1 key change Cavs must implement in Game 4 to take down Celtics

Although the solution seems simple enough, Cleveland’s problem is that they need someone other than Donovan Mitchell to connect on multiple three-point attempts.

Mitchell hit on 7 of his 12 three-point attempts in Game 3 while the rest of the team combined to shoot 5 of 24 from the perimeter. Max Strus accounted for 2 of those 5 makes, while Dean Wade, Darius Garland, and Caris LeVert each made a single three-pointer.

“I thought we did a good job of sharing and creating open (3s),” Cleveland head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “We just didn’t make as many as we needed to.”

Throughout the game — and especially in the third quarter — the Celtics continually blitzed the Cavs, which contributed to their three-point attempts not connecting. This blitz-heavy Boston attack forced Bickerstaff to go with a smaller lineup, with Evan Mobley playing center surrounded by the shooting prowess of Mitchell, Garland, LeVert, and Sam Merrill.

Through that smaller lineup, Cleveland found a spark. That spark opened up the floor, creating driving lanes for the Cavs to attack the basket or to force defenders to scramble all over the perimeter. It also allowed them to attack the Celtics’ big man, Al Horford, who turns 38 next month, on nearly every trip down the floor.

Due to all the spacing, Boston could not hide Horford anywhere defensively. Sure, Cleveland still lost by 13 and could only trim the opposing lead to 9 with that group. But that could be a weak link on defense for the Celtics since Horford is starting instead of Kristaps Porzingis, allowing Cleveland to go smaller earlier and carve up Boston on the interior.

“I thought it gave us space. It gave us a lot of shooting out there,” Bickerstaff said. “We were struggling to score offensively, so I thought we just needed some space and try to put as much shooting out there as we could. I thought it gave us a nice little boost, but I thought it ran out of steam a little bit.”

While the Cavs cannot play smaller all game long, they can do it in bursts to help keep the Celtics uneven on defense. Boston has already struggled to contain Mobley at times, and Cleveland’s star big man is even more lethal when surrounded by shooting.

The Cavs need to try anything and everything to avoid going down 3-1 to the Celtics heading back to Boston for Game 5. Perhaps playing smaller and making it rain from the perimeter will do the trick.