The Boston Celtics came into Sunday night’s matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers with a clear and calculated objective: neutralize Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland. And they didn’t just succeed-they made the Cavs’ backcourt stars look like shadows of themselves.
This wasn’t a flashy new wrinkle in Boston’s game plan. It was the same defensive blueprint they’ve been executing all season-aggressive help defense, swarming the ball-handler, and forcing role players to beat them. Against Cleveland, it worked to near perfection.
Mitchell and Garland, M.I.A.
Through the first three quarters, Mitchell and Garland combined to shoot just 6-of-20 from the field and coughed up nine turnovers. That’s not just a cold shooting night-that’s a complete disruption of rhythm. Boston’s defense didn’t just slow them down; it disarmed them.
The Celtics made it a priority to get the ball out of their hands. On the defensive end, they blitzed pick-and-rolls, hedged hard, and rotated with precision.
The goal? Force the ball into the hands of Cleveland’s supporting cast.
And on offense, Boston flipped the script-pulling Mitchell and especially Garland into nearly every action.
Let’s break down how that played out.
Of the 20 combined shots from Mitchell and Garland in the first three quarters, eight came in transition-rushed, early-clock looks. Four were static catch-and-shoot attempts, two were heavily contested, one came off an offensive rebound, and one was the product of a rare Celtics defensive breakdown.
That leaves just four shots that came organically through Cleveland’s half-court sets. Four.
The rest of the time, Boston’s pressure forced the ball out of their hands or turned them over outright.
Cavs’ Role Players Tried to Step Up
With Mitchell and Garland effectively neutralized, the Cavaliers had to look elsewhere for offense. Jalon Tyson, De’Andre Hunter, Dean Wade, and Nae’Qwon Tomlin became the focal points, launching threes in rhythm and trying to keep Cleveland afloat. Tyson in particular found a groove, but that was part of Boston’s plan-live with contested jumpers from role players, as long as Mitchell and Garland weren’t the ones doing the damage.
Even when Mitchell and Garland found a little rhythm late in the game, the Celtics had already dictated the terms. Those buckets came on tough, contested threes-not the kind of dribble-drive plays that typically generate momentum or force defensive rotations. Boston stayed home, stayed disciplined, and let their stars handle the rest.
Exposing the Mismatch on the Other End
While Mitchell and Garland were bottled up on offense, the Celtics made sure they had no place to hide on defense either. Jaylen Brown and Payton Pritchard went hunting for mismatches, and Garland was the bullseye.
Boston’s offense repeatedly used screens to force switches, putting Garland in isolation situations against Brown and Pritchard. It wasn’t subtle-it was surgical. And while Brown didn’t light up the scoreboard himself, he dissected Cleveland’s defense with 11 assists, many of them coming after exploiting Garland’s lack of size and defensive resistance.
Pritchard, though, was the real story. He dropped 42 points, and whenever Garland was the one in front of him, it felt automatic.
The Celtics shot 9-of-13 from the field when Garland was the primary defender, including 4-of-6 from Pritchard alone. That’s not just picking on a mismatch-that’s turning it into a feeding frenzy.
A Statement Game for Boston’s Identity
This was a textbook example of how the Celtics have built their identity this season. They’re not just winning with talent-they’re winning with intention. They dictated matchups, controlled tempo, and executed a two-way game plan that left Cleveland scrambling.
Mitchell and Garland are two of the most dynamic guards in the league. But on Sunday night, Boston made them look ordinary. And when you can take away a team’s top two offensive engines, you don’t just win the game-you send a message.
The Celtics didn’t just beat the Cavaliers. They out-thought them, out-executed them, and reminded the league why they’re one of the most complete teams in basketball.