our intentionality is always there, guys want to win, it’s just small details that we have to work through over and over again.”
The Celtics had been a lot better on the glass as they really outrebounded the Cavs regardless of their measurement drawback, however gave up just a few pricey offensive boards late. Still, even in a loss, it was a step in the appropriate path because the C’s determine issues out.
“I thought all of our guys did a great job of team rebounding,” Mazzulla stated. “It was one of our best rebounding nights. Again, it’s a long year and in situations like this, you can’t lose sight of the great things that we did and then you have to learn from the small details that cost us.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com