Cavs Come Up Short in Boston, and the Problems Run Deeper Than One Final Play
The Cleveland Cavaliers had a chance to steal one in Boston Sunday night. Despite trailing for most of the game, a late surge in the final minutes nearly flipped the script. But with 0.6 seconds left and a chance to tie or win, the Cavs made a puzzling decision: Donovan Mitchell - their best scorer and most dangerous offensive threat - was inbounding the ball instead of taking the final shot.
It’s one of those moments that makes you pause. Basketball, unlike baseball, lets you choose who takes the last shot.
You don’t have to hope your star ends up in the right spot at the right time - you can design it that way. But Cleveland opted to take Mitchell off the board, and the result was a broken play that didn’t even get a shot off.
Head coach Kenny Atkinson said postgame he wanted Mitchell’s passing in that situation. But the film tells a different story.
The play was a simple screen between Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, and once Boston switched it, the Cavs had nothing left in the chamber. No misdirection, no second option.
Mitchell, standing out of bounds, could only watch.
Swapping Mitchell with Dean Wade in that moment might’ve changed everything. Putting Mitchell in the action - or at the very least on the floor - forces the defense to make tougher choices.
He’s the kind of player who bends defenses just by standing in the corner. Garland doesn’t draw that same gravity.
And with 0.6 seconds on the clock, every inch of space matters.
But as frustrating as that final sequence was, it wasn’t the reason Cleveland lost. The deeper issue is one that’s been lingering all season - and really, dating back to last year’s playoff flameout against the Pacers. This team struggles to respond when things get tough.
“We’re not hungry enough,” rookie Jaylon Tyson said after the game. “What happened to us last year - it’s a similar thing that’s happening this year.
We’re getting run out of the gym. Getting beat on the ground.
… Toughness. It’s a common theme.
It’s on us to fix it.”
Tyson’s not wrong. And he’s not alone in showing some fight.
Alongside Nae’Qwan Tomlin, the two young wings have brought consistent energy and physicality - something that’s been sorely lacking elsewhere in the rotation. But when your rookies are the ones setting the tone, that says a lot about where the rest of the group is.
If Cleveland wants to be taken seriously in the East - even in a conference that’s wide open behind the top tier - they need more than flashes of effort. They need an identity. Right now, they don’t have one.
Defensively, the Cavs had no answer for Payton Pritchard, who carved them up for 42 points. Pritchard’s a solid player, but he’s not someone who should dominate a team with playoff aspirations.
Cleveland couldn’t stay in front of him, couldn’t contest his shots, and couldn’t make him uncomfortable. That’s a problem.
Garland and Mitchell both struggled on the defensive end, and without a stopper like Isaac Okoro - who’s no longer on the roster - there’s no one to cover up those holes. The Cavs’ best hope right now is simply outscoring teams. And on nights like this, when the shots aren’t falling, there’s no Plan B.
Injuries have played a role, sure. Garland is still recovering from toe surgery and reportedly experimenting with plates in his shoe and toe spacers.
That’s not ideal, and it might be something he has to manage all season. But injuries are part of the game.
The Celtics were missing Jayson Tatum and Derrick White, and they were on the second night of a back-to-back. That didn’t stop them from playing with purpose and execution.
And that’s the difference. Boston has a clear identity. Cleveland is still searching.
The numbers back it up. The Cavs currently sit 13th in the league in overall record, 14th in offensive rating, 9th in defensive rating, and 13th in point differential. That’s the profile of a middle-of-the-pack team - one that might win a first-round series if things break right, but isn’t scaring anyone in May or June.
What’s more concerning is the lack of growth. There are no stretches - not even brief ones - where the Cavs look like they’re putting it all together.
No dominant quarters. No statement wins.
Just a string of games where they look like they’re trying to figure it out on the fly.
The season is a quarter of the way through. This is typically the point where teams reveal who they are. And right now, the Cavs look like a team that’s stuck in the middle - too talented to bottom out, but not consistent or cohesive enough to contend.
Yes, there’s still time. Teams have turned things around before.
The 2022 Celtics were 20-21 before catching fire and reaching the Finals. But those are the exceptions, not the rule.
And the Cavs haven’t shown the kind of resilience or internal leadership that suggests a similar turnaround is coming.
Mitchell has said it repeatedly: this isn’t last year’s team. And he’s right. But that’s not necessarily a good thing.
If the first 20 games are any indication, this version of the Cavaliers isn’t ready to make the leap. And if that doesn’t change soon, there could be major changes coming this summer - because standing still in the NBA is just another way of falling behind.