Brown, Tatum shine in Celtics win over Cavaliers: 7 takeaways

Jaylen Brown led the way in which as Jayson Tatum continued to ramp again up, and the Celtics pulled away for a 109-98 win over the Cavaliers. 

Listed here are the takeaways. 

Jayson Tatum appears nice — however he’s not totally wholesome

Tatum began the sport spectacularly — 12 factors within the first quarter, and an eight-minute stint that wouldn’t have appeared misplaced in final 12 months’s rotation earlier than his damage. When he sat again down, it was onerous to not suppose slightly too far forward — is Tatum simply again now? What does that imply for a Celtics crew that has excelled in his absence? How shortly can every thing come collectively? What does this imply for Jaylen Brown?

When Tatum returned, the image clarified a bit. He struggled offensively and appeared slightly gassed, which was completely acceptable for a participant who made his season debut fewer than 48 hours beforehand. He missed his subsequent seven pictures (and one free throw) earlier than he bought himself again on monitor — closing the sport with a troublesome drive and a dagger 3-pointer after Payton Pritchard broke a hyper-aggressive Cavaliers entice. He completed with 20 factors on 6-for-16 taking pictures to go together with three rebounds and two assists in 27 minutes.

Tatum is clearly slightly additional alongside in his restoration than anybody anticipated, which is unhealthy information for the Jap Convention, and he nonetheless has nicely over a month to determine what actions he can count on his physique to carry out on a basketball flooring this 12 months previous to the playoffs. Joe Mazzulla, in the meantime, nonetheless has greater than a month to determine how he can finest use a hampered celebrity. 

That work in progress is monumentally necessary, as a result of pretty much as good as Tatum has appeared — and as cool because it has been as a viewer to see a participant come again from an Achilles tear this shortly — he’s nonetheless unquestionably hampered. He doesn’t have his velocity, and he has struggled to create separation. Re-acquiring that final 10ish p.c of his bodily prowess is the distinction between “helpful contributor” and “All-NBA first crew.” 

However the truth stays that Tatum is a helpful contributor now. He’s extremely expert with a exceptional basketball IQ. He can nonetheless get his shoulder into an opponent and drive them backward as he thunders to the ring. He can nonetheless make open pictures. He can nonetheless pile up rebounds. He can nonetheless defend. He’s nonetheless huge — listed at 6-foot-8, however clearly a lot taller. 

For now, Boston most likely shouldn’t use Tatum as the first attacker when Jaylen Brown goes to the bench, particularly after they have Payton Pritchard and Derrick White who’re greater than able to operating the crew, however Sunday’s 20-point efficiency was a reminder that even when Tatum is simply one other arrow in Mazzulla’s quiver for the subsequent few months, he’s nonetheless actually sharp.

The Celtics have to account for Jaylen Brown’s progress

On Friday, the sport was all about Tatum, which was — after all — the way it needs to be. His return was one of many largest tales within the league, and the success of his return towards a mediocre Western Convention opponent was a large second.

On Sunday, the Celtics wanted to get again all the way down to enterprise towards a high-level Jap Convention rival, and to try this, they wanted a giant sport from Jaylen Brown. 

Brown delivered, scoring 23 factors together with 12 large ones within the second half because the Celtics staved off the Cavaliers a number of occasions. Brown bought to his spot repeatedly, punished overmatched Cavs defenders (together with Keon Ellis, who is excellent but in addition a lot too skinny to tackle a participant of Brown’s stature), and flirted with a triple-double by tallying 9 rebounds and eight assists. 

Because the Celtics work Tatum again into the lineup, they want to ensure they go away room for Brown’s progress. 

The expectation right here is that whereas the transition gained’t be seamless, it’s going to go easily. Tatum has made it clear that he’s impressed with how the crew did in his absence, and he has proven himself able to contributing in an ancillary position in the meanwhile, which permits for a pure progress again into his totally realized self. 

However Brown has proven himself totally able to carrying the crew within the interim, and whereas the “Who’s the Celtics’ 1A celebrity?” debate has all the time been very overwrought, the reply in the meanwhile is unambiguous.

The Cavaliers began chilly (and the Celtics’ protection was elite)

We should always word two issues in regards to the second quarter. 

First, the Cavaliers missed a ton of pictures — at one level, they had been 1-for-their-last-20 and 1-for-18 general from 3-point vary because the Celtics took a double-digit lead. The Celtics shot 3-for-13 throughout that stretch, which stored the Cavaliers alive, however the ABC broadcast famous that always a 1 p.m. begin comes with unusual statlines. The Cavs scored 10 factors within the quarter and spent numerous the remainder of the sport making an attempt to play catch up. 

The second factor we must always word is that the Celtics performed a significant position within the Cavaliers’ struggles. Their protection pressured a number of late-shot-clock possessions and quite a few contested 3-pointers that had been shot extra with a hope and a prayer than with rhythm. 

Shaquille O’Neal, it appears, has not heard of Baylor Scheierman

Throughout the Contained in the NBA halftime present, O’Neal stated, “I don’t even know who this child is” as a part of a spotlight involving Scheierman. 

Within the second half, Scheierman confirmed why Shaq ought to have been paying consideration. He buried three of his 4 triples within the ultimate 24 minutes, ending with an environment friendly 16-point, 10-rebound double-double in 26 minutes whereas matching up with the likes of Harden and Donovan Mitchell repeatedly. 

Tatum’s return is the perfect form of complication for the Celtics, as a result of gamers like Scheierman have been wonderful, and discovering minutes for him would require a deft contact and a few creativity by Mazzulla.

Kenny Atkinson thinks Derrick White is a top-five participant

Previous to Sunday’s sport, Atkinson stated he thinks White is without doubt one of the 5 finest gamers within the NBA. 

That’s, clearly, a daring declare — particularly a couple of participant who shares a roster with Tatum and Brown. Atkinson might have been doing a little quantity of gamesmanship, however he additionally clearly (like the remainder of the NBA) holds White in very excessive regard. 

Mazzulla, predictably, gave a considerate reply when he was requested about it postgame, noting that White’s fashion of play is “not commercialized.”

“On the finish of the day, D-White is a connector,” Mazzulla told reporters. “I believe one of many hardest issues to do within the NBA is learn to have full confidence and likewise be a connector and make different individuals round you higher, and I believe he does each of [those things]. We have now a bunch of fellows on our crew like that.”

Whereas we would not have entry to all of White’s superior analytics, we do know he has one of many highest on/off totals within the NBA (+11.2, in accordance with Cleaning the Glass’s adjusted metrics), and we all know he has been one of many NBA’s finest defenders (among the many league’s starters, solely Rudy Gobert has a greater defensive on/off whole) whereas additionally operating the Celtics’ offense.

So whereas most of us won’t rank White alongside the likes of Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, an NBA head coach could be extra inclined to suppose extremely of White’s fashion of play. 

This rotation appears like an actual contender to return out of the East

The Celtics’ starters weren’t even significantly good out of the gate, however the potential of a beginning lineup that includes Brown, Tatum, White, Sam Hauser and Neemias Queta is extremely excessive. 

We coated Brown and Tatum. White, apparently, is without doubt one of the finest gamers within the league. Hauser clearly presents gravity, however he was additionally marooned on James Harden a number of occasions and guarded the celebrity credibly. Tatum and Queta have already proven wonderful chemistry, and Queta’s job defensively needs to be simplified by Tatum’s return (though to his credit score, Scheierman has been no slouch within the beginning lineup both). 

The second unit, in the meantime, is sort of as lethal. A playoff rotation usually doesn’t go greater than seven or eight deep, and for those who add Payton Pritchard (who, by the way, scored 18 factors and was a part of the second unit that dominated the Cavaliers defensively) and Luka Garza (or Nikola Vucevic, if he’s wholesome) as a back-up to Queta, they’re already at seven, which leaves a battle for eighth between Scheierman and Hugo González (can somebody ask Shaq if he has heard of one of many NBA’s plus/minus kings?).

Tatum’s well being issues, however even earlier than it was clear he may contribute, this crew appeared razor sharp. Now, it’s troublesome to not surprise what this crew’s ceiling actually might be deep into Could, and even (dare we are saying it?) into June.

What’s subsequent

The Celtics will preserve their street journey going with a brutal (and maybe very telling) stretch, dealing with the Spurs on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. and the Thunder on Thursday at 9:30. They return house Saturday to tackle the Wizards.