4 ways the Cavaliers can bounce back to beat the Celtics

Cleveland was dominated from start to finish in Game 1 of the East Finals. Just like everything else the Cavs do, improvements must start from the top.

The Cavaliers were thoroughly pummeled, 108-93, in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Celtics on Sunday. It was a good old fashioned Mother’s Day whooping that left Cleveland fans scratching their heads, scrounging for answers to beat a Boston team that locks up one end and executes on the other.

If the Cavs come out in Games 2, 3 and 4 the same way they came out in Game 1 — lethargic, undisciplined and flat out sad, they could find themselves riding home on a broomstick. Here are a few things Cleveland can do to avoid that fate.

1. Hit their open shots

It seems simple but the Cavaliers shot 4-of-26 from three in Game 1. They started the game 0-of-12 from deep. That’s terrible for two glaring reasons:

• The Cavs were the third-best three-point making team in the league at 12 treys made per game in the regular season. So much of their offensive production is predicated on knocking down that three-point shot. Without it, they’re handicapped.
• The Celtics are doubling LeBron James in the post, as they should be after he drilled the Raptors with fadeaway after fadeaway in the second round. If his teammates aren’t making shots, Boston has no incentive to help away from a double on another shooter.
• Brad Stevens isn’t expecting that poor shooting to remain either

It’s not just the supporting cast that has to play better, though.

2. LeBron James has to be more aggressive

LeBron finished Game 1 with 15 points on 5-of-16 shooting. The Cavaliers were outscored by 32 in minutes with James on the floor. FIFTEEN POINTS in 36 minutes for The King in the opening game of the Eastern Conference Finals. To put that into perspective, this ties for James’ second-lowest playoff scoring game since he returned to Cleveland.

The Cavaliers were able to get by a talented, scrappy Indiana Pacers team in the first round because LeBron entered god mode and had three 44-plus-point games to carry Cleveland into the second round. Then he averaged 34 points and 11 assists to sweep the Raptors int he second round.

Fifteen points isn’t going to get it done, and he knows that. But it’s outside of the points per game, which leads into the second point.

3. The Cavaliers have to fight harder

Sometimes it’s as simple as that. Cleveland has had its effort questioned all season long, and a 36-18 first-quarter deficit opened the window for even more scrutiny. The Cavaliers didn’t look spirited for a team competing for a shot at an NBA championship. Instead, they let Boston run and gun all over them.

The thing about effort is it starts at the top. LeBron expects to get certain foul calls, and when those calls don’t go his way, he stops and complains to the official. All the while, the opposing offense is off and running often times with a mismatch or an open man. To insinuate LeBron James doesn’t play with effort is blasphemy, but we’ve seen him take his effort to superhuman levels. He didn’t play with that superhero intensity in Game 1. The Celtics did, and that’s why Boston came away with a huge win to open the series.

4. A lineup change?

Tyronn Lue has never shied away from shaking his lineups up after a troubling loss, playoffs or regular season. A 108-83 loss in Game 1 for a purported championship contender is as troubling as it gets. A change could and should be in store.

The Cavaliers have yet to fill the void that Kyrie Irving left when he requested a trade. To make matters worse, Cleveland’s been terrible at protecting the rim. The Cavs can jumpstart their offense if they add some life to their starting lineup.

That life could be Rodney Hood. Hood made headlines for not wanting to enter Game 4 against Toronto with a few minutes left in regulation and the Cavs up big, but he played well enough in Game 1 against the Celtics to warrant more play time in Game 2. Hood came off the bench and scored 11 points on 5-of-12 shooting. Forget the 41.6 percent shooting numbers: His offensive aggression was a breath of fresh air for a Cavs offense with a tendency to run stagnant.

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The Cavaliers can’t magically become a better defensive team overnight. Cleveland has been an awful defensive team all year long; that’s not going to change here against a seriously good Boston team.

But the Cavaliers we saw on display in Game 1 were a far cry from the championship contenders their fans hoped to see in the Eastern Conference Finals. They weren’t championship contenders at all; more like impostors.

One game isn’t enough to jump to a conclusion about the outcome of a series, and we’ve learned time and time again never to count a LeBron James team out until they are officially eliminated. But the Cavaliers looked awful in Game 1 against the Celtics. If they do a few of these things in Game 2, odds are they’ll look a lot better.