NBA Playoff Picks 5/15 – Cleveland Cavaliers @ Boston Celtics

NBA Playoff Picks 5/15 – Cleveland Cavaliers @ Boston Celtics

by Thomas Quaynor for Wannamakeabet.com

The Eastern Conference Semifinals continue tonight with the fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers (48-34) visiting the top-seeded Boston Celtics (64-18) in Game Five on TNT. Boston took a commanding 3-1 series lead after knocking off the short-handed Cavaliers 109-102 in Cleveland on Monday night. If Boston wins tonight, they’ll advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the third straight year and fourth time in the past five years. Boston is a 15-point favorite and the total is 206.

After suffering a stunning 118-94 loss to Cleveland at home in Game 2, Boston won both games in Cleveland against a pesky Cavs squad to go up 3-1. Boston’s All-Star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown carried Boston in both wins at Cleveland. Tatum scored a playoff-high 33 points each in Games Three and Four. Tatum bounced back after he had come under some criticism for his poor shooting performances in the first two games of the series. Brown scored 27 and 28 points respectively, and shot 68 percent from the floor in Games Three and Four.

Donovan Mitchell led the Cavs with 33 points (12-22 FG, 7-12 3Pt, 2-3 FT), six rebounds, three assists and two steals across 43 minutes in Cleveland’s 106-93 Game Three loss. Unfortunately, Mitchell suffered a strained left calf late in Game Three which caused him to miss Game Four and has him questionable for tonight’s game. Mitchell has been exceptional in this series against Boston averaging 31.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1 steal and 5.3 threes on 51.5 percent shooting from the floor and 53.3 percent shooting from long distance across three games. 

The undermanned Cavs put up a spirited effort without Donovan Mitchell in their 109-102 Game Four loss. Boston was never able to blow away the Cavs like they did to most overmatched opponents this season. Darius Garland scored a playoff-high 30 points (12-27 FG, 4-13 3Pt, 2-2 FT) in the Game Four loss. Max Strus added 15 points (5-12 FG, 5-9 3Pt), 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals over 43 minutes before fouling out. Evan Mobley and Caris LeVert each scored 19 points for the Cavs.

Former Cavalier LeBron James was sitting courtside for Game Four in Cleveland. The NBA’s career scoring leader played 11 of his 22 NBA seasons with Cleveland in two separate stints – 2003-2010 and 2014-2018. LeBron’s presence at the game provided a lot of speculation and fodder for sports bloviators nationwide. 

GAME STORYLINES: CLEVELAND

After losing LeBron James for a second time as a free agent in the summer of 2018, the Cleveland Cavaliers did not want history to repeat itself with a string of dismal seasons. So, in September 2022 the Cavaliers shocked the NBA world by acquiring three-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz. Cleveland paid a steep price to get Mitchell when they gave up three players and three unprotected first round picks – in 2025, 2027 and 2029 – for his services. 

The bold trade paid off for Cleveland as Donovan Mitchell has been magnificent in his two seasons with the Cavs. He averaged career-highs of 28.3 ppg and 48.4 percent shooting from the floor across 68 games in his first season as a Cavalier in 2022-23. Mitchell led the Cavs to a 51-31 record which was their most wins since the 2016-17 season. The Cavs season ended with a disappointing first-round playoff loss to the fifth-seeded New York Knicks in five games but Mitchell’s arrival changed the losing culture.

Donovan Mitchell was excellent again in year two with Cleveland as he finished the regular season averaging 26.6 points, 6.1 assists, 5.1 rebounds, 3.3 threes and 1.8 steals on 46.2 percent shooting from the floor. His rebound and assist averages were career-highs. Mitchell did have an injury-plagued season this year as he missed 27 games due to a left knee bruise and a nasal fracture. Despite battling those injuries for much of the regular season, Mitchell led the Cavs to a fourth-place finish in the Eastern Conference for a second straight season. Cleveland also advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since the 2017-18 season, thanks in large part to Mitchell’s superb play. Mitchell averaged 28.7 ppg in the first round of the playoffs as Cleveland outlasted upstart Orlando in seven games. He put up 50 points in Cleveland’s 103-96 Game 6 loss.

If Boston ends Cleveland’s season tonight, Donovan Mitchell’s future with the team could be a big issue for the Cavs. Mitchell has one year left on his current contract with a player option for 2025-26 but is eligible for a four-year, $200 million contract extension this offseason. If Mitchell does not agree to the 4-year extension, there is a remote possibility that the Cavs could trade him to avoid losing him as a free agent in 2025.  

GAME STORYLINES: BOSTON

The Boston Celtics entered this season with championship-or-bust expectations after coming up just short of winning the NBA title over the last two seasons and adding a pair of All-Star caliber players prior to this season. In 2022, Boston made a surprising run to the NBA Finals where they came up just short against Golden State Warriors. Last season, the 57-25 Celtics made it to the Eastern Conference finals and lost a hard-fought 7-game series to the upset-minded Miami Heat. Boston added former All-Stars Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday in the offseason which gave them a significant boost in scoring, three-point shooting and defense.

Boston exceeded their lofty expectations this season by finishing with the best record in the NBA at 64-18 and being one of the most dominant teams in NBA history. Boston set an NBA record with nineteen 25-point wins and won 10 games by 30 or more points. The Celtics outscored teams by an average margin of 11.34 points per game in the regular season which ranks fifth all time. Boston’s 64-18 finish is their best record since 2007-08 when the went 66-16 and won the NBA championship.

The All-Star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown led the way again for Boston this season. The 26-year-old, 5-time All-Star Tatum finished the regular season averaging 26.9 ppg and 8.1 rpg on 47.1% from the floor in 74 games. Brown averaged 23 ppg and 5 rpg on 49.9% from the floor in 70 games. Both players are averaging about 24 ppg in the postseason as Boston has compiled a 7-2 record through the first two rounds. 

Guard Derrick White has been an unsung member of the Boston Celtics during the regular season and playoffs. He averaged career highs of 15.2 points, 5.2 assists, 4.2 rebounds, 1.2 blocks, 1 steal and 2.7 threes in 73 regular season games. White has been even better in the postseason where he’s averaging 18.2 points and 3.7 threes through 9 games. White’s increased production is critical for Boston since Kristaps Porzingis went down with a right calf strain in the Miami series and may be out for the foreseeable future. 

THE PICK: CELTICS (-15)

Boston has toyed around with Cleveland in every game since Game 1. With the opportunity to have some days off before facing the Indiana-New York winner in the Eastern Conference finals, I think they’ll come out focused and hammer Cleveland tonight. Lay the big number and take the Celtics!