After finishing the regular season on a 9-2 run, the Celtics have earned a spot in the playoffs as the 7th seed in the Eastern conference. They are set to take on the 2nd seeded Cleveland Cavaliers. Both teams had rocky starts to their seasons but both have been able to turn it around at the end of the season. They split their season series against each other 2-2. The Cavaliers had sat Lebron in the 4th quarter of their third match up and sat him for the entire game in their fourth. Both resulted in meaningless losses for the Cavaliers as they had already clinched the number 2 seed.
While many believe that this series will be dominated by the Cavaliers and their start studded roster, the Celtics may be able to make it interesting. Isaiah Thomas has proven to be an excellent mid season acquisition for the Celtics. Coming off the bench as the team's 6th man, he has led the team in scoring and can be an excellent play maker. Thomas's quickness and nifty moves attacking the basket make him a tough cover against almost any player. Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart are both great perimeter defenders, which may be key if the Celtics intend to slow down the Cavaliers prolific 3 point shooters. Unfortunately for the Celtics, there is no consistent strategy for stopping LeBron James. If the Celtics want any hope at making this a competitive series, they are going to need to find a way to contain him and keep him from dominating. Brad Stevens has been coaching an efficient defense as of late, however, and has proven to be an effective coach who can call the right plays at the right time. We'll see if his clever play calling down the stretch will be enough to best the Cavaliers. But with a match up against the best player in the world, the Celtics will be tested and will be have to play their best basketball all year if they hope to remain competitive.
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