Predictions: Celtics vs Cavaliers (Poll Added)

[Birdman]

Who u think will win and in how many games??

My prediction:

Celtics in 6

[bopna]

Id go 7 if the Cavs can split games 1 and 2...problem is who wins at the end of 7 games.. Hopefully its us.
But if we hold serve in games 1 and 2 then it could go the Philly route 4-1.

If Cavs steal both games in Boston like last yr then this could get ugly and Cavs win it in 5 or 6 at best.

[hodgy03038]

Celts in 7!

[rondofan1255]

Cavs in 5 (picked Philly in 5, so I'll keep doubting  )

[slamtheking]

C's in 7.   Bron, Cavs, refs, NBA and TV moguls will go down fighting and screaming but C's will overcome them all to get to the finals.  no way the officials don't gift games to the Cavs that they would otherwise lose to make sure the Lebron isn't out before a 7th game.   (not saying they're not capable of winning on their own but Cavs, particularly Lebron, will get plenty of help in some close games -- book it)

[Who]

Celtics in 6

Cavs are prime to be beat. Raptors should have done it. Celtics will.

[Ogaju]

Celtics in 5.

[18isGREATERthan72]

I feel like the Raptors and the Celtics have VERY different constructions...  The Raptors have a great bench which becomes less of an advantage in the playoffs when the rotation shortens up.  It is good in the regular season because you just keep piling on the other team at all phases of the game, but most teams go to an 8-9 man rotation for the playoffs and it becomes LESS of an advantage.  Also, LeBron mentally owns Derozan and Lowry.

The Celtics are closer to the Pacers than the Raptors in my opinion, and the Pacers played the Cavaliers very hard and could have potentially won their series if a few things happened differently.

I wouldn't be surprised with Celtics winning in 6 games, just as much as I wouldn't be surprised if LeBron goes supernova and sweeps us.   It wasn't long ago that people were questioning what was wrong with the Cavs as they struggled against the Pacers.

[celticinorlando]

Cs in 6. I think Toronto is a paper tiger that was mentally and physically weak

1. Boston has played tougher teams than the Cavs with much tough match ups. Philly to me poses more issues than the Cavs minus James

2. Cavs were outplayed by the Pacers and should have won that series. Think that is more what we see in this one.

3. Boston should be able to get to the rim. No Embiid, no Giannis...get inside and punish the Cavs

4. I am not sure I trust the Cavs. Think the Raps win was fools gold

5. Cavs are the worst defensive team left and the worst Boston will have seen in the playoffs. Cavs are going to have to flat out score Boston.

Not sure the Cavs have anyone to match up with Tatum and Brown. James prolly gets one of them but they will struggle to slow both down.

And I do think the Cavs coaches, players and fans are going to overlook the Cs...because of the injuries and because of last year.

[libermaniac]

Cavs in 6.  Just picking with my head.

[mef730]

Cavs in four. Maybe five.

Sorry,
Mike

[jambr380]

Put me down for Cs in 7!

I actually think we match up better with CLE than PHI, but that doesn't mean Lebron won't go into God-mode a few times. Hopefully we can prevent their role players (everyone not named Lebron) from stepping up too often and we can continue our clutch play.

Brown and Tatum are proving to be the real deal. It may be confusing to the general public that these two young players are performing so well, but once people realize they are all-star caliber players, the Cs performance thus far will make a lot more sense.

[Big333223]

Cavs in 6.  Just picking with my head.

I'm going to do the same, Cavs in 6.

I don't feel confident about it, though, and I think the Celtics have a good chance to win this.

[Csfan1984]

C's in the sweep jk Cavs in 6

[jpotter33]

C's in 7. This is the weakest a Lebron team has been in a long time, and I think they're primed to be beat. Per usual, Lebron will be spectacular, but I expect us to do a decent job of shutting everyone else down.

I expect the Cavs to get one of the first two in Boston, and we'll replace the favor either in game 3 or 4. After that, I expect the home team to win out, with us taking the series in a tightly contested game 7.

I think a healthy Brown and a confident Tatum will be key to this series. If Brown is back to nearly fully healthy, which he certainly looked like last night, then he will be crucial for our success, as he will most likely start defending Lebron and will have a nice mismatch offensively over Smith.

We'll also need Tatum to do a good job of sticking with Smith, but more importantly we'll need him to be confident enough on the offensive end to make Lebron actually work on defense.

Morris will also need to step up his game offensively, along with being the primary defender of Lebron off the bench. I see Moose also having a role in this series, as he should be able to play with someone like Thompson.