The Boston Celtics need to regroup after a terrible loss to the Cavaliers
The Boston Celtics went into Wednesday’s showdown with the Cleveland Cavaliers knowing that the winner would likely decide the number one seed. With the Cavaliers already winning the tie breaker, The Celtics know it would be impossible to make up one and a half game with just four remaining. The Celtics also went into that game with the confidence of having overtaken the Cavaliers, who were in the midst of their worst stretch of the season.
People were talking about something being wrong about the Cavaliers. or questioning how much they really care about the regular season. Things were setting up well for a Celtics team who would also be at full strength for the game.
When it actually came time to play, the Celtics quickly learned a lesson that should not be forgotten for the rest of the season. The Cavaliers made it clear that if the Celtics do not come out with their best effort and have an off game on offense and defense, then they are going to be humiliated.
Right off the bat, the Celtics were an absolute disaster. Kevin Love was gobbling up every offenisve rebound, and if it hadn’t been for a slow start by the Cavaliers on offense, the Celtics would have been down by 30 by halftime.
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Isaiah Thomas kept it close for a bit, but the moment LeBron James decided to take over, the Celtics never got back in striking distance. The Celtics threw a lot of different players at James, and he just overpowered all of them. James made it clear that he can impose his will on them any time he wants to.
Slowing down James is not going to be how they beat the Cavaliers, but when they shoot like they did, and rebound the way they did, James will completely destroy them very quick.
The Celtics already knew that it was going to be a difficult task to take down the Cavaliers, and that was while they were struggling. This game was a clear message that the Celtics still have a long ways to go before they can truly contend with the Cavaliers.
The good news is that the Celtics have shown a tendency to bounce back from humiliating loses like this. At the very least, this game was a reality check for anyone who thought the Cavaliers might be showing any real weakness this season.
The Celtics know that if they play their best they can keep it close with anyone, but that is going to be the bare minimum to beat this team. James alone is able to make up for a lot of the problems on that Cavaliers team. He is so overwhelming on both ends, and when he is locked in everything with that team works better.
The Celtics do not have anyone who can take over like that, and that means they need to be clicking on both ends if they ever want a chance to win. The Celtics need to be shooting well across the board, and they need to be generating open looks on every possession.
On defense, they may need to stick to a lot more Jae Crowder on James. He is the only one who forced him to take shots on the outside. The Celtics take pride in their versatility, but James made it cleat that this is one matchup that they cannot be playing around with.
The Celtics also now realize how important their bench needs to be if they are going to beat the Cavaliers. They are young, but they have shown flashes of being one of the best in the NBA this season. That unit has four more games to figure things out, and that starts with Marcus Smart, because performances like that from the second unit could easily keep the Celtics from ever seeing the Cavaliers in the playoffs.
The Celtics can feel fully confident that they can be better in every facet of the game. That game was a true disaster on both ends, and could easily be their worst effort of the season.
The Celtics got a much better idea of the kind of standard they will need to play to against the Cavaliers, and hopefully that will be all the motivation they need to bounce back just like they did when they beat the Wizards after losing to the 76ers, or winning 11 of 12 right after another one of their worst loses to the Wizards.
Next: Positives to Take Away From Loss to Cavs
The Celtics have a quick turnaround, and they need to prove that they are ready for the playoffs, by playing no where near as bad as they did against the Cavaliers. The Celtics need to find their form and stay healthy over these next four games, or that first round series could be a lot of trouble.