BSJ Game Report: Celtics 98, Cavaliers 92 - C's offense goes into attack mode

Everything you need to know about the Boston Celtics' 98-92 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers with BSJ insight and analysis:

IN A NUTSHELL

It was the Cavs who took a 20-9 lead this time, but the Celtics came back behind a big first half from beyond the arc from Grant Williams. The C’s were still sloppy and undisciplined for long stretches, but they kept it close. 

Jayson Tatum and the Celtics were aggressive in the second half, and Tatum had his best overall game since facing the Mavericks. His overall shooting was still not great, but his aggressiveness got him to the line seven times, and he didn’t miss there. 

Marcus Smart and Dennis Schröder were key offensively down the stretch and the Celtics defense did just enough to hold on. 

HEADLINES

Offense carried the day: the Celtics were down 39-37 at halftime, which is just gross. But in the second half, the Celtics decided to attack and it paid off.

Look at the first half versus second half shot charts. 

First half: 

Second half: 

“We were downhill attacking right from the start in the second half,” Ime Udoka said. “I told the guys, that’s the pace we need to play with, the energy and effort we need to play with offensively, and we carried that over to the second half. So that’s a good sign going forward. We knew we weren’t playing great offensively in the first half, so to come out and move the ball the way we did, find our teammates and score 61 is a positive sign.”

Smart was 4-6 in the second half and only one shot (an ill-timed one, actually) came away from the rim. Schröder was 3-4 in the second half with two makes at the rim. 

Bench chipped in with key contributions: Grant Williams saved the team with his 3-point shooting early, Josh Richardson had a nice second half, and even Enes Kanter came in and provided positive minutes after Robert Williams left the game with left knee soreness.

TURNING POINT

With less than two minutes to play and the Cavaliers charging hard, Denzel Valentine hit a 3-pointer that would have given Cleveland the lead -- except he was standing on the sideline and it became a Cavs turnover. 

Boston answered with a quick Schröder-fueled 6-2 run where he scored twice and assisted on the third basket to put the game away.

SIX UP

Jayson Tatum: I should be more specific -- the Jayson Tatum who attacked was “up.” He was 5-8 at the rim, and 7-20 overall. So simple math shows us that he was ... 

... 

... hold on ...

... carry the one ...

2-12 everywhere else. He did do other things, which is the most important aspect for a player going through an extended slump like he’s gone through. He finished with 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks, and a steal. He only turned it over twice, so his overall night was good, minus the shooting struggles and spotty shot selection. 

Al Horford: He had a rough time with Ricky Rubio down the stretch but otherwise Horford was huge. 17 points on 7-10 shooting, including a much-needed 3-4 from deep. He hit a massive answer to a Rubio 3 late in the fourth quarter that was my other choice for the turning point of this game. 

He also had 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks. 

Marcus Smart: He struggled with shooting early but picked it up as he realized he could get to the rim without fearing a shot blocker (Evan Mobley only played :56 in the fourth quarter). 14 points, 5 assists, and 2 steals for Smart, whose defense was solely responsible for a pair of Tatum breakaway dunks early in the game. 

Dennis Schröder: He looked unplayable in the first quarter. He was careless with the ball and he couldn’t hit a shot, but he recovered nicely and that fourth-quarter stretch to ice the game was entirely about him and Horford running pick-and-roll and not being stopped. 

Grant Williams: He shot 3-6 from deep in the first half to help keep the Celtics close. He was the only reliable offensive option early in the game. If it wasn’t for his 3-point shooting, this would have been very, very ugly for Boston. 

Enes Kanter: I have to hand it to him, his 8:02 of play in the second half was mostly helpful. He also hit a couple of shots, including a tip-in (of course) to give the Celtics some much-needed size at a critical time.

THREE DOWN

Aaron Nesmith: He went back onto the court after the game to get some shots up, which is good because he needs something to get his shot falling again. They went to Nesmith early and not only could he not hit, he was making defensive mistakes and looking a little lost on offense. 

Payton Pritchard: He’s in a tough spot, and the five minutes he played won’t do much to help him climb out of that -- though he did have two assists in that short time, which is positive. 

Robert Williams: This is not a performance thing. This is an injury thing. He left the game after 13 first-half minutes with left knee soreness.

“Rob felt some soreness in the second quarter,” Udoka said after the game. “Not sure if he did something specific to it, but it was pretty tight at halftime and felt a sharp pain, so we kept him out. We’ll see when he gets tested and looked at if he’s - how fine he’ll be.”

We’ll see if he can go against Atlanta. It would be a shame to not have him against an athletic team like the Hawks. 

TOP PLAY

TWO TAKES KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- Tatum has to get the message soon. He’s not going to be able to drive every time, but the formula for his success is really clear at this point. Make quick decisions and attack the basket as often as possible. From there, make a play either for a teammate or for yourself. 

“Yeah I think him and the whole team took it to heart when I said at halftime don't settle and attack and get downhill, get into the paint,” Udoka said. “He kept attacking, drew a crowd, got rid of it, and then actually got to the basket a few times and got some fouls. So it wasn't falling, he had to do different things, but to get to the line seven times when he's not shooting the best is a credit to him and figuring out how to get it done another way.”

Attack. Attack. Attack. 

Sure, sometimes the pull-up jumper is the right play. The side-step 3 can be lethal when it’s falling. But it all starts with the attack. 

- Ime Udoka is slowly figuring things out. Fourth-quarter collapses like we saw Saturday and against Chicago blur the progress the team is making and the impact Udoka is having. He made a point at halftime to get the team attacking and we saw the result. We’re starting to see how much weight his voice carries in the locker room. 

“I can only imagine how tough it is starting your career, your first head-coaching job, the expectations and I guess everything,” Jayson Tatum said. “I’m trying my best, along with other guys, trying to help him out. It’s like we’re in a relationship; we try to help each other out to achieve the same goal.”

Boston has a top-10 defense right now, and their net rating continues to grow little by little. He has a lot to learn as things go along, but he’s managing the games fairly well. 

“(He’s) just kind of reading the game as it’s going and continuing to establish how he wants us to play,” Horford said. “Defensively I feel we’ve made strides in that area and continue to get better. On offense he keeps harping on how he wants us to play, and in the second half tonight playing with more pace and moving the ball a little more, it’s the way you want to play. It’s a lot of fun when we play that way.”

Udoka wasn’t wrong when he compared it to parenting, in a way. If he can get Tatum away from midrange shots and more downhill, more consistently, then he’ll be closer to getting Boston to play that Spurs-y style of offense that he is trying to achieve.