With momentum on their side, it seems the Celtics are primed to take full control of the East against Cleveland on Wednesday
The giant red circle on so many calendars is finally right around the corner.
Serving as perhaps both teams’ most important game of the regular season, the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers will play their series finale Wednesday night in what figures to be an epic showdown between the top two teams in the Eastern Conference.
The second-place Cavaliers (49-27) look to right their recent woes and claim the No. 1 seed in the conference for a second-straight year. The first-place Celtics (50-27) aim to hold on and clinch the East’s top playoff spot for the first time since 2007-08. Many believe this game carries the most weight of any contest for either team all year, and even think it could decide which group will earn home-court advantage come playoffs.
That scenario is definitely possible.
And since recent circumstances indicate Boston should win its upcoming matchup against Cleveland, the Celtics figure to walk away Wednesday night as the eventual top seed in the East.
When the Cavs last played Boston on March 1, they lost 103-99 in a tough battle without star forward Kevin Love. Since then, Cleveland has struggled to meet its lofty expectations by going 8-9 while averaging a -2.7 scoring difference.
LeBron James has admitted over the stretch that the team is in a delicate state and isn’t in a good spot with playoffs around the corner. That’s a fair assessment when considering the Cavs have gone 2-8 in that span against teams that would make the playoffs if the season ended Monday, all while allowing six different opponents to score at least 120 points against them.
Compare that to the Celtics, who have won 12 of their last 17 games and are playing perhaps the best basketball of the season. The entire group has been mostly healthy for a majority of the time, allowing the starters to heat up around each other before this final stretch of the season.
Oh, and Boston did beat Cleveland the last time the two teams faced one another, just a week before topping the Golden State Warriors by double digits.
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Sure, the Cavs have built a little momentum back with a 135-130 double-overtime triumph over the Indiana Pacers on Sunday. Sure, having a healthy J.R. Smith and Love this time around better equips them to beat the Celtics.
It certainly doesn’t help that Boston’s Avery Bradley has missed the last two games with the stomach bug, Amir Johnson rolled his ankle on Friday and Jae Crowder is undergoing tests on an injured left elbow.
All of this certainly raises yellow flags for the Celtics entering the game. But before you go ahead and say Cleveland should be favorites to win, consider that James had to play 52 minutes in Sunday’s win over the Pacers. Kyrie Irving had to play 46 minutes, Smith racked up 42 and Love had 37.
That triumph over Indiana, while very impressive, is going to have an impact on the Cavs heading into Wednesday. Let’s not forget that this away game against the Celtics comes a day after playing the Orlando Magic at home, and will be their fifth game in just seven days.
How will James, who’s already averaging the second-most minutes per game (37.4) in the NBA, perform against Boston with almost no rest? Will Love, Smith and Irving need minutes restrictions to avoid getting injured?
Cleveland is 19-19 on the road this year. Will it perform much better with so much fatigue in play, especially with a 5-9 record in games on the second night of a back-to-back already?
The main flaw the Cavs have suffered from this year is a lack of talented depth. James has admitted it several times, and that – mixed with fatigue – seems to be the cause of Cleveland’s recent woes.
Seems like a lot to go through when matching up against a Celtics team that has won six of its last seven games. And to add insult to injury for the probably tired Cavs; Boston has three rest days in between its Sunday matinee and Wednesday’s game.
That means the Celtics will already be in Boston for two days before the matchup. They have a chance to sleep, practice and relax a bit while their opponent has to play a different game and then travel right after. Essential players like Bradley, Johnson and Crowder have time to heal. Coach Brad Stevens has time to build a well-rehearsed game plan.
Obviously, this doesn’t mean the game against Cleveland will be a piece of cake. James always has stellar performances against Boston, and a healthy Love will make a huge difference for the Cavs.
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But just remember, the Celtics are in first place – albeit by a 1/2 game – for a reason. They are already talented enough to top a visiting Cavs team. All of the rest is just a bonus for what’s to come.