Cleveland Cavaliers vs Boston Celtics: Eastern Conference Semifinals Preview
The Matchup
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics will open their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series on Tuesday, May 12th at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. The Cavaliers are the No. 4 seed in the East, while the Celtics are the No. 2 seed. The Cavaliers are coming off a sweep of the Atlanta Hawks in the first round, while the Celtics defeated the Brooklyn Nets in four games. This is the third time these two teams have met in the playoffs in the last five years. The Celtics won in 2018 and the Cavaliers won in 2017.
The Key Players
For the Cavaliers, Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell will be the key players. Garland is averaging 19.8 points and 8.2 assists per game this season, while Mitchell is averaging 24.3 points per game. For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown will be the key players. Tatum is averaging 26.9 points per game this season, while Brown is averaging 25.0 points per game.
The X-Factor
The X-factor in this series could be the Celtics' defense. The Celtics have the best defense in the NBA, allowing just 106.2 points per game. If they can limit the Cavaliers' scoring, they will be in a good position to win the series.
The Prediction
The Celtics are the favorites to win this series, but the Cavaliers are a dangerous team. If they can get hot from three-point range, they can beat anyone. I think the Celtics will win the series in six games.
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