After almost three weeks, we are officially back on the “Cardiac Celtics” train. Boston was able to take a 3-1 series lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday, but it was far from pretty.
Spectators had to strap in for what turned out to be an absolute rollercoaster of a game, despite Donovan Mitchell being out for the Cavs with a calf strain.
Thankfully, there hasn’t been a whole lot of tomfoolery since Game 2 of the Miami series (yes, Game 2 against Cleveland was bad, but it was more like ripping a band-aid off), so we haven’t had to sweat too much.
Now, you may be saying, “Sam, why were you so worried about this game? Even if they had lost, they still should’ve been able to easily take care of the Cavs.”
Well, this felt like a big-time “can’t lose” spot for Boston. With Mitchell out, Cleveland was without what had been their only source of offense throughout this series. Had they managed to win this, then it would’ve been because some of the “other guys” had gotten going.
Is that really a situation that anyone wants to watch, especially if Mitchell comes back?
It would’ve had me feeling like Jaylen Brown after he got a TOUGH slap on the chest from Jayson Tatum.
Let’s take a look at the pulse (wink) of Game 4.
Entering this game, I was pretty calm considering the performance the Celtics had in Game 3. My resting heart rate was 52 beats per minute. Once things got rolling, I shot up to 56 bpm as Cleveland opened the game on an 8-2 run.
Boston didn’t really waver and punched back with a 19-2 run of their own. I was able to calm down a bit and clocked in at 54 bpm. Though the Celtics turned the ball over like it was the “season of giving,” they still managed to wrap the first quarter with a seven-point lead and had me chilling at 52 bpm.
They even started the second quarter on the right foot. Boston built the lead up to 13 early. From that point on, they just continuously left the door open for the hosts. Cleveland chipped away and got the lead down to just one in the closing minutes of the half. I jumped up to a crisp 64 bpm, but then the Cs decided to close things right.
Unfortunately, the Celtics started the second half with a Tatum turnover, followed by an Evan Mobley dunk on the other end. Later in the quarter, Derrick White rolled his ankle and made a quick trip to the locker room. While he was getting checked out, Mobley converted an and-1 and sent me up to 69 (not nice) bpm.
Boston was able to curb the momentum of the Cavs, thanks to Payton Pritchard — the most confident man on the planet. Pritchard scored five straight to end the quarter, including this sick stepback three.
The momentum carried over to the fourth for the Cs. Jrue Holiday got rolling and helped stretch the lead to 13 points, while my heart caught a breather at 63 bpm.
However, watching the Cs go over five minutes without making a field goal in the fourth quarter will do something for your heart rate.
First, we all got a nice dose of Dean Wade PTSD, as the sharpshooter drilled a three to cut the lead down to single digits. His snipe sent me back up to 73 bpm.
Cleveland was eventually able to cut the lead to just five and gave us all the first look at playoff “clutch time” for Boston. Brown responded by taking a tough pull-up mid-range jumper. He got bailed out with a phantom foul, which was swiftly overturned, resulting in a swift 83 bpm for me.
I hit my game-high 88 bpm as the Celtics secured a key stop, after which Max Strus fouled out when he whacked Tatum on the rebound.
Seconds later, Brown’s dagger three, assisted by Tatum, calmed me down to 83 bpm and sent LeBron James home for the night.
Hopefully, you all don’t have to see another Cardiac Celtics article until at least the next round.
I’ve been rolling with the heart monitor threads over on Twitter throughout the playoffs. So, if you thought this was funny, follow me over there @SamLaFranceNBA for the latest on my ticker.
