The Boston Celtics dropped the second game in Cleveland, but made it clear that they can regain control of the series in game five
The Boston Celtics failed to take advantage of their 2-0 lead, with the Cleveland Cavaliers defending their home court in commanding fashion. The Celtics appear to have lost control of the series, but know they are still in a strong position with game five back home in Boston.
In game three, the Celtics were completely dismantled, and no one on the court looked like themselves. When this game started, the Celtics looked exactly the same. They were lifeless, and the Cavaliers controlled everything.
But then they woke up when things looked their worst in this game, and fought back like we have seen them to so many times before this season. The Celtics clawed back and put themselves in a position to steal this game, with their most important comeback of the season.
In the end, the Celtics did not have enough, and LeBron James once again overpowered them. That being said, the Celtics had their opportunity to take control of the game. They had to endure yet another debilitating performance from James, and had they executed better down the stretch, could have overcome it once again.
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The Celtics got another glimpse of how hard it is going to be to beat the Cavaliers, but this game made it clear that they still have the ability to compete with the best of the Cavaliers. The Celtics struggled in a lot of different ways, but they should be able to work on the things that will put them in the best position to win.
The Celtics know they have to be better, and these two games in Cleveland have shown them how much they need to improve. The Cavaliers have made it clear that they will be better than those first two games, but these two loses are not enough to say the Celtics do not have enough to keep fighting in this series.
There are some clear areas the Celtics know they can be better, and if improving in those areas would have made them good enough to win game four, they have an idea how good they have to be in order to beat them on any night.
The Celtics know how devastating offensive rebounds are. They expend so much energy on defense, and throw some of their most tremendous efforts away by giving up offensive rebounds. The Celtics looked like a much improved rebounding team this season, and the Cavaliers exploited them on the boards in Cleveland.
The Celtics also realize how James is taking advantage of getting switched onto Terry Rozier. James has found a way to exploit the great defense that crushed them in the first two games, and now the Celtics have to make the proper adjustment. Easier said than done, but they know what issues need to be fixed after the last two loses.
Game four was the best example of how important it is for the Celtics to play with consistency. It it were not for the miserable start, the Celtics would have been in a strong position to win the game later on.
Next: Boston Celtics have a Terry Rozier problem
When they are playing well, they see how well they compete with the strongest performances the Cavaliers have to offer. The Celtics now know that it will take a stellar performance from six or seven different players to get enough, but everyone has been able to see that they are capable of retaking control of this series in game five.