Picture: Outside of Quicken Loans Arena on Monday, April 17th, 2017.
The Boston Celtics outscored the Cleveland Cavaliers 61-42 in the second half en route to a 111-108 Game 3 upset victory. What are some takeaways from Game 3 heading into Game 4 in Cleveland?
Let's start w/ the visiting Celtics:
> Marcus Smart seized the day and scored a career-high 27 points starting in place of team MVP Isaiah Thomas. Not only did Smart score like Thomas, but he played much better defense, including helping turn LeBron James into a passer and decoy.
> Avery Bradley scored 20 points and hit the clutch game-winner despite shooting 8-23 from the field. Bradley stayed focused as a passer and defender and trusted his ability to hit shots down the stretch. He, Smart, and Jae Crowder combined to play 123 minutes of tight defense on LeBron.
> Al Horford posted a -10 +/- but stayed active on offense, finishing with 6 assists despite getting only 2 rebounds. As a team, the Celtics had 28 assists to the Cavs' 21 assists.
> Kelly Olynyk scored 15 points and posted a +15 +/- in 23 minutes played. He, Horford, and Jonas Jerebko helped neutralize Tristan Thompson on defense by forcing Thompson to roam around more on the perimeter.
> Coach Stevens turned to Jerebko for another spark off the bench, and Jerebko responded with 10 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, and a +22 +/- in 13 minutes played.
> Likely to play extended minutes in Game 4:
Bradley, Horford, Smart, Crowder, Olynyk, Jerebko, and Brown
> Projected rotation in Game 4:
Star players who are core players: G Avery Bradley, C/F Al Horford
Role players who are core players: G Marcus Smart, F Jae Crowder, C/F Kelly Olynyk
Role players who are situational players: F Jonas Jerebko, G/F Jaylen Brown, G Terry Rozier, F/G Gerald Green, F Amir Johnson, C Tyler Zeller
Bench players who are secondary backups: G/F James Young, F Jordan Mickey, G Demetrius Jackson
*Injured: G Isaiah Thomas
What about the Cavs?:
> LeBron James took a step back on offense as Boston finally double-teamed him as had been expected earlier in the series. In posting a +1 +/- in 45 minutes, he contributed 11 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. Boston also forced him into 6 turnovers.
> The other starters picked up the slack scoring-wise: Kyrie Irving scored 29 points, Kevin Love scored 28 points, Tristan Thompson scored 18 points, and J.R. Smith scored 13 points.
> The Cavs outrebounded the Celtics 46-38, but both teams had 11 offensive rebounds.
> The Cavs outshot the Celtics from the free throw line, 28-36 to 9-12. However, the Celtics had the edge from the three-point line, 18-40 to 16-39.
> The Cavs' bench scored 9 points after scoring 14 points in Game 1 and 40 points in Game 2.
> Iman Shumpert and Kyle Korver covered 31 of the 44 minutes played by the Cavs' bench, scoring all 9 of the Cavs' bench points. However, they struggled on defense, posting a -10 and -8 +/-. Either or both could be benched in Game 4 as Coach Lue readjusts the rotation with Isaiah Thomas out for Boston.
> Matchup-wise, Deron Williams and Richard Jefferson will get more than 9 and 4 minutes played in Game 4. With LeBron drawing consistent double teams, Williams will help keep the ball moving on offense. Meanwhile, Jefferson will provide much-needed physical defense on the perimeter-oriented Celtics' offense.
> With Al Horford, Kelly Olynyk, and Jonas Jerebko spreading out the Celtics' offense as post players at the three-point line, Channing Frye should find his way back into the rotation. Frye knows how to guard these players and can make them work just as hard on the defensive end with his own cutting, pick-and-slips, and other spot-up three-point opportunities.
> Likewise, Derrick Williams and Dahntay Jones may match up better with the Celtics' remaining lineup after Thomas's injury than Shumpert and Korver do. Williams has the ability to guard any position while D. Jones can put a body on Smart and Bradley in order to slow them down on offense. Stylistically, D. Jones and Smart play very similarly on defense.
> Likely to play extended minutes in Game 4:
James, Irving, Love, Thompson, Smith, Deron Williams, Jefferson, and Frye
> Projected rotation in Game 4:
Star players who are core players: F/G LeBron James, G Kyrie Irving, F/C Kevin Love
Role players who are core players: C/F Tristan Thompson, G/F J.R. Smith, G Deron Williams
Role players who are situational players: F/G Richard Jefferson, F/C Channing Frye, G/F Iman Shumpert, F/G Kyle Korver, F/G Derrick Williams, G/F Dahntay Jones
Bench players who are secondary backups: F/G James Jones, G Kay Felder
*Injured: C Edy Tavares