NBA Playoffs 2024: Cavaliers searching for formula to slow down the Boston Celtics attack
BOSTON — The Cavaliers have a defense built on defending the rim, but they can be susceptible against a 3-point barrage. The Boston Celtics offense can do both, and the Cavs now have their homework for the rest of the series.
The Cavs were surgically dissected by the Celtics offense in Tuesday night's Game 1, which turned into a 120-95 loss for Cleveland and a showcase of why Boston is one of the biggest favorites of any second-round playoff series in recent memory.
Jaylen Brown had his way on the offensive end, finishing with 32 points. Derrick White torched the Cavs with seven 3-pointers. Jayson Tatum had a somewhat average game, but he didn't need to do anything more and remains capable of taking over at any moment.
Then there's Jrue Holiday hitting a couple of key buckets, and there's Payton Pritchard hitting buzzer-beating 3-pointers from just inside the mid-court logo, on and on and on (and on and on and on).
No team in the NBA hits more 3-pointers on average than the Celtics, who can also get to the rim with ease. And in Game 1 the Cavs were hit with a flurry of 3s and never recovered, as the Celtics poured in 18 shots from deep.
"It's a different game, especially for us defensively and what we're trying to do defending," said Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff, referencing the different styles between the Orlando Magic and the Celtics. "It'll take us a little bit of time to just kind of adjust.
"I think tonight was that night, and my expectation is we'll watch [the film], we'll study it, we'll break it down some more, get some reps at it, go at it again Thursday."
Cavaliers-Celtics playoff series; Cleveland must figure out Boston offense in Game 2
The Cavs had played the Celtics three times this season, going 1-2 during their regular-season matchups. But the playoffs are a different animal, at times with different styles of play. Game 1 can sometimes act as a feeling out process for the rest of a seven-game series. It also often forces teams to shift what they're doing as opponents make adjustments and counter-adjustments.
The Cavs know if they can't make the Celtics alter their offensive flow, this series could be a short one. Few teams have been able to really slow down the Boston attack.
One main goal that is clear to the Cavs, even before reviewing the film, is they need to beat the Celtics to where they want to go instead of allowing the ball to work its way through their sets.
"We need to do a better job of limiting the amount of 3-pointers they took, and that is being in our spots as early as we can be and doing a better job than we did tonight of reading the basketball," Bickerstaff said, also noting that while the Cavs can live with 3s off the dribble, they have to put a stop to the catch-and-shoot 3s. "As the ball moves, we have to move."
Game 1 was a clear-cut loss. The Cavs now have 48 hours to pore over the film and put a plan into place for how to knock the Celtics out of their rhythm. Cleveland has its own issues on offense — Darius Garland struggled again, and Donovan Mitchell, who scored a game-high 33 points, needed more help — but coming up with a blueprint to stifle the Celtics offense is priority No. 1.
That has to be the lesson from Game 1, that somewhere in the film of Tuesday night's 25-point loss is the key to unraveling the Boston barrage.
"I don't think you know everything, but I think you can see the formula of how to attack, how to put yourself and the group in proper positions to succeed," Mitchell said, speaking about how the Cavs can view the rest of the series. "So it's understanding that, but [knowing] you got to go through a game like this."
Tristan Thompson references 2016 Cavaliers Finals series to show how teams can 'figure out' opponent
After Game 1, Tristan Thompson was asked about how a team can figure things out about its opponent throughout a series. He referenced 2016, saying for that Cavs team, Game 3 was the key.
The Cavs did figure out some new ways to defend the Golden State Warriors, and their plan was largely the same over the next few games. Thompson noted their execution wasn't great in Game 4, but the plan remained in Game 5, and the Cavs went on to win the series and the title.
The 2024 Cavs are now in a similar position as the 2016 edition in the sense that much of their focus will be to scour film for any way to slow down Brown, Tatum, White and Co.
"This is the first time for this team going through something like this," Thompson said, referencing the Cavs transitioning from their Game 7 win to Game 1 of a new series. "I think today was just — we go out there and we see what our game plan [is], see how they react to it. Now we have that film, and I think we can make some adjustments."
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com. Follow him on Threads at @ByRyanLewis.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Cavaliers defense versus Boston Celtics a focus in playoffs
