CLEVELAND — Even though the Cavaliers were shorthanded missing two of their key starters, they still put up a spirited fight against the Celtics in Game 4. The Cavs forced a close game against the C’s, almost putting together a comeback attempt. But they fell short 109-102 in Game 4 on Monday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse as the C’s took the 3-1 series lead in the East semifinals.
Postgame, the Cavs also expressed some clear frustrations with the way the game was officiated Monday. The stat that came to the forefront was the free throw disparity: The Celtics attempted 24 free throws while the Cavs took just seven shots from the charity stripe. While guard Darius Garland wouldn’t get into it too much, he did voice some of his confusion with such a massive difference.
“This is our second time in the playoffs this year like under 10 free throws (in a game),” Garland said. “I’m not going to go into it, but that’s ridiculous. For the amount of drives that we have, the amount of paint attacks, whatever you want to call it, it’s really tough just having seven free throws in a basketball game when they’re getting 24.”
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Now, the Cavaliers did take a lot more 3-pointers than the Celtics on Monday, leading in attempts 48-32. But that doesn’t necessarily mean the Cavs weren’t attacking and putting pressure on the rim. They actually led in points in the paint Monday, 44-38, so they were still getting shots near the rim. But neither Garland nor Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff could answer for the officials Monday.
There were multiple moments, too, where the crowd grew frustrated with the officiating. One key moment came where Jaylen Brown wasn’t called for a flagrant foul after yanking on Max Strus’ leg, causing the Cavs guard to fall. The Cavs did get a free throw out of it on the away-from-play foul, but the Cleveland crowd hit the officials with the “refs you suck” chant because of the call.
Despite all that, the Cavs put plenty of pressure on the Celtics. Monday was the first time these playoffs that the Celtics played in a clutch game, which is defined by at least a five-point game with less than five minutes in the fourth quarter or overtime. So the Cavs pushed the C’s close to the brink in a contested game. But the Celtics had just a few more plays Monday to secure the 3-1 series lead.
For now, all the Cavs can do is turn to Game 5, which is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday at TD Garden. At this point, it’s unclear if Cleveland star Donovan Mitchell will be able to play after sitting Game 4 with a left calf strain. The Cavs fought hard despite Mitchell’s absence Monday, but they didn’t have the firepower to match the Celtics. Now, they’ll look to avoid elimination come Game 5.
“I’ll be honest with you: I was disappointed with the way the whistle blew tonight,” Bickerstaff said. “I thought our guys deserved much better, the way they were competing. They were attacking the paint. They were getting after it the same, both teams were. We’re not asking for anything more. But we’re asking for equal, and I don’t think we got an equal opportunity at it tonight from that standpoint.”
