BSJ Game Report: Celtics 109, Cavs 102 - Tatum & Brown combine for 60, push Cavs to the brink

CLEVELAND -- Everything you need to know about the Celtics Game 4 win over the Cavs, with BSJ insight and analysis

IN A NUTSHELL

The Cavs started on an 8-2 run but Boston answered in a big way to take an 11-point lead. The Cavs cut it to seven by the end of the quarter thanks to 6-9 shooting from 3. The hot shooting stretched into the second, but despite hitting four more 3-pointers and getting 16 points off Celtics turnovers, Boston still led by five. Another 8-2 run game Cleveland a lead, but Boston again answered. They protected the ball, the Cavs went cold, and the led grew to 10. It got up to 15 midway through the fourth, but the Cavs came back and got it down to five a couple of times, but that's as close as it got. 

Box Score

HEADLINES 

- It’s a win: They started poorly, turning the ball over a ton, giving up open looks that led to the Cavs getting comfortable, and it was a dogfight from there. It did not follow the script most of us had hoped for, and that's always going to lead to some consternation, but style points don’t count in the playoffs. 

- … a close win, too: They were tested late, losing two-thirds of a 15-point lead, and forced to find a way to hold on. They did it with their defense, allowing just one basket in the final 1:51 (minus the make by Caris LeVert which was inconsequential … unless you took Boston -8.5 before the game). 

“We hung our hat tonight on the defensive end,” Jayson Tatum said. “We made timely shots and even the ones that we didn't necessarily make, some of those kick-out 3s, just good execution. Sometimes you don't make shots, but how connected we were on the defensive end, when we had to get stops, we did.”

- A chance to finish at home: This is very Miami-like in that they lost Game 2, went on the road and took both, and now they have a chance to close this out in Boston. I’m sure the Cavs will make this a fight, but finishing this thing in five and waiting out the Knicks-Pacers bloodbath would be ideal. 

TURNING POINT

The Celtics opened up a 15-point lead with 7:56 to go, which turned out to be just enough of a pad to hold onto the lead. The Jaylen Brown 3 with just over a minute to go to make it an eight-point game is also an acceptable answer. 

THINGS I LIKED

- The fight: They didn’t play great, and it let the Cavs get comfortable from deep. But they stuck with it, cleaned up the turnovers, started to defend better, and they held on for a tight win. They won’t all be pretty, but they’d better be wins. 

- The Jays: They had their sloppy moments, for sure. Much like alcohol, they were the cause of, and the solution to, all of the Celtics problems. They combined for 60 of Boston’s 109 points, they hit clutch baskets, and they played tough D. Brown had 27 points and eight rebounds in consecutive playoff games for the first time in his career. Tatum became the third Celtic ever to put up 30/10/5 in consecutive games, joining Larry Bird and John Havlicek. Tatum is the only Celtics to have those games on the road. 

Jrue Holiday: Another great game from Holiday who had 16/7/5 to go along with three steals and a block. 

“Jrue had it going tonight, Jrue had it going last night,” Brown said. “He was aggressive, and that's the Jrue I think that we need going forward if we're going to continue to do what we're going to do.”

Payton Pritchard: He has a knack for big shots. He hit two free throws and a monster 3-pointer for a personal 5-0 run that gave Boston a 10-point lead heading into the fourth. The man has onions. 

- Shooting variance (a.k.a. water finding its level): The Cavs went 11-25 from 3 in the first half, but they were 1-10 in the third quarter and 3-13 in the fourth. That regression to the mean was very welcome. 

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE

- Ice-cold Al Horford: Another rough night from 3, going 0-4 on wide-open looks. He’s missed 10 3-pointers in a row and is 4-22 from deep in this series. 

- The rough start: Sigh. Everyone knew the Cavs would come out extra-hyped trying to make up for losing Donovan Mitchell, but that didn’t stop Boston from coming out slow and confused. The Cavs went on an 8-2 run to start the game, forcing Joe Mazzulla to call a quick timeout. Boston responded after that but they never fully regained their footing. 

- Shot margins: This went the exact opposite way I wanted it to. Cleveland took 94 shots to Boston’s 78, mostly because Boston turned it over 15 times. If the hot shooting had continued, this would have been a loss. I’m going to keep harping on it. They need to win this battle to win comfortably.

- The ref getting in the way: Here’s Jaylen Brown’s clutch 3-pointer to seal the game, but watch him have to move Tyler Ford out of the way so he can catch and shoot. 

via GIPHY

“Tyler, the official who was running down the sideline, I don't think he was paying attention but he was like in the play,” Brown explained. “As I’m lifting up, I got bumped into him first, I had to push him out the way to catch the ball to be able to knock down the shot. He was like an extra defender right there because he was in the way so that's why I was talking, telling him to get his ass out the way.

“I guess he didn't know what I was talking about but I thought he had an effect on the play. I’ll have to watch it but, I'm lifting because I wanted to get JT space and I'm lifting on that wing and as I'm coming up, I bumped into Tyler on the floor. On a possession of importance like that, that makes a big difference, bumping into the official while you're trying to get the spacing and get an open look. You gotta be aware I thought, but it's all good. The shot went in, we win the game so probably a non-story.”

Probably, but it shouldn’t be. That requires a talking-to from the league because that could have gone a lot differently. If Brown didn’t see him or if he tripped, that could have been a turnover. I’m glad it wasn’t because that would have been hell. 

HIGHLIGHTS

ONE TAKE KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- Finding a way to win is all that matters

Look around the league and tell me what we’ve seen that is truly a precursor to anything else. 

Pick a team. Any team. 

Minnesota played amazing defense on the Nuggets for two games. They were amazing. They went on the ROAD and smacked the champs in the mouth. TWICE! … and then they got smoked twice at home. 

There are stories like that all over the league and the lesson is always the same, even though no one ever learns it: Winning in the playoffs is hard and the goal is to find a way to beat a team four times. 

And trust me, I’m with you on the predictability of some of these performances. It’s not ideal in the least bit. I want them to be less predictable and more ruthless and dominant. But at the same time, they didn’t trip over themselves, fall on their faces, and lose. They tripped over themselves, fell on their faces, got up, dusted themselves off, and held on to win a tough playoff game on the road.  

You know what’s really funny about all of this? We’re perfectly willing to accept the regular season concept of “it’s hard to beat a team twice in a row” when they play those mini-baseball series in the same city, but when the playoffs come around people get angry about not winning four in a row.

They’ve won three games. They just need one more. 

Next up: Game 5 is Wednesday night in Boston, at 7 p.m.