The Boston Celtics surprised a lot of people with their Game 1 performance and led for most of the first half, but the Cleveland Cavaliers turned it on an walked away with the 113-100 win. Will the Cavs dominate on their home court again and take a 2-0 series lead, or will the Celtics even the series?
Projected Starting Lineups
(2) Cleveland Cavaliers (53-29)
G Kyrie Irving – 21.7 ppg, 5.2 apg
G J.R. Smith – 12.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg
F LeBron James – 25.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 7.4 apg
F Kevin Love – 16.4 ppg, 9.7 rpg
C Timofey Mozgov– 10.6 ppg, 6.9 rpg
(7) Boston Celtics (40-42)
G Marcus Smart – 7.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 3.1 apg
G Avery Bradley – 13.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg
F Evan Turner – 9.5 ppg, 5.5 apg, 5.1 rpg
F Brandon Bass – 10.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg
C Tyler Zeller – 10.2 ppg, 5.7 rpg
What to watch for:
What will Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love do for an encore?
In the first playoff game of their careers, Kyrie Irving led all scorers with 30 points while Kevin Love put up a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds. It was clear that Cleveland's young stars weren't afraid of the big stage, and the Cavs need them to have another big game tonight to ensure another victory in this series.
Can Boston's starting lineup produce?
The Celtics were competitive in Game 1 because of their bench, who bailed out their starting lineup. Boston's top five had an awful game, putting up just 45 combined points. Their starters aren't expected to outplay Cleveland's starters, but they do need to produce at a much higher rate to help out their high-powered bench.
Prediction: Cavs win 110-94
Cleveland got a bit of a wakeup call during the first half of Game 1, but the Celtics have their full attention now. I expect the Cavs to come out on fire, grabbing the early lead and cruising to the easy victory.
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