Oct 12, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Tyrese Proctor (24) drives to the basket against Boston Celtics guard Hugo González (28) during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Three keys for Cleveland Cavaliers at Boston Celtics

Originally posted on Cleveland Cavaliers on SI
By Tony Pesta | Last updated Oct 29, 2025 2:54 PM ET

The Cleveland Cavaliers are on the road against the Boston Celtics.

Here are three keys to tonight’s game.

Winning the frontcourt battle

Boston’s frontcourt has taken a few hits since last year. They no longer have Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis holding down the line. Even Luke Kornett is gone. Instead, it’s a shaky rotation of Neemias Queta, Chris Boucher and Luka Garza.

This is a matchup that Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen should dominate. Cleveland’s bigs are more athletic and versatile than anyone Boston could throw at them. I’d expect Mobley, especially, to find success scoring in the paint.

Donovan Mitchell should benefit, as well. The Celtics don’t have enough rim protection to keep him from scoring in the paint. We could see another big scoring game from Mitchell as a result.

Handling ball pressure

Teams across the NBA are trying to replicate the full-court ball pressure that the Indiana Pacers used to great success in the playoffs last year. The Celtics, more than anyone, have increased their ball pressure – picking up opponents deeper into the backcourt.

Early trend to keep an eye on!
The average pick-up distance is up ~3 feet from last season. pic.twitter.com/O3WBFDKVGc
— ALL NBA Podcast (@ALLCITY_NBA) October 28, 2025

We recently covered this trend from the Cavs' perspective. Kenny Atkinson wants this team to be more aggressive defensively. But on the flip side, they’ll now face a Celtics team that wants to recreate that same pressure.

Entering this game without Darius Garland could make things interesting. The Cavs struggled with Indiana’s full-court pressure in the playoffs, particularly without Garland to help break the press. They could be in the same boat tonight.

Watch for players like Lonzo Ball, Craig Porter Jr, and possibly even Tyrese Proctor to pick up some slack. Cleveland will need all the ball-handling it can get.

Three-point shooting

The Cavs led the NBA in three-point shooting last season. They currently rank outside the top 10 this year. It’s only been four games, but it’s something to keep an eye on.

Not having Garland will once again hurt them tonight. He’s one of the most efficient three-point shooters in basketball. Add the loss of Sam Merrill, who is out tonight with a hip contusion, and the Cavaliers' spacing suddenly looks thin.

The Celtics aren’t the same three-point team they were a year ago, either. They’ve begun the season shooting 31% from deep, 5th worst in the league. But they still shoot with volume, attempting the second most per game.

Three-point variance is something that can bite any team on any night. We know that Boston will test their luck by letting it fly. Let’s see if the Cavs can keep up.

This article first appeared on Cleveland Cavaliers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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