Cavaliers Look To Make Defensive Change After Game 1 Loss To Celtics

BOSTON — Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff referred to Cleveland’s seven-game series in the opening round of the NBA playoffs against the Orlando Magic as a “slugfest.”

The series required the Cavaliers to protect the paint, first and foremost. But that isn’t the case against the Boston Celtics.

The Celtics exposed Cleveland’s defense in their 120-95 win in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Tuesday night at TD Garden. While the Celtics can attack the interior, they did the brunt of their damage from the perimeter with the Cavaliers slow to challenge the outside shots. Boston knocked down 18-of-46 (39.1%) 3-pointers to take a 1-0 series lead.

And Bickerstaff knows that if the Cavaliers want to have any chance in this series, they have to change the way they defend the 3-point line.

“We have to do a better job of limiting the amount of 3-pointers that they took,” Bickerstaff said. “That is being in our spots as early as we can be. Doing a better job than we did tonight of reading the basketball. As the ball moves, we have to move. When the ball is being picked up by an offensive player to make a pass, you can’t wait until your guy catches the ball to react and move. We just have to be earlier in our technique and make them put the ball on the floor and try to make them take more twos.

“It’s not easy, obviously. But limiting the catch-and-shoot threes, that’s where we have to be better. If they’re going to take a bunch of pull-up dribble threes, you contest them, you can live with those more than the catch-and-shoot ones.”

It isn’t just one player the Cavaliers must focus on to stop the Celtics’ 3-point barrage. Boston’s 3-pointers can come from anywhere. Derrick White poured in seven triples while Payton Pritchard came off the bench and drilled four of them in Game 1.

And for Cavaliers star guard Donovan Mitchell, it’s all about ramping up the defensive pressure and attention to detail.

“Being better on the ball I think is the biggest thing,” Mitchell said. “Easy for me to say that. Just continuing to keep being in early, being in your spots early, getting out to the perimeter, being better in your closeouts. The series is going to be really mental, making sure you’re mentally there and then being ready to get out. It’s kind of the opposite of last series.”

Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley saw his defensive assignment change greatly than in the series against the Magic. Mobley found himself further away from hoop, which tested the 6-foot-11 center’s ability to get out on the perimeter while also serving as Cleveland’s primary rim protector.

“Al Horford, he stretches the floor, ” Mobley said. “My job on the defensive end is to kind of protect the paint. But sometimes he stretches the floor and it’s tough to see when to help and when not to help. I feel like I’m just going to get better with that as the series goes on.”