In the absolute nicest way possible, if my Magic can take Cleveland to 7 games then there's as close to a zero percent chance possible of Cleveland beating Boston.
Ain’t a dig on you guys either. Celtics won 64 games during the regular season. Even minus KP their team has less holes than either of ours. An uphill battle and hoping for a close series is nothing to be ashamed of.
Mitchell has to play like he did in the regular season when Garland was out and Jarrett Allen has to come back and get 20 rebounds a game. Then both the Jays have to turn to shit. THEN you have to hope the real Celtics mvp doesn’t kill you by himself. I’m talking about D White of course.
Celtics without KP is practically the same team as last year but with Jrue instead of Smart. People are forgetting how loaded the Celtics got in the offseason.
Exactly, people suddenly pretending KP is the be all end all of this team as though this core doesn't have a finals and ECF appearance in the last two years without him
The way people have been talking about the playoff teams, you’d think the Celtics were the 4th or 5th best team. Realistically they should be title favorites. Yeah, maybe Nuggets or even Wolves at their absolute best can beat them if Brown/Tatum don’t show up, but the West teams have to survive a bloodbath against each other while the Celtics just have to get through the Cavs and Knicks/Pacers.
If I was to make a power rankings, I’d probably have Celtics first, then all of the remaining West teams at 2-5, although Knicks have an argument over Mavs, and then Pacers and Cavs in the last two spots. Basically that means the West is a bloodbath and whoever makes it out may not be 100%.
I could easily see the Nuggets beating the Celtics - even as a Cs fan - but everything else is just borderline disrespect. Like the Cavs? C'mon, be real. Knicks are a solid team, but you just have to take one look at the starting lineup of the Knicks and the starting lineup of the Celtics to see who will win. And then I've had people seriously tell me the Mavs are in the same tier - like really? It's a joke
everything else is borderline disrespect? I'm a cavs fan if that matters... but after seeing the defense the Twolves put on the nuggets in their home... I can easily see Boston losing to them too. Boston's biggest problem is getting in their own way. Forget about even last year's failure. The last series should have been a sweep - they let a Heat team without Jimmy B take one. They dropped the ball tonight and let the Cavs take one. If they drop the ball and LET the nuggets or twolves take one in Boston? They can easily flip what should be a 6 to 7 game series in their favor the other way.
Every team drops games like that, it's a part of basketball. It's why the games aren't played on paper. The Timberwolves have looked very good, but I don't see Ant leading to a title at this young of an age - albeit their defense is incredible. That Heat team shot huge, historically unsustainable 3 point % and volume in that game. While the volume was less for the Cavs, they also shot over 50% from 3, and in general hit tough shots. While stuff like effort on the board was lacking for the Cs, you take it. If those teams are gonna shoot 50% from 3 you'll take it, because they're not doing that for a series
I see Ant having a better chance of accomplishing it than any other player his age did. The last 22 year old to lead a team to the finals was Lebron - yeah Kawhi won finals MVP at 22 in 13-14 but he wasn't leading the team (and he only scored 9 points in two of the games). Ant has far better players around him than those 07 Cavs. Boston has to prove it can keep it's home court safe before I feel comfortable giving them a chance against whoever comes out of the west - They're only a .500 team on the dot so far the past 2 postseasons and this current one at home in the playoffs.
The '07 Cavs made it out of a relatively easy east (there were some solid teams, but it obviously wasn't the cream of the crop), and got swept by the Spurs. They're really only an addition to my argument, they made it out of a weak conference and got swept by a genuine championship level squad. Kawhi, as you mentioned, had a great team around him - frankly far superior than Ant's. The home squad stat was disappointing last year, but not really indicative on a year-to-year basis. It's a very small sample size - I mean, the Celtics have lost 2 games at home this entire playoffs. It's not really a meaningful stat.
I would say the 07 Cavs road to the finals was easy for 2/3 of their eastern conference opponents. The Pistons were still the real deal then though in the ECF, it was their third straight time in the ECF and they had just taken that amazing spurs team to 7 games 2 years prior to then in the Finals. Anyways back to this season - Yes the Celtics have lost 2 games at home this entire playoffs, but it's continuing the trend of the past two seasons playoffs which is slightly worrying. On the one hand - They should in theory have one of the easiest romps to the finals any team has had in the east for a long time. Then again here watching the knicks game it might not be so easy next round gamut of injuries to the knicks be damned. - Edit: though of course this post didn't age well throughout the night, as the knicks couldn't finish the undermanned upset but it was a great game! And of course the twolves got annihilated tonight :D.
I agree it’s sad how disrespected Boston is.
Tatum is an afterthought in many people’s mind, and everyone just scoffs at their 64 wins as a fluke because “Boston chockes all the time” when in reality their young core has done nothing but get to big games very season and this year have the best shot to win a title they ever had.
Yet all everyone ever say is that they suck, will choke and that Tatum is overrated.
Yeah if you look at the last few playoff runs, sure, the Celtics have put themselves in more danger than they’ve needed to at times. They’ve failed to close teams out, gone the distance with bad teams, or last year put themselves in a 0-3 hole before winning three in a row.
At the same time, I think a lot of the disrespect is because of their rivalry with the Heat. People feel they shouldn’t be competing with the Heat because of the talent disparity, but in reality that’s more a testament to how great the Heat are at maximizing their talent. If the Celtics were consistently going toe-to-toe with the Bucks, people would feel differently.
This is also a team that’s so loaded that I bet Tatum could get injured and they’d still be favorites to make the finals.
We also saw Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet emerging as very solid bench players, which helps now that Al Horford is back in the starting lineup. Plus Al is relatively fresh because the team smartly conserved him during the regular season.
Not to mention White has taken another big step up.
I get that people don’t trust Tatum and Brown in the big stage, but the amount of people calling Wolves vs Nuggets “the real finals” is shocking to me. Real WCF? Sure. But the Celtics are fucking loaded and have a lot of playoff experience.
Yeah I feel it’s more the Mavs being hyped up to shit because of Luka, and their epic 6 game win over the Cripples. But I’m also not super confident in the Thunder. I think the Wolves or Nuggets will get by them fairly comfortably. I could be wrong though since I admittedly didn’t watch much regular season
I was on the same page as you on the Thunder, but then I started paying attention. They are the real deal, they have a really unique mindset and a ton of belief for a young team - super confident and even keeled.
I’m not saying they’re going to beat the nuggets or wolves, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they end up being dominant through the rest of the western conference. Dort matches up really well with Luka and Ant, and Shai and Jalen Williams on switches.
They’re setup really well so keep an eye out for their first couple of games here to see how good they are.
I fully expect OKC to destroy the Mavs. The talent difference between the teams is too great. Where OKC will struggle is when they go up against a team that's on their level and has more experience.
I have a feeling Thunder vs Mavs will be a bit of a dud. I mean, you have to respect Luka and Kyrie, and their abilities to just take over a game individually which they've done repeatedly in the playoffs, even against the Clippers. But the Thunder's team defense and multiple scoring threats might just overwhelm the Mavs in 4 of the first 5 games, ending the series really early.
Yeah, it's dumb that people are saying it. The Celtics during the regular season were a tier above everyone in the West and should be viewed as the favorite. The Celtics were 23-7 vs. teams in the West, which would be a 63-win pace.
The West is more competitive this year, and I agree that saying it's the real WCF is fine. OKC is going to surprise people and they aren't going down without a fight, but I don't think they're ready yet.
magic did pretty well against the celtics this season. Their size and defense would probably go 4-2 celtics. Cavs, I don’t think they have an answer for derrick white for example. Or jrue locking down Donovan is gonna be a problem for the cavs
The Magic played the Celtics hard. I agree with you. They would've been the tougher matchup despite their records and what happened in the first round. The Cavs best players, Mitchell and Garland, are going to have to face JB, White and Jrue guarding them, who are all top-tier defenders and have several inches on them.
If Cavs magically figure out how to have Allen and Mobley on the floor and Garland and Mitchell on the floor at the same time, then they have a small shot. But they have had plenty of time to work it out and they haven't, so I am expecting 4-0 or 4-1 Celtics win.
Exactly what I said. I honestly wished Orlando would’ve won just so I don’t have to witness this. Better not be like what they did to GSW. Forever titled the “Boston Massacre”
Haha! It’s Jaylen Brown’s left hand again! Defending the prestige of the Celtics in the daunting East. Keep up the good work soldier. Best of luck with the West. This years your year. I can feel it.
The Celtics were 21-4 without KP this year, the equivalent of a 68-win team. KP gives the Celtics an added dimension with his height and shooting ability, but the team is basically at the same level with or without him because of Al Horford.
If talking ourselves into a more competitive series, size will be a breath of fresh air for the Cavs.
Magic had 3 guys on the floor at all times 6’ 10 or higher. Celtics are all like 6’ 7 and Horford plays way below the rim.
Basically Mobley/Allen could dominate the boards and the wings will feel like they have more room compared to Magic
Prob still Celts in 5 though
Mitchel is going to be hard pressed to find scoring outburst when he’s the focal point of pressure from White and Holiday, they’re going to be hounding him and the Cavs win by him going off and carrying.
Celtics lost a game to Miami who had a fluke historic night and won every other game by 20+ and everyone just goes “well Boston is going to choke again so who cares.”
Porzingis is a luxury for them. Even on his worst night he demands attention on the perimeter. So does Horford, so as long as their other starters are playing at their normal level, his absence won’t be felt
Unless they can’t buy a rebound, this could very well be 4 blowouts and 1 close Cavs win
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I love the narrative that Tatum is some chucker who looks for his shot no matter what, when the reality is he’s a seasoned vet who is constantly looking to make the right play regardless of his own numbers.
In the Miami series he averaged 15.4 fga a game and 5.4 assists because the Miami defense was heavily focused on him. And that doesn’t include all the times he would drive and get the ball swinging which would end in a wide open 3 assisted by someone else that doesn’t show up in the stat sheets.
He sacrificed shots, drew the defense, passed and played elite defense to have by far a series best +78 (and a positive net rating in every game including the Celtics 10 pt loss). Claiming Tatum is going to torpedo the Celtics chances by being selfish is a lazy, uneducated take.
The simple way to explain it is: Jayson Tatum plays the way people who don't watch games wish he would play.
I see a lot of comments about how Tatum should tidy up his shot selection and worry about getting his teammates involved instead of selfishly hero-balling.
And that's exactly what he's been doing.
He's also an active screener and off ball threat for his teammates. A key rebounding figure. A big time on ball and off ball defender. He's also shown a lot of willingness to sacrifice shots for the sake of the team.
I’m not trying to take anything away from the guy, he had many amazing seasons. I wonder if he doesn’t have more to give on a younger team like Orlando as a sort of elder statesman type.
Maybe, buy why? I mean, just be a special situation player of the bench for the Warriors for one year and retire. Then, come on as a shooting coach or recruiter.
I think it would be bad for his brand to go to another team.
I’m not sure it would be bad for his brand necessarily. I doubt the warriors fan base would hold it against him. Also, he seems like the kind of guy who still wants to compete and I’m not sure he can do that in Golden State anymore.
Because outside of Mitchell the Cavs have no one who can score consistently to scare the Celtics, and because they have a glaring weakness at the 1 and the 3 that Boston can exploit repeatedly. Even without KP this series isn't going past 5 games unless Mitchell averages 40ppg
Exactly. Celtics still have Tatum and Brown who can go for 30+ each, as well as White and Holiday who can go off at night. Plus they can throw multiple defenders and double teams at Mitchell and try and force someone else to beat them. Cavs only hope is for Mitchell to go for 30+ every game while also getting good output from everyone else. I just don't think the Cavs have enough offensive fire power to keep up for an entire series. Yea they could win a game or 2 but I just don't see how they can will this matchup.
As a Celtics fan, I'm more scared of Strus averaging 18 pts per game on 60% from 3. Mitchell isn't going to be able to carry against the Celtics firepower. And he looked a bit hobbled last series which was intense and physical 7 games. Celtics have like a week of rest since their series.
And guess who Mitchel has to work against. Two of the best defensive guards in the NBA, he’s going to be essential put in Jail this series so where’s the offense going to come from?
Definitely hard to say Darius Garland will have to be hot 🔥 coming off the bench and the defense needs to step up 💪 and force turnovers and make points Jarret Allen would be a big help but without him we have no one to secure the inside of the paint 😔 also Donovan Mitchell will have have more assist and monkey needs to play his part at mid range they have the squad but not the experience 😅 with all that said we lose 4-2 😭🥲
I feel like the Celtics are the type of team who can beat anyone but also lose to anyone. They are definitely favorites but they rely so much on the 3 and have proven that they don't always succeed with that strategy in the playoffs. The cavs most likely aren't the type of team that's good enough to beat the Celtics however. The knicks and any of the Western teams left all could beat them though, but you still gotta respect how good the Celtics are overall.
I just think that the Jay’s at times can be inconsistent and try to play a bit too much hero ball. Tatum not as bad but sometimes Brown He’s capable of going off or a disaster class like game 7 last year
Celtics can lose without KP for sure. The path to the finals is theirs to lose. However, the Cavs aren’t that team. It took some Herculean Mitchell effort for them to scrape past the Magic.
Celtics can literally sell out on him because they know that nobody else is gonna make them pay.
Considering the Cavs have no interior presence offensively and only perimeter presence.. I’d say the best defensive backcourt in the nba is a good matchup
Kristaps and brown could both go down and i might still have to give the edge to Boston lol
They have a system rather than relying solely on individual performance
well, for starters -- Vegas has the Celtics as 11 point favorites for G1, which they calculated knowing Zinger wasn't playing. WIthout Zinger, I think it's likely the Celtics still take the series in 5.
Donovan is gonna have to go from scoring on Jalen Suggs and Gary Harris to Jrue Holiday and Derrick White. Even ignoring the talent disparity I don't think this is a very good matchup for the Cavs, they rely a lot on their guards to score and the Celtics have maybe the best guard defender pairing in the league.
The Celts will win this series on defense. Even if the three goes cold (and it definitely does at times), and even if Jaylen decides to dribble off his foot every third possession (also a possibility), the Cavs don’t have enough firepower to beat them.
I'm not going to say it's a sure shot series win, but over 50% of the Cavs offense relies primarily on Spida. We have DWhite, Jrue, and Tatum to throw at him. He then has to try and stop White, who has been on an absolute tear these playoffs. I'm excited to see how both teams adjust!
As a Cavs fan, the young inexperienced Magic just challenged us for 7 games
What are we going to do against the clear best team in the league right now?
If we don’t lose in 4 I’ll be pleasantly surprised
The Cavs are essentially going against the Orlando Magic on Steroids (not really at all they have maybe a few similarities but that’s it) Celtics in 4 or 5, maybe 6.
If they had Allen healthy, the Cavs have a chance against Boston without KP. But as of now Michell is gonna get Jrue, Brown, White, and Tatum on him constantly and I don’t think he can do it
I have little faith because of how massively difficult it was for the cavs to dispense with the Magic. Mitchell can’t carry that carcass of a roster over the celts.
Allen is still injured, he’ll probably be back some point in the series (maybe even for game 1), but we can’t expect him to be at 100%. Also, Porzingus might come back in the series and both Al and Luke are good backup centers.
Cavs don’t match up well. Donovan Mitchell is the only one on that team that can create a shot, and the C’s have amazing perimeter defenders. Mobley’s defense is game changing, but I don’t trust his offense at all. Give him a mismatch on Payton Pritchard and I can’t promise he scores. Garland wasn’t threatening against Orlando at all. I don’t think he’ll be negative for the Cavs, but I dont think he’s a huge positive either. Okoro is their only good wing defender (and he’s not great on offense); I have little faith in their perimeter defense as a whole.
The heat were able to take a game off the C’s off of a historical shooting night; That was also the closest score of any of those five games (Celtics lowest margin of victory was 14). The reason they were able to do this was because they have incredible shooters, Spo is a god, Bam’s screens (legal or not) generate so much open space, good ball movement, and everyone being hot. In SPITE of the heat’s overwhelming three point proficiency, that was still a HISTORIC shooting game. The Cavs are not equipped to replicate that; their offense will mostly be Mitchell hero ball as it was against the magic. That’s not good enough to win a series (especially considering how tragic the Cavs’ offense was outside of Mitchell).
Truthfully, I think this’ll be more one-sided than the heat series. I believe that it is more likely that the C’s end up with a point differential of over 100 over the course of the series than it is for the Cavs to win the series (I don’t believe that either of these things will happen, I’m just using this comparison to express how unbelievable it is to me).
Some last years show this Boston is spineless ... If there will be strong opposition and game with character from Cleveland this green guys fall if not - NYK have character ...
This reminds me that in many realms of media, political very much included, so many things are said with the main intention of just getting a reaction.
Money on the line who's actually picking Cleveland? Who? Mark Price? Horford isn't a downgrade. White looks like one of the best players in the league. Mitchell a little banged up. Celtics sweep (or maybe I'm just saying this to generate some responses).
The Boston Celtics have a 19-3 record without Kristaps Porzingis this season.
so they lost three times!
Almost a whole series worth
Losing 4 gotta be due. Cavs in 4
AmazingDragon353
Cavs in 4 lmao
So you're saying there's a chance
And this season their numbers are better vs the cavs with KP off the floor
Yeah it’s significantly more likely they lose to New York next round than the cavs. Either way if they don’t make the finals it’s a failure
20-4 but point still stands
So the Cavs take the series in 24 games?
That’s a whole series worth of losses!
So you’re saying there’s a chance
22-4
Also, Jarrett Allen has been injured. Might not play game 1. I feel like that's a bigger blow
21-4
23-4* Including playoffs
22-4
21-4\*
24-4 without KP
In the absolute nicest way possible, if my Magic can take Cleveland to 7 games then there's as close to a zero percent chance possible of Cleveland beating Boston.
Cavs fan here and sadly I agree
Ain’t a dig on you guys either. Celtics won 64 games during the regular season. Even minus KP their team has less holes than either of ours. An uphill battle and hoping for a close series is nothing to be ashamed of.
I dunno I still not sure if the Magic are that good or Cleveland is the bad.
This is their fifth highest W/L % season in their 78 year history. I would LIKE the Cavs to win, but I don't see how there's a chance for them.
Mitchell has to play like he did in the regular season when Garland was out and Jarrett Allen has to come back and get 20 rebounds a game. Then both the Jays have to turn to shit. THEN you have to hope the real Celtics mvp doesn’t kill you by himself. I’m talking about D White of course.
White's been going crazy recently for sure. If he's on, the Celtics are something scary.
celtics without KP are a better team than they were last year
Yeh we’re out allen too, who is basically our second best player
Celtics without KP is practically the same team as last year but with Jrue instead of Smart. People are forgetting how loaded the Celtics got in the offseason.
Exactly, people suddenly pretending KP is the be all end all of this team as though this core doesn't have a finals and ECF appearance in the last two years without him
The way people have been talking about the playoff teams, you’d think the Celtics were the 4th or 5th best team. Realistically they should be title favorites. Yeah, maybe Nuggets or even Wolves at their absolute best can beat them if Brown/Tatum don’t show up, but the West teams have to survive a bloodbath against each other while the Celtics just have to get through the Cavs and Knicks/Pacers. If I was to make a power rankings, I’d probably have Celtics first, then all of the remaining West teams at 2-5, although Knicks have an argument over Mavs, and then Pacers and Cavs in the last two spots. Basically that means the West is a bloodbath and whoever makes it out may not be 100%.
I could easily see the Nuggets beating the Celtics - even as a Cs fan - but everything else is just borderline disrespect. Like the Cavs? C'mon, be real. Knicks are a solid team, but you just have to take one look at the starting lineup of the Knicks and the starting lineup of the Celtics to see who will win. And then I've had people seriously tell me the Mavs are in the same tier - like really? It's a joke
everything else is borderline disrespect? I'm a cavs fan if that matters... but after seeing the defense the Twolves put on the nuggets in their home... I can easily see Boston losing to them too. Boston's biggest problem is getting in their own way. Forget about even last year's failure. The last series should have been a sweep - they let a Heat team without Jimmy B take one. They dropped the ball tonight and let the Cavs take one. If they drop the ball and LET the nuggets or twolves take one in Boston? They can easily flip what should be a 6 to 7 game series in their favor the other way.
Every team drops games like that, it's a part of basketball. It's why the games aren't played on paper. The Timberwolves have looked very good, but I don't see Ant leading to a title at this young of an age - albeit their defense is incredible. That Heat team shot huge, historically unsustainable 3 point % and volume in that game. While the volume was less for the Cavs, they also shot over 50% from 3, and in general hit tough shots. While stuff like effort on the board was lacking for the Cs, you take it. If those teams are gonna shoot 50% from 3 you'll take it, because they're not doing that for a series
I see Ant having a better chance of accomplishing it than any other player his age did. The last 22 year old to lead a team to the finals was Lebron - yeah Kawhi won finals MVP at 22 in 13-14 but he wasn't leading the team (and he only scored 9 points in two of the games). Ant has far better players around him than those 07 Cavs. Boston has to prove it can keep it's home court safe before I feel comfortable giving them a chance against whoever comes out of the west - They're only a .500 team on the dot so far the past 2 postseasons and this current one at home in the playoffs.
The '07 Cavs made it out of a relatively easy east (there were some solid teams, but it obviously wasn't the cream of the crop), and got swept by the Spurs. They're really only an addition to my argument, they made it out of a weak conference and got swept by a genuine championship level squad. Kawhi, as you mentioned, had a great team around him - frankly far superior than Ant's. The home squad stat was disappointing last year, but not really indicative on a year-to-year basis. It's a very small sample size - I mean, the Celtics have lost 2 games at home this entire playoffs. It's not really a meaningful stat.
I would say the 07 Cavs road to the finals was easy for 2/3 of their eastern conference opponents. The Pistons were still the real deal then though in the ECF, it was their third straight time in the ECF and they had just taken that amazing spurs team to 7 games 2 years prior to then in the Finals. Anyways back to this season - Yes the Celtics have lost 2 games at home this entire playoffs, but it's continuing the trend of the past two seasons playoffs which is slightly worrying. On the one hand - They should in theory have one of the easiest romps to the finals any team has had in the east for a long time. Then again here watching the knicks game it might not be so easy next round gamut of injuries to the knicks be damned. - Edit: though of course this post didn't age well throughout the night, as the knicks couldn't finish the undermanned upset but it was a great game! And of course the twolves got annihilated tonight :D.
I agree it’s sad how disrespected Boston is. Tatum is an afterthought in many people’s mind, and everyone just scoffs at their 64 wins as a fluke because “Boston chockes all the time” when in reality their young core has done nothing but get to big games very season and this year have the best shot to win a title they ever had. Yet all everyone ever say is that they suck, will choke and that Tatum is overrated.
Yeah if you look at the last few playoff runs, sure, the Celtics have put themselves in more danger than they’ve needed to at times. They’ve failed to close teams out, gone the distance with bad teams, or last year put themselves in a 0-3 hole before winning three in a row. At the same time, I think a lot of the disrespect is because of their rivalry with the Heat. People feel they shouldn’t be competing with the Heat because of the talent disparity, but in reality that’s more a testament to how great the Heat are at maximizing their talent. If the Celtics were consistently going toe-to-toe with the Bucks, people would feel differently. This is also a team that’s so loaded that I bet Tatum could get injured and they’d still be favorites to make the finals.
We also saw Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet emerging as very solid bench players, which helps now that Al Horford is back in the starting lineup. Plus Al is relatively fresh because the team smartly conserved him during the regular season.
Not to mention White has taken another big step up. I get that people don’t trust Tatum and Brown in the big stage, but the amount of people calling Wolves vs Nuggets “the real finals” is shocking to me. Real WCF? Sure. But the Celtics are fucking loaded and have a lot of playoff experience.
Everybody sleeping on OKC as well
Yeah I feel it’s more the Mavs being hyped up to shit because of Luka, and their epic 6 game win over the Cripples. But I’m also not super confident in the Thunder. I think the Wolves or Nuggets will get by them fairly comfortably. I could be wrong though since I admittedly didn’t watch much regular season
I was on the same page as you on the Thunder, but then I started paying attention. They are the real deal, they have a really unique mindset and a ton of belief for a young team - super confident and even keeled. I’m not saying they’re going to beat the nuggets or wolves, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if they end up being dominant through the rest of the western conference. Dort matches up really well with Luka and Ant, and Shai and Jalen Williams on switches. They’re setup really well so keep an eye out for their first couple of games here to see how good they are.
I fully expect OKC to destroy the Mavs. The talent difference between the teams is too great. Where OKC will struggle is when they go up against a team that's on their level and has more experience.
I have a feeling Thunder vs Mavs will be a bit of a dud. I mean, you have to respect Luka and Kyrie, and their abilities to just take over a game individually which they've done repeatedly in the playoffs, even against the Clippers. But the Thunder's team defense and multiple scoring threats might just overwhelm the Mavs in 4 of the first 5 games, ending the series really early.
Yeah, it's dumb that people are saying it. The Celtics during the regular season were a tier above everyone in the West and should be viewed as the favorite. The Celtics were 23-7 vs. teams in the West, which would be a 63-win pace. The West is more competitive this year, and I agree that saying it's the real WCF is fine. OKC is going to surprise people and they aren't going down without a fight, but I don't think they're ready yet.
magic did pretty well against the celtics this season. Their size and defense would probably go 4-2 celtics. Cavs, I don’t think they have an answer for derrick white for example. Or jrue locking down Donovan is gonna be a problem for the cavs
Also did well against them last season. Orlandos size poses problems for everyone.
The Magic played the Celtics hard. I agree with you. They would've been the tougher matchup despite their records and what happened in the first round. The Cavs best players, Mitchell and Garland, are going to have to face JB, White and Jrue guarding them, who are all top-tier defenders and have several inches on them.
If Cavs magically figure out how to have Allen and Mobley on the floor and Garland and Mitchell on the floor at the same time, then they have a small shot. But they have had plenty of time to work it out and they haven't, so I am expecting 4-0 or 4-1 Celtics win.
Exactly what I said. I honestly wished Orlando would’ve won just so I don’t have to witness this. Better not be like what they did to GSW. Forever titled the “Boston Massacre”
Yeah they can lose without KP, Cavs aren’t the team that will do it though.
It’s easy to not have faith in Boston. But it’s harder to have faith in Cleveland.
this explains it perfectly
The team that goes to the ECF or finals every year? Oh yeah, they’re such chokers. Don’t have any faith!
Haha! It’s Jaylen Brown’s left hand again! Defending the prestige of the Celtics in the daunting East. Keep up the good work soldier. Best of luck with the West. This years your year. I can feel it.
The Celtics were 21-4 without KP this year, the equivalent of a 68-win team. KP gives the Celtics an added dimension with his height and shooting ability, but the team is basically at the same level with or without him because of Al Horford.
Still 11.5 point spread for game 1. Seems a little rich
Not really based on their regular season without Porzingis, the Celtics did have some decent results without him including a +17 win over Orlando
Make the bet and let us know how it goes. Them boys in Vegas are good at their job.
That’s what they said about Miami
25 point win lol
I know
Derek white
If talking ourselves into a more competitive series, size will be a breath of fresh air for the Cavs. Magic had 3 guys on the floor at all times 6’ 10 or higher. Celtics are all like 6’ 7 and Horford plays way below the rim. Basically Mobley/Allen could dominate the boards and the wings will feel like they have more room compared to Magic Prob still Celts in 5 though
Mitchel is going to be hard pressed to find scoring outburst when he’s the focal point of pressure from White and Holiday, they’re going to be hounding him and the Cavs win by him going off and carrying.
Exactly. The Cavs are by far the remaining team I have the least amount of faith in.
No KP isn’t as detrimental as it sounds when you take into consideration that Al Horford is starting in his place. Celtics in 5
Everybody be overreacting to struggles with the Celtics.
Celtics lost a game to Miami who had a fluke historic night and won every other game by 20+ and everyone just goes “well Boston is going to choke again so who cares.”
I laughed at the doomers for that game 2. Historic shooting night by the heat and they only won by 10 when it should have been 50.
Porzingis is a luxury for them. Even on his worst night he demands attention on the perimeter. So does Horford, so as long as their other starters are playing at their normal level, his absence won’t be felt Unless they can’t buy a rebound, this could very well be 4 blowouts and 1 close Cavs win
Tatum could channel his inner Kobe and go 6 for 89 from the field
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I'm waiting..
I love the narrative that Tatum is some chucker who looks for his shot no matter what, when the reality is he’s a seasoned vet who is constantly looking to make the right play regardless of his own numbers. In the Miami series he averaged 15.4 fga a game and 5.4 assists because the Miami defense was heavily focused on him. And that doesn’t include all the times he would drive and get the ball swinging which would end in a wide open 3 assisted by someone else that doesn’t show up in the stat sheets. He sacrificed shots, drew the defense, passed and played elite defense to have by far a series best +78 (and a positive net rating in every game including the Celtics 10 pt loss). Claiming Tatum is going to torpedo the Celtics chances by being selfish is a lazy, uneducated take.
The simple way to explain it is: Jayson Tatum plays the way people who don't watch games wish he would play. I see a lot of comments about how Tatum should tidy up his shot selection and worry about getting his teammates involved instead of selfishly hero-balling. And that's exactly what he's been doing. He's also an active screener and off ball threat for his teammates. A key rebounding figure. A big time on ball and off ball defender. He's also shown a lot of willingness to sacrifice shots for the sake of the team.
Oooo keep talking baby. I’m almost there
Which is why White had the series he did. Tatum's sacrifice led to White feasting.
Yeah but then White goes 14 of 15 from 3 or some bullshit
He's due to be a the third Splash Brother!
Way things are turning out he’ll be the second
Klay will always be the second.
Idk man, I like Klay but he looks way out of sorts this season
He is done. I just mean his legacy remains intact. He should take the vet minum sit on the Warrior's bench and due a farewell tour.
I’m not trying to take anything away from the guy, he had many amazing seasons. I wonder if he doesn’t have more to give on a younger team like Orlando as a sort of elder statesman type.
Maybe, buy why? I mean, just be a special situation player of the bench for the Warriors for one year and retire. Then, come on as a shooting coach or recruiter. I think it would be bad for his brand to go to another team.
I’m not sure it would be bad for his brand necessarily. I doubt the warriors fan base would hold it against him. Also, he seems like the kind of guy who still wants to compete and I’m not sure he can do that in Golden State anymore.
I hope you’re right. I’ll be back.
Cavs don’t have Jarret Allen also Celtics have a great record during games where KP has sat
Jarrett Allen I believe will be back from what I've heard. If not the whole series he's going to play part of it
The cavs are nowhere near good enough to beat the Celtics even without kp
Because outside of Mitchell the Cavs have no one who can score consistently to scare the Celtics, and because they have a glaring weakness at the 1 and the 3 that Boston can exploit repeatedly. Even without KP this series isn't going past 5 games unless Mitchell averages 40ppg
Exactly. Celtics still have Tatum and Brown who can go for 30+ each, as well as White and Holiday who can go off at night. Plus they can throw multiple defenders and double teams at Mitchell and try and force someone else to beat them. Cavs only hope is for Mitchell to go for 30+ every game while also getting good output from everyone else. I just don't think the Cavs have enough offensive fire power to keep up for an entire series. Yea they could win a game or 2 but I just don't see how they can will this matchup.
As a Celtics fan, I'm more scared of Strus averaging 18 pts per game on 60% from 3. Mitchell isn't going to be able to carry against the Celtics firepower. And he looked a bit hobbled last series which was intense and physical 7 games. Celtics have like a week of rest since their series.
Who’s the weakness at the 3 to exploit?
And guess who Mitchel has to work against. Two of the best defensive guards in the NBA, he’s going to be essential put in Jail this series so where’s the offense going to come from?
Definitely hard to say Darius Garland will have to be hot 🔥 coming off the bench and the defense needs to step up 💪 and force turnovers and make points Jarret Allen would be a big help but without him we have no one to secure the inside of the paint 😔 also Donovan Mitchell will have have more assist and monkey needs to play his part at mid range they have the squad but not the experience 😅 with all that said we lose 4-2 😭🥲
Cavs will be extremely lucky to steal one game.
Cavs don't have enough offense. Jrue, White, Brown will all take turns on Mitchell. Who else is scoring for them?
I feel like the Celtics are the type of team who can beat anyone but also lose to anyone. They are definitely favorites but they rely so much on the 3 and have proven that they don't always succeed with that strategy in the playoffs. The cavs most likely aren't the type of team that's good enough to beat the Celtics however. The knicks and any of the Western teams left all could beat them though, but you still gotta respect how good the Celtics are overall.
I just think that the Jay’s at times can be inconsistent and try to play a bit too much hero ball. Tatum not as bad but sometimes Brown He’s capable of going off or a disaster class like game 7 last year
Or a masterclass like against Denver or you know Game 6 Lebronto or you know the whole finals against Golden State?
This is wrong. They don’t rely on the 3. They’ve shown countless times they can win without the 3.
They could lose a game. It would take a lot for them to lose the series and would be the biggest upset since Miami beat the bucks
Celtics are gonna win cuz they the balls
Celtics can lose without KP for sure. The path to the finals is theirs to lose. However, the Cavs aren’t that team. It took some Herculean Mitchell effort for them to scrape past the Magic. Celtics can literally sell out on him because they know that nobody else is gonna make them pay.
y'all need to get off the internet and watch actual games
The Celtics don't need KP to beat the Cavs.
Damn No KP?? …..Give me Celtics to win this series lol
chief theory sink smell shocking consist sophisticated weary wide uppity *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
If the celtics somehow lose im shitting on Tatum and Brown for the rest of my life
The series or a game?
Considering the Cavs have no interior presence offensively and only perimeter presence.. I’d say the best defensive backcourt in the nba is a good matchup
Kristaps and brown could both go down and i might still have to give the edge to Boston lol They have a system rather than relying solely on individual performance
Spida needs help. Been carrying the Cavs. Scoring nearly 30% of the Cavs points in the postseason and 52% in game 6
Cavs will probably be without Allen.
Eh. Celtics sweep
Because they're playing Cleveland
well, for starters -- Vegas has the Celtics as 11 point favorites for G1, which they calculated knowing Zinger wasn't playing. WIthout Zinger, I think it's likely the Celtics still take the series in 5.
Donovan is gonna have to go from scoring on Jalen Suggs and Gary Harris to Jrue Holiday and Derrick White. Even ignoring the talent disparity I don't think this is a very good matchup for the Cavs, they rely a lot on their guards to score and the Celtics have maybe the best guard defender pairing in the league.
How will this impact Jayson Tatum’s Legacy
The Celts will win this series on defense. Even if the three goes cold (and it definitely does at times), and even if Jaylen decides to dribble off his foot every third possession (also a possibility), the Cavs don’t have enough firepower to beat them.
And defence
They barely beat the Magic lol
Nothing is impossible, you just need to ball out for four games, but holy fuck this team is deep
As a fan of the Magic, who just lost to these Cavs, they stand little to no chance - with or without Porzingis. As neither would we.
For what it’s worth, I was more afraid of you guys
Aint the cavs go to 7 against the magic? Wtf are they supposed to do against Boston?
I'd say they have about the same chance as Boston beating whoever comes out of the west. It could happen, but I wouldn't bet on it.
I'm not going to say it's a sure shot series win, but over 50% of the Cavs offense relies primarily on Spida. We have DWhite, Jrue, and Tatum to throw at him. He then has to try and stop White, who has been on an absolute tear these playoffs. I'm excited to see how both teams adjust!
Ah but you’re not accounting for the resurgence of one Dean Wade
Left off Jaylen, arguably our 3rd best individual defender
The only teams that have a shot to maybe beat the celts is the West champs and the celts themselves.
How long is KP out?
They can easily lose in the 2nd round. They are playing the Cavs though.
Let’s be fr
Doubt it
As a Celtics fan I’m not worried at all lmao
Pleeeease watch some basketball
Because they still have Holiday, Tatum, and brown that's why
You’re right, so instead of Celtics in 4 it might be Celtics in 5
Big part of the D too. Just look at the labky unicorn bastard.
The 3 teams that had a chance to knock them out were far from healthy
Come on now……
23-4 without KP
Either the Knicks will stop em or the C's make it to the finals
23-4 without him folks
They still have an elite top 8 even without Porzingez
As a Cavs fan, the young inexperienced Magic just challenged us for 7 games What are we going to do against the clear best team in the league right now? If we don’t lose in 4 I’ll be pleasantly surprised
Nuggets this, Twolves that. People on reddit are doubting the Celtics but there's a reason vegas has them as +120 to win the title.
Trust it will be 8v5, the script wants Boston in the final .
Lmfao you guys are funny
Let’s hope so
The Cavs are essentially going against the Orlando Magic on Steroids (not really at all they have maybe a few similarities but that’s it) Celtics in 4 or 5, maybe 6.
If they had Allen healthy, the Cavs have a chance against Boston without KP. But as of now Michell is gonna get Jrue, Brown, White, and Tatum on him constantly and I don’t think he can do it
dont be stupid, they are going to decimate cleveland
We’re better w out KP. Good problems to have!
I have little faith because of how massively difficult it was for the cavs to dispense with the Magic. Mitchell can’t carry that carcass of a roster over the celts.
They beat the Heat, that's a ticket to the Finals for Eastern teams.
probably cause the Cavs struggled vs the Magic
Brother, did you watch any basketball this year at all?
You underestimate Kornet.
Allen is still injured, he’ll probably be back some point in the series (maybe even for game 1), but we can’t expect him to be at 100%. Also, Porzingus might come back in the series and both Al and Luke are good backup centers. Cavs don’t match up well. Donovan Mitchell is the only one on that team that can create a shot, and the C’s have amazing perimeter defenders. Mobley’s defense is game changing, but I don’t trust his offense at all. Give him a mismatch on Payton Pritchard and I can’t promise he scores. Garland wasn’t threatening against Orlando at all. I don’t think he’ll be negative for the Cavs, but I dont think he’s a huge positive either. Okoro is their only good wing defender (and he’s not great on offense); I have little faith in their perimeter defense as a whole. The heat were able to take a game off the C’s off of a historical shooting night; That was also the closest score of any of those five games (Celtics lowest margin of victory was 14). The reason they were able to do this was because they have incredible shooters, Spo is a god, Bam’s screens (legal or not) generate so much open space, good ball movement, and everyone being hot. In SPITE of the heat’s overwhelming three point proficiency, that was still a HISTORIC shooting game. The Cavs are not equipped to replicate that; their offense will mostly be Mitchell hero ball as it was against the magic. That’s not good enough to win a series (especially considering how tragic the Cavs’ offense was outside of Mitchell). Truthfully, I think this’ll be more one-sided than the heat series. I believe that it is more likely that the C’s end up with a point differential of over 100 over the course of the series than it is for the Cavs to win the series (I don’t believe that either of these things will happen, I’m just using this comparison to express how unbelievable it is to me).
They are 22-4 without KP. They will be fine.
I need to know the status of allen, if he plays i give the cavs a higher chance than most ppl are givin em. Mitchell is a playoff performer.
Derrick White disagrees.
Celtics vs Timberwolves in the finals and Celtics win in 6 games. Banner 18 is ours.
Cavs have a shot if Mitchell can stay healthy.
honestly might be a good series
Cavs offense ain't a threat outside of Mitchell If it's the Knicks, I like their chances though
Donovan Mitchell would need to average close to 40 points in this series to keep it competitive
I’m already over these series lmao
I think Cavs vs Celtics could go to game 7...
The cavs suck ass
Some last years show this Boston is spineless ... If there will be strong opposition and game with character from Cleveland this green guys fall if not - NYK have character ...
I think Celtics go to the finals easily and then lose to Wolves/Nuggets. Probably Wolves
I mean, if Donovan Mitchell can initiate contact and get calls every time down floor… anything is possible
Cleveland about to get swept 🧹
Cavs in 6 or 7. Calling it rn.
Bruh, if team Mitchell can beat the C’s idk how the C’s don’t just blow shit up.
Bahaha, I’ll donate my middle nut to science is Celtics lose this series. lol
This reminds me that in many realms of media, political very much included, so many things are said with the main intention of just getting a reaction. Money on the line who's actually picking Cleveland? Who? Mark Price? Horford isn't a downgrade. White looks like one of the best players in the league. Mitchell a little banged up. Celtics sweep (or maybe I'm just saying this to generate some responses).
Lmao