The Boston Celtics also won Game 2 against the Cleveland Cavaliers with an impressive team performance. The fact that they defied LeBron James’ 107:94 success had a lot to do with a player whose influence is hard to describe.
Somehow the situation at the beginning of game 2 seemed quite familiar to the inclined viewer. It wasn’t the first time that a team of LeBron James was exposed to a pressure situation in the TD Garden, there were already much bigger games, if you think back to game 6 of the 2012 Conference Finals. Of course, it wasn’t quite that dramatic.
And yet… it was in the air that James had a lot on his mind that night. Game 1 had been one of the worst games of his playoff career and the man doesn’t like to sit on his ass. In the morning James had already been in the hall more than an hour before the start of the shootaround in order to interfere individually. He was motivated.
He started the game accordingly – even if he left a few free throws, there was no bad throw for him at first. In the first quarter James met four threesomes, including a wild Fadeaway with the clock running off from far behind the line. He had 21 points after twelve minutes already on the account. In fact, it was a little reminiscent of that legendary game pretty much six years ago. But only at first glance.
If you took a closer look, a serious difference became clear: While at that time with each further Jumper the life from the opposing team and from the hall gave way and after not so long time nobody doubted that LeBron’s team (Miami) would win this game, such an extension of the Celtics was not to be felt in this game.
On the contrary – even after James’ outbreak in the first quarter Boston had no reason to worry too much. Yes, the new Cavs lineup with Tristan Thompson caused them difficulties, as Brad Stevens later admitted, and yes, they didn’t get James stopped. Nevertheless, they were only 4 points behind after twelve minutes.
“We did a good job of fending off their first onslaught,” Stevens commented soberly after the game. He would have had cause for euphoria – his team had once again demonstrated exactly the virtues that every coach wants to see.
They showed courage, played predominantly clean offense and threw themselves into every Loose ball – and they were not deterred by the fact that the best player in the world was on the way to a 42-point triple double against them. They relied on their defense – and on the fact that in the long run they would sit at the longer lever with their depth, as long as the Cavs consisted offensively of only one or two (with Kevin Love) persons.
As in game 1, the second clash revealed fundamental differences between the two teams. The Cavs only had one top scorer this postseason who wasn’t called James (Love at 17 in game 1), everything they do is dictated by him – which doesn’t have to be bad just to be clear. The Celtics, on the other hand, are a team in the truest sense of the word.
In the first quarter Jaylen Brown was topscorer with 14 points, in the second it was Jayson Tatum (9), in the third Terry Rozier (14), in the last round Al Horford (8). This already illustrates their versatility. Especially as the game-shaping player doesn’t even show up here when he wins game 2 – that was Marcus Smart.
“People always talk a lot about him. But often they focus on things that don’t matter,” Stevens said meaningful. “Winning is important. We are very happy to have him on our side.”
It is quite understandable that Smart concentrates on different facets. His game is almost impossible to quantify – he is a historically bad shooter who can’t miss on some days. He makes some crazy decisions and then plays perfect 9 assists without a turnover. He can be incredibly frustrating and yet his team is almost always better off with the beefy guard on the court.
Want an example? In game 5 against Philly Smart had the chance to bring home the game on the free-throw line. The first free throw misses. The second one he deliberately misses, so that the clock runs in the rebound turmoil, but now the ball goes in by mistake. The Sixers still have a chance and play the throw-in over the whole field, where it is then – of course – intercepted by Smart personally. Game over.
How should one describe such a player? “Marcus Smart always makes the decisive plays at the right time,” LeBron James tried. This may sound trite, but it hits the nail more or less on the head. Clichés often describe Smart best. Game 2 was another prime example of this.
Smart shone as a playmaker from the bench, on the other hand he bit his way into every defensive matchup that was imposed on him – whether in the post against Love (no mismatch!), on the piano against James or also against Kyle Korver, whom he chased conscientiously around blocks and after the first minutes of the second quarter did not let breathe at all.
In addition, he recorded several deflections, intercepted several passes and played a big part in the Celtics being the better rebounding team in half-time two. Of course there were also some rather stupid litters with him – these are just part of it – but Stevens could certainly live with that. His counterpart, in any case, envied him for the showpiece hustler.
“When it comes to 50/50 balls, he’ll get them. If it’s a loose ball or an offensive rebound he must have, he’ll get it,” Tyronn Lue said about Smart. “We need to find someone who can handle his toughness.” The probability of this should be rather low.
Cleveland has the best player in this series in James, that was clear before and that has shown game 2 again – game 1 was a slip-up. But at the moment there is not much else that speaks for a comeback of the Cavaliers. They are not deeper, on the contrary it is completely unclear which roleplayers are “usable” in a particular game and which are not. J.R. Smith, for example, has returned “under” the ground of facts after the intermediate high against the Raptors.
They are also no better coached – Love even pleaded for his team to be inspired by their opponents before Game 3: “We can take over a lot from the Celtics. They never stop, they’re always on the move, they cut. All their starters scored double figures.” These are sentences that no one has said about the Cavaliers this season. Several Cavs players also emphasized how great the Celtics are coached.
Last but not least, they are simply not the team that radiates the absolute will to win and the willingness to go to the limits and beyond. The Celtics are the more active team in every respect – in the defense anyway, but also offensively they ensure with their constant movement that LeBron cannot rest during the game as in the series against the Raptors.
Where Toronto was still timid, the Celtics even attacked James in the defense. “We have a bunch of guys who just don’t care,” Smart explained after Game 1 himself. “We’ve had to fight bigger enemies our whole lives. We have talent here too. And we’re not afraid.”
Nobody embodies this more than Marcus Smart himself. He is not the best and not the most important player in his team. But if Boston actually manages to win this series, it has a lot to do with the Celtics taking on his personality.