Final: Celtics 111, Cavs 101 - Nothing pretty, but Jaylen Brown leads Celtics win over Cavs

Game 32
Boston Celtics (15-16, 8-6 home, 9th East) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (19-12, 9-6 road, 2nd East)
TD Garden
7:30 PM - NBC Sports Boston 

PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS

Boston: Dennis Schröder, Marcus Smart, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Robert Williams

Cleveland: Darius Garland, Lauri Markkanen, Dean Wade, Ricky Rubio, Kevin Love

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

- Same seven Celtics in Health and Safety protocols and therefore out: Sam Hauser, Juancho Hernangomez, Al Horford, Jabari Parker, Josh Richardson, Brodric Thomas, and Grant Williams

- Cavaliers in Health and Safety: Jarrett Allen, Ed Davis, Evan Mobley, RJ Nembhard, Isaac Okoro, Lamar Stevens, Dylan Windler.

- Other Cavs injuries: Collin Sexton (meniscus tear)

- This is an NBA belt title match (read about the NBA belt here)

- Boston is favored by 6.5

GOING A LITTLE DEEPER

“Well, well, well, how the turn tables…” - Michael Scott

The Celtics have signed Joe Johnson, whom they selected in the 2001 draft, to play basketball in 2021. 

“I found out yesterday,” Johnson said before the game. “I was hanging out with my daughter, and she just turned 8 on the 19th. And we went out to eat and my phone started ringing, and my agent told me just to be ready, man, you might get a chance to go play in Boston. And the rest is history. He called me back about 30-40 minutes later and asked me can I catch a flight at like nine-something. I was already, like, six. So, I'm here.”

He is indeed. And while he’s mostly a “break glass in case of emergency” kind of guy, the Celtics are happy to have his experience on the bench. 

“We’d actually seen him lately, but also what else he brings, the veteran experience and the leadership as well,” Ime Udoka said. “So that's a piece of it, as well as what he can do on the court.”

Everyone involved knows what this is. Johnson’s ability to keep himself in good condition and staying in the court in some form, including a couple of Big 3 MVP seasons, contributed to Boston giving him the call. 

“My son's 14 So he keeps me in the gym,” Johnson said. “We work and work and work, and I always talk to him about just work. Even when you can't see what's next, you just gotta continue to work. So I'm preaching it, but I'm doing it at the same time and this opportunity comes up. So for him, it’s a believer. So I'm just, I’m glad I got the opportunity.”

The impulsive Rick Pitino traded Johnson halfway through his rookie season, so Johnson wasn’t here long enough to build any real feeling of nostalgia returning to where he was drafted. This stint in Boston will probably feel about as long as his first one. 

No one is under false pretenses. This is a fun story for the fans, but it’s a rare opportunity for Johnson. Former pros don’t usually get one last rodeo like this. The Celtics have a chance to give Johnson one more introduction; one more roar of the crowd and run up and down an NBA court. 

“I think, for me, it would be nice to come out here, perform well and have fun. Enjoy this little process that I’ve got,” he said. “Because I could probably walk away from the game, but I love it so much, man. Like I said, my son keeps me going, and me and him have so many battles – one-on-one battles, shooting games, all those type of things. So I’ve always got things to fuel me and keep me motivated. It’s just preparation meet opportunity at this point.”

Please enjoy this moment when Cedric Maxwell crashed Johnson's media availability: 

THREE THINGS TO WATCH FOR

1. Come out hot: My biggest fear here is that the Celtics see a team worse off than them in this COVID outbreak and come out very casually and give the remaining Cavs some life. They still have some good players available and all the young guys and hardship signings are going to be super motivated to come out and prove themselves. 

The Celtics starters MUST come out with force and take a lead. They've been home. They’ve been able to get some rest. They should be able to give 10 minutes of strong effort right out of the gates. 

2. ATTACK!!!!: No Jarrett Allen, no Evan Mobley, no protection at the rim. Even if the Cavs throw a seven-and-a-half foot Tacko Fall curveball at the Celtics, they need to keep attacking and find ways to the rim. The Celtics should still get to the rim at will. No settling for jumpers.

3. Jaylen Brown’s explosiveness: After watching him get blocked three times per game over his last few games, I’m looking to see if Jaylen can get some lift after a day off. 

GAME THREAD

Stick around for more comments below as the game goes on. Feel free to add your two cents in the comments.