2018 NBA Playoffs: Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers preview
Despite the overhaul that both rosters have undergone, the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers will once again face off in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Despite only nine players returning from last year’s matchup, the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers will face off in the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals with a berth in the NBA Finals on the line for the second consecutive season.
Weirdly enough, both Boston and Cleveland took eerily similar paths to get to each other.
After a season littered with injuries, the Celtics limped into the playoffs without two of their best players, including the guy who led them in scoring throughout the regular season, Kyrie Irving.
Heading into their first round matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks, many thought the C’s should be put on upset alert, as Milwaukee boasted one of the best players in the game in Giannis Antetokounmpo, with an above-average supporting cast, led by the criminally underrated Khris Middleton.
Even after dismantling the Bucks in seven games, there was still no way Boston could compete with the up-and-coming Philadelphia 76ers … until The Process was dismantled in a quick and painless five games.
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For the Cavaliers, an opening round scare at the hands of the Indiana Pacers turned believers into doubters, as it took the defending Eastern Conference champions seven games to advance to the next round.
Facing off against the new and improved Toronto Raptors soon after, the team with the best record in the conference, a Cavs team without consistent production outside of LeBron James was supposed to fall to a Raptors team no longer solely relying on its dynamic duo.
Well, that didn’t happen, as Cleveland made quick work of the Raptors, sweeping them soundly back to Canada.
Both teams play vastly different styles, with Boston enjoying a team-first approach while Cleveland prefers to run almost everything through LeBron James, making it fascinating to see if David can finally slay the Goliath of the Eastern Conference.