Preview: Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers

The Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers will have all eyes on them on Saturday night. This is the first time that these two teams have met since Avery Bradley hit a game-winning three as time expired. That three sparked the Celtics over the past couple of months, and prove to a lot of people who don’t know if this team is real.

Cleveland is still the top dog in the East at 43-17, while Boston sits at 38-25, which is good enough for third in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics come into this game on a five game winning streak, following their perfect home stand. This will be their first road game since losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves a couple of weeks ago.

The Cavaliers also started the post all-star break part of their schedule slow. However, they have since won their past two games and are seemingly back in control of their own future.

This is one of the biggest games for both teams this season. Less than a week after J.R. Smith claimed the Cavaliers are in trouble, they could make a statement against a red-hot Celtics’ team. On the other hand, the Celtics could defeat Cleveland on their home court, ending any doubters thoughts about how legit of a team they are.

The X-Factor in this game for Boston is Isaiah Thomas. During their last matchup, Avery Bradley had to guard Kyrie Irving because of Thomas’s size. That led to Thomas having the job to guard the three-point shooting J.R. Smith. It was clear that Thomas was no factor on defense as Smith went off for 20 points and shot with ease in the first half.

Thomas is coming off a 32-point game against the Knicks, although if he’s not able to cause some discomfort for Smith, the Celtics will be in trouble. Boston can live with Irving, LeBron James, and even Kevin Love getting their points, however, they can’t live with Smith having another big night. Thomas is clearly one of the best point guards in the league, but his defense is always a question mark.

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The X-Factor for Cleveland is LeBron James. He may not be the best player in the league this season, but he is still up there. There is no doubt that he’s going to be thinking about the way Boston celebrated after Avery Bradley nailed the game-winner, as well as the feeling of losing a game that they should have won, and had in the bag. He’ll want his revenge, and if there is anything you don’t want to do to LeBron is to give him more reason to hate your team.

James effects the game on the defensive side of the ball, as well on offense. Jae Crowder has torn it up over the past couple of weeks, but that streak may end tonight. James will be all over him and trying to limit the breakout small forward. That could cause problems for Crowder, and will mean someone else will need to step up.

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This is arguably the biggest game of the season for the Celtics. It’s a chance for not only the Celtics but also the Cavaliers to show how they stack up against the cream of the crop. It will be interesting to see how fresh of legs Boston has coming off a tough win over the Knicks last night. Although, adrenaline will surely kick in and help them. This is going to be a tough game for both sides, but I think Cleveland will get their revenge at home.

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