PUNTER
The Celtics will be the latest team to try and put an end to the LeBron James reign in the East when they host the Cavaliers for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Boston have relished being branded as underdogs all season long and they’ve continued to play with that chip on their shoulder so far these playoffs.
Brad Stevens has certainly cemented himself as the best coach in the league with what he’s done with this team in the playoffs and it’s clear that half-court basketball is something he’s thriving in.
That being said, slowing down James is an all together different task and one that may not have a solution. The Cleveland-born native is averaging 34.3 points, 9.4 rebounds and nine assists so far this postseason and has shown he can do it all himself if necessary.
Their 4-0 sweep of Toronto probably isn’t as shocking as it seemed prior to that series starting given the Raptors reputation as being perennial underachievers, and the favourable on-court match up that series presented for the Cavs.
What will be interesting is to see whether the Celtics can slow the tempo and force a series similar to what we saw Indiana deliver in their first-round match up with Cleveland.
It’s clear that the Cavs offence only works in the open-court and getting their shooters open on the perimeter is what allows James to pick you apart when attacking the rim.
Boston’s perimeter defence has been superb these playoffs – they completely nullified Philly’s threat from beyond the arc and they’ll look to do the same again given their length and athleticism.
Stevens has shown time and again that he’s willing to let one or two players get theirs, with the focus then being to shut down contributions from everywhere else.
James could well be allowed to drop 40+ in this game so long as Kevin Love, JR Smith and Kyle Korver are all held to under 15 points. That being said, the Cavs have shown they can put up points on this Boston defence.
On the other side of things, there’s no doubt that the Celtics will be aware of Cleveland’s defensive lapses and they’ll want to find mismatches that help exploit the half court set up. Jaylen Brown will be encouraged to attack the basket with JR Smith on him, and Jayson Tatum has shown his ability to get buckets regardless of the situation.
This total has barely shifted given the support on the Overs and while that does have us slightly concerned our projections are pointing to a high-scoring opener here. Boston have seen their last five straight home games go Over the points total when playing teams with a winning record and we’re siding with that trend continuing here.
Our projections are showing 210.2 points being scored so take the Overs in what should be a very, very interesting start to this series.
Tip: Over 204.5 points @ $1.92 (Sportsbet)
