Post Game Recap Celtics 96-Cavs 83 ECF Game 5 5/23/18

Here is Alex Goldblatt's review of Game 5.  He makes some great points in this one.  What a game for the Celtics.  I agree that Brad Stevens is a game changer.  He is an amazing coach.  I almost lost it after the game when they asked Lue why he didn't play Korver and he said it was because Brad didn't play Semi Ojeleye and it threw him off.  Huh?  I hope you enjoy Alex's review!   



The Game:
1. From my own post after the game 4:
" Fun part: the C’s gave up 68 points in the half - and were never out of the game. It will be interesting to see if the old Cavs legs will be able to recover by Wednesday : they slowed down big time after the half !! "
Yes, all of them were visibly beat up. JR should've been tossed out of the game at the half for body and hand checking on Tatum: he had no legs left chasing him around the screens. Result though was pretty obvious: 1-6 shooting as he had nothing left playing offense... Hill, LB - all of them were very spent. I think we need to congratulate Danny and athletic coaching stuff allowing the C's to shorten the rotation to just 7 players. Interestingly enough, we saw the very same situation with the 76rs when Embiid was not fit to play 40 mpg for the stretch. Nevertheless, even playing just 7 - BS managed minutes very nicely playing Big Al for just 35!
2. Tatum
Yeah, who else... every single sports writer posted about him today - so I think I should join the parade... :)    Will not dive into his amazing night, as there is not much left untold. But 2 things that stood out to me big time and didn't get enough coverage: his defense and leadership!!

- best D night for Tatum - EVER. Not just 4 steals and 2 blocks, but the overall rotation, anticipation, reading the O, switching, guarding bigger players including LB, rebounding, help D - all of it! I already stated the obvious that he became an amazing 2-way player in just one season, and I'm kind of taken back now just thinking about his ceiling. The kid was the best player on the floor last night - and that was including LB.

- the kid outdid Smart in respect of "Smart" branded leadership and toughness. He was the #1 option all night long, played 41 mins, and never slowed down on both sides! That was the very first time when I saw him not just being under total control - but controlling the tempo on every possession. He called the plays, and was resetting if advantage was not there. His iso late in the clock was absolutely calculated down to every move he took. 4 assists does not really show his overall impact on the game, and how well he handled double-teams thrown at him. Triple-double games will come to him very soon, but it might be after he'll have a chance at getting his first ring - as crazy as it sounds.

I'm not into the ROY conversation again - but just to state the obvious: there is only one rook playing in the ECF and giving LB all the grief. And I think Tatum will appreciate the East championship hat while dismantling LB much better than symbolic ROY honors - that at the end of the day means absolutely NOTHING... We do have a new franchise player now, job well done Danny - GM of the Year!!!!

3. Morris
Great game, and great D on both LeBron and KLove! I believe that was his best game so far in the playoffs and not because he was a scoring machine, but because of the great exhibition of toughness and competitiveness! Nice teaching by example for both Tatum and JB!

4. Baynes
One heck of the game! I honestly thought Stevens would not use him too much as he had been killed in the past by both KLove and LB. Just not enough lateral quickness. But Stevens somehow kept him in the low post matching his minutes with Thompson on the floor, so all of a sudden that gave the C's a huge advantage in size and rebounding!

5. Switching
I think the Cavs tried it all last night, but nothing really worked. Posting up Rozier didn't work either as the C's rotated nicely. Having Baynes in the post messed up everything for the Cavs, as they simply have no answer for his size. My favorite was James switching on Baynes: while he did score a couple of buckets, Baynes made a mid-range jump shooter out of him. Shooting over the 7-footer is no fun.... Another brilliant one was trying to post up Smart with Thompson switching over... Do you guys know of any other PG capable of handling 6'9" bully in the post by any chance??

Again: the Cavs are out of options, and still have no real answer to the C's versatility and athleticism.

6. Funny twist
The Cavs tried to go super small with Nance at the 5.... only problem though: once missing the shot, NOBODY was running back in transition D, while LeBron was just standing still and watching the C's... Breaking news: the Cavs can't run... LMAO!!!!

7. Killer instinct
Still not there for the C's. When it looked like they could go up by 30 in the second Q, the C's gave up a lot of ground all of a sudden. They looked too casual, and out of focus. This is a horrible habit Stevens needs to address: in sports, you have to fully submit your opponent. Something to learn from the Cavs by the way,  got to keep the pedal to the metal at all times.

The Crew
Can anyone explain to me why Nance stayed in the game after initiating the contact with Morris?? Any takers please???? I was not aware that NBA rules have changed right before the game!

19 PFs for both teams, slight improvement over 26+23 the last game. Tatum should've been to the line at least 4-5 times more than he did, but at least they finally called JR pushing him in the back - ONCE!!! They even called Thompson handchecking Big Al in the post - ONCE!!! The officiating was still uneven to say the least, but still way better than the disaster we've seen for the previous 2 games. I really don't hold my breath regarding what to expect on Friday... It will be pretty brutal for the C's for the first 24 mins in the game...

"Best Lineup"
Baynes, Al, Morris, Tatum, Smart
Was one heck of defensive lineup, plus one heck of offensive press the C's put on the Cavs. Smart all of a sudden found his stroke going 3-for-6 on 3 pointers - while the Cavs tried to gamble off him on the perimeter anticipating his killer drives and postups collapsing their D at will!

"Game Changer"
Coach Stevens
Yep, the best non-factor in the Celtics uniform at his very best again... (still cannot believe there are people trying to dismiss his impact on this team!!) 7 man rotation, no Ojeleye, starting Baynes, and killing the Cavs by going super-big... When you expect that he's running out of his tricks - he does it time and time again. I'm really curious what the Cavs will do in the game 6, but something tells me we might not see Thompson as the starting 5 again: he became a liability. But if the Cavs will go small again - pretty sure they will not last too long playing half court vs. much more athletic C's willing to run.

AG

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