The Cleveland Cavaliers’ fairytale run to begin the 2024-25 season has come to an end. Their season-starting winning streak of 15 games met its end as the Cavs ran into the buzzsaw that is the Boston Celtics in the NBA Cup, as their comeback efforts on Tuesday night came up short in a 120-117 defeat.
While there is no shame in seeing that 15-game winning streak get halted by the reigning champion Celtics, there will be a sense of frustration among them, particularly within Darius Garland, that they were not able to put their best foot forward for the entire 48 minutes. Garland disappointed big time on Tuesday; he put up just eight points on a ghastly 3-21 shooting from the field — his season-worst effort.
Considering how strongly Garland has begun the season, seeing him throw up brick after brick against the Celtics’ elite perimeter defensive duo of Jrue Holiday and Derrick White was brutal to watch. Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson believes that the high-intensity performances in their first 15 games have gotten to Garland, as he simply did not have it on Tuesday night.
“He’s been playing unbelievable but I think he hit a wall tonight. He won’t say it but I’ll say it,” Atkinson said following the Cavs’ defeat, per Jared Weiss of The Athletic.
Indeed, Garland has done more than play at an unbelievable level through the first 15 games of the Cavs’ season. He has returned to All-Star form, and he seems to have found a new level in terms of efficiency. He entered their Tuesday night battle against the Celtics averaging 21.4 points and 7.0 assists on 52.5 percent shooting from the field, but his 3-21 night has knocked him to below 50 percent on the season (49.1 percent).
Even the best of players are not immune to off-nights. But missing 18 of your 21 shots on the night will not feel good at all for Garland. The silver lining is that, now that the streak is over, the Cavs will not be feeling the pressure anymore to maintain perfection — which could bode well for them moving forward.
Cavs’ comeback bid in the TD Garden falls short
The Celtics definitely understood how big of a game it was for them to face the 15-0 Cavs, and in the NBA Cup, no less. Their loss in the NBA Cup opener meant that they will have to win the rest of their games to advance to the quarterfinals, and from the get-go, they were playing with energy, generating open three-point shots at will and making it rain as a result. They finished the night with 22 total made triples, and even for an incredible Cavs team, overcoming that math deficit will be extremely difficult.
It’s a testament to the Cavs’ resilience and how improved of a team they are that they managed to claw all the way back from a 21-point deficit to at least make the Celtics sweat in the end. Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley did their part, while the bench trio of Georges Niang, Ty Jerome, and Craig Porter Jr. were instrumental in their impressive, if failed, comeback bid.
