RAPID REMATCH
After dropping the series opener on Tuesday, the Wine & Gold look to even their Semifinal matchup with the Celtics in Game 2 on Thursday night in Beantown.
In Game 1 – two days after vanquishing the Magic in seven – the Cavaliers got off to a solid start before Boston began pulling away in the second quarter, taking a 10-point lead into the locker room and not looking back in the second half. The Cavs were held to 26 percent from beyond the arc and got beat up on the boards, 55-38, and again fell short of the century mark.
Donovan Mitchell led both teams in scoring and Evan Mobley notched his fourth double-double of the postseason, but Cleveland couldn’t overcome big efforts from Jaylen Brown, who poured in 32 points, and Derrick White, who drilled seven three-pointers in the win.
Following Thursday’s meeting, the series shifts back to Cleveland for Games 3 and 4 on Saturday and Monday nights. If necessary, the series returns to Boston for Game 5 next Wednesday, back to Cleveland the following Friday, and again back in Beantown for Game 7 if it goes the distance.
SUPPORTING CAST
When the Playoffs roll around, star players are usually able to lift their game. Sometimes, it comes down to a team’s role players. And on Tuesday night, as good as both teams’ headliners were, it was Boston’s bench that might have been the difference.
Payton Pritchard, who averaged less than 10.0 points during the regular season, managed to outscore the Cavaliers entire second unit – finishing with 16 points in 24 minutes of work, going 5-for-12 from the floor, 4-for-10 from long-distance, including his backbreaking buzzer-beater to end the third quarter.
Backup big man Luke Kornet was just as effective, grabbing 10 rebounds – six off the offensive glass – in 21 outstanding minutes of play off the bench. The 7th-year man from Vanderbilt, who actually played two games with Cleveland back in 2021-22, also recorded a pair of blocks in the win.
No Cavalier reserve scored more than four points in Game 1, although Caris LeVert chipped in with seven boards, three assists and a block. Tristan Thompson chipped in with four points and a block and Marcus Morris Sr. added three boards in just nine minutes of work.
MAX EFFORT
During the regular season, Max Strus averaged career-highs in scoring, rebounding and assists, but he’s been up and down through the postseason’s first eight games.
After failing to score in double-figures through the first four games of the First Round series against Orlando, Strus eventually found his rhythm – averaging 13.0 points per over the last three meetings, shooting 52 percent from the floor and 43 percent from long-range.
In Thursday’s Game 1, the 4th-year man from DePaul finished with five points on 2-of-8 shooting and had his hands full with Boston’s top scorer, Jayson Tatum.
The Celtics five-time All-Star forward doubled-up in Tuesday night’s victory, but Strus and Co. limited him to 37 percent (7-of-19) shooting, including and 0-for-5 mark from three-point range. Tatum did manage to lead Boston with 11 rebounds – the fifth time in six postseason outings with double-digit boards.
Tatum has been good but not great to start the Playoffs – shooting better than 40 percent from the floor in just two games so far. Tatum topped the 30-point plateau on 27 occasions during the regular season, but has yet to reach that mark in the tournament. Over his last two outings, the former Duke standout is averaging 17.0 points per on 39 percent shooting.