Not many people were giving Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers much of a chance in their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Boston Celtics. Boston was the best team in the NBA throughout the regular season and was considered the favorite to win the NBA Championship.
In Game 1, it certainly looked like this would be a lopsided affair. The Celtics handled business with ease, winning 120-95. All that noise wasn’t anything the Cleveland Cavaliers were paying attention to, as they came out in Game 2 looking like a totally different team.
The Cavaliers got off to a hot start, but the Celtics were able to climb back, as the teams went into halftime tied. Many presumed that Boston would take control in the second half on their home court, but that was not the case.
Instead, it was Cleveland who did. They destroyed Boston in the second half, outsourcing them 64-40 en route to a 118-94 victory. Leading the way for them was once again Donovan Mitchell, who has been stellar in the 2024 NBA Playoffs.
He scored a game-high 29 points, handing out eight assists and grabbing seven rebounds. Helping carry the load was Evan Mobley, who scored 21 points with 10 rebounds and five assists. He has found a lot of success playing the center spot with Jarrett Allen sidelined because of a rib injury.
The entire starting five for the Cleveland Cavaliers scored in double-figures and Caris LeVert added 21 points off the bench. A vaunted Celtics defense had no answers for the red-hot shooting Cavaliers, who knocked down 13-of-28 from 3-point range.
Boston, on the other hand, was 8-of-35 from long range. This game was similar to the Celtics’ Game 2 in the first round against the Miami Heat when the Heat were on fire from 3-point land. They bounced back to win the next three in that series; will there be a repeat in Round 2?
Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers will do everything they can to ensure that isn’t the case. Game 3 between the teams will be on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET at Quicken Loans Arena.
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