Celtics (2-1) at Cavaliers (1-2) Eastern Conference Semifinals Game #4 5/13/24

[Atzar]

Mobley is basically Christian Wood out there. It's hard not to think he's a disappointment so far as an NBA player. So much potential there still. Hopefully he can put it together as he gets older.

Nah, that's not fair.  The guy is a difference-maker on defense.  Good perimeter defender, good presence in the paint.  Also Cleveland's best individual defender on Tatum or Brown.  Cleveland's problem is that he can't do all those things at once.  There's only one of him out there and the rest of their team is just too small with Allen out.

He's not a go-to scorer and probably never will be, but that's okay - he can play.  A more balanced roster with better overall size would showcase Mobley as one of the most impactful defenders in the league IMO. 

[Roy H.]

Mobley is basically Christian Wood out there. It's hard not to think he's a disappointment so far as an NBA player. So much potential there still. Hopefully he can put it together as he gets older.

Nah, that's not fair.  The guy is a difference-maker on defense.  Good perimeter defender, good presence in the paint.  Also Cleveland's best individual defender on Tatum or Brown.  Cleveland's problem is that he can't do all those things at once.  There's only one of him out there and the rest of their team is just too small with Allen out.

He's not a go-to scorer and probably never will be, but that's okay - he can play.  A more balanced roster with better overall size would showcase Mobley as one of the most impactful defenders in the league IMO.

Yeah, I think he'll settle into the range of a guy like Bam Adebayo:  not an MVP candidate, but an excellent defender who will hover around 20/10.

[tonydelk]

Mobley is basically Christian Wood out there. It's hard not to think he's a disappointment so far as an NBA player. So much potential there still. Hopefully he can put it together as he gets older.

Nah, that's not fair.  The guy is a difference-maker on defense.  Good perimeter defender, good presence in the paint.  Also Cleveland's best individual defender on Tatum or Brown.  Cleveland's problem is that he can't do all those things at once.  There's only one of him out there and the rest of their team is just too small with Allen out.

He's not a go-to scorer and probably never will be, but that's okay - he can play.  A more balanced roster with better overall size would showcase Mobley as one of the most impactful defenders in the league IMO.

Mobley is a very good player.  Waaaaaay better then Wood.  He's great defensively.  A beast on the boards and strong in the post.  He's also a good passer.  With a players like Mitchell and Garland he still averaged 3.2 apg this year.  If I were the Cavs I'd have been running a lot more plays through him.  If he has a smaller defender on him he just bullies them and scores.  I've always been a fan of Mobley.  He needs more usage.  He should have no issues averaging 18 and 10 next if they've give him more opportunities.  He only got 11 spg and played 30mpg this year.  And he only turns 23 in June.  Christian Wood right now is the better scorer but that dude has no issue shooting every time he touches the ball. 

[SparzWizard]

Apparently Levert hurt his knee again yesterday.

So that means Mitchell, Allen most likely not playing and Levert is now gimpy.

No excuse to lose a home game tomorrow, right?

Jaylen Brown is itching for some relief I bet. He's been eliminated twice by the Cavs (2017, 2018). Please just beat these punks and move on.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

Mobley is basically Christian Wood out there. It's hard not to think he's a disappointment so far as an NBA player. So much potential there still. Hopefully he can put it together as he gets older.

Nah, that's not fair.  The guy is a difference-maker on defense.  Good perimeter defender, good presence in the paint.  Also Cleveland's best individual defender on Tatum or Brown.  Cleveland's problem is that he can't do all those things at once.  There's only one of him out there and the rest of their team is just too small with Allen out.

He's not a go-to scorer and probably never will be, but that's okay - he can play.  A more balanced roster with better overall size would showcase Mobley as one of the most impactful defenders in the league IMO.

I just disagree on his defense right now. The Celtics are picking on him. Every time Holiday has Mobley on him, he bullies/overpowers him inside for a layup. Tatum and Brown routinely blow by him on drives. Kornet is overwhelming him on the boards.

The idea of Mobley's defense is definitely intriguing, and I'm not giving up on him. But in this series, his defense has been below average and fairly easy to pick on.

This series is also confirming that he cannot anchor a team defense yet. He still needs a center next to him like Allen.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

Mobley is basically Christian Wood out there. It's hard not to think he's a disappointment so far as an NBA player. So much potential there still. Hopefully he can put it together as he gets older.

Nah, that's not fair.  The guy is a difference-maker on defense.  Good perimeter defender, good presence in the paint.  Also Cleveland's best individual defender on Tatum or Brown.  Cleveland's problem is that he can't do all those things at once.  There's only one of him out there and the rest of their team is just too small with Allen out.

He's not a go-to scorer and probably never will be, but that's okay - he can play.  A more balanced roster with better overall size would showcase Mobley as one of the most impactful defenders in the league IMO.

Mobley is a very good player.  Waaaaaay better then Wood.  He's great defensively.  A beast on the boards and strong in the post.  He's also a good passer.  With a players like Mitchell and Garland he still averaged 3.2 apg this year.  If I were the Cavs I'd have been running a lot more plays through him.  If he has a smaller defender on him he just bullies them and scores.  I've always been a fan of Mobley.  He needs more usage.  He should have no issues averaging 18 and 10 next if they've give him more opportunities.  He only got 11 spg and played 30mpg this year.  And he only turns 23 in June.  Christian Wood right now is the better scorer but that dude has no issue shooting every time he touches the ball.

In this series, he's essentially Christian Wood. He has been below average defensively and average on the boards. He's been able to get some buckets against Horford/Kornet inside, but it's not like he is dominating. In fact, I don't think the Cs are scared of him at all inside.

Again, I still like his potential. I think he could be a similar player to Bam one day, but he's a far cry from that right now.

Right now in this series I think Horford is playing better defense than Mobley, and Horford's defense is average right now.

[Phantom255x]

Game 6 is scheduled for Friday at... 8:30 PM.

No thank you. C's you better finish this off tomorrow night.

[keevsnick]

Game 6 is scheduled for Friday at... 8:30 PM.

No thank you. C's you better finish this off tomorrow night.

Celtics NEED to finish this off in 5. We've seen in past runs that having to play extra games in early rounds just tires a team out. Close it out and you get get a full 6 days rest at home before the next series.

[Donoghus]

Game 6 is scheduled for Friday at... 8:30 PM.

No thank you. C's you better finish this off tomorrow night.

Celtics NEED to finish this off in 5. We've seen in past runs that having to play extra games in early rounds just tires a team out. Close it out and you get get a full 6 days rest at home before the next series.

I think there is still one lingering scenario where the ECF could start 5/19 instead of 5/21 but that requires no Game 7s in our series, NY series, & DEN series.

[A Future of Stevens]

I cant remember the exact order, but I believe Brown missed his first 2 free throws (or 2 of his first 3 attempts) and the announcers went off about his 58% from the line. I think he was money the rest of the game including 2-2 late in the game.

[kraidstar]

Mobley is basically Christian Wood out there. It's hard not to think he's a disappointment so far as an NBA player. So much potential there still. Hopefully he can put it together as he gets older.

Nah, that's not fair.  The guy is a difference-maker on defense.  Good perimeter defender, good presence in the paint.  Also Cleveland's best individual defender on Tatum or Brown.  Cleveland's problem is that he can't do all those things at once.  There's only one of him out there and the rest of their team is just too small with Allen out.

He's not a go-to scorer and probably never will be, but that's okay - he can play.  A more balanced roster with better overall size would showcase Mobley as one of the most impactful defenders in the league IMO.

Mobley is a very good player.  Waaaaaay better then Wood.  He's great defensively.  A beast on the boards and strong in the post.  He's also a good passer.  With a players like Mitchell and Garland he still averaged 3.2 apg this year.  If I were the Cavs I'd have been running a lot more plays through him.  If he has a smaller defender on him he just bullies them and scores.  I've always been a fan of Mobley.  He needs more usage.  He should have no issues averaging 18 and 10 next if they've give him more opportunities.  He only got 11 spg and played 30mpg this year.  And he only turns 23 in June.  Christian Wood right now is the better scorer but that dude has no issue shooting every time he touches the ball.

In this series, he's essentially Christian Wood. He has been below average defensively and average on the boards. He's been able to get some buckets against Horford/Kornet inside, but it's not like he is dominating. In fact, I don't think the Cs are scared of him at all inside.

Again, I still like his potential. I think he could be a similar player to Bam one day, but he's a far cry from that right now.

Right now in this series I think Horford is playing better defense than Mobley, and Horford's defense is average right now.

Bam is probably the best defensive big man in the game right now. I think he gets really underrated because he's not flashy. He reminds me of KG and Marc Gasol in that regard. He directs the defense and wins playoff series.

Mobley has a long way to go to get to that level. I'm not seeing the BBIQ so far.

[Phantom255x]

Game 6 is scheduled for Friday at... 8:30 PM.

No thank you. C's you better finish this off tomorrow night.

Celtics NEED to finish this off in 5. We've seen in past runs that having to play extra games in early rounds just tires a team out. Close it out and you get get a full 6 days rest at home before the next series.

I think there is still one lingering scenario where the ECF could start 5/19 instead of 5/21 but that requires no Game 7s in our series, NY series, & DEN series.

Basically if any of IND-NY or DEN-MIN goes 7, it's 5/21. Everything after Game 2 is locked in though, so 5/25 is Game 3 and then every other day.

[Neurotic Guy]

Game 6 is scheduled for Friday at... 8:30 PM.

No thank you. C's you better finish this off tomorrow night.

Celtics NEED to finish this off in 5. We've seen in past runs that having to play extra games in early rounds just tires a team out. Close it out and you get get a full 6 days rest at home before the next series.

I think there is still one lingering scenario where the ECF could start 5/19 instead of 5/21 but that requires no Game 7s in our series, NY series, & DEN series.

Basically if any of IND-NY or DEN-MIN goes 7, it's 5/21. Everything after Game 2 is locked in though, so 5/25 is Game 3 and then every other day.

It is irrelevant pertaining to KP unless he is ready for game 1 or 2, which seems less than likely. Game three in both scenarios is 5/25. 
I think the best scenario for the Cs is a win tomorrow and a 6-game series for NY and Indy.  In that scenario they get rest from the 15th to 19th and then another rest from the 21st to the 25th.  That’s important for Horford especially.   Hope they’re able to end it tomorrow. If NY-Indy goes 7 they get a longer initial rest, but then it’s every other day for the duration of the series.

[Who]

Mobley is basically Christian Wood out there. It's hard not to think he's a disappointment so far as an NBA player. So much potential there still. Hopefully he can put it together as he gets older.

Nah, that's not fair.  The guy is a difference-maker on defense.  Good perimeter defender, good presence in the paint.  Also Cleveland's best individual defender on Tatum or Brown.  Cleveland's problem is that he can't do all those things at once.  There's only one of him out there and the rest of their team is just too small with Allen out.

He's not a go-to scorer and probably never will be, but that's okay - he can play.  A more balanced roster with better overall size would showcase Mobley as one of the most impactful defenders in the league IMO.

Yes, I agree.

Mobley is one of the top defensive PFs in the league.

I do not consider him a top defensive center but he is an above average defender at center. His lack of bulk becomes more of an issue at the five than at forward.

Mobley is doing as well as he can for a team with very little defensive integrity without Jarrett Allen around. They have a defensive liability at PG in Garland. They have SG pretending to be a SF in Strus who is a defensive & rebounding liability at SF. They have Okoro at PF who is a short SF and woefully overmatched at PF and is again a defensive & rebounding liability. D Mitchell is actually their most solid defender 1-4 but he was struggling defensively due to an injury. So the whole team defense is collapsing around Mobley.

It is not his fault that other guys cannot cover their positions. Mobley is doing everything he can to cover for them. But he is only one man.

It was the same issue against Orlando in the final few games. Mobley was their best defender on Banchero. But he was also their only rim protector / interior help defender. He couldn't do both jobs. It was one or the other. Either you stop Banchero and have no help defense. Or you have help defense but you let Banchero go off.

[jambr380]

Game 6 is scheduled for Friday at... 8:30 PM.

No thank you. C's you better finish this off tomorrow night.

Celtics NEED to finish this off in 5. We've seen in past runs that having to play extra games in early rounds just tires a team out. Close it out and you get get a full 6 days rest at home before the next series.

I think there is still one lingering scenario where the ECF could start 5/19 instead of 5/21 but that requires no Game 7s in our series, NY series, & DEN series.

Basically if any of IND-NY or DEN-MIN goes 7, it's 5/21. Everything after Game 2 is locked in though, so 5/25 is Game 3 and then every other day.

It is irrelevant pertaining to KP unless he is ready for game 1 or 2, which seems less than likely. Game three in both scenarios is 5/25. 
I think the best scenario for the Cs is a win tomorrow and a 6-game series for NY and Indy.  In that scenario they get rest from the 15th to 19th and then another rest from the 21st to the 25th.  That’s important for Horford especially.   Hope they’re able to end it tomorrow. If NY-Indy goes 7 they get a longer initial rest, but then it’s every other day for the duration of the series.

Imo, I think the best possible scenario is for IND/NYK to go 7. I understand that you don't get two mini-rest periods and instead just get the initial longer one, but them having to go right into our series after going a hard 7 against each other leaves the team we play more beat up.

I have no issues playing teams that are battered and bruised. With all of the injuries, this is our best year to win a Title. And I certainly wouldn't mind if whoever we eventually face from the West is limping into the Finals with a couple rotation players in day-to-day or questionable situations.