Cleveland Cavaliers have had a bear of a schedule thus far. They are a strong 7-4 on the season despite playing e..."/> Cleveland Cavaliers have had a bear of a schedule thus far. They are a strong 7-4 on the season despite playing e..."/>
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Cavs: Previewing the upcoming four-game homestand

By Josh Cornelissen

Daniel Gafford, Washington Wizards. Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images
Daniel Gafford, Washington Wizards. Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images /
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Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images /

Cavs: Previewing the Boston Celtics games

Time and Date: Game 1: Saturday, November 13th, 8:00pm, NBA TV; Game 2: Monday, November 15th, 7:00pm

Record: As of Wednesday morning, the Celtics are 4-6, 11th in the Eastern Conference

Season Recap: With a new coach in Ime Udoka and old friend Al Horford back in tow, the Celtics had high hopes for the start of the season. Instead they stumbled, losing close games (including two in double-overtime) before being absolutely embarrassed by the Chicago Bulls on November 1st to fall to 2-5. Since then they rebounded to smother the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat, holding each under 80 points, before losing to the Dallas Mavericks on a Luka Doncic buzzer-beater Saturday.

Matchup to Watch: Jayson Tatum vs anyone tasked with guarding him. The weak spot of this Cleveland roster is at small forward, and their imperfect option at the 3, Lauri Markkanen, may not be cleared of the health and safety protocols for one or both games. With Jaylen Brown out with a hamstring injury it will fall to Tatum to carry the offense, and he has proven capable in his short career of doing so. Can the combination of Dean Wade, Lamar Stevens and Dylan Windler keep Tatum at bay? How does Evan Mobley hold up when the Celtics go small and put Tatum at the 4? If Tatum is held in check, the Celtics will have a hard time scoring.

Predictions: The Celtics have one of the best defenses in the league, and in starting Al Horford and Robert Williams they are one of the few teams able to match the size of the Cavs (sort of; Williams is undersized for a center at 6’8″). Especially without Collin Sexton and potentially Markkanen and Kevin Love, the Cavs will be hard-pressed to keep up on offense. The idea is that they can hold Boston back on the other end.

In their first game the Celtics will be coming in off of a tough back-to-back against the Milwaukee Bucks, while the Cavs’ back-to-back against the Pistons might afford J.B. Bickerstaff the opportunity to rest his starters. Once the Celtics have had a game under their belt to adjust to the force of Jarrett Allen and Mobley they should be able to improve in the rematch on Monday.

Game 1: Cleveland 98, Boston 94; Game 2: Boston 103, Cleveland 95

Next. Starting lineup prediction after Collin Sexton injury. dark

In total that would be a 2-2 homestand, a reasonable result for a team missing multiple key players and facing a few tough opponents. Fans of the Cavs can hope for more, fear for less, and in the end will likely be satisfied with two wins. Storm clouds loom on the horizon, with Brooklyn, Golden State and Phoenix lurking after this homestand, so it will be important not to let go of the rope too much here.