The Cleveland Cavaliers are heading into the postseason with a significant amount of momentum. Kenny Atkinson has revolutionized how the team plays, which has led to them amassing the best record in the NBA.
However, the playoffs are a different challenge. Possessions slow down during the postseason. Half-court defense becomes a primary weapon, and any team chasing success must be able to consistently create scoring chances against a set defense.
In a recent interview with DJ Siddiqi of RG, Darius Garland detailed how last season’s series against the Boston Celtics has prepared Cleveland for its upcoming postseason run.
“The possessions really slow down, the possessions lessen in the playoffs, so you really have to take care of the ball, really have to rebound the ball on the defensive end and try to get some easy ones,” Garland said. “Because it’s really tough to score in the half court during a playoff series. Just getting a couple rounds under our belts has really helped us, especially last year going against Boston. I think that really flipped the switch in our head just to be ready to play all games, be ready for the physicality and really just take care of the ball on the offensive end, trying to get a shot or rebound every possession.”
The Celtics won that series in five games. However, under Atkinson, the Cavaliers have taken their offensive production to a new level. As such, Garland may be right, Cleveland could be ready to rise to the challenge during the playoffs.
Cavaliers Have a Plan For Boston
In another interview with Siddiqi, this time for Forbes, Garland revealed how the Cavaliers will approach playing the Celtics if or when the two teams meet in the playoffs this season.
“We really have to get out on their shooters, try to limit Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown as much as we can,” Garland said. “I know their two superstars are going to really try to get off against us and try to try to bully us and get as many points as they can. We really have to take away Payton Pritchard, Derrick Whites and Al Horford. Just trying to limit their threes and some of their points and their easy points as much as we can — just try to let those two guys beat us.”
The Cavaliers are one of the few teams that match up well with the Celtics. The addition of De’Andre Hunter will likely be key, too. However, overreacting to Boston’s perimeter threat comes with its own set of risks. It will be interesting to see how the Cavaliers balance dealing with the Celtics’ overall offensive firepower.
Donovan Mitchell Calls for More Improvements
On Friday, April 4, the Cavaliers secured a hard-fought win over the San Antonio Spurs. Yet, despite the victory, All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell was keen to stress the importance of his team continuing to improve.
“We gotta be better on all fronts,” Mitchell said. “There is no way. We gotta be better. It starts with me… We’ve gotta be better. Simple as that—Big time. We gotta go out there and take care of business on Sunday. Play a full 48 and clinch the 1 seed.”
Allowing the rebuilding Spurs to push them to the final shot of the game is far from ideal for the Cavaliers. They must learn to manage contests at a higher level, especially with the playoffs drawing near. Nevertheless, there are plenty of reasons for Cavaliers fans to be excited. And if Cleveland’s gameplan for facing Boston works, they could be cheering their team on in the NBA Finals later this year.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Darius Garland Shares Playoff Lesson the Cavaliers Learned vs. Celtics appeared first on Heavy Sports.