BOSTON — They say a playoff series doesn't begin until the road team wins a game.
Let's ignore the Cavaliers' first-round battle against Orlando then, seeing as the home team won each of the seven matchups. On Thursday night, Cleveland called the bluff of all those wishing to dig them a premature grave, and made it known they are here to compete with the NBA's best team.
The Cavs rode a complete effort on both ends of the floor to a 118-94 Game 2 win over the Boston Celtics, evening the Eastern Conference Semifinals at a game apiece. The victory at TD Garden also snaps a seven-game road playoff losing streak for the franchise that dated all the way back to Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals.
For really the first time this postseason, Cleveland found its grove from 3-point range, nailing 13 of 28 shots from beyond the arc (including 10 of 18 in the second half). Donovan Mitchell hit five such shots on the way to a 29-point night, while Darius Garland scored 14 points with four 3s.
Both of the Cavaliers' top guards got off to slow starts, and with Jarrett Allen out for a fifth straight playoff game, it was up to Evan Mobley to pick up the slack. The young forward did just that, finishing with a career postseason-high 21 points (15 in the first half) along with 10 rebounds, five assists, and two blocks. Off the bench, Caris LeVert delivered his own 21-point effort, one of six Cleveland players to finish in double figures.
"We did a great job tonight of seeking out the mismatches," LeVert said, nothing that Mobley was "punishing switches" while he and other guards and small forwards were able to take advantage of being defended by Al Horford. "We pose a lot of mismatches for them that they're going to have to figure out."
After falling behind 14-5 to start the game, the Cavs buckled down, out-scoring Boston 25-10 for the remainder of the first quarter. The defense then kept the pressure up all night long, bottling up lanes and forcing the Celtics into shots that just wouldn't fall.
"If you allow these guys to get to their spots and get they're shots, they're going to be hard to stop," Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said of his opponent. "They just didn't get to their spots because it was too crowded."
After draining everything in sight in a 125-90 Game 1 win, Boston went cold in Game 2, making only 22.9% of its 3-point tries. Jayson Tatum finished with 25 points, seven boards, and six assists, but was only a so-so 7 of 17 from the field, while guard Derrick White was just 3 of 11 (1 of 8 from long range).
With the game tied at halftime, the Cavaliers came out firing with a pair of 3s, and ended up scoring 36 points in the third period. It was Mitchell who delivered the biggest blow, juking Tatum out before nailing a jumper as time expired on the quarter.
It was the start of a 27-9 Cleveland run that led to Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla benching his starters with five minutes still left on the clock. The fans at the Garden then filed out early after watching their team surrender the home-court advantage, though its worth noting that Boston did the same thing in the first round before winning twice in Miami.
Regardless, the underdog Cavaliers are now headed back to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, where they haven't lost yet this postseason and the Celtics are 3-10 all-time in playoff games. Tipoff for Game 3 is set for 8:30 p.m. Saturday.
