Celtics send message to defeat Jayson Tatum’s clunker in Game 1 to crush Cavaliers

Celtics players Derrick White (9), Al Horford (42) and Jayson Tatum (0) prevent Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers from scoring during the first half. The Celtics took a 120-95 victory in Game 1. (Matt Stone/Boston Herald)

Jaylen Brown threw a long pass from the right block to Jayson Tatum early in Tuesday’s third quarter.

It was the kind of pass, high and hopeful, that finds a home on a Tuesday night in the regular season, but rarely, if ever, in the second round of the playoffs.

Sure enough, there was Isaac Okoro, Cleveland’s sharpest defender, knocking away Brown’s pass through the air and into the backcourt. Okoro’s deflection sparked a two-man race, with him and Tatum sprinting away from the action. Tatum won, tracking the ball below the opposite foul line, but the Cavs had pulled out a small victory, forcing Boston to waste time as they remained within striking distance as heavy underdogs in a road playoff game.

Nine seconds ticked off the shot clock as Tatum hurriedly tossed the ball to Al Horford at midcourt, then eight, seven, six and…

Splash.

Derrick White nailed a 3 from above the break, saving a broken possession with his second triple of the half. The Celtics led by 14 and never let their lead shrink to single digits again.

Regardless, White had little time to decide and create. It didn’t matter that Tatum was taken out of the offense, since he was for most of the night, scoring 18 points on 19 shots without a single 3. If you were Cleveland, nothing mattered Tuesday.

Boston destroyed the Cavaliers in Game 1, bombing offensively and putting everyone besides Donovan Mitchell in a headlock after a red-hot first quarter. The Celtics, rested and ready, deployed their depth like no team in the East can. The series already seems to be over.

Because while Tatum was going through his worst offensive performance of the playoffs, a prime time for Cleveland to pounce, White made 7 of 12 from 3-point range. Jaylen Brown scored 32 points. Payton Pritchard came off the bench for 16 points, including a 3 at the buzzer to close the third quarter. Luke Kornet pulled down six offensive rebounds and teamed up with Al Horford – with his eight rebounds and four assists – to effectively replace Kristaps Porzingis.

It’s the kind of performance — even against a tired Cavaliers team that just played seven games against the Magic — that makes you wonder if they need Porzingis to win the Finals.

For one night, maybe even one series, they didn’t need Tatum. Beating the brakes on a playoff-caliber opponent without your All-NBA superstar can happen on a Tuesday during the regular season, but shouldn’t happen in the second round of the playoffs.

The Celtics eliminate the Cavaliers in the first game of their series, 120-95

In Denver, a no-show by Jamal Murray – a zero-time all-star – sent the Nuggets to bed early Monday against Minnesota. A few hours earlier, Tyrese Haliburton and his six points undermined the Pacers in New York. It’s a star game in a blockbuster league.

Tatum missed and missed and missed on Tuesday, while Mitchell dropped 33 points on the Celtics, despite the most pesky defensive efforts of White and Jrue Holiday. The Cavs’ only path to a long series — forget about winning — is for Mitchell to carry an offensive load for two, while Boston suffers from bad outside shooting luck on many nights. Mitchell delivered in the first game and Cleveland was still buried.

Who thinks the Cavs have a chance to push this series to six or seven now? Not you. Not me.

Part of that disbelief was due to the Celtics’ defense, which locked Cleveland into a scoreless 4:38 to start the second quarter and neutralized Darius Garland (14 points on 16 shots). To Tatum’s credit, he held his own against Evan Mobley and bothered Mitchell and the other Cavs ball handlers every time Boston switched pick-and-rolls that started with a Mobley screen.

You know who wasn’t bothered? Never?

Brown.

Even if Max Strus manages to hang on to Tatum defensively, like he did in Game 1, Cleveland doesn’t have another wing stopper going for him. Brown recognized this obvious and fatal hole in their roster on Tuesday and attacked it.

Brown overwhelmed every defender in front of him, driving them into the paint like he was reliving last week’s little brother battles in the driveway with Tyler Herro.

“I’m just trying to add a few dabs of paint,” he said coolly after the game.