Cavs vs Celtics Game 3: Three Things To Look For
The Cleveland Cavaliers are often to a solid, if unspectacular, start in their return to the playoffs for the first time since 2010. They’ve won the first two games in their series against the Boston Celtics, and have had spectacular efforts from LeBron James and Kyrie Irving in both games. Now another test looms as the Cavs Vs Celtics series moves to Boston and the Cavaliers have their first playoff game on the road. As any NBA fan knows, it’s much harder to win on the road than at home, and the Celtics have been a tough enough opponent during the last two games at Quicken Loans Arena. With that in mind, here are three things to look for during Game Three on Thursday night.
Can the Cavaliers Get Off To A Better Start?
While the Cavs have won the first two games of the series, the Celtics have led after the first quarter in both. While this may not seem like a big deal, the early success the Celtics have had in each game has given them the confidence to play with the Cavs, making each game much tougher than the Cavaliers (or their fans) would prefer. If the Cavs continue these slow starts there’s a good chance the Celtics take a game in front of their home crowd.
Can J.R. Smith find his shot?
Over the first two games of the series Smith is shooting 6 for 19 from the floor, including 3 for 15 from beyond the arc. For the Cavaliers’ offense to function at its best, Smith needs to make teams pay when they leave him to help guard one of James, Irving, or Kevin Love by knocking down shots from deep. While Smith will likely find his shot with the amount of open looks he receives, it’s worth noting he struggled in his last two playoff appearances with the Knicks.
How is Kevin Love’s Back?
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While Love has played well in his first playoff series despite a poor field goal percentage (He has a 19.5 PER and a True Shooting Percentage of 55.9%), there was a slight drop in his play between the first game and second. This is relevant in that Love had three days off before Game One and just one day off before Game 2, continuing a season-long trend of playing significantly better with more rest. Will Love and his notoriously balky back be ready for Game 3? If not, then the Celtics will have another advantage besides home court.
There’s almost no chance the Celtics come back from two games down to take this series from the Cavaliers, but that doesn’t mean the Cavs should take the next two games for granted. The quicker and easier this series is, the more time the Cavaliers will have to prepare for what will likely be a more difficult series against the Chicago Bulls.