Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Boston Celtics Game 1: Eastern Conference Playoffs – Second round
The Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers are opening the second playoff round tonight in TD Garden.
The Cavaliers barely made it this far
The Cleveland Cavaliers needed seven games to move past the Orlando Magic in the opening round of the playoffs. Neither team won on the road in that series, but the Cavaliers faced a tough challenge in Game 7 at home. The Magic went up by as many as 18 points in the first half, but the Cavaliers turned things around in the second to win 106-94 at the end. Donovan Mitchell had a fantastic series, averaging 28.7 points per game.
The Celtics are the best team in the league
The Boston Celtics had the best regular-season record and just warmed up in the opening round against the Miami Heat. They lost Game 2 at home but absolutely dominated the rest of the series, winning by at least 20 in four games. Jaylen Brown was the Celtics’ leading scorer in the series against the Heat, averaging 22.8 points per game, followed by Derrick White with 22.4.
Betting Trends
Boston has won 13 of the last 20 games against Cleveland and 5 of their last 7 head-to-head games have gone over the total point line. The Celtics have won 6 of their last 7 games overall and 17 of the last 19 home games. They have played over the total point line in 11 of their last 15 games against teams from the Eastern Conference but in only one of the last five games. The Cavaliers have lost their last 6 games on the road and 9 of the last 10 played in Boston. Cleveland has played over the total point line in 10 of the last 14 games against teams from the Eastern Conference.
Prediction and Conclusion
The Cavaliers were pushed to the limit in the opening playoff round against Orlando, and only two days after the decisive game, they are heading to Boston to face the best team in the league. The Cavaliers have lost all but one of their last ten visits to Bean Town, and there is no doubt the Celtics will win this one as well. Kristaps Porzingis is questionable for this game, but even without him, the Celtics will have no problem winning this one by covering the -11.5-point margin.
