The top half of the NBA Eastern Conference playoff bracket went according to plan, as the #1 ranked Boston Celtics will face the #4 ranked Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals starting on Tuesday. But the first round was costly for each team, as they are now both missing their starting centers indefinitely due to injury. However, the NBA playoffs are always a war of attrition. With all of that in mind, here is my Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers series preview and predictions!
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Celtics vs. Cavaliers Series Betting Preview & Predictions
First, the bad news—Boston Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis is expected to miss this second-round series with a calf injury, a similar injury he had earlier in the season. The Celtics could have known they probably didn’t need Porzingis until they got deeper into the playoffs and decided to give him plenty of time to recover.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, however, desperately need their injured center, Jarrett Allen, back ASAP. Allen has missed three straight games with a rib injury, which we know is quite serious considering he missed Game 7. His status for this series is up in the air at the time of this writing. While there have long been calls for Cleveland to only play one big man at a time—Allen or Evan Mobley—you want to have the option of going back and forth between the two.
But, ultimately, does either big man’s status really affect the outcome of this series? No, probably not. The Boston Celtics were by far the best team in the league this year – the best overall record, the best home record, the best away record, a top-five offense and defense. Other than the Miami Heat pulling a classic Heat move and playing above their heads for one game, the first round was a breeze for the C’s. They clinched the series – minus Porzingis – by 34 points in Game 5.
The Cavaliers, meanwhile, had a rock fight of a first-round series against the Orlando Magic that took them seven games to win, and only then because Orlando’s offense is more impotent than theirs. A 20th-ranked offense in the regular season, the playoffs have become a Donovan Mitchell one-man show when Cleveland has possession of the ball.
His 28.7 PPG in the first round was almost double that of his backcourt mate—and second-leading scorer in the regular season—Darius Garland’s 14.9. Garland needs to be way above average—not below average—for Cleveland to have a chance against Boston.
But the Cavaliers don’t have a chance against the Celtics. Even if Allen is back and healthy, Garland plays up to his potential, and Mitchell continues to go supernova. Boston is just too good, experienced, and deep—even without Porzingis—to drop the ball here. Star Jayson Tatum was only the third leading scorer for them in the first round. Bench players Al Horford and Sam Hauser outscored starter Jrue Holiday.
A return from Allen makes things more interesting, as his size and defense would be key against Boston. But it won’t be enough. Boston -1200 is unplayable, however, unless you have a much larger bankroll than I do.
I think the best way to attack this series is via correct score plays. Boston sweeping this series wouldn’t be a shock, and neither would Mitchell donning his cape and carrying the Cavaliers to a win (but only a singular win).
Series Best Bets: Boston Celtics 4-0 (+190) and/or Boston Celtics 4-1 (+190)
