BOSTON – The Cleveland Cavaliers’ Reunion Tour stopped in Boston on Sunday night for a fight against old friend Tristan Thompson and the Celtics.
Only this did not yield the same result as the previous two games against a former Cavalier. Cleveland was eliminated by Boston 141-103.
Coming from consecutive wins against Brooklyn Nets by Kyrie Irving – and putting together a three-game streak – the Cavs arrived in Beantown with an abundance of confidence. They are getting healthy again after a two-week slip caused by an outbreak of injuries. The extra bodies led to a noticeable increase in the offensive end. This growth, combined with the same stifling defense, led to big thoughts about what could be happening.
But the Celtics, one of last year’s representatives at the Eastern Conference finals, offered a humble reality check.
“We played as if we had arrived somewhere, as if we had nothing to prove,” said Cavs coach JB Bickerstaff after the defeat. “This is a very good team that we played tonight. A team with a lot of experience in playoffs and several winners. We had won three consecutive games, so we left as if we had won something. These are the lessons and tests we talked about.
“We were reading our press clippings and feeling bad because we played some good games. But that means nothing in this championship. You cannot do this every night, the teams are coming for you. The Celtics have given us a great lesson and I hope we learn from it. “
For Cavs, playing heavy is not optional. They don’t have the cutting edge talent to overcome their lack of courage and win beautiful games consistently. It doesn’t matter what happened earlier this week against the star-studded Nets. It doesn’t matter if Boston was struggling, having lost three straight games, including a recent 30-point loss to the New York Knicks. Each night presents a different challenge. The enthusiasm can be taken away in an instant. Tough lessons are always waiting around the corner.
Although it was a rare occurrence this season, Cavs did not bring that up on Sunday. Lethargic effort in defense. There is not enough teamwork on the other end. Bickerstaff could feel it in the minute. Players started discussing this behind the scenes and during conversations.
With the Cavs losing 11-2 before the 9-minute mark in the first quarter, an angry Bickerstaff switched all five matches, sending a message and looking for a spark.
Never came.
“They came and kicked us in every aspect of the game,” said Bickerstaff. “They got to their seats, they were more physical, they put up screens, we couldn’t get into the ball, we didn’t dictate anything at either end of the court. It was immediately evident. “
The league’s second defense yielded a total of high points of the season, although the Celtics played without Jayson Tatum, who lost his fourth consecutive unscheduled game with COVID, and used his end-of-the-bench substitutes for most fourth-quarter fugitives.
Boston hit 55.9% of the field and 50% of the 3 point range. The Cavs had no answers for Jaylen Brown, who hit the game’s best mark, 33 points out of 13 out of 20 shots and 3 out of 4 beyond the hoop. Kemba Walker, who returned from an out-of-season knee injury a week ago, added 21 points and won five rebounds and four assists in 24 minutes.
In his first game against Cleveland, Thompson, who signed with the Celtics as an unrestricted free agent after nine years at Cavs, scored five points and grabbed 12 rebounds. He helped set the tone from the start with his physicality around the edge, opening the scoring for Boston with an undisputed dunk.
Prior to the complaint, Thompson shared a warm embrace with Bickerstaff before recognizing other former teammates and coaches at the Cleveland bank.
After that, everything was business. At least for the Celtics.
Streak broke
Boston blocking guard Marcus Smart smothered Cavaliers’ top scorer Collin Sexton, who was clearly a target of Boston’s defensive strategy. Sexton’s streak of 20 points or more ended in 14 games. He got 13 points out of 3 out of 8 shots.
Next
The Cavs will return home to face the Los Angeles Lakers in the second game in a row. Delivery is scheduled for 20h
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