Celtics Cavaliers recap


                                                                                                                                                                      
The Celtics defeated the Cavaliers 125-105 in an unexpected but dominant victory. Cleveland was 3-1 heading into the game and was widely considered a top two team in the Eastern Conference, but the Celtics took care of them handily. 

The first quarter was a barn burner, with both teams scoring over 40 points and hitting tough shots. Donavan Mitchell and Sam Hauser was the duel of the first quarter, with Mitchell going 4/4 from three while Hauser went 5/6. 

Cleveland hit 9 straight threes to end the quarter, and it appeared that the Celtics defensive struggles were going to continue, but in the second quarter the Celtics took control, winning the period 35-18. 

The offense was just as lethal, with Jaylen Brown doing a lot of the damage with 18 points. Defensively, they took the game over, holding the Cavaliers to 5/17 shooting in the 2nd. The Celtics ended the half on a 20-3 run, giving them a 75-60 halftime lead. 

The third quarter was a struggle for both teams offensively, with neither team being able to shoot above 35% from the floor. The story of the quarter was offensive rebounding, with the Cavaliers grabbing 6, and the Celtics grabbing 5. Cleveland, however, was able to capitalize, scoring 10 second-chance points to keep them in the game despite their offensive struggles. 

In the fourth quarter, the Celtics were able to put the game away for good, winning the period 27-20. The defense was once again suffocating, holding Cleveland to 8/24 shooting and 1/13 from three in the quarter to give them their best win of the season thus far. 

                          The good

Defensively, this was their best game of the season. After a poor 1st quarter, they allowed 63 points the rest of the game. Donovan Mitchell was held to three points in the final three quarters, leaving Cleveland with nobody else to threaten them. Going forward, this game could be a huge confidence booster on the defensive side of the floor. 

The offense was potent throughout the game. Sam Hauser lit it up with 7 threes, Jaylen Brown scored an efficient 30 points, Anfernee Simons scored 14 points off of the bench, Payton Pritchard had 10 assists, and the rebounding as a team was excellent. 

Neemias Queta, Luka Garza, and Josh Minott each had 5 offensive rebounds. These hustle plays from the role players played a huge factor in the offense playing as well as they did. For the game, the Celtics finished with 18 offensive rebounds for 23 second-chance points, a stark contrast to the first 3 games of the season. 

Smart, pass-first basketball was on full display in this game. The Celtics recorded 29 assists to just 10 turnovers. When the offense plays with ball movement rather than isolation, they are at their best. 


                            The bad

As good as the offense played, Derrick White still struggled, shooting just 5/20. For the season, White is shooting 31% from the floor and 25% from three, despite leading the league in three-point attempts. 

With an expanded role, a dip in efficiency was expected, but White has been much worse than anticipated. It is still early in the season, but Derrick White's struggles have hurt the Celtics offense so far this season. 

As good as the defense was for 3 quarters, the first-quarter defense was equally as bad. This is the third time so far this season that the Celtics have allowed a 42-point quarter, with two of them costing them the game. The defense has been excellent for most of the season, but they cannot afford to continue allowing 40-point quarters. 

Fouling and giving free throws has been a problem for the Celtics this season. They allowed the Cavaliers to shoot 24 free throws, and through 5 games, the Celtics are 23rd in fouls per game and 24th in free throw attempts allowed per game. 


                          Conclusion

This was a very impressive win over a team that is a championship contender. The offense and defense played extremely complimentary to each other, which allowed for a 20-point victory despite a clear need for improvement in some areas. 

The Celtics will head to Philadelphia on Friday night with a chance to avenge their disappointing opening night loss against the 76ers and put themselves right back in the mix in the Eastern Conference.  

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