Co-Written by Spencer Wood and Grayson Obey
Cold Shooting from Ice Trae as Celtics Stay Perfect
It was another great display from Joe Mazzula and the Boston Celtics as they managed to protect their home court and move to 2-0 over the visiting Atlanta Hawks.
After being down double digits early, the Hawks gave up a massive 29-10 run to Boston thanks to the Celtics lockdown defense, who had forced 6 Atlanta turnovers and held them to 4-16 shooting over the run. Defense has been Boston’s calling card all season, and that was put on display for us tonight with team totals of 10 steals, 12 blocks, and forcing 16 turnovers, leading to 22 points off Atlanta mishaps.
What is perhaps most impressive about the win is Boston’s ability to keep their inside game strong, and all their shooting splits higher than their opponent. Boston outscored Atlanta 64-40 on the inside, despite losing the offensive rebounding game 19-5(!), all thanks to their ability to collapse onto interior presences and waste second-chance opportunities for the opposing team. Boston shot 56, 45, and 80% from the floor, as compared to Atlanta’s 42, 33, and 50%, and perhaps no player displayed this as well as Hawk’s star Trae Young. Young (24 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST), who had been getting extra defensive attention all night, shot 9-22 (41%) from the field 2-8 (25%) from beyond the arc, and 2-4 (50%) from the line. This level of production from Trae is not uncommon, much to the dismay of Hawks fans, and will be something that may very well be the deciding factor in this series.
“I can be better… I didn’t shoot the ball really well. I had some turnovers where I was just driving and it just left my hands. But I’m going to be better at home.”
Trae Young when asked about his shooting
Atlanta will feel this loss for a short while before the series continues back home in Atlanta. Unable to steal a game on the road, the underdog Hawks will seek to tie the series up during their own homestand.
Some performances from Tuesday Night that stood out:
ATL: Dejounte Murray (29 PTS, 6 REB, 6 AST), De’Andre Hunter (18 PTS, 12 REB, 3 AST)
BOS: Jayson Tatum (29 PTS, 10 REB, 6 AST) Derrick White (26 PTS, 7 REB, 2 AST, 3 BLK) – SW
Cavs Stellar Stifling of Knicks Ties Series 1-1
It was clear in Game 2 that Cleveland came in determined to dominate the post and play more physical basketball, which New York emphasized in Game 1 and let them steal the first game on the road. Behind the likes of Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, and Evan Mobley, the Cavaliers took it to the Knicks, and won in convincing fashion, 107-90.
The young stars in Cleveland shined bright and early, especially Darius Garland, who scored 26 points in the first half of just his second career playoff game. He finished with 32 points and dished out 7 assists, and rested the majority of the 4th quarter with the game already locked away. His stellar defensive presence should also be noted, as he helped limit the Knicks perimeter scoring, and also wasn’t afraid to take a big charge in the 1st Quarter. Donovan Mitchell rode the hot hand in Garland, and worked through most of the game as a selfless playmaker, setting up Garland and his other teammates with a career high 13 assists. He also finished with 17 points and 3 stocks. Evan Mobley’s play was also much improved from Game 1, scoring 13 on 6-11 shooting, with 13 rebounds and 4 blocks. Mobley looked much more prepared for the physicality that the Knicks looked to bring around the rim, and this confidence helped the Cavs out-rebound the Knicks, 43-36. Another bright spot in this one for the Cavs was the play of Caris Levert, who struggled to get things going in Game 1, but found his groove, finishing with 24,4,3 off the bench.
First half turnovers and early fouls doomed the Knicks in this one. The team racked up 14 first half turnovers, putting them in a 20 point hole at half. Additionally, early fouls from their imposing bigs, Mitchell Robinson and Isaiah Hartenstein, made their Game 1 post dominance less achievable. Shooting struggles from the Knicks big 3 in Julius Randle, Jalen Brunson, and R.J. Barrett also doomed them in this one, as they shot a combined 17/50 from the field and 4/18 from 3. Also, their X-Factor in Game 1, Josh Hart, who came into the game battling an ankle injury, struggled to get things going. Hart finished with just 5 points and 4 rebounds, and saw a game low plus-minus of -29.
We’ve got a tied series
Interesting to watch the wing rotation the Cavs use moving forward,
Can Randle and Barrett get things going? – GO
Sun’s Stars Shine Bright as Clippers Sink Game 2
It was a hot night in the desert for the Phoenix Suns starters, who accounted for 110 of the team’s 123 points in their game 2 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Clippers. The game featured some resistance by LA, including a double digit lead in the second quarter that featured some easy paths to the basket, but it did not last for long. After confusing and stalling the Suns offense with a mixed back of defensive coverages, the Suns eventually learned their scheme and managed to pull ahead by the half and were left in the driver’s seat for the remainder of the contest. The game was fueled by the Sun’s starting 5, most notably star guards Devin Booker (38 PTS, 1 REB, 9 AST), Chris Paul (16 PTS, 4 REB, 8 AST) and newly-acquired Kevin Durant (25 PTS, 6 REB, 5 AST).
What will be interesting to follow as this series moves forward is the condition of the Suns starters, who will see a much higher playing time together after they moved vital depth pieces in their trade for Durant. They are going to be put to the test against the Clippers, whose bench is one of the, if not the deepest bench in the league. However, the Clipper’s main priority will be getting as much production out of their role-players as they can, especially with team co-star Paul George being ruled out of playing in the series. Speaking of the Clippers, they had some notable performances as well in Kawhi Leonard (31 PTS, 8 REB, 7 AST) and Russell Westbrook (28 PTS, 5 REB, 5 AST).
This series should remain entertaining, provided we get that production from the Clippers that we’ve seen them capable of. Or who knows, maybe Kevin Durant will help catapult a team out west, just like he’s done many times before. -SW
Spencer Wood 