Simple Changes Spark Stifling Second Half Defense in Celtics' Game 4 Win vs. Cavs

Bobby Krivitsky | May 14, 2024

May 13, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) looks to pass the ball while guarded by Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum. / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

In the first half of the Celtics' Game 4 win against the Cavaliers, Boston struggled to adapt to a Cleveland team that looked much different without Donovan Mitchell carrying the offense.

Ten turnovers and some rushed shots didn't help, but simple mistakes, including leaving Sam Merrill open for a pair of threes and the need to be faster to contest shots, fed into the hosts' knocking down 11/25 (44%) of their threes in the first half.

Max Strus was the primary beneficiary, pacing the Cavaliers with 15 points in the first two frames. But while the supporting cast struggled to support Mitchell in their Game 3 defeat, a more balanced attack included 12 points from Caris LeVert and Darius Garland contributing 11.

"When the best player goes out, everybody has more freedom, more opportunity," voiced Jayson Tatum after the Celtics' 109-102 win on Monday. "We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. It’s the playoffs. They don’t want to go home. Give them credit. They played hard from beginning to end. They made plays on both ends. They hit big shots. It was a battle. It was fun out there.”

But to Boston's credit, the visitors were more engaged, their on-ball pressure was better, as was their perimeter defense, and they were more connected.

Keep your eyes on Jrue Holiday... maximum effort on both ends! 🔥

Celtics-Cavs 4Q action on TNT pic.twitter.com/rGxHgw8kyv

— NBA (@NBA) May 14, 2024

The Celtics shackled Cleveland's offense in the third quarter, limiting them to 21 points, then held the hosts to 24 in the final frame.

At the root of that was playing with more energy, focus, and effort, as they flew around the perimeter to protect the three-point line, save for when the ball found Isaac Okoro, fought to recover when they went under screens, were often excellent when switching, and were more in synch than in the first half.

While the Cavaliers produced 26 points in the paint in the final 24 minutes, it was a product of Boston running them off the three-point line. Between that and doing a significantly better job of challenging shots, the hosts were 42.2% from the field in the second half, including 4/23 (17.4%) from beyond the arc. That's eight fewer attempts than they took in the first two quarters.

"Try and take away those threes, run them off the line, or even just contest their threes," said Jrue Holiday of what changed in the second half. "I know in the first half they got a lot of transition threes. Max Strus was knocking them in; I think he had 15 in the first half. So, really just locking into that and making them play in the paint. 

"Obviously, Strus can shoot, but him and Garland and all these guys -- we want them to play in the paint and try to make tough twos and get a rebound out of it."

And in the Celtics' first crunch-time test this postseason, they held Cleveland to 11 points in the final five minutes. 

The Cavaliers didn't pull within five to meet the criteria for minutes played in the clutch, defined as the final five minutes of games within five points, until an Evan Mobley layup, narrowing the gap to 100-95 with 3:14 left.

From that moment on, plays like Holiday funneling Garland into Derrick White, among a crowd of green jerseys, and Holiday flying out to contest a Max Strus three, the hosts only mustered two points until there were 31 seconds left, and the outcome was already decided.

"I think rebounding," Jaylen conveyed to Inside The Celtics about what he liked about Boston's crunch-time execution on defense. "I think that's the key. You see a lot of times, especially in these games, teams get up shots and get rebound, after rebound, after rebound, and stuff like that. 

"We allowed them to get one shot, whether it was a make or miss, they only got one shot, and then we played from there. I think that Cleveland played really well. Credit to Garland; he played with so much more intensity, so much more pace, and stuff like that; he hit some tough shots. But I thought we still won the rebound game. So, I thought that was encouraging."

As for Jayson Tatum's view of the key to the Celtics passing their first crunch-time test this postseason: "Defense, defensive end," conveyed the five-time All-Star. 

"We hung our hat tonight on the defensive end. We made timely shots. Even the ones that we didn't necessarily make – some of those kick-out threes, good execution, sometimes you just don't make shots. When we had to get stops, we did."

A win like that, earned by digging in defensively, is a style of victory that appeals to Holiday, a five-time All-Defensive Team selection.  

"It's been a while since we kind of (had) a grind-it-out, tough, back-and-forth, fight-it-out game. So, it felt good to just really get out there and execute and know that in any type of game that we play, we can execute and get the win."

Further Reading

Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown Still Shaking Off Criticism While Growing as Leaders

Jrue Holiday Delivers 'Masterclass' in Game 3 Win vs. Cavs

Jayson Tatum Breaks Out of Scoring Slump That Never Defined Him: 'Underappreciated'

Celtics Discuss 'Unacceptable Performance' in Game 2 Loss to Cavs

Shooting Struggles Not Preventing Jayson Tatum from Positive Impact: 'They'll Fall'

Derrick White Discusses Joining Elite Company in Game 1 Win vs. Cavaliers

Jaylen Brown Leads Celtics to Tone-Setting Win in Game 1 vs. Cavaliers

Kristaps Porzingis Discusses Target Date to Rejoin Celtics' Playoff Run: 'Doing Everything I Can'