Cleveland Cavaliers vs Boston Celtics predictions: Who will win Game 2?
The Cavaliers were torched by the high-octane Boston Celtics offense in a 120-95 Game 1 loss.
They've now had 48 hours to dissect the film and are looking to bounce back in Game 2, as they try to steal a game in Boston on Thursday night.
The Cavs must figure out how to stop the Celtics' 3-point attack, and they're trying to find ways to free up Darius Garland.
Here's how our two writers who've followed the Cavs all season, Ryan Lewis and Nate Ulrich, view Game 2 unfolding. They were 7-0 in predicting the games in the Cavs' first-round series and are each 8-0 in the playoffs.
Cavs vs. Celtics predictions: Who wins Game 2 Thursday night?
Lewis: The Celtics can torch defenses from seemingly anywhere on the floor. The Cavs are built to protect the rim, but there are two issues to that with this series: Jarrett Allen has been out (and even if he does play, he might be limited) and the Celtics happen to have the best 3-point attack in the league, so they don't have to rely on driving into the paint as much. Donovan Mitchell might be able to 1-on-5 teams for stretches, but to do so for an entire 48 minutes at TD Garden is asking a lot. He needs more help, and fast. Celtics 117, Cavs 104
Ulrich: Too much firepower. In the 2023-24 regular season, the Celtics tied for seventh in the NBA with a field goal percentage of 48.7 and ranked second with a 3-point percentage of 38.8. In Game 1, the Celtics were slightly better than those regular-season numbers. They shot 48.9% from the field (45 of 92) and 39.1% from 3-point range (18 of 46). The Cavs cannot consistently keep up, and I just don’t see it happening for them at TD Garden. The Celtics finished the regular season second in points per game (120.6). They scored 120 in Game 1. So far, the Cavs have reached 100 points in just two of their eight games in these playoffs (106 in Game 7 and 104 in Game 5 against the Orlando Magic). Celtics 114, Cavs 102