Cavaliers (13-10) at Celtics (16-5) Game #22 12/12/23

[MattyIce]

just checking in i heard the game was over 10 minutes in so i left the stadium, howd it go? lol, ;)Tp’s for those who stuck around 

[SCeltic34]

Honestly I thought PP turned this game around for us.  He hit two huge 3's in the first half to help us chip away at the lead.  Then made a strip on a fast break preventing an easy Cleveland layup.  Then came up with a steal for a transition bucket.  Absolutely huge.  Changed the momentum.

Hau$er's 3's in the 2nd half were very timely too.  If our bench players play well, we're incredibly hard to beat.  Our starting unit is scary enough.

[Neurotic Guy]

Nice win!  Great to win the first of this 4. Cavs had answers most of the night. Mitchell and Garland were great - Strus shot well. Great contribution tonight from PP.

[blink]

just checking in i heard the game was over 10 minutes in so i left the stadium, howd it go? lol, ;)Tp’s for those who stuck around

Right back at ya, we played pretty well from 2nd quarter on.
Cavs were ready to play and hot from 3.  This was a good win
TP!

[Atzar]

Good win against a Cleveland team that brought us a fight.

The home broadcast gave the POTG to Tatum but frankly I thought it should have gone to Brown tonight.  If nothing else, the game was proof that single-game +/- is useless, and my stance is that it's largely useless longer-term as well, but that's probably a discussion for elsewhere.

[blink]

Good win against a Cleveland team that brought us a fight.

The home broadcast gave the POTG to Tatum but frankly I thought it should have gone to Brown tonight.  If nothing else, the game was proof that single-game +/- is useless, and my stance is that it's largely useless longer-term as well, but that's probably a discussion for elsewhere.

I agree tonight it was JT with the hero ball, bad shot selection and just in general not always making the right play
JB was great, so was Dwhite, but even JT had his moments.  It was a good team win.  Bench contributed too.

[Atzar]

Good win against a Cleveland team that brought us a fight.

The home broadcast gave the POTG to Tatum but frankly I thought it should have gone to Brown tonight.  If nothing else, the game was proof that single-game +/- is useless, and my stance is that it's largely useless longer-term as well, but that's probably a discussion for elsewhere.

I agree tonight it was JT with the hero ball, bad shot selection and just in general not always making the right play
JB was great, so was Dwhite, but even JT had his moments.  It was a good team win.  Bench contributed too.

Agreed.  Credit also to KP waking up in the third after a brutal first half. 

[liam]

The C’s do not maximize their talent. It’s hard for me personally to enjoy wins when the movie never changes. 20 games in the season really starts.

Best record in the league and 2nd best point differential...

[Neurotic Guy]

The C’s do not maximize their talent. It’s hard for me personally to enjoy wins when the movie never changes. 20 games in the season really starts.

Best record in the league and 2nd best point differential...

Best record in the league and it does feel like they haven’t played to their potential yet. But tonight they clamped down and pulled away when they needed to. Glad this didn't come down to a last shot.  They did start slowing it down with too much time on the clock but overall good comeback, great win.

[liam]

The C’s do not maximize their talent. It’s hard for me personally to enjoy wins when the movie never changes. 20 games in the season really starts.

Best record in the league and 2nd best point differential...

Best record in the league and it does feel like they haven’t played to their potential yet. But tonight they clamped down and pulled away when they needed to. Glad this didn't come down to a last shot.  They did start slowing it down with too much time on the clock but overall good comeback, great win.

I think they can play better but it's nice when guys can have on/off nights and this team has so many pieces that it can win!

[Who]

Good win against a Cleveland team that brought us a fight.

The home broadcast gave the POTG to Tatum but frankly I thought it should have gone to Brown tonight.  If nothing else, the game was proof that single-game +/- is useless, and my stance is that it's largely useless longer-term as well, but that's probably a discussion for elsewhere.

I agree tonight it was JT with the hero ball, bad shot selection and just in general not always making the right play
JB was great, so was Dwhite, but even JT had his moments.  It was a good team win.  Bench contributed too.

Agreed.  Credit also to KP waking up in the third after a brutal first half.

Porzingis killed it. Especially in that third. He was key to that rally to get back in the game and take the lead.

[ETNCeltics]

26-26 from the FT line.

According to stat muse, that perfect night has only been bettered 23 times in NBA history, only twice in Celtics history.

[tonydelk]

Great win.  Cavs came to play on a b2b and were lights out.  The cs were just the better team.  After the slow start they took turns picking their spots.  The starters just have to much talent for any team to match.  I keep harping the same thing but they need 1 more bench 3 & D. 

[ozgod]

After the game, Joe had this to say:

“I think it’s the expectation of what’s supposed to be an easy matchup,” Mazzulla said of the assumption the Celtics would coast. “That would be my question to you is, are we supposed to have just all easy matchups? They’re a top-six team in the East. It’s the NBA.

“I get it because we’re the Celtics and we’re supposed to win it every single year that there’s expectations of, ‘Yeah, two or three teams will give you (a hard time) but everyone else will be easy,’ and that’s just not the case. That’s not the NBA.”

“I thought tonight was a good example of like we didn’t fall into that expectation [of winning easy],” Mazzulla said. “To me, we have to be grateful for games like this because it’s an opportunity in game 22 to have to play playoff basketball. I said it in the huddle a few times. We’ve got to be grateful for this. This is a great opportunity and we have to get rid of the expectation that this [in particular] is a tough matchup. This is the NBA. They’re all tough matchups. If we can accept that, that’s going to help us.”

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/12/13/sports/nothing-comes-easy-celtics-against-cavaliers-joe-mazzulla-expects-such-tests/

I know we as fans often feel our team should win every game, especially the "easy" ones...I wonder if Joe saying that suggests that some of the players do as well. And maybe that's why they lose to bad teams, because of complacency.

[cman88]

Is Donovan Mitchell underrated. I feel like you never hear about him. Then I watch him play the Celtics and look like one of the top guards in the league.