Cavaliers’ Measuring-Stick Loss to Celtics Proved They Are For Real

Cleveland’s 15-game winning streak was snapped in the three-point defeat with a chance to seek redemption in two weeks.

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell controls the ball while Boston Celtics center Neemias Queta. / Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

Not since LeBron James wore a Cleveland Cavaliers uniform has there been a true rivalry between the Boston Celtics and Cavs, but you know what? Cleveland has arrived. These aren’t last season’s Cavaliers, the still developing group of 20-somethings that relied way too much on Donovan Mitchell. Even in defeat, a frenetic, wildly entertaining 120–117 loss that ended the Cavs’ season-long 15-game winning streak, Cleveland served notice: This team is for real. 

What a game. For a while, it didn’t look like it was going to be one. The Celtics, well, Celtics-ed early. They canned five threes in the first quarter and nine in the second. They held Cleveland to 43.2% shooting in the first half and 28.6% from three. Darius Garland was missing gimmes. Evan Mobley was bricking threes. At halftime, one team looked like a defending champion. The other looked (again) like second-round fodder. 

“They had playoff force and physicality,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said. “And we had regular-season force and physicality.”

In the second half, the force, er, awakened. Getting hot from three-point range is the quickest way to erase any deficit. But that’s not the Cavs way. Cleveland entered the game ranked first in three-point efficiency, shooting a blistering 41.9%. In attempts, however, the Cavaliers are middle of the pack. They chip away. The Cavs scored 40 points in the third quarter, 22 in the paint, cutting a 17-point halftime deficit down to five. 

“We play our style of ball,” Atkinson said. 

What an addition Atkinson has been. Before the game, TNT analyst Charles Barkley pointed out that Atkinson’s second chance as a head coach has been long overdue. “We were bragging about Kenny Atkinson doing a great job in Brooklyn,” Barkley said. “Then Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving came and kicked him off the ship. This guy knows how to coach.”

Indeed. I was among those questioning the wisdom of canning J.B. Bickerstaff, who guided the Cavs out of the post-John Beilein rubble and into the second round of the playoffs. But Atkinson, evicted from his office before he had a chance to make it work in Brooklyn, has been terrific. He’s plugged Mobley into a Draymond Green-type role on offense, staggered the minutes for Garland and Mitchell and gone deep into his bench—10 Cavs are averaging at least 17 minutes per game—so the workload isn’t overwhelming on either. 

Mitchell is still Mitchell, still dynamic off the dribble, still able to put a team on his shoulders. After a pedestrian first three quarters (17 points on 7-of-18 shooting) Mitchell caught fire in the fourth. He scored 18 points, knocking down six of his 11 attempts. A 30-footer with 24 seconds left cut the deficit to four. A pair of free throws cut it to three before the Cavs ran out of clock. 

“I had no doubts we were going to come back,” Mitchell said. “We’re going to continue to fight.” 

These Cavs aren’t developing. For the most part, they are developed. Mobley is still a work in progress offensively but defensively there are few rim protectors more intimidating. Garland had a tough shooting night against Boston (3-of-21) but his percentages this season are career highs. Six Cavs players are averaging at least 10 points per game this season, while the bench ranks in the top-five in several major categories. 

Boston isn’t a team they aspire to compete with. 

They think they can do it now. 

After the game, Atkinson stared down at a stat sheet. “Fifty-three percent from three,” he muttered, noting Boston’s success from beyond the arc. These two teams will meet Dec. 1 in Cleveland, and already Atkinson can see things his team can build on. He liked that the Celtics got up only 41 threes, down 10 from their season average and thought the defense can whittle away five or six more. He was happy with how the Cavs’ switch-heavy defense gave Boston problems in the second half and believes a more aggressive Garland will shoot better in the rematch.  

“We have a lot to store in the bank,” Atkinson said. “Obviously, we’re going to see these guys in two weeks. So yeah, a lot of stuff we can improve on.”

The Cavs are in a great position. The Eastern Conference is in shambles. The New York Knicks have been uneven. The Philadelphia 76ers are holding team meetings before Thanksgiving. The Milwaukee Bucks have won three of their last four … improving to 5–9. Cleveland was the lesser team Tuesday. But the Cavs don’t believe they always will be. 

“It’s definitely a measuring stick,” Mitchell said. “You want to see where you’re at, but not hold too much weight on it because at the end of the day, we’re going to continue to keep building.”