Coming in as the number one seed with home-court advantage, the Boston Celtics believed that they would have a good chance of competing against the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, after being dismantled in Game 1 at home, the Cavaliers showed the Celtics that they are not a threat. Of course, it's only one game, but the Celtics don't seem to have enough talent, size, and depth to the matchup.
No answer for LeBron James
The Celtics seemingly had no answer for LeBron James in Game 1. They simply do not have anyone that can contain James one-on-one, which begs for a lot of help defense.
Unfortunately, Boston's help defense isn't physical enough. If a perimeter player comes to help, James finds his shooters. If LeBron beats his opponent off the dribble, the interior defense is soft and lacks size. James just rises over Boston's big men, out-muscles them, and scores with ease.
James is exposing Boston’s perimeter defense, proving that Jae Crowder is not strong enough to defend him, and Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart are too undersized. He is also burning the C’s by forcing the defense to switch on those high pick and rolls, having Al Horford come out to guard him.
LeBron was a mismatch for the Celtics and he successfully exploited their defensive woes. Celtics head coach Brad Stevens was helpless against the four-time MVP, and he praised him after the game.
"It’s hard to believe, but he’s better than when I got into the league [four years ago]. A lot better. Just as you get older, you gain more experience, see more things. I didn’t think he could get any better after that, but he is.”
Boston’s rebounding is sub-par
The Celtics have had rebounding woes all year long, as they were ranked bottom in that category during the regular season, and it’s been hurting them during the post-season.
They were actually able to keep the rebounding discrepancy close in Game 1, but they were out-rebounded regardless. The problem is that their big men are atrocious rebounders. Horford doesn’t have enough size and athleticism to box out opposing big men, as he gets chewed up in the paint.
The Celtics cannot allow the Cavaliers to gain too many second chance opportunities, which is costly since Cleveland is a potent offensive team.
Not even the perimeter defenders can help out much on the rebounding because they are too occupied staying attached to the outside shooters, which diminishes their ability to run back into the paint for a rebound.
Isaiah Thomas shrinks against Cleveland’s defense
Isaiah Thomas is a feisty scorer, but he tends to shrink against Cleveland’s magnificent defense. The Cavaliers place extreme pressure on Thomas, forcing him to tough shots and turnovers. Ultimately, the defense rattles Thomas so much that he even misses open looks. They show hard on screens and bring strong help defense on his drives to the basket. The Cavaliers are fiercely shadowing him, and since Thomas is the smallest player on the court, the defense becomes overwhelming.
The Celtics literally have no answer to Cleveland’s efficient offense and can’t seem to find enough scoring to compete. They may have looked great against other teams, but the Cavaliers exposed them in Game 1 and showed them that they didn’t need the home-court advantage for the playoffs to beat them. Although the Celtics were the number one seed in the East, they were not seen as an elite team and it’s been obvious in throughout the playoffs.
