Preview: Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
by Lenny Del Genio
Series Price: Celtics (-1400) | Cavs (+900)
Regular Season Results: Tied 2-2 SU/Cavs won 3-1 ATS
So was the Boston Celtics longer-than-expected, seven-game marathon with a 37-win team an aberration or a sign of things to come? History suggests it will be the latter. Since the opening round playoff format was expanded to seven games in 2003, no team that was pushed to the seven game limit has ever gone on to win a conference championship.
The Celtics next foe, LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, is much more formidable than Atlanta. You have to imagine that on the defensive end Boston will double team King James, much like they did the Hawks’ Joe Johnson, leaving the Cavs perimeter players to beat them. The only potential problem with that strategy is that Cleveland’s perimeter shooting is much better than what Atlanta had to offer. Look no further than their Game 6 series clinching win over the Wizards where Wally Szczerbiak and Daniel Gibson combined for 48 points and shot 10 of 19 from behind the three-point arc.
The four head-to-head meetings between the teams during the regular season also suggest Boston could be in for some trouble. Only once did the Celtics cover the number (as 3.5-point pups in a 114-113 road loss sans Kevin Garnett) and only once did they beat the Cavs when LeBron was in the lineup – an 80-70 victory back in December. Boston lost both meetings in Cleveland, leading one to believe their road woes from the opening round could carry over here. Even more troubling, the Cavs have covered four of the last five meetings in Beantown.
Boston’s Game Seven performance should be encouraging for Tuesday’s Game One, however. Note that the team has performed very well when coming off a blowout win this season. They are 23-6 ATS following a double-digit home win and 14-3 vs. the number if that win came by 20 or more points.
This series will also truly answer the question if three is greater than one. For Boston’s “Three Amigos” (or is it “The Boston Three Party”), several questions still linger. Does Kevin Garnett want the ball in the clutch (didn’t look like he did in Game Six loss)? Can Paul Pierce be consistent (he wasn’t against Atlanta)? Also, Ray Allen must play better. Regular season play suggests he will. Allen led the Celtics in scoring vs. the Cavaliers during the regular season at 23.8 PPG.
On the other hand, there are no questions with LeBron, who produced his 3rd playoff triple-double (27-13-13) in Game 6 vs. the Wizards. The King averaged his 32.3 PPG vs. the Celtics in the three games he played in during the regular season.
Expect a low-scoring series. The Game One total has opened at 184. Boston led the league in total defense during the regular season, while under Coach Mike Brown, the Cavs have also become a defensive force. Both meetings in Cleveland went Over during the regular season, while the pair in Boston went Under.
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Series Price: Celtics (-1400) | Cavs (+900)