The Cleveland Cavaliers have steamrolled the Boston Celtics through the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals, winning Game 2 by 44 points - after leading by 41 at halftime. Things have only gotten worse for the Celtics as star player and leading scorer Isaiah Thomas is out for the remainder of the postseason with a hip injury. Can the Celtics make this game somewhat competitive, or are we in for another upset? Here's a preview and prediction for tonight's game:
Game Info:
When: 8:30 P.M. ET
Where: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
TV: TNT
Spread: Cavs (-16.5)
O/U: 216.5
What They're Saying About The Cleveland Cavaliers:
LeBron James and Cavs have bad track record when opponent missing best player, like Isaiah Thomas (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
LeBron James Named 2016-17 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award Winner by PBWA (Bleacher Report)
Cavs Hype Video (Chat Sports)
What They're Saying About The Boston Celtics:
Celtics stagger on: Isaiah Thomas done, may need surgery (Boston Herald)
Danny Ainge praises ‘heroic’ Isaiah Thomas for breakout season (Boston.com)
Celtics Hype Video (Chat Sports)
Key To The Game: Who will be Boston's go-to offensive threat?
Part of the reason why the Celtics were underdogs coming into this series despite being the top seed in the East is because no one other than Isaiah Thomas could consistently create offense. Now without him, who is going to step up? Thomas is not only great scoring in one-on-one situations - and in big moments late in games - but is excellent at finding the open man when he draws extra defenders. That dual threat ability made Boston's offense go. Who is going to provide that spark from them now?
Avery Bradley has showed in these playoffs that he is capable of carrying more of the scoring load, but he can't create for himself. Jae Crowder and Marcus Smart don't have the skillset to pick up the slack, either.
It's a tall, tall task for Boston. Look for them to try and run their entire offense through Al Horford, who might be their best playmaker on the court tonight.
Prediction: Cavs win 124-88
The Celtics were not able to compete with Cleveland at home when they were at full strength. Now that they're missing their best player and on the road, there's no reason to think we'll see much improvement from them. We're in for another blowout.