This gritty Boston Celtics team may just shock the world
After a great game one performance, the Boston Celtics know there’s more work to do in Game 2.
What a Game 1, huh? The Boston Celtics came out fully ready for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the opening game.
I keep thinking about Game two, and obviously both teams will make adjustments. We heard today that Cleveland will probably start Tristan Thompson, and what Brad Stevens will do still remains to be seen.
I didn’t realize exactly how flexible the Celtics are defensively until this game. I know, I’ve been watching them all year, how could I not notice? However, this was hard to miss.
The Cavs can tinker with their lineups all they want, to me it just doesn’t seem like there’s an answer for the Celtics. The C’s are younger, quicker, and more physical. Yes, LeBron James exists and yes, he’s gonna play a much better game.
But…Boston might just have the tools to pull this off.
The Cavs offense will be back
That’s one of the main things to watch for. Cleveland won’t give you much defensively, but their offense is going to get back on track. It’s inevitable that JR Smith will get going and hit some crazy shots.
The Celtics did a really good job of locking up JJ Redick and Marco Belinelli in the second round, and they have to do the same thing here.
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Al Horford absolutely bullied Kevin Love, which is why Thompson will be starting the next game. Horford hasn’t been great historically against Tristan Thompson, however, we’re seeing a much different Al Horford in these playoffs. He’s super aggressive, and it’s been a joy to watch.
I expect more LeBron post-ups, but the problem is unlike most teams, Boston doesn’t double-team LeBron. He usually bullies his way in and passes out to the open guy.
It’s a different game when all the defenders stay home and everyone can guard every position.
Next: Marcus Morris lived up to the hype in Game 1
I’ve been trying to look at this series in a myriad of different ways, and it could end up that LeBron just goes bananas and the veteran experience of Cleveland wins out. Regardless, we’re in for a treat when game two rolls around.