Watching the Market: Cavs at Celtics Game 2

In Evan Mobley’s postseason breakout, the Cavaliers trounced the Boston Celtics 118-94, heading back to Cleveland with the series tied 1-1. 

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Evan Mobley learned from Game 1

It appears that Evan Mobley also saw that he left a lot on the table in Game 1 on Tuesday. After looking hesitant early after passing up a switch on Derrick White deferring by kicking it to Okoro, Mobley went to work by scoring on back-to-back looks against Al Horford in the post. Mobley had an assertiveness throughout the game that, in the past, would last for only a quarter.

Mobley was also aggressive in pushing the ball in transition. Grabbing rebounds and upping the tempo was devastating for the Boston Celtics’ defense which is at it’s best when able to set up in halfcourt. Having the guards that the Cleveland Cavaliers possess makes Cleveland a potent transition offense. He was the connective tissue that allowed the guards to be themselves. Mobley finished the game with five assists.

Defensively, Mobley had his presence felt all over the Celtics’ offense, especially in the paint. Mobley altered looks at the rim and was a one-man wrecking crew, when you compare the Celtics looks in Games 1 and 2 around the rim, it felt night and day with how hard it was for the Celtics to generate clean opportunities around Mobley.

Mobley finished with a playoff career-high 21 points. Hopefully, this means Mobley has found something in this Celtics series that could transfer back to Cleveland.

Donovan Mitchell the closer

Mitchell, took the allotted rest while Mobley was going in the first half and looked spry in his second half. The perimeter was Mitchell’s best friend as he finished 5-7 from three including a statement buzzer-beater over Jayson Tatum to end the third quarter.

It felt like Mitchell didn’t score out of necessity in game two rather than luxury. In the Orlando series, Mitchell was the lifeline of the Cleveland offense. With Mobley, Garland, and LeVert all having their moments in the game, Mitchell was able to shoot in his spots rather than generate looks solely by himself.

As Mitchell has his third straight game with 25 points, five assists, and five rebounds the Cavaliers and their team leader appear to be heading in the right direction.

Caris LeVert leads bench aggression

In Game 1 it would have taken five points to lead the Cleveland bench in scoring. It was evident that someone needed to take the initiative to bring some kind of punch to match what Boston is capable of offensively.

Caris LeVert came in on a mission to have an aggressive mindset. LeVert was actively taking on the Celtics in isolation and driving well and often against Boston bigs. LeVert looked like the guy who was in the running for the Sixth Man of the Year during the middle of the regular season. He finished with 21 points on 9 for 17 shooting, getting to the line as well as going 3 for 4. The Cavaliers need every ounce of juice out of their bench. Performances like his in Game 2 were critical.

Tristan Thompson the stabilizing backup big

It felt like for the majority of the first half, the Cavaliers staff was attempting to solve the puzzle of who can hold the backup back minutes. After the fizzling results of having Niang and Morris attempt to fill those minutes and being targeted relentlessly by the Celtics there was little choice but to turn to Tristan Thompson.

Thompson was fantastic in his minutes in the third quarter. Thompson was aggressive in driving forwards of the Celtics, pushing them off their spot and deterring lanes that were gaping in the absence of Mobley. Thompson doesn’t need to be anything special. He just needed to stabilize the interior defense slightly more than anything that received non-Mobley minutes in the first half.

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Small Lineups

Early in the second quarter, J.B. Bickerstaff unveiled one of the more bizarre lineups. Bickerstaff went small with a lineup consisting of Darius Garland, Max Strus, LeVert, Georges Niang, and Marcus Morris. The Celtics essentially had the green light to drive to the rim whenever they pleased. This lineup’s lack of aggressiveness and size allowed a 19-5 run and completely diminished the momentum building off a great close to the first. Hopefully, this lineup and the concept were a one-and-done as the team rolled post this lineup’s death.