Taylor Snow

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Neither Jayson Tatum nor Jrue Holiday had been scoring the ball to their standards over the past few games. However, the duo got back on track with their best respective performances of the postseason Saturday night to help the Boston Celtics come through with a bounce-back win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Tatum logged game-highs of 33 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists, while Holiday turned in 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting to go along with eight rebounds and five assists.

Meanwhile, Jaylen Brown kept his hot stretch alive with 28 points on 13-of-17 shooting, and the C’s rolled to a 106-93 win at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse where they regained a 2-1 series lead while handing Cleveland its first home loss of the postseason.

Tatum hadn’t logged a 30-point effort since March 28. Opposing teams had been loading up on him defensively of late, forcing him to impact the game in other ways, which he’d been doing. But it was nice to finally have a high-volume scoring night while also leading the game in several other categories.

“He’s a really great player that gets taken advantage of because he’s been really good for a long time,” said head coach Joe Mazzulla. “We really appreciate him. I thought he played a great game on both ends of the floor.”

Brown encouraged Tatum during warmups to come out aggressive, and that’s exactly what he did. The All-NBA wing scored eight points in the opening four minutes of the game and 12 total in the first frame. He drove to the rack relentlessly, earning nine trips to the free-throw line, where he made each attempt.

Al Horford said after the game that it was only a matter of time before Tatum put forth one of his classic, dominant efforts.

“JT is a special player,” Horford said. “He always figures it out. He’s the last guy I worry about.”

Holiday also had a special night. He scored 15 of his 18 points in the first half, logging his highest-scoring game since Feb. 9 (20 points against Washington).

Scoring at high volume isn’t typically part of Holiday’s role on this team, but it’s what the Celtics needed out of him Saturday night, and he delivered at elite efficiency.

“Jrue was amazing tonight, and Jrue is kind of the glue that keeps us all together,” Tatum said. “He literally does everything that we need him to, sacrifices sometimes taking single-digit shots a couple games in a row. On a night where he can attack the mismatches, he can post up guys, he can obviously shoot the three. When he's being aggressive and in that great rhythm, it makes us that much better.”

When those two guys are both in a rhythm simultaneously, it makes the Celtics that much harder to beat. Add in Brown's performance, plus the bounce-back effort from the defense, and you've got a recipe for a convincing win.

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Tatum, Holiday Bounce Back on Offense, Help C’s Respond with Game 3 Win

The Cleveland Cavaliers cut what had been a 23-point deficit down to single digits partway through the fourth quarter of Game 3 Saturday night, to which Payton Pritchard responded with one of the biggest momentum-swinging shots of his career.

With 7:42 left in the game, Boston’s backup point guard confidently rose up from the Cavs’ logo and buried the triple to put the C’s up by 12 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

That long-range dagger kickstarted a 10-5 run, and Boston led by double digits for the remainder of the game en route to a 106-93 win to take a 2-1 series lead.

Q4 7:42 - [BOS 91-79] Pritchard 3pt Shot: Made (5 PTS)

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Keys to the Game: Celtics 106, Cavaliers 93

BOSTON – A double-digit Game 1 win followed by a double-digit Game 2 defeat.

The Boston Celtics have been here before, and they know how to respond.

The vibe after Thursday night’s 118-94 Game 2 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers felt similar to that of two weeks ago when the C’s dropped the second game of their first-round matchup to the Miami Heat. Although this is a new series against a different team, Boston’s mindset heading into Game 3 will be the same as before: to channel the frustration of their loss into motivation for a bounce-back performance. And they're hoping for the same Game 3 result as before.

Such frustration was evident when Jaylen Brown took the podium and picked apart the team’s abnormally poor shooting and defensive performances. In the series-tying loss, Boston shot just 22.9 percent from 3-point range, nearly 16 percentage points lower than their postseason average, while on the other end allowing the opposition to score almost 16 points more than their postseason average.

“Obviously we didn’t shoot the ball very well tonight, but defensively it was an unacceptable performance, and I think that’s where I’m the most upset,” Brown said. “Defensively we gave up 118 points, and on top of that, we lost the rebound battle. So we didn’t help ourselves tonight.”

Brown went on to explain that there is only one way to counter a loss like this.

“You take it on the chin, you learn from it, and you come out and put your best foot forward for the next game," he said. "We need to be ready to respond.”

The Celtics have responded to almost every loss throughout the season, including their 104-84 bounce-back win over Miami in Game 3 of Round 1.

While they felt frustrated following their latest loss, they certainly did not feel demoralized.

“Nobody in there was defeated or deflated,” Jayson Tatum described of the scene inside the Celtics’ locker room. “I mean, you never want to lose, especially in the playoffs … But the world thinks we’re never supposed to lose; we’re supposed to win every game by 25. And it’s just not going to be like that all the time. So we don’t expect it to be easy. It’s a good team we’re playing in the second round of the playoffs. It’s going to be fun, the rest of this series, especially come Saturday. We’ve bounced back plenty of times. We lost what, 18 games this year? So I’d like to think that we responded pretty well the few times that we did lose.”

Part of the reason the Celtics have responded so well following their losses lies in their head coach’s philosophy of taking an even-keeled approach regardless of the result.

“You treat it the same way you would a win,” Joe Mazzulla said fresh off of the defeat. “You come in tomorrow, you watch film, and you get better for Game 3.”

Added the veteran Al Horford, “That's what we did the last time, and we have to understand we're going into Saturday into a hostile place. It's going to be a battle. We just have to make sure we're at our best. I'm confident that we'll be ready to go."

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C's Say They'll be Ready to Respond in Cleveland After Game 2 Loss

After dominating Cleveland in Game 1 of the East Semifinals, the Celtics got a taste of their own medicine in Game 2.

The Cavaliers blew open a 54-54 halftime tie with a 36-24 third-quarter advantage, riding a 16-point frame from Donovan Mitchell who came alive after scoring just six points in the first half.

Cleveland kept rolling into the final frame, going up by as many as 29 points before coming away with a 118-94 series-tying win.

Q2 8:30 - [BOS 37-33] Holiday Running Dunk Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Tatum (4 AST)

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Keys to the Game: Cavaliers 118, Celtics 94

BOSTON – Luke Kornet brought the bark and the bite to Game 1 Tuesday night, serving as a spark off the bench in Boston’s 120-95 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The 7-foot-2 backup center walked the walk with 10 rebounds, including six on the offense end, to go along with four points, two assists, and two blocked shots in 21 minutes of action.

And he talked the talk – or barked the bark – bellowing like a beagle after one particular offensive board late in the second quarter to the delight of both his teammates and the crowd at TD Garden.

“That’s just the dog in him,” Jrue Holiday described Wednesday afternoon. “We’ve got a bunch of dogs on this team, and he’s the big dog.”

Kornet has always been an emotional contributor, whether he is playing or not. He’s one of the loudest, more supportive members of the bench mob. And when he’s in the game, he consistently creates joy from his efforts, often leading to hilarious celebrations.

Payton Pritchard, for one, can’t get enough of Kornet’s blazing personality.

“I told Luke today, I like it when he shows emotion,” said the reserve point guard. “The crowd likes it too and we all like it. Basketball games should be played with emotion and with fire, and we want more of that.”

Holiday agrees, noting how contagious Kornet’s competitive fire is.

“I think it’s just something that's in us, really,” Holiday said. “Luke just helps us bring it out.”

However, Kornet is far more than just a personality. He is proving to be a legitimate contributor to this championship-contending squad, especially now that he’s being asked to step up and help fill the void of injured Kristaps Porzingis.

He is a force on the offensive glass, a strong rim-protector, a solid decision-maker, a fearless screener, and has a valuable basketball IQ overall.

“Luke reads the game, he’s an intelligent basketball player,” said Jaylen Brown. “He knows the right reads at the right time. And when he’s playing well, he’s not thinking; he’s just out there playing. He’s a 7-footer, so he contests shots at the rim and does a good job of just doing his job day in and day out, and that’s what we need. Luke has been a great benefit this whole year, but I’m looking forward to him stepping up and making big plays in the playoffs with Porzingis being out.”

Kornet’s recent play has been consistent with the other occasions when he’s been asked to step up throughout the season. In other words, Luke is no fluke.

He led the league in true shooting percentage, second in effective field-goal percentage, third in shot contests per 36 minutes, fourth in net rating, fifth in offensive rating, and sixth in offensive rebound percentage.

Plus, his presence brings a different dynamic to how Boston can operate, says head coach Joe Mazzulla.

“When he's on the floor, our spacing is different and he generates some good looks for us because of his ability to freelance and make reads on the offensive end,” Mazzulla said. “Between that and, I thought his pick-and-roll defense was good. He's been good for us all year and he's got to continue to be physical on both ends of the floor.”

And he’s got to continue to match his competitive bark with his ferocious bite.

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Kornet Bringing Both Bark and Bite to the Playoffs

BOSTON – Jaylen Brown opened the second round of the playoffs just like he opened Round 1: in attack mode right from the opening tip.

The All-Star wing scored nine of Boston’s first 12 points and 15 overall in the opening 7:19 of Tuesday night’s matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers, setting the tone for a 32-point personal outing as part of a 120-95 Celtics win.

Brown was aggressive just about every time he touched the ball, driving to the paint with force and creating scoring opportunities for both himself and his teammates. He shot 12-of-18 from the field, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range, while also knocking down all four of his free-throw attempts.

“He was in a great mode tonight, a great rhythm,” said Jayson Tatum. “He was making timely plays when maybe they were about to go on a run, so he was hitting big shots.”

You could tell how much of a rhythm Brown was in when he knocked down his third triple of the night early in the fourth quarter and started backpedaling toward the other basket before the ball reached the net.

His being in an unstoppable zone forced Cleveland to put extra attention on his drives, which opened things up for the rest of the team. Many reaped the benefits, such as Derrick White, who scored 25 points while knocking down seven 3-pointers.

“He’s unbelievable,” White said of Brown. “Just the things he can do on the court are special. I think he just consistently wants to get better. He had it going, but he was also making the right read and creating stuff for myself and my teammates. So he was unreal tonight. Started the game big for us and just consistently made the right play. And then when he has it going, it’s fun to watch.”

Brown’s ability to consistently make the right play has been a somewhat under-the-radar improvement this season, and one which head coach Joe Mazzulla has appreciated.

“He takes a ton of pride in just growing as a player every year, every game, every day,” Mazzulla said. “He spends a lot of time on it. He’s not afraid to go after something that he knows he can improve on, which I think is huge for his growth mindset. He has evolved. His ability to pick and choose his spots, and when to play in transition; he had a couple of times when he scored in transition, and two plays later he slowed it down, went mid-pick-and-roll, and made the right play. Even if he scores six or eight in a row and he gets into the paint, it’s a pass the next one. So he’s grown as a player, and it’s helped us, and he’s playing big stretches for us. It’s important.”

It's also important for Brown to come out with that same mindset every game, especially in the playoffs when opponents are making constant defensive adjustments.

“I had it rolling tonight, but each and every game presents different challenges,” Brown said. “I'm excited for Game 2. Going to come out with the same mentality. But you gotta see how they might guard, might cover you. You just wanna come out and make the right plays, the right reads – that's all it is.”

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Brown Helps Set Tone for Round 2 with Explosive Game 1 Effort

Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals was tight for all of eight minutes before Boston broke free from Cleveland for a blowout.

After being knotted 25-25 at the 4:06 mark of the first quarter, the Celtics went on a 15-6 run and never looked back. Jaylen Brown, who scored 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting during the opening frame, was one of the catalysts of the run, and the C’s rode his hot hand (32 points) all night.

The Celtics won every single quarter, leading by six points after one, by 10 at halftime, and by 15 after three, before cruising to a 120-95 win.

Q3 :01.1 - [BOS 92-77] Pritchard 3pt Shot: Made (10 PTS)

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Keys to the Game: Celtics 120, Cavaliers 95

The top-seeded Boston Celtics will open their Eastern Conference semifinal series on notice, as they face an opponent that already has expressed it has more to prove.

The well-rested Celtics and the stretched-to-the-limit Cleveland Cavaliers each will attempt to draw first blood when Game 1 gets underway Tuesday at Boston.

Boston advanced by beating eighth-seeded Miami in five games. Cleveland was pushed to seven games in its first-round series, getting Donovan Mitchell's 39-point performance as fourth-seeded Cleveland extended its season with a clinching 106-94 win over the visiting Orlando Magic on Sunday.

"This is why I'm here," Mitchell said. "It's my job.

"I don't mean this disrespectful, but it doesn't really mean much. We didn't come in just to win the first round. We accomplished one goal, now we have to do it again. That's the mindset."

Mitchell, who has been dealing with a left knee injury all season, scored 50 points in a Game 6 loss at Orlando. He has scored at least 30 points in 23 of his 52 career playoff games,

"That's what special players do when it matters most," Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "He was special when he needed to be."

Both teams are expected to be short-handed. Boston center Kristaps Porzingis is likely to miss the entire second round with a right calf injury the he sustained during the series against Miami.

"It's something, not nothing, so it will take a little bit of time, for sure," Porzingis said. "But I'm doing everything I can to speed it up because I want to be back out there as soon as possible. But understanding, like, the worst thing would be probably to reaggravate that. So being smart.

"You would have to ask the medical people about the specifics of it. I'm kind of just following the plan. But I'm hoping for a return as soon as I start to get better."

Cleveland center Jarrett Allen has missed the last three games with a rib injury. Allen averaged career bests with 16.5 points and 2.7 assists along with 10.5 rebounds in 77 games during the regular season. He averaged 17.0 points and 13.8 rebounds in four playoff games against the Magic.

The Cavaliers overcame an 18-point first-half deficit in Sunday's clinching victory.

"We showed a lot of fight," Cleveland's Caris LeVert said after scoring 15 points off the bench in Game 7. "We showed what we've been showing all year long. We just kept fighting.

"We've been there several times this year, not just games, just as a unit. We've been banged up. We've been injured. But we got a next-man-up mentality and we just never quit."

The Celtics won two of three meetings with the Cavaliers during the regular season. Mitchell didn't play when Cleveland earned a 106-105 victory at home March 5. The Celtics prevailed 120-113 and 116-107 in back-to-back games played at Boston in December.

Game 2 in the best-of-seven series will be played Thursday at Boston. The Celtics are trying to reach Eastern Conference finals for the third straight season, with the Cavaliers not shying away from the challenge.

"We know who we are - a team that's a contender," Mitchell said. "We did what we're supposed to do. In the grand scheme of it all, we just took seven games. So for us coming into Boston, I'm pretty sure everybody thinks they're going to come in and kick our ass. We just need to be who we are."