The Celtics are far from the tough guy image they want to show, especially at home… Last night, they lost home court advantage in the second game against the Cavaliers (118-94). This had already happened to them against the Heat in the first round of the playoffs, and once again, the defense, or rather the absence of defense, is singled out.
Certainly, with 94 points, the Celtics' attack was not brilliant, but the defensive shortcomings were glaring. “It was just a bad match”, admits Jaylen Brown. “Obviously we didn't shoot very well tonight, but defensively it was an unacceptable performance. That's what annoys me. Defensively, we gave up 118 points, and on top of that, we lost the rebounding battle, so we didn't help ourselves tonight. »
The Celtics suffered on defense…
The gap is obvious in shooting success between Boston and Cleveland: the Celtics shot 41% compared to 55% for the Cavaliers. Missing shots happens to any team, but what Jaylen Brown regrets is the lack of effort that follows.
“I don't care if you miss shots, but you have to defend on your guy on the other side of the court. This gives you the right to miss more shots if you defend.” continues the All-Star wing back. “But we can't miss shots, and give them complete freedom on the other side of the field. This is unacceptable. »
…and the rebounds
No defensive withdrawal, no protection of the racket… The Celtics failed in many areas, conceding 60 points in the paint. Same rebound failure since the Cavaliers largely won in this sector with 44 holds against 31. Jayson Tatum is the only Celtics player to exceed the 5 rebounds mark!
“That’s the key: defending and getting rebounds. These are two sectors in which we have not been good,” adds Jaylen Brown. “We weren't beaten well on rebounds, and we didn't defend at a good enough level. They finished almost 50% from 3-point range, they shot really well, but we also need to do a lot better on defense. »
Since the start of the playoffs, the Celtics have always won when they limit the opponent below 100 points. This will undoubtedly be essential to regain home advantage during the next two meetings in Cleveland.
