The embarrassing Cavs are heading back to Cleveland down 2-0 after getting absolutely annihilated by the Boston Celtics in the first two games of the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals.
Tonight’s game was particularly interesting because LeBron James decided to show up, unlike Sunday’s horrid showing. After days of hearing about how scary Bron Bron would be once he decided to “flip the switch,” I could not be more pleased with this result.
Despite LeBron’s 42 points, the Cavs could not prevail because they simply aren’t a very good basketball team. I tried to explain this to everyone before the series started, but the national media was too busy talking about how “no one can stop LeBron the way he’s playing right now.” What I said then is what I will repeat now: The Celtics don’t have to stop LeBron. Other than James and Kevin Love (who combined for 64 of Cleveland’s 94 points), the Cavs are seriously lacking in talent. Kyle Korver is a good shooter, but that’s pretty much all he does, J.R. Smith has forgotten how to score (and play defense, for that matter), and Jeff Green is Jeff Green. The Cavs only have two players who can actually make plays on the offensive side of the ball; Cleveland had only three players with 9+ points while the Celtics had seven. The Celtics are the deeper team, and that factor is proving to be important in this series.
Now, I haven’t even gotten into the defensive sphere, where the Cavs are complete trash as well. Tonight, they gave up several wide open shots and easy rebounds and found themselves allergic to steals (recording only 2 as opposed to the Celtics’ 8).
The most significant challenge that the Cavs have with the C’s is how the Boston Celtics play with such immense heart, toughness, and energy. Of course, the perfect example of this X factor is Marcus Smart, who led Boston in steals (4). The beauty of Marcus Smart is not just that he is tough but that he makes big-time plays in big-time moments. When the Celtics really need a momentum shift (or a play to keep momentum on their side), Smart is almost always there to do what needs to be done. With just under a minute to play in the first half, the Celtics were down by a significant margin, and what did Marcus do? He provided three straight assists, including one off a fantastic steal. In turn, he gave the Celtics a huge momentum boost as they went into the locker room. Another example of Celtic toughness was when Aron Baynes wrestled Larry Nance to the ground over a loose ball. It never stops with the Celtics--they’re constantly on the attack.
Most importantly, the Celtics play as a team. This was particularly evident when Marcus Smart nearly sent J.R. Smith to the gates of Hell after he committed one of the dirtiest plays you can make in basketball: pushing a defenseless guy with two hands as he’s hanging in midair. Smart immediately went up to J.R. and got in his face, only stopped by fellow players when he was preparing to throw a punch. Such intensity and emotional connection would probably not be shown from one Cavs player to another, as Jeff Van Gundy aptly noted by saying that the Cavs have “more eye rolls at each other than a bad marriage.”
Plus, everyone has been ignoring that the Celtics aren’t just a scrappy team; they actually have legitimate talent of their own (as our writer Austin Barach pointed out earlier this evening). Tatum and Brown both have serious star potential, Al Horford already is one, and “Scary” Terry Rozier is an emerging young point guard in the league. When you add this to the tough guy in Marcus Smart and role players like Marcus Morris and Aron Baynes, you get yourself a pretty solid team.
As of right now, I see no reason to change my prediction of Celtics in five. The Celtics are the better team and are playing like it, and they have a level of intensity that Cleveland just can’t match.
Regardless of how many games it takes, one thing is for certain: The Boston Celtics are headed to the NBA Finals.
(Stats via ESPN)
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