Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics Game 3: What We Learned

What did we learn after the Boston Celtics defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals?

The Boston Celtics pulled out an improbable 111-108 victory to hand the Cleveland Cavaliers their first loss of the postseason.

Avery Bradley hit a game-winning 3 with less than a second to play. He finished the game with 20 points. Besides Bradley, the hero for the Celtics was Marcus Smart who started in place of Isaiah Thomas who will miss the rest of the postseason with a hip injury. He contributed a team high 27 points on 7 of 10 shooting from deep while collecting 7 assists.

Cleveland received solid games from Tristan Thompson, Kevin Love, and Kyrie Irving, but that was all overshadowed by LeBron James’s lackluster performance. He was held to just 11 points, none of which came in the fourth quarter.

There’s a lot to take away from this one, but it should be remembered that this is just one game in a seven game series. This could be a game that at the end of the day has very little effect on the remainder of the postseason, or it could be the turning point of the entire season. Only time will tell.

Here’s what we learned from Game 3.

1. The Cavaliers’ offense isn’t perfect.

The Cavs are an offensive juggernaut. They still have a league best offensive rating in the playoffs of 119.4. They also lead the league in effective field goal percentage (58.5%), true shooting percentage (62.3%), 3 pointers made per game (14.6), and three point percentage (43.0%).

The Cavs’ offense is still the best remaining in the playoffs, but they are still flawed. Game 3 showed us that.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Cleveland dominated the paint in Games 1 and 2 scoring an average of 46 points per game in the paint. However, the Cavs settled for just 24 points in the paint in Game 3. They also weren’t able to score in transition like they were in the first two games of the series. They were held to just 2 fast break points in Game 3 after averaging 16 per game in the first two contests.

The Cavs relied very heavily on the 3 point shot in Game 3. 39 of their 70 shots came from behind the arc. They shot a decent percentage and were particularly hot in the beginning of the game. The hot 3 point shooting of Love and Irving were the reason they were able to build a 21 point lead.

Relying on the three ball does have it’s downsides. It is a shot that has a high degree of variance. Just because it is working in the beginning of the game doesn’t mean that it will be sustainable for the entire game.

Going back to the stats I mentioned earlier, the Cavs weren’t able to score effectively in the paint or in transition in Game 3. That came back to bite them in the fourth quarter when the three pointer wasn’t falling like they did earlier.

Part of those numbers have to do with James having a poor game. His inability to score in the paint or capitalize in transition are reflected in the Cavs’ overall numbers. However, the point still remains that the Cavs are a much different team when they aren’t attacking in transition or getting to the rim.

The Cavs’ aren’t immune from rough stretches even though they are the best offense in the league. Game 3 was a reminder of just how important it is to have a well balanced offense. An offense that is one dimensional like the Cavs was on Sunday night is much easier to stop.

2. The Celtics can play without their star player.

Boston showed that they can adapt to a different style of play without their best player. They played a much more defensive oriented game without Isaiah Thomas. They also did a much better job of playing team basketball offensively as they combined for 28 assists as a team.

Many people have been quick to jump to the conclusion that the Celtics are a better team without Isaiah Thomas. I don’t believe the Celtics are better without Thomas. Teams don’t get better because they lose a star player. It reminds me of when people made the argument that the Cavs were a better team with Love and Irving out of the lineup in the 2015 Finals because it forced them to play a different style.

I believe a better takeaway from this game is not that Boston is a better team without Thomas. The takeaway should be that good teams that are well coached can adapt to various situations.

Brad Stevens did an excellent job of game-planning without his star player. The Celtics did a great job of executing that game-plan as well. They showed that they can adapt to different situations like this.

That is what good teams do. Despite what many thought after the first two games of the series, Boston is a good basketball teams. There’s a reason they’re the number one seed in the East.

3. Tristan Thompson is invaluable to the Cavs.

Irving and Love both had outstanding nights offensively. They combined for 57 of the Cavs’ points. That being said, Thompson was the best Cavalier on Sunday night.

Thompson was too much to handle on both ends of the floor. He finished with 18 points, on 12 of 15 shooting from the line, and 13 boards including 7 on the offensive end.

Thompson’s athleticism make him almost impossible for teams like the Celtics to handle. Thompson also has the versatility to dominate the paint, control the glass, and guard perimeter players if forced to. Having one player that can do all three of those things at a high level make him lethal to a small ball teams.

Game 3 was just another reminder of just how special of a player Thompson is. Especially for this team. He fits a role that few people in the league have the skill-set to fulfill. It’s a shame Thompson often times doesn’t get the praise he deserves.

4. The defense needs to readjust.

The defense let the Cavs down in the end. It was their inability to get stops at the end of the game that cost them. The Celtics were able to convert every possession they had in the final two minutes to seal the victory.

The Cavs were a terrible defensive team in the regular season. The Cavs’ 117 defensive rating in Game 3 was a painful reminder that not all of the defensive issues have been completely ironed out.

More from King James Gospel

• 3 possible starting lineups for Cleveland Cavaliers in 2023-24
• The Cavaliers may have snagged a hidden gem in Craig Porter Jr.
• 4 players the Cavaliers should pursue in 2024 free agency
• 6 players Cavaliers might replace Jarrett Allen with by the trade deadline
• This stat is one to keep an eye on for Cavaliers’ Max Strus in years ahead

Cleveland has done a good job of playing defense throughout the playoffs. They will never be the best defensive team in the league, but they don’t have to be. Their offense is what’s going to win games for them. Their defense just needs to keep them in games.

The Cavs have played good defense throughout the playoffs. Coach Lue has done a good job of utilizing their length and speed on defense. He’s done this by blitzing and doubling the opposing team’s best offensive player. We saw how Paul George, Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, and Isaiah Thomas’s style of play had to alter because of this defense.

The defense didn’t have anyone to double team and blitz in Game 3 with Thomas out of the lineup. As a result, they looked lethargic at times.

The energy on the defensive end wasn’t there for times. Many of the miscommunications we saw in the regular season were evident once again in Game 3.

Being forced to adjust to a different style of defense now could be beneficial for Cleveland. The aggressive trapping defense worked well against their previous opponents, but that style won’t against Golden State. The Warriors have too many weapons for that defense to work.

It is up to Coach Lue to find a defense that will work for the remainder of the series, and one that would work against the Warriors if both teams make it to the Finals. It’s better to experiment with a different defensive scheme in the Eastern Conference Finals than it is in the NBA Finals like they did last year.

While the defense did look bad at times, especially throughout the fourth quarter, it should be noted that much of Boston’s points came from shots the Cavs were willing to live with. Marcus Smart for example was 7 of 10 from 3. His career average from behind the line is .291 percent. That’s generally someone that the Cavs are willing to let take open 3’s. It just came back to bite them in Game 3.

5. LeBron James is only a human.

James has had one of the best postseason runs we’ve ever seen. Going into Game 3 he was tied with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the most consecutive playoff games with 30 points. However, that streak came to an end with a sub-par performance in Game 3.

James was held to  3 points, a rebound, steal, and 3 turnovers in the second half. He also didn’t score a point in the fourth quarter of a playoff game for the first time since Game 4 of the 2011 Finals. James finished with 11 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds, and 6 turnovers.

LeBron appeared to be disengaged for much of the night. He was quick to defer to his teammates and hesitant to drive to the basket. James was nothing like the assertive player that we had seen for the last 13 playoff games.

James took the blame for the loss, but he was quick to point out that this presents the Cavs with adversity for one of the first times this postseason.

If you’ve followed LeBron during his career, you know that he generally plays and performs his best when he is facing adversity. Even if it’s adversity that he created himself. I expect him and the rest of the team to bounce back in Game 4.

LeBron is a great player, but even he isn’t immune from occasional bad games. Unfortunately with the way the Cavs are constructed they won’t win many games if LeBron is having an off game like this.

Must Read: Examining LeBron's Horrific Game 3

The Cavaliers are facing adversity for the first time in playoffs. We’ll see how they respond in Game 4 on Tuesday night.