2010 NBA Playoffs: Mo Williams Sparks Cavaliers Game One Comeback

By halftime last night, I had seen enough of Mo Williams for the entire series.

I kept waiting for him, and the rest of the Cavaliers, to wake up. To start being the aggressors. To do something to knock the Celtics out of their comfort zone.

Mo struggled mightily in the first half. Rajon Rondo was embarrassing him on both ends. On offense, Mo couldn't defend the same high pick-and-roll that the Celtics seemingly ran every time. Even when he knew it was coming, he couldn't beat Rondo to a spot in the paint.

On offense, he wasn't much better. He stood around the three-point line. He didn't attack the rim. He didn't get the Cavs into their sets early.

And Rondo didn't have to guard him—he could roam around on defense and put himself in position to give good help on drives from LeBron James, or to jump the passing lanes, something he does as well as any point guard in the league.

The first half stats for Rajon Rondo: 19 points, 6-of-8 FG, 6-of-6 FT, 1-of-1 3PT, three rebounds, eight assists.

The first half stats for Mo Williams: four points, 2-of-4 FG, 0-of-1 FT, 0-of-1 3PT, three rebounds, three assists.

From that stat alone, you can tell why the Celts led by 11 at the break. Rondo dictated the pace, controlled the game, scored at will, and set up teammates for easy buckets, while Williams was passive, not really looking for his shot, and getting torched on defense.

By the break, I was openly pining for Daniel Gibson to get in the game. I mean, if our point guard was going to stand around the perimeter and not do anything else, then Mike Brown might as well go with one that's a better one-on-one defender...right?

Well, like so many Cavs fans have been desperately waiting for (OK, maybe it was just me), Mo finally found a way to contribute in the second half, other than simply scoring.

The change came when Brown switched assignments on defense, leaving Parker to try to slow down Rondo and Williams to chase Ray Allen around the perimeter.

It turned out to be a brilliant move. Parker's length bothered Rondo; if even if it was an ever-so-slight annoyance, Rondo's aggressiveness was lacking in the final 24 minutes.

The move worked two ways: First, it limited the amount of times Rondo got in the paint and broke down Cleveland's defense.

Second, the Celtics seemed to switch gameplans. Instead of attacking off the dribble with Rondo, they looked to get Allen involved. They ran Ray off multiple screens, looking to free him up on the perimeter. They tried to throw post him up on the smaller Williams.

They even ran a few plays where Kevin Garnett would get the ball at the extended post, turn, and look to throw a lob to Allen, who brushed off KG to get to the hoop. Both times, Williams was right in Allen's face and despite the height disadvantage, forced Allen to miss both gimmies at the rim.

Mo thrived on defense. Quite simply, it was some of the best I've seen him play as a Cavalier. Even the two three's that Allen made in the third quarter were contested, and he's too good of a shooter to keep bottled up all game.

But perhaps most importantly, the switch changed the offensive philosophy of the Celtics. And any time you can force a change from a team that scored 54 points in the first half on 55 percent shooting, you've done your job.

Oh, and then there was the dunk. It happened so fast I didn't even realize what was going on. When you saw Mo hopping up-and-down and giving Paul Pierce the staredown, you could just tell he had that swagger back.

He came down the next possession—buried a jump shot.

Thirty seconds later, he sinks a "Mo-flow" down the right side of the lane.

Comes off a screen the subsequent possession—hits a 20-foot jumper.

All in all, he scored 10 points in 2:04 to cut an 11-point deficit down to five. And the stage was set for LeBron James to take over in the fourth quarter.

But it was the dunk that not only sparked Mo Williams' game, but the rest of the Cavs as well. Suddenly they had energy, they had a renewed enthusiasm to get back in the game.

They forced three turnovers.

They forced the Celtics to play from the perimeter—Boston attempted just one shot in the paint in the final six minutes of the third, during the 21-9 run the Cavs used to grab their first lead since the early minutes.

On the other end, the Cavs got to the foul line. They got easy buckets in the lane. And Mo's jump shot helped spread the floor and made the Celtics actively seek him out defensively for the first time all game.

In turn, it opened the middle open that much more for LeBron James. It created just enough space on missed shots for Anderson Varejao to grab four offensive rebounds. And in the fourth quarter, who knows, maybe Williams' presence outside gave Shaquille O'Neal just a little bit more space to operate.

Mo doesn't have to be the best player on the floor for the Cavs. But he has to be active. He has to be assertive. He has to make his presence felt.

And when the shot isn't falling, or if the Celts take him out of his game, he has to make an impact somewhere else. Last night, it was on defense. Monday night, it could be something as simple as making sure the Cavs start their sets with 18 or 19 seconds left on the shot clock instead of 13 or 14.

This was the Mo Williams that was missing last year in the playoffs. The Mo Williams that, when he wasn't shooting well, played with zero confidence and allowed himself to get consistently beaten by Rafer Alston and 72-year-old Anthony Johnson.

When he plays at this level, it gives Cleveland an added dimension that will only make them tougher to beat. It's difficult enough to beat the Cavs—Boston had to be walking off the court last night entirely perplexed at how they played so well for nearly 40 minutes last night, and still lost.

Now comes the difficult part for Mo: Maintaining this level of intensity and vigor for every game. We're at the point of the season where you can't afford to have off-days. You can't afford not to bring it every night.

And when Mo Williams does, it makes Cleveland the most complete team in the league.

Five down, 11 to go.