The main problem for the Cavs? Their supporting cast can't match the Celtics stars
CLEVELAND — Donovan Mitchell and Jayson Tatum battled back and forth Saturday night during a pivotal Game 3. But one had plenty of offensive help, the other didn't, and that's why the Boston Celtics have a 2-1 series lead over the Cavaliers.
And it outlines perhaps the No. 1 problem facing the Cavs as they try to take down the top-seeded team in the East: Mitchell needs more help to keep up with the Celtics' firepower.
Mitchell was again terrific in Game 3, pouring in 33 points, which tied for the game high. He's been tremendous for the Cavs in their last six playoff games, dating back to Game 5 of the Orlando Magic series, a stretch in which he's averaged 35.3 points per game.
It's a wonder he doesn't have a back issue after carrying the Cavs offense to that degree.
But while Mitchell can lift the Cavaliers onto his shoulders for stretches, beating the Celtics 1-on-5 over the course of a series, or an entire game, isn't doable.
Tatum, who seemed to wake up after a snoozy Games 1 and 2, matched Mitchell's 33 points in Saturday night's Game 3 to lead the Celtics. But there was also Jaylen Brown, who scored 28 points on an extremely efficient 13-of-17 shooting from the floor. And there was Jrue Holiday, who finished with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting to go with five assists.
The Cavs didn't have a second 20-point scorer. And while Tatum, Brown and Holiday routinely hit shots in key moments to keep the Cavs at bay, there was nobody else on Cleveland's side to make the needed jumper to really cut into Boston's lead.
While Mitchell matched Tatum, the Cavaliers supporting cast couldn't keep up with Brown, Holiday and Co. And that, heading into Monday night's Game 4, is the Cavaliers' biggest deficiency.
At times, Mitchell has to balance attacking with trying to get teammates into a rhythm.
"Sometimes it's just running a play just to see how they guard it to save for later, sometimes it's running a play just to get a guy a shot," Mitchell following the Cavs' 106-93 loss, before detailing a play in which he passed it to Isaac Okoro after the Celtics trapped him. "Ultimately that wasn't the play, but it was part of what I was trying to do to get somebody a shot right there."
Evan Mobley finished with 17 points, though he had to sit for more of the third quarter after again rolling his ankle. Darius Garland and Caris LeVert each had 15 points.
It wasn't nearly enough to battle the Tatum-Brown tandem, especially when Holiday had such a productive night.
The Celtics have too much firepower for the Cavs offense to stall around Mitchell, and they know it.
Cavaliers deploy ultra-small lineup with Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Caris LeVert and Sam Merrill
Late in the third quarter, the Cavs went to an ultra-small lineup featuring Mitchell, Garland, LeVert and Sam Merrill all on the floor at the same time. It not only put four perimeter shooters in the game at the same time, but it allowed the Cavs to play at a faster pace to try to take advantage of Al Horford being on the floor for the Celtics.
"I mean, we're just trying different things right now," Garland said. "They got a pretty big lineup out there with two big guards [Holiday and Derrick White] and just trying to … make it difficult for them to keep chasing us and us to get downhill."
The Cavs had some success with it. That was the lineup that momentarily cut the Celtics' lead down to nine points in the fourth quarter, but a key 3-pointer to cut it to six just never fell.
It could be something the Cavs deploy again in Game 4 as they look to jump-start an offense that needs more punch around Mitchell.
"I thought it was good, I thought it gave us space," said Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. "We were struggling to score offensively, so I thought we just needed some space and try to put as much shooting out there as we could. I thought it gave us a nice little boost, but I thought it ran out of steam a little bit."
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com. Follow him on Threads at @ByRyanLewis.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs supporting cast must keep up with Celtics stars Donovan Mitchell
