Celtics upset after "unacceptable" defensive performance in Game 2 loss to Cavs

BOSTON -- This postseason was supposed to be different for the Boston Celtics. They weren't going to mess around at TD Garden and let opponents steal wins -- or worse -- embarrass them on their home floor.

The Celtics were the most dominant home team in the NBA during the regular season, losing just four games in front of their home fans. The TD Garden was not a place where teams wanted to come and play.

Unfortunately, that has not yet carried over to the playoffs. The Celtics have now played five home games this postseason and they've lost two of them, both of them in embarrassing, blowout fashion.

Another one of those "wake up call" losses that have become so common with this team? One can only hope.

Much like their Game 2 loss to the Miami Heat in the first round, the Celtics let the Cavaliers stomp through the Garden on Thursday night and do just about anything they wanted on offense. While Donovan Mitchell started off a bit cold, the Cavs punished the C's inside, which kept Cleveland close until their star player found his hot hand in the second half.

But while Game 2 against Miami was chalked up to an opponent catching fire from downtown, the Celtics let the Cavaliers embarrass them because of their extremely lackluster defense on Thursday night. Mix in a cold shooting night from just about everyone in a Celtics uniform (Boston shot just 22.9 percent from three) and it was recipe for a disaster. It resulted in a 118-94 drubbing that had fans heading for the exits with five minutes left on the clock.

Jaylen Brown didn't mince words when discussing Boston's defensive effort after the loss, calling it "unacceptable."

"Obviously we didn't shoot the ball very well tonight, but defensively it was an unacceptable performance, and I think that's where I'm the most upset," said Brown. "Defensively we gave up 118 points, and on top of that, we lost the rebound battle. So we didn't help ourselves tonight."

Game 2 was tied at halftime after the Celtics let the Cavaliers close the second quarter on an 11-3 run. (They also let Cleveland close the first quarter on an 11-3 run and the Cavs led by six at the end of that frame.) Cavs shooters had flames on their fingertips in the third quarter, shooting 59 percent while hitting seven of their 10 three-pointers. Mitchell torched the Celtics for 16 of his 29 points in the third, going 5-for-9 overall and 4-for-5 from deep, and the Cavaliers led by a dozen heading into the fourth quarter.

And while the Celtics gave Cleveland open looks from downtown and easy paths to the basket, they went ice cold from the floor. As is usually the case when their defense falters, the Celtics fell back into their iso-heavy ways on offense and forced shot after shot after shot. Boston went 0-for-8 from three in the third, and just 2-for-18 in the second half. They finished the game 8-for-35 from downtown, with Brown and Derrick White going a combined 1-for-14.

Boston also got bullied down low, allowing Cleveland to score 60 points in the paint. Evan Mobley finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds, and the Celtics were out-rebounded 44-31 on the night. That's always a good indication that their effort just was not there.

The Celtics are now 15-14 at home over the last three postseasons. If you're looking for the proper word to describe that record, Brown's "unacceptable" would certainly fit. It should serve as a reminder that the Celtics can't just show up and expect to win. A reminder that they've unfortunately needed a number of times at the most important time of the year. 

The Celtics are now determined to regroup and make up for their disappointing Game 2 performance in Saturday night's Game 3 in Cleveland. The shots should start to fall again, but upping their intensity and effort on defense is squarely on their shoulders.

"You take it on the chin, you learn from it, and you come out and put your best foot forward for the next game," head coach Joe Mazzulla said. "We need to be ready to respond."

Jayson Tatum said nobody in the C's locker room is "defeated or deflated," and was adamant that the team would bounce back. 

"The world thinks we're never supposed to lose, we're supposed to win every game by 25. And it's just not going to be like that all the time," said Tatum, who led the team with 25 points despite another rough shooting night (7-for-17 with makes at the free-throw line). "So we don't expect it to be easy. It's a good team we're playing in the second round of the playoffs. It's going to be fun, the rest of this series, especially come Saturday. 

"We've bounced back plenty of times. We lost what, 18 games this year? So I'd like to think that we responded pretty well the few times that we did lose," added Tatum.