The Cleveland Cavaliers held off a spirited challenge by the Boston Celtics in Game 2 to storm to a 2-0 series lead in their best-of-seven showdown on Tuesday night. LeBron James and Kyrie Irving led the way for the Cavaliers who are now just two wins away from their first playoff series win in almost five years.
Can they pile more misery on the Celtics in Game 3? Or will Boston fight back this time around? Read on below for a preview of this playoff clash and while you are at it, you can check out our other Eastern Conference Game 3 previews in Toronto vs. Washington and Chicago vs. Milwaukee.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics Game 3 Preview
Series Scores & Schedule
Game 1 — April 19, 3:00 PM ET, Boston Celtics 100 at Cleveland Cavaliers 113
Game 2 — April 21, 7:00 PM ET, Boston Celtics 91 at Cleveland Cavaliers 99
Game 3 — April 23, 7:00 PM ET, Cleveland Cavaliers at Boston Celtics – view all NBA lines
Game 4 — April 26, 1:00 PM ET, Cleveland Cavaliers at Boston Celtics
Game 5* — April 28, Time TBD, Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers
Game 6* — April 30, Time TBD, Cleveland Cavaliers at Boston Celtics
Game 7* — May 2, Time TBD, Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers
* If necessary
Betting on the Cleveland Cavaliers
“What’s most important for me is bringing one trophy back to Northeast Ohio.”
That was the message of LeBron James when he announced his shock return to Cleveland last July. With the way he is playing right now, it won’t be long before he delivers that coveted first NBA championship to the long-suffering Cavaliers.
[sc:NBA240banner ]James scored 30 points to lead the Cavaliers to a gutsy 99-91 win against the Celtics in Game 2 on Tuesday night. James was red-hot from the field, shooting 11-of-22 for an impressive 50 percent clip. James was all over the floor as he also had nine rebounds and seven assists in another brilliant all-around performance.
It was also a historic night for James who passed Hall of Famer Jerry West on the career playoff scoring list. James now has 4,469 points in 160 career playoff games.
One guy who may be bound to join this list eventually is Kyrie Irving. The 23-year-old followed his spectacular postseason debut with another solid performance in Game 2, scoring 26 points, grabbing five boards and dishing out six assists. With Boston hanging dangerously close in the final quarter, Irving and James took it upon themselves to tow Cleveland to victory, combining for all of the Cavs’ 24 points in the fourth quarter.
One thing that the Cavs must address heading into Game 3, however, is their propensity to commit turnovers. The Cavs had 18 turnovers in Game 2 with James, Irving and Kevin Love accounting for 12 of those errors. The Celtics made the Cavs pay with those miscues, scoring 22 points off those turnovers.
It’s vital for the Cavs that James takes care of the basketball in Game 3. He had a total of 11 turnovers in the first two games which are uncharacteristically high numbers for the four-time MVP. If he can cut down his errors in Game 3, the Cavs stand a good chance of going 3-0 up in the series.
The Cavs are 6-3 SU and 5-4 ATS in their last nine road games.
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Betting on the Boston Celtics
Boston may head back home with a 2-0 series deficit in their hands but the Celtics will still feel good about themselves heading into their Game 3 showdown with the Cleveland Cavaliers this coming Thursday. The Celtics certainly didn’t look overmatched in their Game 2 clash against the Cavs with Boston keeping in step with Cleveland for the entire 48 minutes.
The Celtics even had a seven-point lead in the second quarter before the Cavs made a late run to enter the halftime break with a slim one-point lead. And even though Cleveland surged to a 14-point lead early in the third quarter, the Celtics refused to buckle, trimming the deficit to just two points in the fourth before eventually succumbing to defeat.
What helped the Celtics tremendously in Game 2 was their incredible bench support. Boston’s reserves outscored Cleveland’s bench, 51-7, to help keep the game close for the Celtics. It was basically a repeat of their performance in Game 1 where the Celtics’ bench outscored their counterparts, 55-29.
Leading the way for the Celtics’ reserves was Isaiah Thomas who’s having a splendid series thus far. He scored 22 points and dished out seven assists in 30 minutes of action. Thomas is averaging 22.0 points and 8.5 assists in this best-of-seven series against the Cavs.
For the Celtics to grab the win in Game 3, it’s crucial that they improve on their execution on the offensive end. They had a difficult time solving the Cavs’ defense, as the Celtics shot just 38.8% from the field in Game 2. That’s way below their field goal shooting mark of 44.3% back in the regular season.
Boston’s starting backcourt duo of Avery Bradley and Evan Turner once again struggled in this game, combining for just 17 points on a woeful 6-of-20 shooting. It’s high time head coach Brad Stevens tinker with his opening five and insert the red-hot Thomas into the starting lineup in Game 3. That will give a new dimension to the Boston attack and inject some much-need offense to the Celtics’ starting five.
The Celtics are 6-4 SU and ATS in their last 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Cleveland wins, 108-95, to move to within a victory of the series sweep.
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