Before it became clear the Boston Celtics would meet the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round, Derrick White was asked to give a scouting report on the Cavaliers and Orlando Magic.
Garland and Mobley returned before the end of that run, but the Cavaliers discovered a winning formula before they did.
Mitchell ran the show, Jarrett Allen held it down inside and their teammates spaced the court and fired away.
The Cavaliers finished the regular season on a 12-17 spiral with the 20th-ranked offense and 25th-ranked defense during that stretch.
It wasn’t like the Kristaps Porziņģis situation where Boston was facing a depleted team, as Orlando is tough and talented, if flawed offensively.
Against Cleveland, Boston should have a few.
Horford is the guy and it’s not just that he has to hold this whole thing together without Porziņģis.
And can he defend above the rim to prevent Allen and Mobley from dunking all over Boston?
Undisclosed at the time, Derrick White was asked to provide a scouting report on the Orlando Magic and Cleveland Cavaliers before it was known the Boston Celtics would play them in the second round.
White remarked, “They’re both good.”.
If that’s not enough of a sneak peek at Boston’s second-round series against Cleveland, which gets underway at TD Garden on Tuesday, The Athletic’s Celtics writers Jay King and Jared Weiss went into a little more detail after Donovan Mitchell’s explosive play again destroyed the Magic on Sunday.
Why are the Cavaliers dangerous?
King: This has been an odd season for the Cavaliers. When Darius Garland and Evan Mobley both missed significant amounts of time at once early in the season, they ran into some possible trouble, but they still triumphed without the two starters. Cleveland had some of the best basketball in the league from the middle of December until the All-Star break, going 23-5 with a commanding plus-11.5 net rating. Before that run ended, Garland and Mobley made a comeback, but the Cavaliers had already figured out a winning formula. Jarrett Allen kept things tight inside, Mitchell directed the action, and their teammates spread out across the court and fired away.
After then, things haven’t gone as smoothly. With their offense ranking 20th and their defense ranking 25th, the Cavaliers concluded the regular season on a disappointing 12-17 run. While Mitchell’s frequent absences from games did not help, Cleveland also had to deal with other problems, such as Mobley and Allen’s inconsistent fits as its starting big men. While the Cavaliers’ ability to perform at a high level during the midseason is evident, what are the chances that they can actually challenge Boston after their terrible performance in Orlando?
Weiss: Cleveland pulled off an impressive series victory without Allen. Orlando is tough and talented, albeit offensively flawed, so it wasn’t like the Kristaps PorziņĚis situation where Boston was up against a depleted team. It had to be earned by Cleveland. They were able to accomplish that by starting former Celtics Marcus Morris and Tristan Thompson in place of Allen, who missed the final three games of the series due to a rib injury. It is a remarkable achievement in and of itself to win with that bench in 2024.
Cleveland may be harmed by their depth on defense. Boston can easily target every player in their bench rotation right now, including Allen, who was unable to return for Game 7. Will he be ready for Game 1 48 hours later? With Mobley appearing allergic to screen contact, Boston’s defensive players should be able to stay on Mitchell and Garland, but how will Cleveland assemble strong defensive units without Allen, particularly with Celtics killer Dean Wade also sidelined with a right knee sprain? Even without PorziŇģis, Cleveland appears to be too thin to handle Boston’s offensive versatility.
In what ways does the Celtics handle the absence of Kristaps Porziņġis?
King: The Celtics will undoubtedly suffer from PorziŇĢis absence, but this series might manage without him. Al Horford can spread out the big men on the Cavaliers and make it difficult for them to guard the rim. Horford spends more time spotting up on the perimeter than does a healthy Porziņģis, but he could still do so as well. Despite Mobley and Allen’s exceptional defensive skills, Cleveland has certain shortcomings, such as a deficiency of size in the backcourt. They may find it very challenging to contain all of Boston’s big guards and wings as a result, particularly if Horford is able to occupy Allen (assuming he returns).
Luke Kornet will probably get the first crack at backup minutes behind Horford, but Joe Mazzulla may also think about starting Xavier Tillman there. Tatum at center might not be completely out of the question, but I could be completely wrong. Even though the Celtics would be at a size disadvantage, Allen would probably struggle to stay up with just perimeter players.
Weiss: Kornet seems like the most likely option, especially if Allen plays. In their previous meetings, Boston used him as their backup center, and his length is crucial in containing Cleveland’s aerial threat. Boston will need his length there to make sure they finish possessions well because Cleveland has the potential to hurt them on the glass. Boston could hunt down matchups in the post with great success because Cleveland’s guards are small. It will be difficult to force Cleveland to switch without PorziņĂis available.
How does Boston manage the backcourt of Garland and Mitchell?
King: Boston should try to limit the impact of the Cavaliers’ explosive backcourt, which consists of Mitchell and Garland. Garland can dominate a game with his playmaking or scoring, but our own Joe Vardon wrote a great piece on his recent lack of scoring aggression. Prior to suffering an injury following the All-Star break, Mitchell was having one of the best seasons of any guard this year. When combined, they present a great deal of difficulty. They exert a great deal of defensive pressure.
Even though the Magic are a top defensive team and Cleveland was still unable to score frequently against them, Mitchell and Garland won’t go away. Against those guys, the Celtics will have to be extremely vigilant.
Weiss: Jrue Holiday on Garland just seems like a big boon for Boston. As good as it gets in the league, Holiday can body up a player and throw off their rhythm throughout a series. Jaylen Brown appears to frequently watch over his friend Mitchell, so White will spend a significant portion of the night pursuing Max Strus. With Wade evolving into Klay Thompson and Cleveland’s ability to rebound and run the rim, Boston can be troubled, but Cleveland’s backcourt matches Boston so well.
An added benefit is that Boston can switch and still have competitive matches, and Horford will likely be more useful than Porziņģis in stopping Cleveland’s power forwards. However, they can start savoring pull-up threes or kick-outs to Strus if Garland and Mitchell can get into the paint and force Horford to drop closer to the rim.
The Celtics can shoot who?
Weiss: One irony of the Magic series is that Orlando began to mount a comeback against Cleveland by isolating Mobley and attacking him with Franz Wagner. It didn’t make sense at first because Mobley is one of the NBA’s most formidable defenders. Wagner would reach the free-throw line before the Magic wing would begin his actual attack, but Orlando’s small lineup allowed them to effectively space the floor. In order to put Mobley deep in the paint and then use fakes to get him in the air for fouls, Paolo Banchero was able to push through him as well.
It appeared to be quite similar to the moves Tatum makes during those same clearout situations. Tatum is the best player for this matchup because he can shoulder his way across the paint and finish with a finger roll, but a lot of Brown’s package wouldn’t work against Mobley because the Cavs defender can block a lot of those fadeaways and quick pull-ups.
It will be simpler for Boston to use Mobley in pick-and-rolls and then switch him onto Tatum if Allen is starting from the bench or is at the very least injured. Most importantly, Boston has so much more room to attack behind Allen when Mobley is closer to the attack point when he is off the floor. Tatum can score more points against Mobley than nearly anyone else in the league despite the fact that he is a nightmare of a defender for most players.
King: Despite ranking seventh in defensive efficiency, the Cavaliers will face some difficulties in their second-round matchups. I predict Boston to try to pick on Garland in their starting lineup because he is a smart guy but is outmatched physically at 6-foot-1, 192 pounds. If Garland gets stuck on White or Holiday in switches, even they will have a significant size advantage over him, not to mention Tatum and Brown.
The Boston Celtics can be deadly when they have a matchup to hunt and have had some success going after Miami’s smaller defenders, such as Tyler Herro. Boston should have a few against Cleveland.
Identify the X-factor.
King: I don’t know what opponents will do to the Celtics if White continues to play like he did in the first round, even though he may have passed the “X-factor” stage by now. Despite attempting close to nine 3-pointers per game, he only shot 47.7 percent. He shot 74 points at true shooting with efficiency, averaging 22 points per game. And throughout it all, he delivered his customary first-rate defense. All things considered, Tatum and Brown are formidable opponents. The Celtics can blow through any kind of defensive cover when White scores as many points as he did against Miami.
Weiss: At this stage of his career, White is much more of a legitimate star than an X-factor, but the Celtics have so much talent on the team that anyone can be an X-factor. Horford is the man, and his task is not limited to keeping everything cohesive in the absence of Porziņģis. Horford will find it simple to carry out Boston’s defensive coverages and make wise decisions with the ball. The real questions are: Can he defend above the rim to stop Allen and Mobley from dunk all over Boston, and can he capitalize on the clean looks that Cleveland will give up on pick-and-pop plays?
