Having the best scorer in the series didn’t mean much for the Cavaliers in Game 1 as they got destroyed by the Boston Celtics 120-95. Donovan Mitchell delivered his standard 33 points, but as a team the Cavs shot just 41% from the field and 26% from three. They were also outrebounded 55-38, the Celtics just ran them over in every single aspect of the game. What’s also discouraging is the fact that Jayson Tatum had a mere 18 points on just 7-for-19 shooting and Cleveland still lost by 25 points. I don’t see how Game 2 is any different, especially with Jarrett Allen still being out with his rib injury. Without their defensive anchor, I’m afraid this series could be lost in a sweep. On the road at TD Garden the Cavs have just 1 victory in 11 visits, they’ve also lost 7 straight games away from home overall.
No Kristaps Porzingis, no problem. The Celtics offense has made the necessary adjustments without their scoring big man, with players like Derrick White and Payton Pritchard getting bigger roles and combining for 41 points in the win. A total of 18 threes were knocked down as well, compared to just 11 by the Cavs. Boston does like falling in love with the long ball, it’ll be interesting to see how they react when that shot isn’t going in. They’re once again heavy favorites to win Game 2, just like they were in the 2nd game against Miami at TD Garden. This Cleveland team does have a lot of fight in them, but they’re just overmatched right now and I don’t see how Boston let’s a game slip away.
