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Cleveland Cavaliers vs Boston Celtics: King James Gospel Roundtable Preview

By Nathan Beighle

Apr 5, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) works the ball against Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) in the first quarter at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 5, 2017; Boston, MA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) works the ball against Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart (36) in the first quarter at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports /
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May 4, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens (L) is restrained by Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (R) after receiving a technical foul against the Washington Wizards in the third quarter in game three of the second round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 116-89. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
May 4, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens (L) is restrained by Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (R) after receiving a technical foul against the Washington Wizards in the third quarter in game three of the second round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Verizon Center. The Wizards won 116-89. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

Dan Gilinsky (@ArmchairQBDan)

The Cleveland Cavaliers have the Boston Celtics now, which is a pretty ideal Eastern Conference Finals opponent. The Celtics are nothing to sneeze at; they can play and they are disciplined. Head coach Brad Stevens has done a remarkable job developing the young players on this Boston roster, but they just don’t scare me. They have one star in Isaiah Thomas, and not much consistency outside of that.

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The Cavs have the mismatches with LeBron being bigger than all the foreseeable defenders Boston throws at him. He’s been incredibly efficient this postseason, and the East is still child’s play for him. Boston is going to pull out all the stops with Stevens directing on both ends, but the Cavs just have too many options offensively.

I don’t see Kyrie Irving continuing to shoot sub-40%, and I expect him to be aggressive early and often to allow LeBron to take over in the middle stretches of games. The plus side has been Irving’s playmaking, as he was getting the role players involved against Toronto. That’s the key in this series.

Boston does have a deep team, but they don’t have the consistency in terms of scoring (especially from the perimeter). They have made the second most threes per game in the playoffs, but the Cavs have shown the ability to blow games open with players like Kyle Korver and Channing Frye raining from deep.

The floor spacing the Cavs have helps LeBron operate in the post against smaller C’s defenders, and he’ll know exactly where to go with the ball when help comes. Jae Crowder (my C’s x-factor) is a heck of a player and much improved perimeter shooter, but Bron is just too quick and should be able to get wherever he wants on the floor.

I expect Tristan Thompson to be the Cavs x-factor on the glass against a team who can’t defensive rebound, too. This is another Cleveland sweep and Cavs-Warriors III ensues.