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The Boston Celtics were desperate for a win in the opening round of the postseason; they had a lot to prove. But with a dearth of talent against the then-healthy Big Three of the Cleveland Cavaliers, they resorted to dirty play to make their point; and in so doing, it turned the Cavs into a much more physical team.
In many ways, the playoffs were a coming out party for a Celtics squad of players and coaches who had reinvented themselves after trading polarizing point guard Rajon Rondo. With his oversized ego gone, sophomore coach Brad Stevens implemented the type of basketball that took Butler to two NCAA Finals for the first time ever. Dubbed “The Butler Way,” it’s a style of play that demands selflessness and commitment to promote the good of the team above any individual. One can see why Rondo would have been at odds with this.
A particular tenet in the Butler Way espouses a moral inventory, accounting for what you are, what you aspire to and perhaps most crucially, what you’re not. The Celtics knew they were not going to beat a LeBron James-led team that had the best record since the All-Star break. The most they could do would be to end their season semi-respectably by preventing a sweep.
So what were the keys to achieving that feat? To answer that question, one must look at Stevens and acknowledge that he’s a big fraud. Yeah, I said it. For all his “ah shucks,” “gee whiz” Beaver Cleaver good looks, Stevens nonetheless left a Butler program that he claimed he’d never abandon. Consistently turning down offers from competing athletic directors, Stevens jumped at the first NBA GM to come calling.
It was a multifaceted shock to the sports world, and it put Stevens in an even brighter spotlight. He wasn’t coaching kids anymore. These were men, some with families, most who’d been in the pros longer than he. How could he corral this group so that his improbable leap from a mid-major to the most gilded franchise in NBA history would be justified?
Desperate times call for desperate measures. The inevitability of the Cavs advancing to the Finals is all but guaranteed following a 3-0 lead against the Atlanta Hawks. However, it’s because of Boston that the Wine and Gold are without Kevin Love. Should championship hopes dissipate, many will point back to Game 4 of the opening round when Kelly Olynyk viciously tore Love’s arm out of his shoulder. Despite attempts to apologize to Love, Olynyk has acknowledged that he’d “probably get killed” if he went to Cleveland.
Over the course of the season, an average of 20 personal fouls were committed per game. The Denver Nuggets had the most at 23, and notably, Atlanta had the least at 18. In the opening round of the playoffs, Boston committed 29 personal fouls to Cleveland’s 23. In Game 4, the C’s committed 33. For the series, they averaged nearly 27. That’s seven more fouls per game than the league average.
As coach of the New York Knicks, Isiah Thomas allegedly ordered his team to hard foul. Let me be clear. I’m not saying that Stevens told Olynyk to end Love’s season. I’m not even suggesting Stevens encouraged it. I’m simply saying that certain styles of play spawn from a collective mentality that seeks commitment to promote team over individuals. It’s fitting that Olynyk risked a flagrant-two, possible suspension and death in Cleveland to usher a key Cavalier out of the game.
Regardless of how that foul originated, what’s undeniable is the fact that the Cavs emerged a much more physical team. Consider that in addition to Love, Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson, Matthew Dellavedova and even David Blatt had never seen the postseason. For them, the Celtics series was a baptism. Playing in an aggressive game against the Chicago Bulls back in October, Irving asked Mike Miller, “Is this similar to what a playoff game feels like?” Not even that game could have precipitated what was waiting.
Atlanta fans are crying foul (pun intended) over the Cavs’ physical play. Most egregiously, they’ve even begun to parrot famed-instigator Reggie Miller in calling Dellavedova a dirty player—which he most certainly is not. The Cavs averaged 23 fouls against Boston then reduced that number to 19 in both the Chicago and Atlanta series, a number that directly mirrors the Hawks. The Cavs have learned how to play smart physical ball. Cleveland fans have “the Boston Way” to thank.
