'He started it for us': Evan Mobley was the linchpin of the Cavs' Game 2 win over Boston

BOSTON — Donovan Mitchell finished as the night's leading scorer, but the Cavaliers' Game 2 win over the Boston Celtics, first and foremost, went through Evan Mobley.

Coming off of their 25-point Game 1 loss to the Celtics, after which it looked like a Boston sweep was entirely possible, Evan Mobley opened the first quarter in a dominant way, pouring in 11 points and dishing out four assists in the first 12 minutes alone.

He finished with 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting to go with 10 rebounds, five assists, two blocks and a steal. He had a plus-minus while he was on the floor of +35, an absurdly high number to put up against the 64-win, No. 1 seed Celtics.

"I mean, he started it. He started it for us," said Max Strus. "The first quarter he had was huge. … I've said it before, we go as Evan goes, so he's going to see carrying us and he was phenomenal on both ends of the ball."

Mobley finished Game 1 on a tear as well, scoring several consecutive baskets, but it largely went unnoticed because it was in garbage time with the game's outcome well in hand. But it also offered Mobley a chance to figure out where he could best find his spots to be productive against the Celtics defense, which is a much different style than the one the Cavs faced in the first round against the Orlando Magic.

"I feel like [Game 1], second half, I caught a flow and started knowing how they were guarding me, where I can score from and I watched the film a little bit and came out here and tried to do the same thing and attack those spots and elevate and that's what I did," Mobley said.

Evan Mobley takes over center of Cavaliers defense with Jarrett Allen sidelined

It wasn't just Mobley's work on the offensive end that stuck out to the Cavs after the win.

The other aspect of his Game 2 performance that was notable: Mobley isn't playing his normal position or spot within the Cavs' system. The Cavaliers defense is built through the interior, and it starts with Jarrett Allen, whose primary responsibly is defending the rim. Mobley is then tasked with reading the play and determining where he needs to be in more of a hybrid role.

But with Allen sidelined with a ribs injured, Mobley has taken over that primary paint protector position.

"It's just the trust that they have in him because they understand how good he is at what he does," said Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, discussing how the rest of the Cavs work with Mobley at center. "He's one of the elite paint protectors in our league, and typically he does a great job of defending without even fouling."

The Celtics' 3-point attack was cold in Game 2 after being blistering hot in Game 1. But in addition to not having their normal production from behind the arc, Mobley's presence altered enough shots into misses in the paint that Boston failed to reach 100 points after putting up 120 to begin the series.

"They know he's back there, and they know that the shot the guy takes is going to end up being a difficult one and a lot of times, shots that typically would be at the rim, because they see him back there, become even more inefficient shots because now they're that low 7-, 8-foot pull-up or floater over a contested hand," Bickerstaff said. "It's a huge benefit for us to have him back there, and the trust feel from our guys understanding that he's there makes their job a lot easier."

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' Evan Mobley spurred Cavs Game 2 win over Celtics