The wait is over: the Boston Celtics know who they’re facing in the second round of the 2024 NBA Playoffs. The Cleveland Cavaliers will come to Beantown for Game 1 on Tuesday night, as they completed the largest comeback in Game 7 history on Sunday afternoon to beat the Orlando Magic.
Boston and Cleveland met three times this regular season, with the C’s winning the first two contests and the Cavs taking the last one back in March. These two teams haven’t squared off in the postseason since the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals, yet this will be their ninth series against one another. The Celtics have only played four other franchises more frequently in their playoff history.
So, who’ll triumph in this Eastern Conference Semifinals showdown? Here are three bold Celtics predictions ahead of the second-round clash.
Derrick White will average over 20 points per game this series
The No. 1 seed Celtics will likely be the betting favorites over the fourth-seeded Cavaliers. However, that doesn’t mean Boston can take Cleveland lightly.
Since Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis could miss the entire series with a calf strain, Boston will need everyone else to be at their best (or at least close to it).
In the first round against Miami, stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were solid, but far from perfect. Celtics guard Derrick White turned out to be the real Heat killer, as he averaged 22.4 points per game on 57.7% shooting from the field.
The second-year Celtic had a strong case for making his first All-Star team this season, averaging 15.2 points and posting a career-high 1.2 blocks per outing on the defensive end. White didn’t end up on the Eastern Conference team, yet he showed the league what they were missing when he dropped a career-high 38 points in a Game 4 win over the Heat.
Another record night like that from White probably won’t happen against a tough Cleveland defense that’s much healthier than Miami. Boston would gladly take another high-scoring series from him though, especially with Tatum and Brown drawing the most defensive attention.
White was the second-leading scorer on the Celtics mainly because he buried open looks generated by swarming double teams surrounding his All-Star teammates. He was also great off the dribble, making him a potent third option who’s willing to step up.
Regardless, to defeat Cleveland, the C’s can’t only rely on hot-shooting from White. They’ll need Tatum and Brown to take over when necessary while keeping their turnovers down against the seventh-ranked defense in the NBA.
Donovan Mitchell will have at least one 40-point game
Miami has 2024 All-Star Bam Adebayo, but it didn’t have anyone who could get buckets like Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell.
The five-time All-Star has plenty of impressive playoff performances under his belt, and he torched the Magic when it mattered in the first round. Over the course of Games 6 and 7, he scored a whopping 89 points, leading his team in scoring in both contests.
His 50-point bomb in Game 6 also demonstrated that, despite the loss, Mitchell is a clutch performer more often than not. He could very well go for 40 points against the Celtics; however, the key for Boston will be to contain his offensive explosion to just one game or so.
Perhaps defensive specialist Jrue Holiday will be tasked with guarding Mitchell throughout the series. No matter who gets the majority of the assignment, the entire team will have to bring their A-game on defense to slow Cleveland’s top guy down.
Celtics will win the series, but won’t sweep
Boston has played better than the up-and-down Cavs for most of the season. Yet, Kristaps Porzingis’ untimely injury could be a significant blow for the C’s.
Therefore, it’s hard to see the Celtics sweeping the Cavs in this second-round series. Even an injured Heat team squeaked out a single victory over Boston, and that banged-up squad isn’t better than Cleveland. It’s also worth remembering that 11 of the last 12 meetings between the Celtics and Cavs were decided by single-digit margins.
Although Porzingis might sit for every game, Cavs center Jarrett Allen isn’t 100% either. The 6-foot-11 big man missed Cleveland’s must-win Game 7 due to a rib injury. Before that, he didn’t participate in Games 5 or 6 either.
The Cavs would like as much size as possible against the Celtics, who will likely start 6-foot-9 Al Horford in Porzingis’ absence. Because of Cleveland’s height, strong defense, and star power, it could take two to three games from the C’s.
Still, the Celtics should triumph in six to seven games. Boston’s starting five remains formidable even without Porzingis, and Sam Hauser, Payton Pritchard and Luke Kornet have all provided some good minutes off the bench.
As the Heat have taught them, the Celtics know that no team can be underestimated in the playoffs. They’ll have to keep that same mentality in the second round and prepare for what should be a much more difficult matchup.
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