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These Finals matchups have been a let down to say the least and Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals was more of the same. Boston took the win over a lethargic Cleveland, 96-83, with a chance to seal the series in Game 6 at Quicken Loans Arena on Friday night. They’ll need to reverse their form away from home if that’s going to be the case, in saying that…
Home Court Advantage Matters
The Celtics are perfect at home this postseason (10-0) while their away record pales in comparison (1-5).
The Cavaliers aren’t much better, with their only away wins coming in the sweep of Toronto in the Semifinals.
It doesn’t bode well for Cleveland as they now to have to close the series at TD Garden. LeBron may have no fear of the raucous Celtics’ fans but his teammates have been shook playing any game away from home.
The Cavs’ woes away from home are hard to explain, though some of them can be attributed to some mind boggling coaching decisions by Tyronn Lue.
Is Tyronn Lue Trolling Us?
As Kory and Nick reiterated on The Outlet, some of Lue’s coaching decisions were just plain stupid. The fact a guy who is averaging less than a bucket per game these playoffs could leave the coach so dishevelled is perplexing to say the least.
Kyle Korver is one of the most lethal three-point shooters in league history and a huge part of Cleveland’s offensive success. Yet somehow, Semi Ojeleye’s absence forced him to play less than 10 minutes in the outing.
Heck, Jordan Clarkson and Jeff Green played more minutes than Korver despite both of those player’s shortcomings.
At least he did something right:
Jayson Tatum Is Really Good At Basketball
Danny Ainge’s nifty trade with Philadelphia to get Jayson Tatum and another first rounder is continuing to reap its rewards these playoffs. You could argue alongside jack-of-all-trades star, Al Horford, that Tatum has been Boston’s best performer this postseason.
The rookie forward was the team’s top-scorer (24 points) and had 7 rebounds and 4 steals to round out a sublime performance from the 20-year old. In doing so, he made history:
The ceiling on Tatum is skyrocketing each game this series and if he’s able to lead the Celtics to a series win in Cleveland the plaudits will continue for the burgeoning star.