LeBron James and company sure are happy that Iman Shumpert has finally re-joined the team. With the Cavaliers having another key body back in their lineup, they’ll be looking for a third-straight win as they take on last year’s playoff rivals, the Boston Celtics, later tonight. The Celtics have been better than last season, though, and are among the most dangerous teams to face when they’re the underdogs.
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[sc:NBA240banner ]It wasn’t long ago when the Cavaliers swept Boston in a best-of-7 playoff series. That was back in April, when LeBron James averaged 27.0 points 9.0 rebounds, and 6.5 assists in four games.
James is still capable of putting up the same numbers and he’ll try to dominate anew later tonight at TD Garden, where the Cavs are 3-1 SU and 2-2 ATS in their last four games there.
James was at it again last Friday, as he led the Cavs in demolishing a hapless Orlando team, 111-76. In just 29 minutes of action, James managed to put up 25 points, while adding eight assists and three boards. Kevin Love, however, scored just eight points on just 2-for-6 shooting, but did grab 13 rebounds and made six assists.
Love hasn’t been playing well on offense lately, averaging just 10.8 points on salty 31.5 percent shooting from the field in the last five games. But maybe the sight of Kelly Olynyk, who injured Love’s shoulder in the playoffs, would light a fire under the big man. On the season, Love is averaging 17.8 points and 11.0 rebounds per game.
Dealing with the pesky Celtics should be an easier task for Cleveland now that Swiss-knife Iman Shumpert is back in the Cavs’ fold. Shumpert made a triumphant season-debut against the Magic, scoring 14 points off the bench. Shumpert’s activation is a big boost for Cleveland’s bench that is among the worst in the league in scoring with only 27.6 PPG.
Cleveland is averaging 99.4 points on the road thus far this season.
Boston knows no fatigue. A night after pushing the Golden State to the edge in a double-overtime 124-119 loss, the Celtics showed they still have the legs to compete, as they earned a 98-93 win over Charlotte on Saturday.
As usual, Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley led Boston to victory. Thomas went 8-for-16 from the field for 21 points and dished out 13 dimes, while Bradley added 23 points, including four threes, to lead all scorers. Thomas has been the best and most consistent Celtic this season with the guard pacing the team with 20.8 PPG and 6.7 APG.
The Celtics, however, have been getting points from plenty of other scorers. Apart from Bradley and Thomas, five other Celtics are averaging at least 9.3 PPG, including Jae Crowder, who has elevated his play ever since he came from Dallas to Boston. Crowder is putting up 9.9 PPG on the season, but has been better over the last five games, wherein he averaged up 15.5 PPG on 46.3 FG%.
Crowder will do more than just scoring though against the Cavs, as he’ll likely be the primary Celtic stopper of LeBron James.
Speaking of defense, the Celtics are ninth in the league in that department, as they’re allowing 98.8 PPG. It’s important for Boston to do a great job on the glass, as the Celtics record just 29.2 defensive rebounder per game in 10 losses on the season. Conversely, they’ve notched 34.7 across their 14 victories.
Boston is 6-1-1 ATS in its last eight games as an underdog.
