Final: Cavaliers 91, Celtics 89 - Another brutal 4th quarter collapse

Game 13: Boston Celtics (6-6) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (8-5)
Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse
8:00 PM - NBC Sports Boston

PROBABLE STARTERS

BOSTON: Dennis Schröder, Marcus Smart, Jayson Tatum, Robert Williams, Grant Williams

CLEVELAND: Darius Garland, Isaac Okoro, Dean Wade, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

- Jaylen Brown remains out with a right hamstring strain. Josh Richardson (right knee tendinitis) and Al Horford (low back) are also out. Romeo Langford (right ankle) is available.

- Colin Sexton (left knee), Lauri Markkanen (Health and Safety protocols), Kevin Love (Return to Competition Reconditioning), and Lamar Stevens (right ankle) are out. 

- The Cavs wins are over Atlanta, Denver, the LA Clippers, Charlotte, Portland, Toronto, and New York. Those are pretty quality wins. 

- The Cavs are 5-5 vs. teams .500 and above

- Boston is favored by 1.5

GOING A LITTLE DEEPER

The Cleveland Cavaliers were expected to be bad. They currently are not. 

“The young guys are growing up,” Ime Udoka said before the game. “it's really led by the guards, (Garland) with the first unit, (Ricky) Rubio coming in kind of setting the tone as the veteran off the bench. ... Young, talented guys that play extremely hard, play together, got a good spirit about them.”

There is one surprise team every season that is expected to be bad but gets some sort of boost from somewhere unexpected, which just gives everyone a “they never believed in us but guess what, we’re here” vibe. There’s dancing on the sidelines, high energy, and great vibes. 

The unexpected boost role is played by rookie Evan Mobley, who is one of the early frontrunners in the Rookie of the Year conversation. 

“He does a lot of things,” Udoka said. “The talent is there, he’s a guy that has all the makings of a future star. But the versatility inside out, obviously he needs to get stronger, but he can shoot the ball decent, face up, post up, lob threat obviously, so he does a lot of things. And then defensively he has versatility as well. Guarding the perimeter some, moving his feet, but he's an elite shot blocker.”

Mobley is displaying an aggressiveness that is surprising some college observers. NBA spacing and defensive rules have allowed him to really explore the offensive studio space, and it’s paying off in a big way. 

The script also calls for one cast-off veteran who gets this ragtag group of kids to reach their pinnacle, and this year that’s Rubio. 

“Rubio’s coming off the bench and really picking the gym apart,” Udoka said. “He’s really shooting it well, and then picking the gym apart, finding guys in corners, and then everyone rolls off of him and what he does, including the bigs at the rim.”

The Cavs might level off, but this team is very clearly this year’s darling; the “oh wow how are they doing this they are so fun to watch” team. They are not going to lay down. Every night is a chance for them to prove something to someone. 

THREE THINGS TO WATCH FOR 

1. The overtime hangover: It’s tough enough to travel for a home/road back to back. Can the Celtics shake off any early grogginess and put some pressure on the Cavs, or will they let Cleveland dictate the early pace? 

2. The Evan Mobley factor: If he’s getting offensive rebound, he’s going to have a big night. If they can keep him off the offensive boards, then the Celtics could keep him somewhat quiet. He’s a very willing passer, so if there’s any real resistance to his scoring, he will gladly give it up. He actually averages more assists in losses than in wins, partly for that very reason.

3. Finishing at the rim: With Mobley and Jarrett Allen patrolling the paint, this has all the markings of a “settle for jumpers” game. Boston needs to attack the rim and get these big guys in foul trouble. 

GAME THREAD

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