The Cleveland Cavaliers’ Darius Garland defends the Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum in the first … [+] quarter of their game at TD Garden. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Getty Images
Thanks to the NBA’s bloated 82-game schedule, it’s rare that a single game defines an entire season. Yet, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ comeback win over the Boston Celtics on Friday night could end up being one of those exceptions.
Heading into the game, the 48-10 Cavaliers had a near-stranglehold on the Eastern Conference’s best record. However, a loss to the second-place Celtics would have given their opponents a 3-1 advantage in the head-to-head standings. That would have given the Celtics at least a fighting chance to make up the difference before the start of the playoffs along with a much-needed psychological advantage in a postseason rematch.
The short-handed Celtics came in at a distinct disadvantage. Not only were they still reeling after their latest “worst loss of the season,” this time against the surprising Detroit Pistons, they were playing without Jrue Holiday or Kristaps Porzingis.
And yet, the Celtics came out of the gate on a 25-3 run, proving that they knew how important this game could be. However, the Cavaliers weathered a 30-point, nine rebound first half by Boston’s Jayson Tatum and were able to claw their way back to make it a 10-point halftime deficit. The Celtics faded in the second half, allowing the Cavs to make an impressive comeback on route to a 123-116 victory.
It’s quite likely these two teams will meet again in the postseason. Before the game, the Boston Globe’s Chad Finn rightfully acknowledged them as one of the few teams in the NBA who could dethrone the defending champions. After Friday’s loss, it’s difficult to argue with his prediction of “an inevitable meeting in the Eastern Conference finals.”
Should it come to pass, the Cavaliers have officially proven that they can beat the defending champions on the road even after gifting them a 20+ point lead. If we’re talking psychological advantages, it’s difficult to beat that.
It’s clear by now that these Celtics aren’t quite the world-beaters they were last year. Those Celtics ended the 2023-24 season 14 games above the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference standings. It was, it turns out, an impossible feat to duplicate. The Cavaliers now have a 7.5 game lead over the Celtics, essentially putting the No. 1 seed completely out of reach.
It’s less that the Celtics have had a disappointing season, it’s more that everything went right for Boston last year. A repeat was never in the cards. It certainly hasn’t helped that—as the most recent NBA Finals winners—they have been subjected to their opponents’ best efforts on a game-by-game basis.
The Celtics are still one of the most dangerous teams in the league, it’s just that the Cavaliers have been better. Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland, who combined to score 61 points in Friday’s win, have emerged as one of the NBA’s deadliest duos. They have now proven, on a national stage, that no lead is safe against them.
Of course, the postseason is a completely different beast than the regular season. The Celtics had home-court advantage last year, but they didn’t really need it. They didn’t even play a single Game 7 as they barreled through the competition. Despite Friday’s loss, the Celtics can comfort themselves with the fact that they split the season-series against Cleveland despite missing two-fifths of their starting rotation on Friday.
Still, the Cavaliers’ remarkable regular season success should be a sign that, at the very least, the Celtics will face tougher playoff competition this year than they did last year.
2024 was a rare aberration where all the stars aligned in Boston’s favor. Things are going to be much tougher in 2025, but that doesn’t mean the Celtics’ task is impossible. The Cavaliers have established themselves as the East’s best team in the regular season and could end up with the league’s best record. Still, when the playoffs begin, and the games matter the most, everybody’s record resets to 0-0.
