The Boston Celtics bounced back with a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night. They nearly let a 21-point second-half lead slip away, but managed to hold on. The victory moved them to 2-0 against last season’s top-seeded Cavs, and brought their overall record to 11-9.
Here’s what stood out.
The Cavs throwbacks should become their regular uniforms again
Cleveland wore their LeBron-James-era throwback uniforms against the Cs on Sunday, which, by itself, is pretty odd. Has there ever been an active NBA player who’s been around long enough for his old team to re-release a throwback uniform from when he was on the team?
I’m guessing no.
Regardless, these navy blue Cavs unis are far better than anything else in their wardrobe, and should be featured in an immediate rebrand next season.
Welcome back, Payton Pritchard
Payton Pritchard’s performance against the Minnesota Timberwolves left much to be desired on Saturday. He shot just 4-14 from the field for nine points, and didn’t look like himself throughout the night.
He bounced back in a big way in Cleveland on Sunday, making it evident from the start that he was coming to play. By the time you could even get comfortable on the couch, Pritchard already had seven points on a quick 3-3 from the floor.
Who knows how many early points he could’ve piled up, had he not found himself in foul trouble.
Even after having to head to the bench with those quick fouls, Pritchard maintained his momentum. He was massive for the Celtics all night, but especially late in the fourth quarter. He created a few buckets while he was defended by Darius Garland, including a dagger stepback with about 25 seconds left.
Pritchard finished with 42 points on 15-22 from the field and 6-11 from deep. His shot creation was essential to Boston’s success, considering that Jaylen Brown wasn’t super efficient.
Anfernee Simons joins the guard scoring parade
Pritchard wasn’t the only Celtics guard to get cooking against the Cavs. Anfernee Simons was on one, too. The former Portland Trail Blazers star came out firing, with 16 first-half points on 7-10 from the field.
He made a point to get into the paint, as well, rather than just relying on hot three-point shooting to get his buckets.
More paint penetration is always going to be better, especially for Simons. If he can put pressure on opposing defenses that way, it’ll make it easier for him to make his teammates better and get them involved when he’s on the floor.
This Xavier Tillman performance makes you wonder why he’s been sitting on the bench for a month
A wave of confusion hit the Celtics community when Xavier Tillman Sr. was announced as a starter for Sunday’s matchup with the Cavs. Sure, Neemias Queta was out, but I’m not sure anyone thought Tillman would be the guy who got the starting nod, especially after spending the past month watching games from the bench.
There was definitely some rust at times, but Tillman put together a solid performance overall. In particular, his nose for the ball on the offensive glass impressed. It just felt like he was willing to hustle any chance he got.
There was even a moment where Tillman hit the floor diving after a loose ball.
The former Memphis Grizzlies big man finished the night with nine points, six rebounds, and three steals.
