The Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers will meet in the Western Conference Finals. This will be the first time in five years that the Celtics reached the Eastern Conference Finals, while the Cavaliers make it their third straight appearance. Here is a preview of potential matchups between the starting five, bench players, X-factors, and coaches between the two teams.
Point Guard: Isaiah Thomas (Celtics) vs. Kyrie Irving (Cavaliers)
Isaiah Thomas has been proving to everyone (and himself) that he belongs in the conversation of elite point guards in the NBA, but in the series against the Cavaliers, he’ll have to prove more of his worth against Kyrie Irving. On the surface, they look evenly matched, but their stats tell a different story. While Irving has the edge in defense, making 0.6 blocks and 1.5 steals, Thomas has the edge on offense, scoring 25.4 points, 6.5 assists, and even 3.3 rebounds. This matchup seems pretty close, but it will surely a matchup most basketball purists should watch.
Advantage: Boston (closely)
Shooting Guard: Avery Bradley vs. J.R. Smith
This matchup between Avery Bradley and J.R. Smith will leave your head scratching for some surprising reasons. On the surface, Bradley seems more defensive-oriented compared to J.R. Smith, who’s all about offense. Their actual stats, on the other hand, tell a different story. Smith averages 6.4 points and 0.5 blocks per game, while Bradley averages 15.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists throughout the playoffs. Again, this matchup will just leave your head scratching, plain and simple
Advantage: Boston
Small Forward: Jae Crowder vs. LeBron James
For what I can say for Jae Crowder is that he’s going to have his hands full when it comes to facing LeBron, who outclasses Crowder in every stat category. Is it safe to say this matchup is one sided? Depends on who you ask, but Celtics fans aren’t going to let no one sell Crowder short, even if he’s up against LeBron.
Advantage: LeBron
Power Forward: Al Horford vs. Kevin Love
If you’re a fan of bigs who like to hit the mid-range jumper and even hit from three-point land, you’re in for a treat of a matchup between all stars Al Horford and Kevin Love. Both players look evenly matched to say the least, but once again, the stats tell a different story. Throughout the playoffs, Love averaged 13.8 points and 9.1 rebounds, while Horford averages 16.1 points, 5.8 assists, and 7.5 rebounds. While those numbers seem slightly close, Horford’s assists gets him over the hump.
Advantage: Boston
Center: Amir Johnson vs. Tristan Thompson
The match between Amir Johnson and Tristan Thompson doesn’t really sound exciting on paper, but then again, neither does the stat comparison. Thompson outshines Johnson in all stat categories according to NBA.com. Thompson averages 10.6 rebounds and 7.8 points per game, while Johnson averages 3.1 points and 2.1 rebounds. Again, this matchup really isn’t all that exciting or something to look forward to, but if you’re a fan of the traditional bigs in the post, this matchup is for you.
Advantage: Cleveland
Bench:
If there’s one thing that the Boston Celtics do more than anything, is that they team basketball and it’s all thanks to their players coming off the bench. With help from Gerald Green, Jonas Jerebko (pronounced Jer-reb-ko), Marcus Smart, Terry Rozier (pronounced Ro-zeer), Jaylen Brown, and Kelly Olynyk (O-lin-nick), the Celtics’ talent pool seems fairly deep. Not to be outdone, Cleveland’s bench boasts a lot of weapons that can turn the momentum of any game on a dime. With the likes of Richard Jefferson, Deron Williams, Kyle Korver, Channing Frye, James Johnson, and Iman Shumpert, Cleveland’s bench is just as deep, if not slightly deeper, especially when they can attack from beyond the arc.
Advantage: Cleveland
Coaches: Brad Stevens vs. Tyronn Lue
For those who don’t know anything about Boston’s head coach, Brad Stevens, allow me to bring you up to speed. Stevens was once a college basketball coach for the Depauw Tigers and the Butler Bulldogs, the latter of which he led to two National Championship appearances in 2010 and 2011. With that success, he would find his way to the NBA, coaching the Celtics to an eventual return to the Eastern Conference Finals. Stevens may not have been in the NBA like most players and coaches, but his expertise makes up for it, and it shows in his results. Tyronn Lue, on the other hand, has had experience winning championships from his days playing with the Los Angeles Lakers during the early 2000s and even as an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics in 2008 and leading the Cavaliers to their first championship last season. Lue’s championship success may give him the edge out of two since this is Stevens’ first time in the Eastern Conference Finals, especially given the fact that the Cavaliers have swept their way to get this point.
Advantage: Cleveland
X-Factors:
The Celtics’ X-Factor will have to come from not only Isaiah Thomas, but someone to step up and make a difference, whether it be Avery Bradley, or someone coming off the bench. Cleveland’s X-Factors are plainly LeBron and Kyrie, but there’s more to that than just the two of them. We have seen explosive moments from Deron Williams, Kyle Korver, Kevin Love, Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith, and Channing Frye. As I said before, any player off Cleveland’s bench can change the game on a dime and for the better.
Advantage: Cleveland
This series will be very intriguing, if not filled with dramatic moments throughout the series. It’s going to be the classic case of team basketball taking on a superstar laden with reliable talent to help him to get to the top of the mountain once more. If anything, this should be one where the Cavs will truly have a dogfight on their hands with a gritty and resilient Celtics team.
Prediction: Cavs in 4 or 5.
That’s my analysis and predictions on the Eastern Conference Finals matchup between the Celtics and the Cavaliers. Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals kicks off Wednesday at 8:30pm (5:30pm in the West) on TNT.
The Heat Check Magazine 