(4th seed, 50-32) vs Cavaliers(1st seed, 61-21)
Schedule:
Game 1 – Sat May 1 Boston at Cleveland 8:00pm TNT
Game 2 – Mon May 3 Boston at Cleveland 8:00pm TNT
Game 3 – Fri May 7 Cleveland at Boston 7:00pm ESPN
Game 4 – Sun May 9 Cleveland at Boston 3:30 p.m. ABC
Game 5 * Tue May 11 Boston at Cleveland TBD TNT
Game 6 * Thu May 13 Cleveland at Boston TBD ESPN
Game 7 * Sun May 16 Boston at Cleveland 3:30 p.m. ABC
* if necessary
Season Series
Tied 2-2
10/27: Celtics 95 Cavs 89
2/25: Cavs 108 Celtics 88
3/14: Celtics 93 Cavs 104
4/4: Cavs 113 Celtics 117
Team Leaders (Regular Season)
Scoring
Bos: Pierce – 18.3 Cavs: James –
29.7
Rebounding
Bos: Perkins – 7.6 Cavs: Varejao – 7.6
Assists
Bos: Rondo – 9.8
Cavs: James – 8.6
Team Leaders (playoffs)
Scoring
Bos: Pierce – 19.6 Cavs: James – 31.8
Rebounding
Bos: Garnett – 8.8
Cavs: James – 9.2
Assists
Bos: Rondo – 10.2
Cavs: James – 8.2
Who'll go off
Rajon Rondo – The Cavaliers are going to sag off Rondo and dare him to beat them. This year, he's up to the challenge. Ray Alllen and Paul Pierce will have their big scoring nights, but Rajon Rondo can be the most disruptive player on the floor and make Mo Williams' life a living hell. Rondo will step up to the challenge, cause turnovers, and get the Celtics running.
Who needs to be stopped
Antawn Jamison and Anderson Varejao – The Jamison trade made me nervous as hell when it happened, and now we're starting to see why. He averaged 19.4 points per game in the Bulls series and has now quickly become option 1A. That's going to fall squarely on KG. Meanwhile, Anderson Varejao kills the Celtics on the boards. Keeping him off the offensive glass is a huge key to this series. Limit that, and you're already going to put yourself in a very good position.
The C's will lose if
They don't play as a team. Their defensive rotations need to be at their absolute best. If they're going to turn LeBron James into a one-dimensional player, they need everyone on the floor to be on point. On the offensive end, if they start going into hero-mode, they're going to go into slumps and the Cavs will run them out of the building. They have to trust in one another and be there for one another… or else.
Prediction:
Celtics win, 4-3
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