Tough game to win with the injury bug.
The injury bug has been costing the Cleveland Cavaliers a supposedly generational NBA Playoffs run. They might have had LeBron James cheering on the sidelines but Jarrett Allen and Donovan Mitchell were missing in action. But, this did not stop Coach JB Bickerstaff from using his squad to launch haymakers against the Boston Celtics. Darius Garland gave his best performance yet but Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum were just a little bit too much for the Cavs.
A lot of the praise had to go to Darius Garland. He picked up the production that Donovan Mitchell would have put on the table. His shooting stroke, while used in a large volume, was money from all three levels of scoring. He ended the game with 30 points while going 12 for 27 from the field. A big chunk of the Cavs offense also started from him. He got his teammates involved and always saw the weakside cutter for a casual seven assists. Darius Garland then rounded this performance out by hounding the Celtics’ primary ball handlers to steal the ball twice.
Other Cavs starters also stepped up in this crucial Game 4 matchup against the Celtics. Evan Mobley was just a rebound short of a monster double-double but he still managed to notch 19 points. Max Strus also lit it up and held his own in this game. He played a mind-boggling 43 minutes and went five for nine from beyond the arc to record 15 points.
So, who’s to blame on the Cavs?
© David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
It boils down to the two other wings that Coach JB Bickerstaff fielded in this Celtics game. A large part of it has to do with not being able to stick with their man on defense while also failing to produce on offense. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum combined for an insane total of 60 points against the Cavs. They also did it fairly efficiently with a merged clip of 50% from all three levels of scoring.
Isaac Okoro and Caris LeVert were the guys who were in front of the Celtics duo of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum a lot of the time or they got matchup-hunted by Joe Mazzulla’s schemes. Both of them did notch a block but that was about the most that they could do to prevent their opponent from getting an extra basket.
Offensively, both of them put up horrid performances. Caris LeVert played 39 minutes and was assigned to keep running the offense along with the other Cavs starters to keep them afloat. However, he may have just effectively shot them out of the game at times. LeVert only knocked down one out of his eight three-pointers. But he did it make it up to the Cavs by shooting 50% from the field afterward to score 19 points. Although the outside shots were not going down, he still put out good scoring.
The same cannot be said for Isaac Okoro. Not only was he famished with having to defend switches in his 21 minutes of action, he could not get anything going. His three-pointers did not see the bottom of the net once despite attempting four shots. He only hit one field goal on eight shots for two points. For a squad that needed to fill in for their absences, this is not the stat line that one would expect. Had he scored more, the Cavs would have had a chance to at least tie the game. Instead, it ended with a 109 to 102 scoreline with the Celtics possessing the commanding three to one series lead.
News
Will The Mets Trade Pete Alonso?
The Mets head to London for a World Tour series against the Phillies this weekend. Even after sweeping the Nationals, New York owns a 27-35 record that has them above just the Rockies and Marlins in the National League. They’re…
LA Kings and Anaheim Ducks will have new jerseys and primary logos next season
Photo credit: MayorsManor The Los Angeles Kings and the Anaheim Ducks are set to have new jerseys and primary logos next season. A new report revealed that Fanatics, the brand hired by the NHL to produce their jerseys for the…
Oilers Stanley Cup Finals ticket prices are revealed and fans are shocked
Photo credit: Rogers Place The Stanley Cup Finals are the pinnacle of the NHL, and now that they once again feature a Canadian team, prices are absolutely through the roof. It’s common knowledge that Canadian fans are the most passionate…
“Poor Dude Starving for Attention”- Austin Rivers Takes a Dig While Responding to Stephen Jackson’s ‘Irrelevant’ Comment
Stephen Jackson, Austin Rivers (Image Source: Getty Images) After a recent conversation, there appears to be growing animosity between Stephen Jackson and Austin Rivers, two former NBA players. Jackson labeled Rivers irrelevant, which prompted Rivers to reply on X, the previous Twitter platform. Austin…
Bruins, Stars, Avalanche emerge as favorites to land Patrick Kane
Photo credit: Detroit Red Wings The betting odds for Patrick Kane’s next team have been released and we now know that the Bruins, Stars, and Avalanche are the favorites to land the American superstar winger. The betting odds released today…
Former NBA Guard Delonte West Arrested Again, Disturbing Mugshot Released
Delonte West (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images). Former NBA player Delonte West was arrested again this Thursday, according to an official representing the Fairfax County Detention Center. The 40-year-old was booked on a pair of misdemeanor charges, having violated the conditions of…
End of content
No more pages to load