The Whiteboard: What we learned from Celtics-Cavaliers, part 1

In one of the most anticipated games of the season, the reigning champion Boston Celtics handed the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers their first loss, beating the upstart contenders 120-117 on the neon-green parquet floor. Here are three takeaways from one of the most important matchups of the season.

The Cavaliers can’t out-Celtic the Celtics

Maybe the hardest part about facing the Celtics is not getting dragged into playing by their rules. The Celtics want to shoot 3s — and a lot of them. For the season, 55.8% of their shot attempts come from beyond the arc. They have the personnel and experience to play this way. Few other teams do, including the Cavs, who lead the league in 3-point shooting percentage but also take 41.6% of their shots from deep. Volume 3-point shooting is what makes Boston’s offense special, but that’s not the case for Cleveland. 

By the time the Celtics opened a double-digit lead at the end of the first quarter and into the second, it felt like the Cavaliers were trying to go shot for shot.

At halftime, TNT sideline reporter Allie LaForce asked Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson if he was OK with his team’s shot selection. “Absolutely not,” he told her. “That became the problem. We’re playing into their game.”

This is what the peak Golden State Warriors did to teams. They overwhelm opponents with the three ball and dictate the terms of engagement to create a scenario in which they have the advantage. There was no out-Warriorsing the Warriors, and there is no out Celticsing the Celtics.

The Celtics can still get up when they want to

Asked if this game held any extra meaning, Derrick White acknowledged it did.

“Yeah, we knew,” White said after the game. “Everybody knew they were undefeated and coming into our building.”

The Celtics are 12-3 and out-scoring teams by an average of 9.7 points per game, so it’s not as if they are struggling, but it’s also fair to say they entered Tuesday night’s matchup in a bit of a lull. Last season’s second-ranked defense is ranked 13th in defensive rating – 25th over their last five games. In games against Atlanta, Brooklyn and Toronto, they took their foot off the gas.

Maybe the Celtics had this game circled. Before Cleveland climbed back into the game late, the Celtics opened a 21-point lead. It looked like this was going the way of Boston’s opening-night blowout over the New York Knicks. Despite the late comeback, it’s clear these Celtics can still send a message when they want to. 

The message on Tuesday night? They are still the team to beat.

Both teams could have played better

The Cavaliers leave this game with plenty of notes. The next time these teams square off (Dec. 1 in Cleveland), the Cavs will try to play more like they did in the second half than in the first. Cleveland out-scored Boston by 24 in the paint, 17-10 on second-chance points and 14-6 on fastbreak points. More of that.

Darius Garland should also be better. He missed 18 of his 21 shots, including all six of his 3-point attempts, in this one. Garland is shooting 43% from 3 and 49% overall this season. That won’t happen often.

The Celtics could have played better, too. They let the Cavaliers get back into the game and get it to within a couple of possessions late. They committed 13 turnovers, eight coming from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. They fell in love with the long ball, needing a pair of Brown layups to put the game away.

Injuries also played a factor. Cleveland was without Isaac Okoro and Caris LeVert, while Boston didn’t have Kristaps Porzingis. All three could be available by the next matchup.

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NBA news roundup

• The Hornets lost to the Nets by one point but had a chance to win the game on the final possession, but their go-to player wasn’t on the court. That’s because Hornets coach Charles Lee benched LaMelo Ball after picking up his fourth foul with 3:40 to go and never put him back in the game. Ball finished with 12 points on 3 for 13 shooting as his backup Tre Mann, who had 19 points on 7 of 17 shooting, closed the game. “Every night, it could be somebody different,” Lee said. “And they all have to accept the fact that if a guy has it going, we probably need to ride that hand.”

• Rookie Dalton Knecht scored a career-high 37 points in the Lakers’ win over the Jazz, making five 3-pointers in the final 3 ½ minutes of the third quarter (six if you count three free throws he made after getting fouled beyond the arc).

• By tallying 12 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists in the Nuggets’ win over the Grizzlies, 36-year-old Russell Westbrook became the first-ever player to record 200 NBA triple-doubles.

It starts with Joel Embiid

More drama out of Philadelphia. The 76ers have lost 11 of 13 games to start the season, including a blowout loss to the Miami Heat on Monday night that prompted a team meeting.

According to ESPN, Tyrese Maxey “challenged Embiid to be on time for team activities.” According to The Athletic, Maxey called out the star player in front of the team.

“Joel, you know I love you. But it starts with you and your habits.” 

Maxey’s right, and his message underscores a larger issue for the 76ers.

Entering the season, it seemed as if the drama that had persisted during this era was finally behind them. The process, Ben Simmons, Jimmy Butler, Markelle Fultz, burner accounts, James Harden, Jokic vs. Embiid for MVP… all of it could be swept away after Embiid, Maxey and Paul George inked long-term deals. Embiid was saying all the right things, and this team seemed poised for a breakthrough.

Since then, Embiid has only invited more drama. His public comments about resting on back-to-backs sparked a league investigation, then he got physical with a reporter in the locker room, all while sidelined with a mysterious knee injury.

Now that he’s playing, he doesn’t look healthy or in shape. He’s been less an MVP on the court and more in the way.

Going back to Maxey’s comments, Embiid can no longer look around the locker room and point the finger. If the 76ers fail, it won’t be because Simmons refused to take a shot, a first-round pick flopped, or another star player's selfishness. It will be because of him. For Embiid, there are no more excuses.