Final: Cavaliers 132, Celtics 123 - Same issues plague Celtics in tough loss

Game 5: Celtics (-6.5) vs. Cavaliers, 7:30 p.m., TD Garden

Injuries: Boston - Danilo Gallinari, Robert Williams. Cleveland: - Darius Garland (eye), Ricky Rubio (knee), Dylan Windler (ankle)

Suspended: Grant Williams (bumping an official)

Cleveland probable starters: Donovan Mitchell, Caris LeVert, Dean Wade, Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley

Refs: Ben Taylor (#46), Sean Corbin (#33), John Conley (#79)

A little something about the game: This is a battle between Boston’s offense and Cleveland’s defense. Boston is averaging 116.3 points per game, and have the league’s third-best offensive rating (118.3 points per 100 possessions) while shooting 47.7% from the field. The Cavs rank 2nd in the NBA this season in opponent points per game (100.8) and rank 6th in opponent field goal percentage (43.8%), largely because Mobley and Allen are two of the more impressive rim protectors in the league. The Celtics will have their work cut out for them especially without Grant Williams’ shooting. That's going to put some of the onus on a lesser defender like Sam Hauser, who can still hit the 3-pointer but will struggle to contain perimeter threats.

How Boston wins: This one falls onto their stars. The Cavs have two choices to make here: Pull Mobley out of his normal role so he can guard Jayson Tatum all night, or feed Dean Wade to the wolves and bank on the twin towers keeping the rim protected. That still doesn’t account for Jaylen Brown, so there's going to be a mismatch somewhere on the floor. It will be up to Boston’s pillars to open things up for the rest of the team. This would be a great night for Tatum to get his first triple double of the season. The Celtics will need that from him to get this win. 

How Cleveland wins: Defense turning to offense, and Mitchell going bonkers again. He’s averaging 28.5 points per game so far, easily handling the workload while Garland’s eye heals. They’ll run high pick-and-roll with Mitchell all night, and he’s either going to step into or create 3-point opportunities, or Boston’s lack of size will give up a parade of buckets at the rim. Cleveland is shooting 49-121 (.405) from beyond the arc this season, 3rd in the NBA. If the rim runs suck the defense in, they could bomb away and bury the Celtics. 

Things I’m looking for:

- A connected defense: They looked bad against Chicago. They were giving up free runs to the basket and dying on screens in the pick-and-roll. The perimeter players need to help their bigs by being aggressive on the ball, angling off drives, and chasing ball handlers around the top of screen and into the teeth of their drop pick-and-roll coverage while being able to make a rear-view contest. 

“For me, it’s about getting to the ball. I think for all the guards, getting to the ball so you can beat the ball screens so you don’t get hit,” Malcolm Brogdon said earlier this week. “If your bigs are in a drop, you have to be able to beat that ball screen and not let them get to — whether it’s a floater or midrange shot. The best guards in our league, starting guards in our league can make those midrange shots, so when you’re in a drop, that’s what you’re going to give up. But you still want to contest if you’re the guard contending.”

I’m willing to chalk the Chicago performance up to the fatigue of a three-games-in-four-nights stint. They’ve had three days off before this game tonight, so there is no excuse for making the same mistakes. 

“We've got all the tools. We know what it takes,” Marcus Smart said. “We know the mindset we have to have. We’ve just gotta go do it.” 

- Better bench: Brogdon had a rough game in Chicago. If it was his first game with the Celtics, we could have said “oh, he’s just getting acclimated.” But he has looked so good in the early going that this performance stands out as an aberration. He’ll need to be crisp with the second unit without Grant Williams to help by knocking down corner 3-pointers. And who will Joe Mazzulla turn to in Grant’s stead? Will he go big with Luke Kornet? Will he go with Hauser’s shooting? Will Blake Griffin get more run? 

 This is the biggest Mazzulla storyline so far. I think his rotations have been fine so far (though I do quibble with the lack of getting Kornet up to speed). The Celtics watched their 19 point lead turn into a 16 point deficit in Chicago and Mazzulla only called one timeout after the Bulls had taken the lead. 

“They were on a great run, but I think at the same time, we were getting great shots,” Mazzulla said. “I probably could have done a better job of calling one and just building an awareness to what’s happening in the game. It’s a balance of that, because I really trust our guys. I trust their maturity. I trust their experience, and we’ve shown great poise throughout the beginning of the season.”

That acknowledgment is good to see. There's a balance here, for sure. NBA players should be trusted to get out of messes on their own, but at the same time, coaches are part of the team, and they have a hand in the flow of the game. 

For Mazzulla, it’s about situational awareness. That was the third game in four nights for Boston, and he probably should have had a quicker trigger on the timeout in that game versus, say, tonight’s when they're well-rested. Stopping Chicago’s run was more on him because his guys didn’t have the legs, and waking them up earlier might have helped them refocus and use whatever energy they had left to stop the run and rebuild the lead. 

In other situations, a coach can maybe wait a few extra possessions to see if they can wake up on their own. That awareness is something that builds with experience, which is Mazzulla’s biggest weakness right now. This is what I’ve been worried about with him coming into the season. 

Chicago was a learning experience. How quickly he learns from that and applies that lesson will determine how easily he gets out of future messes. 

As a bonus, here's my preview of the game on the Locked On Celtics podcast with Locked On Cavaliers host Chris Manning:

Follow along below or in the comments during the game, chime in, and let’s have fun.