NBA Match Preview: Boston Celtics vs Cleveland Cavaliers
Kicking off Tuesday night are the Boston Celtics as they take on the Cleveland Cavaliers. This is their second matchup this season having met on October 27th
when the Celtics played an away match against the Cavaliers.
Having suffered a frustrating defeat to the Cavaliers then, the Celtics are ready to return the favour this time around. Talking about their last match, center Shaquille O’Neal admitted
that the reason they lost the match was because they were underestimating the Cavaliers who were going to play their first match without LeBron James. While talking to the press after the contest, O’Neal said, "We took them a little bit too lightly,"
Even though the Celtics were coming fresh from a 88-80 win against the Miami Heat the night before, they were thrashed by the Cavaliers and J.J.Hickson as
the power forward scored the game high of 21 points.
Given their underestimation of the Cavaliers, it is safe to say the Celtics were caught off guard. That was just a one-time event though, since the Celtics moved to a five game winning streak after winning all their matches between October 29th and November
7th.
Looking at a 1-1 win loss mark after their game with the Cavaliers, the Celtics improved to a 6-1 mark after their five consecutive wins. They currently enjoy a 12-4 mark this season and are coming fresh from a 3-0 mark in the last week having won their matches
against Atlanta Hawks (99-76), New Jersey Nets (89-83) and Toronto Raptors (110-101). The Celtics currently have a 5-3 record on the road as opposed to a 7-1 at home.
The Cavaliers on the other hand had a mediocre last week. They lost their away matches against Indiana Pacers (89-100) on Tuesday and Orlando Magic (100-111) on Saturday. Interestingly enough, the two matches they did manage to win were at home. They defeated
Milwaukee Bucks (83-81) on Wednesday while thrashing the Memphis Grizzlies (92-86) on Sunday. Although they currently stand at a 7-9 mark, it seems that the home advantage has lately been an important plus for the Cavaliers. If that is so, the Celtics truly
have their work cut out for them.
Although Celtics have an all star post comprising of Kevin Garnett, O’Neal and Glen Davis, their inside game won’t be of much use against the Cavaliers since the latter have allowed an average of only 31.0 points in their last four games.
Cavaliers who continue to miss James in the roster have turned to 6’9 Jawad Williams. Although Williams is no James, the 27 year old forward has contributed much to the Cavalier’s recent win. With 12 assists and 25 points score, Williams took the Cavaliers
to their most recent win against the Grizzlies. He also took the winning shot at the final minute against the Bucks on Wednesday ensuring an 83-81 win.
Given his recent performance, Cavaliers coach Bryan Scott shows much confidence in Williams. While talking to the press, he said, "He's playing extremely well. He's trying to play the right way and make the right decisions."
Having won their last three matches, will the Celtics be able to move on to a four match winning streak or will the Cavaliers award them yet another defeat for the season? The result remains to be seen.
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