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NBA Playoff Predictions
2008 Cleveland Cavs v. Boston Celtics Playoff Predictions
The Celtics got a major
scare in round one with the eight seed Atlanta
Hawks stretching them to a seventh game in a
series that many felt would go five games at the
most. But Boston and the big three advance
nevertheless to face LeBron James and the
reigning Eastern Conference champion Cleveland
Cavaliers. Find out who
Jimmy Boyd likes
to prevail in this Eastern Conference semifinal
in his Cavs/Celtics round two NBA Playoff
predictions.
Boyd's Argument:
The Celtics appeared to be a shoe-in to advance
to the Eastern Conference finals prior to the
playoffs. Now some experts are counting them out
after the sub-.500 Atlanta Hawks pushed them to
the limit. While it is surprising that Boston's
series went to seven games, they blew the Hawks
out by 25.25 ppg at home. So with home court
advantage in their favor throughout the
playoffs, we can hardly count the C's out yet.
Also, Atlanta's biggest advantage against Boston
was its multiple offensive weapons and its
uptempo game. LeBron is the only player on the
Cavs which stacks up with the athletes that the
Hawks were throwing Boston's way. And if
Cleveland tries to push the tempo against the
Celtics, they'll end up getting themselves all
out of whack because they are not an uptempo
squad.
Cleveland has the advantage of rest and
preparation, having ended their series with the
Wizards sooner than expected. The Celtics and
the Cavs split four meetings this season with
each team winning their home games. In other
words, the Cavs are going to have to find a way
to win at the Garden to have a chance. But one
thing I have come to find is that where there is
LeBron James, there is a way. He is the best
player in the NBA right now and he single
handedly ended the Wizard's chances of making a
playoff run for a third straight year. He was
not supposed to get past the Detroit Pistons
last season either, and he pulled off the
impossible.
My feelings are that LeBron's supporting cast is
not as good as it was last season and that will
be made evident in this series. The Celtics will
have the luxury of just keying on one guy in
this as the Cavs do not have the balance that
the Hawks have. When Boston forces LeBron to
give it up, he doesn't have a Larry Hughes or
Drew Gooden to make shots anymore. He still has
Boobie Gibson, but he has not been as sharp now
that he is a marked man.
Prediction:
I think the first round scare by Atlanta was the
best thing that could have happened to Bean
Town. It will force this group to refocus and
let them know that winning a championship is no
cake walk. Boston is better than Cleveland
defensively and has more weapons for the Cavs to
worry about. And ultimately, Boston's home court
advantage gives them the edge. We'll take the
Boston Celtics to step up their play and win
this series in six games.
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Other Round 2 Series Predictions:
Updated May 2nd, 2008
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