"Celtics Fall to Cavaliers in OT After Grant Williams' Missed Free Throws: 7 Takeaways"

 Introduction:

The Boston Celtics suffered a disappointing loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 2, 2023, in a game that went into overtime. The Celtics had a chance to win in regulation but missed key free throws, and the Cavaliers ultimately came out on top. In this blog post, we'll take a closer look at the game and highlight seven key takeaways.

Body:

I. Grant Williams' missed free throws cost the Celtics dearly.

A. With 2.4 seconds left in regulation, Williams missed two free throws that would have put the Celtics up by three.

B. The missed free throws allowed the Cavaliers to tie the game and force overtime, where they ultimately won.

II. The Celtics struggled with turnovers.

A. The Celtics committed 21 turnovers in the game, compared to just 10 for the Cavaliers.

B. The turnovers led to easy points for the Cavaliers and prevented the Celtics from establishing a rhythm on offense.

III. The Cavaliers dominated the paint.

A. The Cavaliers outscored the Celtics 62-42 in the paint.

B. The Celtics' big men, including Al Horford and Robert Williams III, struggled to contain the Cavaliers' frontcourt.

IV. Jayson Tatum had a strong game for the Celtics.

A. Tatum scored 35 points on 12-of-22 shooting, including 5-of-9 from three-point range.

B. Tatum also had 7 rebounds and 5 assists.

V. Jaylen Brown struggled with his shot.

A. Brown scored 16 points but shot just 5-of-18 from the field and 1-of-7 from three-point range.

B. Brown also had 5 turnovers.

VI. The Celtics' bench provided a spark.

A. The Celtics' bench outscored the Cavaliers' bench 41-23.

B. Payton Pritchard, Romeo Langford, and Aaron Nesmith all had strong performances off the bench.

VII. The loss drops the Celtics to 7th in the Eastern Conference standings.

A. The loss puts the Celtics at 38-28 on the season, with just 16 games remaining.

B. The Celtics are currently in 7th place in the Eastern Conference, but they are still within striking distance of the 4th seed.

Conclusion:

The Celtics' loss to the Cavaliers was a tough one to swallow, especially given the missed free throws by Grant Williams. However, the Celtics can take some positives from the game, including Jayson Tatum's strong performance and the contributions of the bench. With just a few weeks left in the regular season, the Celtics will need to bounce back quickly if they want to secure a favorable playoff seed.