In the midst of a post all-star break slump, the tilting Cavaliers were able to defeat the Boston Celtics to hopefully get back on track to keep their play in hopes alive. The whole team significantly improved overnight. They played an entirely different version of basketball. What changed overnight? How can they keep up this level of play?
To put it simply, everyone did their jobs. As the great Bill Belichick once said, if everyone does their jobs they cannot be beat. Garland and Sexton carried the main offensive load while the wings and bigs played great on the defensive end all game.
Early in this game it was the Darius Garland show. He finished the first half with 18 points, but his impact on the game was much greater than even these stats suggest. His craftiness and explosiveness put pressure on the defense all night especially with Brad Steven’s interesting matchups on him. Jayson Tatum was on him for much of the night. While he is a good defender in his own right, he just is not quick enough to stay with Garland in open space.
The most surprising part of the game however might be the terrific overall defense played in the first half of this game that allowed the Cavs to go up by 17 and never let go of that lead.
Defenders were locked in tonight. Staying with the Celtics wings in their off ball movement, not giving them any space. We were able to force the incredible wing duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown into many tough shots which limited their effectiveness. They were a combined 5/17 from the field for 12 points. It is difficult to win against hungry-determined teams when your best players are in a slump.
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