For the fourth and final time during the regular season, the Cavs and Celtics will meet for another heavy-weight Eastern Conference tilt. The reigning champs lead the season series two games to one, including a win in Cleveland earlier in the month. This game marks a major point in the Cavs season as they have a chance to cement themselves as the favorites to make the NBA Finals in the Eastern Conference. As things currently stand, Fanduel and other Sportsbooks rank the Celtics as favorites to win the East with Cleveland in second.
Cavs Must Beat Celtics To Prove Themselves Ahead of Playoffs
While this game means nothing in the grand scheme of things, it is crucial for Cleveland to prove to the world and to themselves that they can compete with Boston. In all three games earlier this season, the Celtics have had a lead of at least 14 points. Two of those leads were by 20+ points. It is important that the Cavs do not allow Boston to get off to a hot start. In the first matchup of the season, the Celtics shot a staggering 63.6% from three in the first half.
Mobley, Garland, and Allen
Donovan Mitchell has shouldered the load in all three prior matchups against the Celtics. He’s scored 30+ points in all three games, including 20 points in the fourth quarter of the Cavs win against Boston in December. However, in a playoff series, the Cavs will need more from their starting lineup. In the first game, Darius Garland shot a career-worst 3-21 from the field. In the most recent matchup, Evan Mobley shot 3-14 and 0-4 from three in a loss. And finally, Jarrett Allen scored just 10 and eight points respectively in the first two matchups of the season.
Cleveland will need more from those guys to have any chance of winning not only against Boston but any playoff series.
Celtics Bounce-Back
There may not be a worse time to face the Celtics than after they’ve lost. This season, Boston is 15-1 following a loss and has only had one losing streak all season. Boston faced Detroit on Wednesday night and suffered a 117-97 loss against the red-hot Pistons.
On the flip side, the Cavs enter action on an eight-game win streak. This is Cleveland’s third winning streak of at least eight games. The Celtics ended the Cavs’ 15-game win streak in November this season.
The Last Word
This is the final regular season matchup between these two teams. It seems as though both squads are on a collision course to meet in the playoffs. A win for Boston keeps their dream of the one seed in the Eastern Conference alive. Heading into the game the Celtics are 6.5 games behind Cleveland for the first seed. On the other side, a win for the Cavs could put the race for the one seed to bed. Cleveland would jump to 7.5 games ahead of Boston with a game in hand almost assuring they would be the one seed in the East.
This game means a lot more for the Cavs than it does for the Celtics. A win for Cleveland would certainly put them in conversations as the favorite to win the NBA Championships.
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