It’s been almost six years since LeBron James handed rookie Jayson Tatum and sophomore Jaylen Brown a bitter taste of playoff defeat, sending the young Celtics packing in Game 7 of the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals.
Since then, a lot has changed — new haircuts, fresh tattoos, stronger builds, and, most importantly, heaps of experience.
Since that loss, Tatum and Brown have been through five postseason runs, including three more trips to the Eastern Conference Finals and a shot at the NBA Finals in 2022.
This Cavaliers team looks vastly different. Tristan Thompson is the sole remaining player from that 2018 series, and even he had a few stints elsewhere before returning. Still, seeing those wine, gold, and black jerseys brings back some fire for Brown, who’s ready for a shot at revenge almost six years later.
“That was a long time ago — 2018, sheesh. I feel like I’ve come a long way. Obviously, that was a great experience and journey being able to play in the playoffs. At that time, they had LeBron,” Brown said after practice on Monday.
“It still stings a little bit that we lost at the end in Game 7. So, we’re gonna make sure this series is a little different.”
Despite being heavily favored, facing off against a Cavaliers team that stumbled to a 12-17 record post-All-Star break and suffered defeat in all three of their road playoff games, accumulating a league-worst combined margin of -68, Boston isn’t underestimating its opponent.
“Cleveland is going to be a big test. Each opponent is a different challenge, and it’s gonna be a good team,” said Derrick White. “It’s going to be a big challenge, and we’re all looking forward to it.”
“Good team. Got some talented, experienced players,” Brown added. “Can’t take anything for granted. We just got to come out and play basketball.”
If the Celtics are going to beat Cleveland, it starts with slowing down their backcourt of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland.
Since the 2019-20 season, only Joel Embiid (471) has scored more points against the Celtics than Mitchell (386). It’s worth noting that Mitchell spent the 2019-20 and 2021-22 seasons in the Western Conference as a member of the Utah Jazz.
In his two matchups against the Celtics this season, Mitchell averaged 30.0 points on 50% shooting, 7.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists. Garland averaged 20.3 points, 7.0 assists, and 1.7 assists in three games.
“Both incredibly talented guards. Quick, can shoot it, score from all three levels. So, definitely a difficult challenge,” White said on Cleveland’s backcourt. “I think we’ve got to take that individual pride, take on the challenge, and understand that it’s not a one-on-one game. Everyone’s got to be a participant and help each other out.”
When it comes to defending Mitchell, who racked up 89 points in Games 6 and 7 while the rest of the Cavaliers combined for just 113, head coach Joe Mazzulla emphasizes the importance of deciding what you’re willing to give up versus what you’re determined to prevent.
“The challenges are you have to live with some things and be able to take away some things,” Mazzulla said. “You saw in Game 6 his 50-point performance in a loss and had something like 30-10, and it was a win. So, you have to pick your poison. Gotta be disciplined, but again, when you’re playing against guys like him and a team that has dynamic guards, it usually comes down to the other things. It comes down to the impact that LeVert, Strus, Mobley, Okoro, those guys have. Transition defense, offensive rebounds, turnovers — just really all the details and the margins and what we talked about in the last series kinda go ‘under-shadowed’ when you see a caliber player like a Garland or a Mitchell. It still comes down to the margins and the details and the small things.”
Throughout the postseason, Mazzulla’s message to the Celtics has been consistent: control the controllables — maintain focus, effort, intensity, and attention to detail, which is reflected in those margins. This message will undoubtedly remain a cornerstone throughout their playoff run.
Kristaps Porzingis out Game 1
Porzingis will be the only Celtic on the injury report entering Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
“There’s no specific date. It’s still pretty early. I think it will be clearer once I start doing more stuff,” Porzingis said after practice Saturday. “Not super close yet. But expecting to recover at a historic rate.”
Chances are high that Porzingis will continue to watch from the sidelines throughout the second round. However, Mazzulla noted some promising strides in the big man’s rehabilitation journey on Monday.
“He seemed to be walking a little bit better. The thing about KP is he puts the time in. So a guy like him, every single day, he knows exactly what he has to do, and he puts the work in to be ready whether he’s playing or coming back from an injury,” Mazzulla said.
“I just saw him walk a little bit better, but I trust his work ethic. I know he’s doing everything he can to get back as fast as he can.”
As for the Cavaliers, there's a question mark over Jarrett Allen's status for Tuesday's game after he missed the final three games of Cleveland's first-round win over the Magic due to a rib injury. Dean Wade (knee), Craig Porter Jr. (ankle), and Ty Jerome (ankle) all remain out.
Pat Riely rips Jimmy Butler
Jimmy Butler did a lot of talking for somebody who didn’t play a single minute in Miami’s ugly first-round loss to the Boston Celtics.
After Game 2, Butler took to Instagram to troll the Celtics, poking fun at Jaylen Brown’s “Don’t let us get one” remark from the previous season when the Heat secured a commanding 3-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals.
In Game 3, he spoke with TNT’s Chris Haynes mid-game, taking exception to the media making a big deal of the Heat defeating the Celtics and guaranteeing a Miami win in Game 3.
Even with his team at home, Butler wasn’t done yapping.
Over the weekend, the five-time All-NBA selection claimed that Boston would have been eliminated if he were playing.
All that talk didn’t go down too well with Heat president Pat Riley, who addressed the issue during his end-of-season press conference in Miami on Monday. When a reporter inquired about Butler’s comments, Riley didn’t mince words, directing his criticism towards his All-Star wing.
“For him to say that, I thought, ‘Is that Jimmy trolling, or is that Jimmy serious?’” Riley said. “If you’re not on the court playing against Boston or on the court playing against the New York Knicks, you should keep your mouth shut.”
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