NBA Fans Expect Tatum, Celtics to Cruise to Finals After G1 Win vs. Mitchell, Cavs
Scott Polacek@@ScottPolacek
Featured Columnist IVMay 8, 2024
The Boston Celtics are three wins away from their sixth Eastern Conference Finals appearance in eight years.
Despite playing without Kristaps Porziņģis (calf), Boston defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 120-95 in Game 1 of their second-round series on Tuesday at TD Garden. Cleveland was also shorthanded with big man Jarrett Allen sidelined by a rib injury and didn't have the firepower to keep up with the Eastern Conference's top seed.
Donovan Mitchell did what he could for the Cavaliers with 33 points, six rebounds and five assists, but Jaylen Brown (32 points and six rebounds) and Derrick White (25 points on 7-of-12 from three-point range) were unstoppable on the other side.
They also made up for Jayson Tatum going 7-of-19 from the field, although the Boston star still finished with an impressive stat line of 18 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.
The Celtics were on cruise control throughout the game, and fans envisioned a straightforward path to the NBA Finals:
Trevor Lane @Trevor_LaneKnicks already had a super thin rotation, this makes it even more so. Celtics' path the Finals gets even easier. Being in the East is such an advantage. West champ is the NBA's best shot at avoiding the dark timeline <a href="https://t.co/aUFwo3dFh4">https://t.co/aUFwo3dFh4</a>
Boston is in championship-or-bust mode after finishing with the league's best record, and Cleveland is not expected to be much of a threat after needing the full seven games to defeat the Orlando Magic in the first round because it did not win one on the road.
While Mitchell kept the visitors within striking distance at times, the difference between the two teams was quickly clear.
Brown poured in 15 points in the first quarter alone while consistently getting into the lane, while White continued to provide the same outside shooting he has all playoffs. Throw in Tatum controlling the boards even with a poor shooting night, and the biggest question seemed to be what would be the final winning margin for Boston.
That the Celtics rolled even while Tatum wasn't at his best on the offensive side is a testament to how dangerous they will be for the entire playoffs.
Many teams would need their star to be dialed in with his shot to come away with a postseason victory, but Boston's win was never in doubt with White putting on a shooting clinic with 14 points in the third quarter alone. He basically went point-for-point with Mitchell, who poured in 16 points of his own in the third.
Mitchell was great, but it's simply not your night when Payton Pritchard is drilling long-range shots at the buzzer going into the fourth.
As a result, the Celtics have all the momentum on their side going into Thursday's Game 2.