Three Takeaways After Celtics Trample Cavaliers In Game 1 Win

BOSTON — The Celtics didn’t miss a beat once the Cavaliers arrived at TD Garden on Tuesday night and extended their streak of not-so-competitive playoff wins to begin the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Outside of Cleveland holding a measly two-point lead — for 18 seconds — in the first quarter, Boston owned the steering wheel from start to finish. Jarrett Allen, the Cavaliers’ leader in rebounds (13.8 in playoffs), missed his fourth straight playoff appearance with a bruised rib injury and Cleveland had no backup plan on any area of the floor.

“Competitiveness was there (from) all the guys,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said after Boston’s 120-95 victory. “Just the willingness to defend another team. They’re a great team, they have really talented team, and one person can’t do it by themself, it takes everybody. We had some really good team defensive possessions and some good team offensive possessions.”

Mazzulla added: “If you wanna get to where you wanna get to against teams like this, you can always fight for another level.”

In terms of the margins, the Celtics competed at a level that the Cavaliers looked unprepared to handle. Boston out-rebounded (55-38), out-shot (49.9% to 41.1%), and overall outperformed Cleveland in a way that could set the tone for the series until the Cavaliers show a different version of themselves.

Here are three takeaways from Game 1:

1. Derrick White’s playoff mode switch was lethal once again
The growth White’s shown since debuting as a full-time starter this season has been tremendous, but the fringe All-Star candidate continues to surpass expectations when the moments matter most.

So far, White’s shot an impressive 50% from 3-point range, scoring a combined 88 points in Boston’s last three playoff games. The signs were looming in the regular season when the 29-year-old scored 30 points twice in December against the Warriors and Hornets, but it has taken on a new life amid the team’s quest for Banner 18.

White finished with 25 points, knocking down seven 3-pointers to remain one of the most dangerous catch-and-shoot threats in the postseason.

“I always see him working on the types of shots that he knows he’s gonna get,” Jaylen Brown explained. “We got certain actions and those actions he’s mastered them — like where his shots come from. So it’s almost like practice for him because he shoots those shots over and over again.”

Derrick White sinks his 5th triple! 🎯 pic.twitter.com/18pr2ShEua

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 8, 2024

2. Max Strus was the wannabe villain who only villainized Cleveland
Strus has undergone his fair share of postseason run-ins with Boston since being waived by the Celtics before the 2019-20 season, never failing to garner hatred from the TD Garden crowd.

Last season, the 28-year-old was an unsung hero for the underdog Heat in their Eastern Conference finals win over the Celtics. Strus scored 15 points in Game 1, averaged 9.4 points throughout the series, and trolled Boston for releasing him following Miami’s Game 7 victory.

Crossing paths again with the Celtics, Strus wasted no time getting on Boston’s bad side. Strus committed a blatant personal foul by hacking Al Horford, which prompted an outpour of boos from Celtics fans, and an animated surprise reaction from Strus.

While riling up the opposing crowd is part of being the “bad guy” act, so is performing, therefore Strus checked only one box.

Strus scored five points, shot 2-for-8 from the field, and registered a minus-12 rating for the Cavaliers, which is fearful, but not for Boston.

3. Joe Mazzulla (effectively) busted out the clipboard creativity
Without Kristaps Porzingis, the Celtics needed to keep the sizing void filled to keep the Cavaliers from snagging a physicality advantage — which has become increasingly critical due to the more lenient postseason officiating.

“It is what it is,” Mazzulla said pregame. “You just gotta adapt to your environment so at the end of the day, we just have to be ready to play with physicality on both ends of the floor and play without the expectation that it’s going to go a certain way.”

Understanding the importance of maintaining an effective front-court presence, Mazzulla paired Kornet and Horford together, a combination that was used only for 45 minutes during the regular season. Kornet was fresh off playing a combined 26 minutes in the first round, yet it all worked out.

Off the bench, Kornet provided 10 rebounds and two blocks in 21 minutes, supporting Horford’s seven points, eight rebounds, and four assists in the starting lineup. The two helped prove that regardless of circumstances, the Celtics have an interchangeable roster better than anyone in the NBA.

It’s paid off handsomely amid the team’s four-game winning streak in the playoffs, and removes the pressure from Porzingis to return quickly.