Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 keys to conference finals vs. Celtics
4. Steal home-court advantage
Finishing with the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Celtics are rewarded with home-court advantage in this matchup with the fourth-seeded Cavaliers.
TD Garden, home of the Celtics, is one of the best places for playoff basketball. If you’re a Celtic, that is.
For the opposition, the Boston Garden is one of the most hostile environments to play in, as the Celtics faithful pack in the stadium from tipoff to the final buzzer, reaching a decibel louder than almost every NBA arena.
Home-court advantage allows Boston to not have to win on the road, as it can go back and forth until Game 7, where the math will take care of itself.
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Because the Celtics become significantly worse away from Boston — they’re undefeated at home in these playoffs vs. 1-4 on the road — home-court will play a crucial role in this series for them.
If the Cavaliers really want to pressure the C’s, they’ll look to take one if not both games on the road to start the series, sending a message to their opponent while gnawing away at their confidence levels. Look no further than Cleveland’s matchup against Toronto to see what stealing home-court can do for both teams.
After stealing Game 1, the Cavs were able to play every game after with an increased level of calmness and ease, as all the pressure and expectations shifted onto the Raptors in a situation they couldn’t recover from.
Boston is supposed to protect home-court. Should it do so, the Cavaliers still wouldn’t feel any pressure. After all, they’ve never felt an obligation to follow conventional wisdom, while the Celtics haven’t seen a 1-1 split so far in these playoffs.
If the Celtics leave Boston with anything less than a 2-0 lead, it could put them into a slight state of panic, forcing them to win at least one game in Cleveland — something it has proven capable of doing, but might not be able to pull off.
They say a series doesn’t start until a team wins on the road, making it in Cleveland’s best interest to turn it into a series as quickly as possible.