Cleveland Cavaliers vs Boston Celtics Game 4: What We Learned

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May 23, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) drives against Boston Celtics center Kelly Olynyk (41) in the first quarter in game four of the Eastern conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /

2. The Cavs continue to control the paint.

Cleveland’s dominance in this series has been predicated on their ability to control the paint on both ends of the floor. After settling for far too many jump-shots in Game 3, Cleveland made an effort to get back to what got them the series lead in the first place.

The Cavs outscored the Celtics by 34 points in the paint. Cleveland finished with 58 points in the paint.

The Big 3 did a good job of setting the pace inside. Their willingness to take the ball in inside is what brought them back into the game.

Cleveland also did a great job of owning the glass. They out-rebounded Boston by 8 as a result.

Kevin Love finished with 17 rebounds. Most of that is due to the Celtics attempting to box out Tristan Thompson with two and sometimes three defenders. As a result Thompson finished with just 7 boards.

The one game Cleveland lost in the series was the one they didn’t control the paint. Many people like to make a big deal about three pointers, and rightfully so. But the Cavs’ success offensively comes from dominating the paint first, not the other way around. The three point shot is a byproduct of controlling the paint for the Cavs.

Their emphasis on establishing the paint is what got them back into Game 4. Just like the rest of the series, their ability to control the paint will most likely determine the outcome of Game 5 in Boston.