The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics will resume their Eastern Conference Finals playoff series on Monday night for game 4. The Celtics currently lead the series 2-1, but the Cavaliers were victorious in game 3, winning 116-86. There has yet to be a close, competitive game in this series through three games.
The Celtics dominated the Cavaliers in Boston but weren’t competitive in game 3 in Cleveland. The Cavaliers were able to use their home crowd to help inspire their play, and got back into the series with a game 3 victory. The Cleveland Cavaliers are -6.5 over the Boston Celtics on Monday.
Cavaliers Finally Get Team Effort
LeBron James has been playing at a high level all series, but he was waiting for his Cavaliers teammates to join him. In game 3, the Cavaliers blew out the Celtics with a team effort. All five Cavaliers starters scored in double figures for the first time in their home win on Saturday evening. The Cavaliers shot an impressive 50% from the three point line in game 3.
LeBron James must continue to be aggressive heading into game 4. LeBron took just 12 field goal attempts in game 3, but dished out 12 assists. If the Celtics continue to send extra defenders at James, the Cavaliers must make them pay by knocking down open shots as they did in game 3.
Celtics’ Road Woes Continue
The Celtics are undefeated at home in these playoffs, but have struggled mightily on the road. Boston did not have their normal energy in game 3, and the Celtics let the Cavaliers get some momentum back in the series. The Celtics must play better on the defensive end in game 4, after allowing 118 points in the game 3 loss.
The Celtics struggled shooting the ball in game 3, and must improve in that area if they want to win game 4. Boston shot just 39% from the field in the loss, and were even worse from the three point line. The Celtics had just 4 players score in double figures in game 3, with Jayson Tatum leading the way with 18 points.
Cleveland Rolls at Home, Evens Series
The Cavaliers were the heavy favorites to win this series before it began, but Boston looked like the better team after the first two games. With the series shifting to Cleveland, it appears that order has now been restored, and the Cavaliers are back in the series. Boston must find the energy and more scoring on the road if they hope to take a 3-1 series lead. The Celtics have proved people wrong all season long, and a game 4 win would fit this narrative.
LeBron claimed that he wasn’t worried after the Cavaliers fell down 0-2 in this series, and his team responded in game 3. Cleveland finally got contributions from all of their starters and the Cavaliers dominated the Celtics from start to finish. Look for game 4 to be much of the same, and LeBron will get his team even in the series. When you are ready to make this bet – take the Cleveland Cavaliers -6.5 over the Boston Celtics.
