Player Grades: Cavs vs. Celtics
The Cavs overcome a slow start to defeat the defending champs.
The Cleveland Cavaliers spotted the Boston Celtics a 22-point lead in the first five minutes, yet somehow came back to win.
Grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.
Donovan Mitchell
41 points (13-26 shooting), 5 assists, 3 rebounds
Mithell’s slow start is part of the reason the Cavs fell behind early. They needed their best player to assert himself at the start, but Mitchell wasn’t able to do so. He went 0-2 from the field and turned it over in his first four minutes before being subbed out.
What he did over his next 31 minutes of play more than made up for it.
Boston didn’t have an answer for Mitchell down the stretch. He provided a basket every time the Cavs needed it. This included scoring 14 in the third to shrink the deficit and 12 more in the fourth to put the game away.
The Celtics’ switching defense makes it difficult for the Cavs to run their motion-based offense. They force their opponent to win one-on-one matchups. Mitchell constantly did that.
This wasn’t a great overall showing from the Cavaliers. Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen struggled, while Evan Mobley didn’t do much until the fourth quarter. Ultimately, that didn’t matter because Mitchell was on their side.
This was a superstar performance.
Grade: A+
Evan Mobley
17 points (6-12 shooting), 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block
Mobley was abysmal for the first three quarters. He committed four fouls, had no impact on the offense (just six points on six shots), and wasn’t a disruptive defender. It seemed like it was going to be Mobley’s third straight disappointing performance against Boston, and then the fourth quarter happened.
The version of Mobley we saw in the fourth is the one we’ll need to see consistently if these teams meet in the playoffs. Mobley was assertively looking for mismatches on offense, confidently shooting from three when he had daylight, and was a force to be reckoned with defensively
The Cavs don’t win this game without Mobley’s fourth-quarter performance.
Grade: B+
Darius Garland
20 points (9-23 shooting), 7 assists, 3 rebounds
The Celtics targeted Garland on defense in a way that few other teams can. This influenced his offense as it never felt like he truly got into a rhythm.
But like all great players, Garland showed that he could put that behind him when the game was on the line.
His deep three with five minutes left gave the Cavs a six-point lead which was their largest at that point of the night. Garland followed that up hitting an off-the-dribble, step back, midrange jumper to give the Cavs a seven-point lead in the fourth with under a minute left.
Those two shots helped seal the game.
Grade: B
Jarrett Allen
10 points (4-4 shooting), 4 rebounds, 1 steal, 25 minutes
This was a tough matchup for Allen. He fought hard to stick with mismatches on the perimeter while making an impact offensively. Still, it wasn’t enough to warrant any fourth-quarter minutes.
Allen’s pairing with Mobley is beneficial against 28 NBA teams. This is the one opponent it isn’t. I’m not sure there’s anything Allen can do to fix that.
Grade: C
Max Strus
2 points (1-3 shooting), 4 rebounds, 2 assists
Boston picked on Strus defensively when he was on the floor with the starters. Even though he’s a solid team defender, at 6’5”, he doesn’t have the size to stay with Boston’s wings.
This is a matchup where Strus is better served being surrounded by more length on the wing. He played his best when he was on the floor with the likes of De’Andre Hunter and Dean Wade. It’d make more sense to allow Strus to be a spark plug off the bench in this matchup.
Grade: C
De’Andre Hunter
12 points (4-6 shooting), 5 rebounds, 1 assist
Hunter showed why Koby Altman traded for him. He provided an auxiliary scoring punch while giving the Cavs some much-needed defensive versatility.
For once, the Cavaliers could actually match Boston’s length and play some small-ball lineups of their own. The addition of Hunter allowed them to do so. This was the exact type of performance you wanted to see from him.
Grade: A-
Ty Jerome
8 points (3-10 shooting), 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal
Jerome turned the game around in the first quarter. He was a big reason why Cleveland climbed back from a 23-point hole to make it just a 12-point deficit after one. He poured in eight points on 2-4 shooting to go along with two helpers. This set the stage for the Cavs’ comeback.
That said, Jerome didn’t score a point after that first quarter as he went 0-6 from the field after that point. This wasn’t a good game by his standards. Still, they don’t win without his first quarter.
Grade: B-
Sam Merrill
3 points (1-1 shooting), 3 rebounds
Boston’s switching defense makes it tough for Merrill to be an effective movement shooter. That’s partially why he attempted just one three in nearly 18 minutes of play.
Merrill was scrappy and physical on defense. The Cavs benefited from his effort on that end. That’s all you can reasonably ask from him given the opponent.
Grade: B-
Dean Wade
5 points (2-5 shooting), 3 rebounds, 1 assist
Wade has rightfully earned his reputation as a Celtic killer. His versatility on defense and ability to stretch the floor on offense is exactly what Cleveland needs in this matchup. Wade provided that once again. For some reason, he only saw the court in the second and fourth quarters.
Odd substitution patterns aside, this was the type of showing you needed from Wade against Boston.
Grade: B+
Isaac Okoro
5 points (2-4 shooting), 3 rebounds, 1 block
Okoro is at his best when he’s able to defend guards as opposed to wings. Playing alongside Hunter and Wade allowed him to showcase that.
Derrick White struggled to make an impact in the second half. He provided just five points on 1-5 shooting. Being hounded by Okoro for part of that time was a big reason why that happened.