CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cavs have their backs against the wall, trailing 62-57 at halftime in Game 4 against the Boston Celtics on Monday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Teams have overcome a 3-1 deficit in the NBA playoffs a total of 13 times, and doing so on the opposing team’s home court is even more difficult.
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Getting off to a hot start has been the name of the game for the Cavs, and they raced out to an 8-2 lead behind two 3-pointers from Max Strus. But after the timeout that was immediately called following the second triple, the Celtics came right back on a 12-0 run to take the lead and have held it since.
With Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen -- the team’s leading scorers in the playoffs -- out for Monday’s game, the Cavs knew they’d need production from everyone to be competitive. But as team-minded as the Cavs are, the focus would be on Darius Garland to lead the offense.
“It’s all my responsibility,” Garland said when asked how his responsibilities changed offensively with Mitchell out. “I’m the leader of the floor, so just have to take control, be aggressive, make the right play, and just try to get downhill.”
Garland had zero points after the first quarter. He picked up two fouls in the opening period, and as he was heading to the bench to be subbed out, Mitchell was arguing on the sideline for Garland to stay in the game. Mitchell’s argument was successful, allowing for Garland to stay on the court and facilitate for the team’s shooters, orchestrating three assists in the opening frame alone, and ending the half with five dishes.
In the first half, the Cavs were 11 of 25 from beyond the arc, led by Strus, who was 5 of 6 from deep, his five 3s tied a playoff career high for a game and marked a new career-high for 3-pointers in a single half. Half of the Cavs’ makes in the first half came from beyond the arc as they shot 22 of 49 from the field. The Cavs’ 11 3-pointers in the first half are their most in any half of a playoff game since June 9, 2017, against the Golden State Warriors, the Cavs had 11 in that second half.
Strus’ sharpshooting coupled with Caris LeVert’s creativity with the ball in his hands to get into the mid-range and painted area has kept the Cavs afloat. LeVert and Strus combined for 27 of the Cavs’ 57 points heading into the break.
Garland came alive himself in the second period, recording 11 points and knocking down two triples, shooting 4 of 11 from the field and 2 of 6 from deep. Garland had the highest plus/minus at plus-three for the Cavs at the break.
Evan Mobley, who has moved to the center spot with Allen out, has seen different matchups in each of the first three contests, but in Game 3, the Celtics believed to have found a way to slow Mobley down by putting bigger and stronger defenders on him. Mobley hit an early 3-pointer, but he was stifled from contributing on the interior in the first half as he had just five points and four rebounds. Mobley is shooting 2 of 6 from the floor.
Dean Wade, playing on minute restrictions in his second game since returning from a knee injury that could call for offseason surgery, has played a large part in protecting the paint defensively and spacing the floor on offense. Wade had the second highest plus/minus for the Cavs at plus-one and his only contribution in the stat sheet was a block. But his presence has been a valuable addition for the Cavs against a high-powered Celtics offense.
The Cavs were heavy underdogs once again, especially without Allen and Mitchell on the floor. To prove the doubters wrong yet again, the Cavs will need to hit their 3s and hold Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown -- who combined for 34 points in the first half on 12 of 22 shooting -- to difficult shots.
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