Key Highlights
- The Boston Celtics posted a 120.2 offensive rating in their second round victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
- Despite Evan Mobley's defensive dominance, Boston still found ways to score and produced a 118.1 offensive rating with him on the floor.
- Jaylen Brown excelled as a scorer, averaging 23.4 points on 67.6 percent true shooting
Late in the fourth quarter of Game 4 between the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers – with less than 75 seconds left and the Celtics clinging to a solid 102-97 lead – they turned to a reliable act: Jayson Tatum-Derrick White two men. tango. White set a punishing screen on Dean Wade that left him trailing on the play and Tatum circled Darius Garland's ineffective display.
With the paint empty, Caris LeVert threw himself at Tatum in an attempt to stop him from going down. Tatum was much sharper, though. He saw LeVert spin and immediately threw the ball to Jaylen Brown, who made a three-pointer and snuffed out Cleveland's attempt to tie the series at 2-2.
Two days later, Tatum and White were back at it during the first half of Game 5. However, this time, Tatum set a rough screen on Garland and put White in the lane. As Evan Mobley deflected from Al Horford, White looked to Marcus Morris and then passed to Horford, who buried one of his six on the night. The deep shot gave Boston a lead it never relinquished en route to a comfortable, 4-1 series victory.
Why Is The Boston Test So Hard To Defend?
All series, the Tatum-White tandem caused major problems in Cleveland. With Garland often hiding from White, the Celtics pushed that button time and time again to directly engage the lanky 6-foot-1 guard. Whether it was a White or Tatum test didn't matter. In an effort to avoid Garland being matched up with Tatum, the Cavaliers have consistently featured him against these picks, creating more driving lanes around Boston's five-down offense.
When Cleveland changed, Tatum exploited his younger foes. When it stuck to the show, White and Tatum took their assigned spot. The three of them drove home. They move until they reach the limit. They prepared a table for each other. Both are excellent testers who are willing to communicate and generate profit. At times, White would play a screen, flip a switch and split to his leading star.
With limited options and facing one of the league's best offenses — even sans Kristaps Porzingis — the Cavaliers never found an answer. Combined, Boston's top two scorers have split them five games, despite the shooting woes (especially from White).
These non-traditional scoring moves are the foundation of the Celtics' offense. But it feels like they turn to them especially often in the second round. Part of that stems from the absence of Porzingis and the lack of an interior center for possession. Some of it, however, was a way to slow down Mobley's defense, which seemed to dominate every game. Boston was always aware of his impending presence. He stopped the drives, corralled switches and generally gave wherever he lived as a place of clarity.
However, that big highlight did not slow down the Celtics. They posted a 120.2 offensive rating, including 118.1 when Mobley was down. That is not a fault in his performance. Instead, it's a testament to how Boston developed an offense that defined its creativity and moved forward in areas of pressure elsewhere.
Tatum and White are not the only sound, hot screens in rotation, and they do not limit their exploration of each other. Jrue Holiday nailed offensive screens to draw real estate for Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and went into the empty corner for dribble handoffs with White. Cleveland has never installed a drop-down or tackle to be able to, but Boston also likes to use Holiday as a short-roll reliever. I expect that to come up if future opponents choose a different lineup than the Cavaliers.
As the series went on, Boston became more careful about placing Horford no matter who Mobley was guarding. During Game 2, Mobley successfully navigated to combine drives and rotate in ways that invited exciting, challenging passing angles. So, the counter was to keep him passing away more often. If Mobley were to help, learning would be easy for anyone who came into his orbit.
Note where you stand on the many drives above. A pass to the weak side corner or a kick to the other wing is much stronger than an arm's length swing pass. That store both made decisions easier for Mobley and sometimes discouraged him from spinning anything.
Despite playing a minor role as a saver, Payton Pritchard took part in the screening event. He's a solid pick-and-roll and is a 40 percent three-point shooter. His attention to detail and shooting detail forces the defender on the ball to either fight around him or accept a switch. That creates a profit for the developer. Either you see a space to attack or you are struggling with inconsistency. He didn't make a fortune in Cleveland.
These guard screens created a big series for Brown, who averaged 23.4 points on 67.6 percent true shooting and converted 65.5 percent of his twos (36-of-55). He would often get into open dribbles, shoot past smaller defenders or dribble to the rim.
In Game 5, Brown and White established a strong connection. The Celtics varied White's usage, too, by mixing in some dives inside. He is a steady decision maker, while Brown is an explosive scorer. They complement each other well. That is why their minutes are often tied together. That consistency was evident on Wednesday (and in a few other cases).
Boston's depth offensively is the backbone of its potent attack. Including Porzingis, their top eight players are all legitimate shooters and five of them can make the jump shot. Against the Cavaliers, those qualities almost took second place to this team's scoring ability. The shooting and driving threats are still there, but to highlight it all started with a big pick to twist defenses into rotations.
Tatum, Brown, White, Holiday, Pritchard — every football manager who has seen meaningful minutes has been willing to do the dirty work and do it well. While three-point barrages and a shiny, well-spaced floor may have been their box office appeal, the Celtics' bottom line was crucial, helping them punch their ticket to a sixth Eastern Conference Finals in eight seasons.
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