The Celtics are facing a familiar problem in the playoffs’ second round. After dominating Game 1 against Miami in the first round, they struggled in Game 2. The same thing happened in their 118-94 loss to the Cavaliers in Game 2.
Almost everything they did well in Game 1 – shooting 3-pointers, defending, and rebounding – was turned around by the Cavaliers in Game 2.
The Cavs outperformed the Celtics in 3-point shooting, points in the paint, rebounds, and even fast-break points.
But what really hurt the Celtics was their poor shooting from beyond the arc. They only made 8 of 35 attempts (22.9%), with just 2 of 18 in the second half. In contrast, the Cavaliers shot 13 of 28 (46.4%) from three.
Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, both All-Stars, also struggled, shooting 7 of 17 each from the field.
This reminded many of the last time Cleveland won a game in Boston – in the 2018 conference finals Game 7, where the Celtics went 7 of 39 from three. Despite their struggles, the Celtics were still in the game at halftime.