Boston Celtics: Pros & cons of facing the Cleveland Cavaliers in round one

Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers playoff matchup: Cons

As we stated in our “pros” section in the Brooklyn Nets piece from earlier today, stars can only take you so far.

In order to win in this league, it takes a complete team effort, and, while the Cleveland Cavaliers have been headlined by both Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen, looking at this roster there are plenty of players who can cause some serious problems for an opponent on any given night.

Heading into the postseason, the Cavs find themselves boasting a rotation with seven players averaging double-digit points (one of whom is Allen, whom many assume will be available should they make it to the first round) and, as an entire unit, they find themselves ranked 11th in the league in assists per game, showing that J. B. Bickerstaff’s cast of ballers are all for sharing the wealth.

Amongst the talents on the roster, there are quite a number of players who, at any point in a contest, can go about and take over.

From youngsters like Caris LeVert and Evan Mobley to established veterans like Kevin Love and Rajon Rondo (Playoff Rondo’s a real thing, folks), this team has more than just their main stars who can seemingly flip a switch and go on to put the team entirely on their back.

The Boston Celtics, on the other hand, don’t really have anyone who can do this outside of the Jays.

In addition to all this, perhaps an underrated aspect of this potential hypothetical series is the fact that, while the C’s would be coming in with an unbelievable amount of expectations what with being the No. 2 seed in the east and that they’re viewed as legitimate threats to take home this year’s Larry O’Brien Trophy, the Cavaliers, on the other hand, really should feel no pressure at all.

All season long, this team has continuously surpassed everyone’s expectations to the point where, at this point, they’re essentially playing with house money.

No one believed Cleveland would be in the running for a playoff run, let alone a play-in spot, yet here we are.

Boston Celtics fans know all too well just how menacing a young and talented team with minimal expectations can perform, even when under the bright lights of the playoffs (the glorious injury-plagued postseason run of 2017-18, anyone?).

Now look, are we trying to insinuate that Cleveland has what it takes to embark on a similar path to the one that C’s team did? Not exactly, no.

That said, what that team did make us realize is that, when it comes to the playoffs, no opponent should be taken lightly, especially one that literally has nothing to lose.