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Jaylen Brown Calls Out ‘Unacceptable’ Celtics Defense in Game 2 Vs. Cavaliers

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‘We can’t let that happen’

by Gio Rivera

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7 minutes ago
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3 minutes reading

BOSTON – Not only did the Celtics fail to score and protect their home field advantage in Thursday night’s Game 2 loss, but they allowed the Cavaliers to find their offensive confidence all over the floor.

It’s unusual for Boston to knock down 22.9% of its three-point attempts, lead by no more than nine points, and score just eight points on the fastbreak. But it’s downright inexcusable when the Celtics, on the other end of the floor, where effort and commitment are tested, allow each Cavaliers player who logged more than 10 minutes to shoot over 50% from the field and get an out-rebound, 44-31. Cleveland had thrown Boston off the A-game and in response, the Celtics starters accepted their early in embarrassment with 4:58 left in the fourth quarter.

The wave of disappointed Boston fans turning their attention from the field to the exit signs at TD Garden knew it, and so did Jaylen Brown.

“Maybe we missed some shots and let that translate,” Brown explained after the stunning 118-94 loss. “It’s the play-offs. We can’t let that happen. I don’t care if you miss shots, you have to guard a guy on the other side. … You can’t miss shots and then let them make shots on the other end. That was unacceptable.”


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Boston’s defensive woes were signs of a tough night in the making. In the first quarter, Cleveland pulled ahead of the Celtics with an 11-5 run, causing Boston to miss seven consecutive shot attempts, including three at the rim.

It wasn’t pretty, it left the home crowd standing still for all the wrong reasons heading into half time with the score tied at 54-54, and it wasn’t enough to generate any motivation once the second half started . The Celtics came up empty on all eight of their three-point attempts in the third quarter, getting desperation drives that allowed the Cavaliers to get ahead in transition and pick them apart.

“I think when we attacked the rim as a group, there were a lot of kick-out opportunities that we missed,” Jayson Tatum said. “And then 41% from the field and 22% from three – we just didn’t make any shots. You know, it’s a make-or-miss competition.


Despite all this, Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell had no problem piling on the pressure on the scoreboard. He drilled a deflating 27-foot three before the third-quarter buzzer sounded before posing quietly and locking eyes with Boston fans sitting in disbelief. For the second straight Game 2 this postseason, the Celtics looked unprepared and allowed a less talented opponent to embarrass them in their neck of the woods.

“I think when you lose a game like that, it can be a combination of tactics, a combination of effort, a combination of sometimes a little bit of all those things,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla said. “I don’t want to say it was one thing all the time, but it’s probably a combination of those.”

Boston has 48 hours to innovate and prepare to respond.

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