3 Celtics takeaways from Game 1 beatdown over Cavs

The opening round of the playoffs was pretty forgettable for Brown. Even though the three-time All-Star led the Celtics in scoring, he averaged a sloppy 3.2 turnovers per game and shot a brutal 45% from the charity stripe.

Game 1 against the Cavs was a different story. The Georgia native hit all four of his free throws, had just one turnover, and shot an efficient 66.7% from the field.

Simply put, he was the best player on the floor. When Mitchell attempted to will Cleveland back into the game, Brown always had an answer.

He didn’t only shine on offense either. With a little over five minutes to go in the third quarter, he absolutely rejected a Mitchell layup and sent it flying off the backboard. Boston then got out in transition and Brown finished off the play with a sweet assist to guard Jrue Holiday.

Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla credited Brown’s work ethic and growth after the stellar Game 1 showing:

“He takes a ton of pride in just growing as a player. Every year, every game, every day,” Mazzulla said. “He spends a lot of time on it. He’s not afraid to go after something that he knows that he can improve on, which I think is huge for his growth mindset … He had a couple times when he scored in transition, and two plays later, he slowed it down, went into the pick-and-roll, and made the right play.”

If Brown can play at a similar level for the rest of the second round, the Green Team will be very hard to beat.

Luke Kornet and Al Horford made up for no Kristaps Porzingis

Losing center Kristaps Porzingis was a tough break for the Celtics. The Latvian big man suffered a right soleus strain and could sit out for the entirety of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

In his place are centers Al Horford and Luke Kornet. Horford is an NBA veteran who’s older than Mazzulla, so his reliable production is nothing new. The 37-year-old posted seven points, eight rebounds, and four assists while in the starting lineup.

Kornet, who averaged just 15.6 minutes per game during the 2023-24 regular season, stepped up in a major way. The third-year Celtic had four points, two blocks, and 10 rebounds in 21 minutes of play. His six offensive boards nearly surpassed Cleveland’s seven total offensive rebounds.

Following the 25-point win, plenty of people had high praise for Kornet.

“Tremendous,” Mazzulla said when asked to describe Kornet’s performance. “You can’t be a good team unless those [bench] guys win you games. And they’ve all played a huge part in winning games. Whether it’s four in five nights, back-to-backs, doesn’t matter—they bring it. And it’s important to have guys like that, and I thought Luke’s presence was big for us tonight.”

“I thought Luke was exceptional when he came in,” Brown stated. “He was great. He came in [and] he added value to the second group. He contested shots at the rim, he rebounded, and he made timely plays on offense. And he’s been working all year. He’s had some injuries, up and down, but Luke has been tremendous for our team, and he brings great energy.”

Since the C’s could be short-handed at center for the rest of the series, they’ll need this kind of effort from Kornet and company to continue.

Derrick White continues to deliver

One reason the Celtics have been such a dangerous team this season is because they can burn opponents in a multitude of ways.

Just when the Cavs thought they shut down Celtics star Jayson Tatum for the night, White popped up and torched them from every angle. The former D-II athlete connected on seven of his 12 attempts from beyond the arc and had zero turnovers in 33 minutes of play.

While casual fans might be surprised by White’s terrific postseason output, none of the Celtics are. He was the second-leading scorer in the first round against Miami and helped pick up Boston’s offense when Tatum and others struggled.

“I love the way he’s been playing on both ends of the floor,” Tatum said. “It just puts a lot of pressure on the defense tonight and last series. We’ve got a lot of different ways to win a game and it’s tough for the other team to kinda try and figure that out.”

How quickly the 29-year-old can catch fire speaks to the balanced nature of the Celtics. Even when he’s not the primary offensive option, White is always ready to shoot or simply impact the game in any way Boston needs him to.

“Whatever the game calls for, he is willing to do, and he has done that,” Mazzulla said. “We need him to continue to do that.”