For those of you who have watched the Longest Yard (the newest one), here’s an analogy for this series. The Celtics are Adam Sandler, and the Cavaliers are like Michael Irvin during the one-on-one scene. Sandler, un-intimidated, plays toe-to-toe with Irving, exhibiting extreme heart and poise no matter how many elbows he took. But in the end, talent was just too much for Sandler to handle and he lost, (even though their was a BS call at the end). The Celtics once again fell to the Cavaliers, and are now down a daunting 3-0 in this series. With game 4 on Sunday, the Celtics have two days to prepare for what could very well be the last game of the season. Though the loss was disappointing, we do have some positives that we can take away from it. Here’s what we liked and didn’t like from last nights game.
UP
1. Jae Crowder
Crowder made headlines before the game when he said that the Cavaliers were not intimidating as a unit. Then he went out on the court and proved he wasn’t all talk. He pestered and bullied LeBron all game, constantly making him settle for long jumpers while making his presence felt all over the court. If the Celtics had 10 Jae Crowders we’d be unstoppable, but the one we do have played awesome last night, and was a key ingredient in keeping us in striking distance all night. He finished with 16 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals and blocks apiece.
2. Evan Turner
It seems like every single time you’ve had enough of Turner he turns right around and has a fantastic game. Last night he got his offense going a little bit (19 points on 8-15 shooting), but the real surprise was his performance at the other end. For whatever reason Turner is having a lot of success sticking Irving, he anticipates his moves well, and his size allows him to guard Irving a bit more aggressively than any of our guards. I wouldn’t be surprised if Stevens started the game with that matchup come Sunday.
3. Bench points
Even without a strong outing from Isaiah Thomas, the Celtics still outscored the Cavaliers bench 37-16.
4. Brad Stevens
After last game I critiqued Stevens because of some rotation concerns, last night he did a great job. He made the tough decision to sit Olynyk because of his inability to rebound. Then gave Datome, and Jerebko extended minutes to spread out the Cavs defense, and possibly create more openings for our penetrators. Unfortunately, no matter how well Stevens gameplan is, he can’t score the ball for us too.
Down
1. Isaiah Thomas
He just had one of those nights were he didn’t show up. For some reason the once fearless Thomas was passing up shots at the rims for kick-out perimeter jumpers, and not looking to assert himself much in the offense. When Thomas comes on the floor we want him focusing on scoring and creating mostly for himself. Last night the Cavaliers did a great job defending, but a lot of that was Thomas just not being aggressive enough with his offense.
2. Making the timely plays
If you’ve been watching the games one of the things that separates the Celtics and Cavaliers is the Cavaliers ability to make the “timely plays”. Last night the Celtics and Cavs tied for in total rebounds (45 apiece), but at the end of the game Thompson grabbed multiple offensive boards that allowed the Cavs to milk the clock. When the Celtics got a big stop, and had a chance to make things really close they couldn’t capitalize. When the Cavs absolutely needed a shot to ice the game, they got it. Unfortunately, this is a trait that comes with talent and experience, two things the Celtics don’t have yet.
3. Brandon Bass
He’s been such a rock for us all season, but this series has been extremely tough for him, and showed why he didn’t draw much attention during the deadline. After hitting his first two buckets in the first quarter Bass never scored again, and didn’t start the second half.
4. Avery Bradley
I’m a big believer that the postseason is when you see what type of players you truly have. If my assertion is correct, then we should be very concerned with Avery Bradley. As a guy pegged to be the starting two guard for “years to come,” he’s having a horrendous playoffs. Bradley has never been able to create for himself or teammates, but because of his shot making ability he’s still been a key piece. However, these playoffs have not been kind to him, he’s shooting 28.6% from beyond the arc, 35.1% from the field, has only been to the line once, while only dishing out 1 assist per game. This is all a against a guy in JR Smith who isn’t exactly a 1st team defender. Stevens has exercised a long leash with Bradley, but with Turner showing he can defend Irving, he shouldn’t hesitate to sit Bradley for an extended amount of time if he doesn’t start to get some offense going.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
