Cavs vs Celtics: 3 Things That Caught Our Attention
During Game Two of the Cleveland Cavaliers vs Boston Celtics series, there were many takeaways from the impressive 99-91 victory. Throughout the Cavs Vs Celtics, the Cavaliers showed both good and bad aspects and fortunately their good is capable to give them the win. These three aspects had a large impact on the final score and the Cavs taking a 2-0 lead in the series.
1. The Cavaliers’ slow starts
The Cavs are yet to start a game in this series on the right foot. In game two the Celtics once again took momentum early and showed much resilience until half time. Although the Cavaliers pulled away during the third quarter and ended much of the Celtics fight, the concern of slow starts has to be lingering within the locker room. These slow starts may not be the Cavaliers’ offense as much as their defense. During the first half of Tuesday’s game, the Celtics scored 50 points and only trailed the Cavaliers by 1. During the second half the Cavaliers only surrendered 41 points. The Cavaliers may be able to win this series without solving this problem, but moving towards the second round they need to solve their defensive sluggishness early in games.
2. LeBron’s takeover
Whether you are a fan or LeBron James or not, you have to respect his play. He knows exactly what he needs to do in order for his team to win. During Game Two, the Cavaliers looked like they may not be able to hold off the Celtics. That was until LeBron decided to take over. Scoring 30 points was exactly what was needed by James and he knew that he needed to. Watching him play, it was evident that he knew he needed to score in order to win, and that’s what he did. He didn’t just play offense though. James finished with 7 assists, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks in his takeover in Game Two. James didn’t let anything ruin his postseason hopes and it only took two games before he showed what he can do to win.
3. The Cavaliers’ big men
Besides LeBron James, Timofey Mozgov and Tristian Thompson may have been the biggest factors in the Cavaliers’ Game Two victory. During Game One, the two big men seemed to have the most postseason nerves, causing neither one of them to have impressive games. That all changed Tuesday night when both players looked like the postmen that the Cavs loved all season.
During Game Two the Cavaliers finished with 10 blocks, five coming from Mozgov. Mozgov played like the force he did during most of the second half of the regular season, finishing with 5 blocks, 7 rebounds, and 16 points. For Thompson, he didn’t need to take a shot to have an impact, scoring zero points. That didn’t matter, however, because he was able to grab 11 rebounds, five coming on offense. The two big men were a significant factor in the Cavaliers win, creating a lot of noise inside the paint. For the Cavs to continue winning this postseason, these two big men need to continue playing like they did tonight.
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The Cavaliers look like a championship team at times and an underdog at others. Moving into Game Three of Cavs Vs Celtics, the Cavs need to fix the sluggish performances at the beginning of games in order to win this series. We will be watching for Cleveland to fix their struggles, that with be an important factor on their long term success. However, if LeBron and the Cavs’ post players perform like they did Tuesday, then struggling to win games is almost nonexistent. With a 2-0 series lead over the Celtics, watch for the Cavaliers to continue to improve and build on each upcoming game.