I would have liked to preview all four second round matchups all at once, but the NBA’s scheduling quirks have forced me to preview the Celtics-Cavs series a little early. Look for a preview of the West semis on Sunday and a preview of the other East semi on Monday.
#1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs #4 Boston Celtics
Here we get the matchup everyone expected to see in the conference finals last season before Kevin Garnett went down with his knee injury. It would have been something special to see these two teams go at it last year with everyone at full strength, and a part of me is trying to convince myself that this will be a great series, but unfortunately my rational side isn’t having it. Yes, Boston split the season series with the Cavs and yes, the Celts dispatched of a Miami team that played well down the stretch in 5 games. However if this series plays out the way it should, Cleveland shouldn’t have a problem moving on. The Celtics are still a solid defensive team, however they don’t have an elite on-ball defender to throw at Lebron James, so he should have his way in this series (even with his strained elbow). If the Celtics want to win this series, they are going to need Kevin Garnett to return to form, and it is clear from watching him play this season that his best days are behind him (the Celtics didn’t seem to miss him much during that Game 2 rout). The Celtics still have some weapons and are too proud of a team to go quietly, however they are outmatched here and it would definitely be a huge upset if Lebron and Company were sent home packing this early.
Prediction: Cavs in 6
-The BOMB
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