3. As Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said in his post-game press conference: “They have playoff strength and physicality, we have regular season strength and physicality.” That was especially the case in the first half.

4. Wait, the Cavs only lost by three points. They were down 21 points in the third quarter and they just kept coming back. They never caught Boston, but were within two points several times. They came close to beating the Celtics despite shooting just 10 of 29 (34%) on three-point shots.

5. Where should I go with these scribbles? Why start with Garland’s miserable shooting and how Boston’s defense seemed to physically overwhelm and frustrate him at times? Because the Cavs almost beat Boston… in Boston… with Garland playing perhaps the worst shooting of his NBA career.

6. Atkinson on Garland: “I think he just hit a wall. He’s been very good for us all year.” Garland was NBA player of the week last week. He came into the game averaging 21 points and shooting 52%. Instead of delving into the media with the question why Garland was struggling, Atkinson just used the comment about the poor play. He knows Garland had confidence issues at times last year. You don’t have to do anything to bring this back.

7. The Cavs almost won in Boston, despite the following players being out with injuries: Caris LeVert, Isaac Okoro, Dean Wade and Max Strus. The Cavs were so depleted that they started Sam Merrill at small forward. They only played eight guys. Still, they almost beat the defending NBA champions.

8. The Cavs trailed 65-48 at halftime. While watching the game, I kept yelling at the TV, “The center is open! Don’t settle for long, contested three-point shots!” Boston’s approach is to defend the three point tightly. They switch on almost every screen, meaning the Cavs can get big men Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen on smaller defenders as they roll to the basket if they are patient.

9. I like three-point shots, but not when players are rushed and off balance. Boston forces you to take those kinds of three-point shots.

10. Meanwhile, I thought back to the 2024 playoffs against Boston. Mobley averaged 21.4 points and 9.4 rebounds. He punished them inside. In the Game 5 loss that ended the series, Mobley scored 33 points on 15 of 24 shooting. The center was open to his urges, to his post-ups… almost anything he wanted. The same was true on Tuesday.

11. Mobley finished with 22 points on 8 of 13 shooting. He was perfect on five free throws. That said, a 30-point game was available if the Cavs had looked at him more often.

12. After the match, Atkinson said the line “That’s on me.” I heard it and sighed. But then he explained that they made some adjustments at halftime to get to the rim more often. “We didn’t get Evan the ball enough,” he said.

13. That’s a useful “That’s my fault” line from a coach. Because he explained what he meant… and what many of us saw. I also like how he mentioned the Cavs’ lack of physical play in the first half. They opened the game 2-of-10 with three turnovers and trailed, 12-4. Boston’s tight defense and pushing left the Cavs mentally unbalanced. They weren’t playing against other NBA teams who just wanted to run, shoot and let you do the same.

14. The Cavs changed their strategy in the second half and scored 40 points in the third quarter. Overall, they defeated Boston 69-55 after halftime. Donovan Mitchell drove to the rim more often. He was 3 of 11 on three-point shots. He still finished with 35 points. He also had eight rebounds. He scored 11 points in the fourth quarter. He is a player with a tough mind.

15. Atkinson came up with a new combination that worked: Craig Porter Jr., Georges Niang, Ty Jerome, Mobley and Mitchell. That created a spark. Porter was sensational, scoring 15 in 25 minutes on 6 of 8 shooting. He made all three of his shots from three-point range.

16. The best plus/minus stats for the Cavs: Niang (+15), Jerome (+12) and Porter (+12). They shot a combined 15 of 21 for 36 points. Niang is the Cavs’ most underrated reserve this season.

17. That foul near the end of the game, when Boston’s Jayson Tatum dropped his shoulder and crashed into a dribbling Mitchell, should have been egregious. It could have left Mitchell with something more than the bloody mouth he got. Atkinson called a timeout and twice asked the officials to review it. They refused.

18. Bottom line: The Cavs could have easily been blown out in this game. Instead, they fought back. Atkinson continued to shuffle his lineup and find combinations that worked. I loved the grit of the team.