Locked On Celtics - Daily Podcast On The Boston Celtics Locked On Podcast Network

They started slow against the Cavs, who were missing Donovan Mitchell, but they quickly recovered and opened up a good lead. the Cavs wouldn't go away, though, getting hot from 3 early and just hanging around the whole night. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal gets into that, the good games from Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Jrue Holiday, and the big contribution from Payton Pritchard off the bench. Plus, why we should embrace the humanity of this Celtics team and stop hoping for something different.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown both showed a lot of maturity in Game 3, taking some criticism to heart but not overdoing it to a point where they were trying to do too much. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm discuss both of their games and then get into Al Horford's defensive night, which was not nearly as bad as people think, Also, Donovan Mitchell is in God-mode, but how much longer can keep it up?

The Celtics got a hot start from Jayson Tatum, an efficient night from Jaylen Brown, and finally a big contribution Jrue Holiday on their way to a big win over the Cavs in a very hostile environment. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal is at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse with a look at the C's defensive plan, why Al Horford getting cooked by Donovan Mitchell wasn't as bad as it felt, and how the fourth quarter execution was exactly what Boston needed. It wasn't all good, though. There's one thing Boston needs to watch out for in Game 4.

The Celtics came out strong built a big lead and then let go when the shot stopped falling, leading to a generally bad defensive effort and a familiar Game 2 loss to the Cavs. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal discusses what went wrong, why the Celtics reaction to the poor shooting was the opposite of what should have happened, and what concerns there are moving forward.

Looking back on Game 1, the Celtics still had things they could do better, which doesn't bode well for the Cavs. Cleveland might go to more shooting but the Celtics still have all the advantages. John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal and Tom Westerholm discuss why the Celtics haven't missed a beat since the regular season, why they just need to keep doing what they do (maybe just a little better) and why Jayson Tatum's willingness to NOT be the guy is what makes the Celtics so dangerous.

Jaylen Brown was aggressive and attacking early on and he set the tone for a big offensive night. Derrick White was blistering hot from 3 and tagged along with Brown to combine for 57 points on a night where Jayson Tatum wasn't his best offensively (but was great defensively). John Karalis of Boston Sports Journal was at TD Garden to discuss that, the defensive effort that cut Donovan Mitchell off from any help, and why it's going to be hard for the Cavs to match the Celtics in this series.