Final: Cavs 118, Celtics 94 - Cold shooting, poor defense, leads to another Game 2 dud

BOSTON CELTICS vs CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

Eastern Conference Semifinals, Game 2

Boston leads 1-0

TD Garden, 7 p.m. - ESPN

Line: Boston -12.5

INJURIES

Boston: Kristaps Porzingis (OUT, calf)

Cleveland: Jarrett Allen (ribs, gametime decision), Dean Wade (knee, out), Ty Jerome (ankle, out), Craig Porter (ankle, out)

Series: 

Game 1: Celtics 120, Cavs 95

Jaylen Brown got going early to pace a hot C’s start, but Isaac Okoro hit a couple of 3-pointers and Donovan Mitchell nearly matched Brown to keep Cleveland within six after one. That lead grew to 10 at the half despite Jayson Tatum having a tough offensive half and Boston shooting 6-22 from 3. The third was a duel between Mitchell and Derrick White, but a late Payton Pritchard buzzer-beater made it a 15-point game heading into the fourth. The Cavs rested Mitchell to start the quarter and Boston went on a 10-2 run to grab their first 20-point lead and run away with the game.

THINGS I’M LOOKING FOR

1. Defend! The Cavs know they need to score points to hang with the Celtics. They are either going to find creative ways to get Darius Garland or Evan Mobley going, or they’ll try some different lineup combinations. Whichever route they go, Boston has to make sure their defense is on point. 

We don’t want to see a repeat of Game 2 against Miami where soft Celtics defense leads to the Cavs catching fire. If the Cavs get hot from 3, it should be because they're NBA players who worked to get open and just hit tough shots. If that happens and Boston loses, then you tip your hat and move on. 

2. Crash the boards (and get back): The Cavs did a good job of keeping Boston off the offensive glass in Game 1, but I still think it should be an emphasis for the Celtics. As great as Derrick White has been, he’s not going to hit 7-12 from 3 every game, so they need to find offense in other places. Cleveland is still a weak rebounding team, and I’m betting their adjustments distract them from rebounding. They’ll figure out something else to do well and this part will slip. 

But the Celtics have to make sure they're getting back on defense. They can't let the crashing affect their ability to stop Cleveland in transition. Giving up easy transition buckets is an easy way for this game to stay frustratingly close.

3. Get Tatum going downhill: I weirdly feel like Tatum was working on his midrange game in Game 1. He took so many of those shots that if felt like he gave up on getting to the rim and just settled for the 15-footers.

And hey, that's a shot he'll have to make for Boston to win games. But I want to see an emphasis on him getting to the rim. Let’s see him rolling to the hoop after setting picks and getting some easy ones again. Get to the foul line and see some shots fall. 

Follow along with my thoughts as the game goes on. They’ll show up below and in the comments section, so hop in and share your opinion as well.