Cavs’ Evan Mobley reveals how Celtics made life hard for him in Game 3

In the NBA Playoffs, in every battle, there’s a game within a game that few notice, adjustments between either side.

In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics, the Cleveland Cavaliers saw Derrick White and Jaylen Brown firing away from the perimeter. In Game 2, the Cavs adjusted and clamped down on Boston’s perimeter attack while controlling the game’s overall flow with their tough-nosed rebounding behind big man Evan Mobley, who had nearly a quarter of Cleveland’s total rebounds.

In Game 3, the Celtics challenged the Cavs on the glass, mitigating Cleveland’s strength and frustrating Mobley in a gritty home playoff loss.

“I felt like there was definitely an emphasis on their side to try and keep me off the glass,” Mobley told ClutchPoints postgame. I still try to go up and get it every single time, and sometimes, you just don’t come up with it.

“They did a good job of just tracking me through our possessions. Whenever guards shot layups, they kept trying to find me and keep me off the glass.”

Throughout this playoff run, Mobley has stepped up and become Cleveland’s second-best player on the floor since Jarrett Allen was sidelined with a nagging rib injury. While Mobley has shouldered the responsibility, the center isn’t his natural position most nights for the Cavs, and the wear and tear of having to be the total defensive anchor has been grinding him.

There was a brief scare during Game 3 where Mobley tweaked his ankle and had to work through it on the court. He shared postgame that that’s what he has to do, considering he’s Cleveland’s only heavy-minute big man remaining.

How Cavs can support Evan Mobley on the boards