Cavs or Magic? Scouting Celtics’ potential second-round opponents initially appeared on NBC Sports activities Boston
The Cleveland Cavaliers could not shut out the Orlando Magic in Sport 6 on Friday night time in a sequence appeared destined to go seven video games given the way in which the house workforce had dominated by way of the primary 5 video games of the first-round matchup.
The winner of the sequence will advance to satisfy the top-seeded Boston Celtics within the East semifinals. So who ought to Boston need to see subsequent spherical?
With Kristaps Porzingis anticipated to be sidelined by a calf harm in Spherical 2, each the Cavaliers and Magic have frontcourt expertise that can problem Boston. The Celtics would have a determined benefit in postseason expertise versus two groups with youthful cores.
The Celtics went 2-1 in opposition to the Cavaliers this season, successful a home-and-home in Boston in December earlier than watching Cleveland snap an 11-game Celtics successful streak up there in March. That was a very infuriating night time by which the Cavaliers had been taking part in with out each Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley, and Dean Wade scored 20 fourth-quarter factors (together with a put-back dunk late) to elevate the Cavs to victory.
Boston went 2-1 in opposition to the Magic this season, dropping a recreation in Orlando in late November earlier than posting two double-digit wins in Boston as a part of one other home-and-home in December.
Decide your pleasure: The Magic owned the third-best protection in basketball this season however don’t have a variety of offensive firepower, ending twenty second within the NBA in offensive score (practically 10 factors behind the record-setting Celtics). The Cavaliers have extra offensive firepower and ranked seventh in defensive score with assist from a robust again line. (Mobley’s blocked shot on the finish of Sport 4 put them up 3-2 within the sequence.)
The most important distinction in any potential matchup appears to boil right down to this: The Cavaliers have a licensed celebrity in Mitchell, and whereas his unsure future hovers over this Cleveland run, he’s confirmed on the massive stage he can singlehandedly dominate a playoff sequence. Orlando’s Paolo Banchero is a superstar-in-the-making and has been glorious on this sequence (24.8 factors per recreation) however the younger Magic nonetheless should show themselves on this stage.
The Celtics supplied reward for each groups within the aftermath of their Sport 5 win over the Warmth. Boston is effectively conscious of how bodily the Magic will be and the Wagner brothers all the time add a layer of chaos to the matchup. The Mitchell-Jaylen Brown “rivalry” was a enjoyable storyline contained in the bubble. (“Bruh received’t depart me alone.”)
Making a selection
Compelled to decide on, we’d most likely lean in the direction of the Magic being the higher possibility for Boston. We’ll tread cautiously right here given the way in which that Orlando has discovered motivation in perceived slights from NBC Sports activities Boston personnel (Proper, Eddie Home?) however Orlando merely doesn’t have fairly as a lot playoff expertise as a few of the core members of the Cavaliers.
Now, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown didn’t have an entire lot of playoff expertise once they delivered the Celtics to the doorstep of the NBA Finals in 2018, so lack of playoff expertise isn’t sufficient to simply write off a workforce.
Orlando’s inconsistent offense could be its largest problem in opposition to a Celtics workforce that routinely places up massive numbers. The Magic averaged 84.5 factors per recreation whereas falling into an 0-2 gap in opposition to Cleveland. They’ve been higher since, together with averaging a extra strong 116.5 factors per recreation in Orlando and crossing triple digits in Sport 5 in Cleveland. However Boston ought to really feel assured of their means to defend the Magic.
The Cavaliers? There’s a few potential prickly points:
1. Caught in a spider net
Mitchell shredded nearly each defender the Celtics threw at him over two video games through the common season (although Tatum held up effectively). A take a look at Boston’s prime defenders vs. Mitchell this season:
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That’s 44 factors on 18-of-31 taking pictures in opposition to Boston’s prime defensive choices. We love the thought of Brown, who put collectively a wonderful defensive resume this season, embracing that problem in a possible Spherical 2 matchup. However Mitchell has confirmed on the playoff stage that he can tip a recreation together with his scoring.
The Celtics had much more success corralling Darius Garland. A take a look at these most typical matchup numbers over three video games:
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2. The Strus revenge recreation?
Having dispatched the ghost of Caleb Martin, the Celtics would now face one other acquainted face in Max Strus. The Celtics waived Strus as a ultimate camp lower in 2019 — holding Javonte Inexperienced as an alternative — and Strus has been on a revenge tour ever since.
Regardless of being a profession 31.9 % 3-point shooter within the playoffs, Strus shot 41.8 % in final 12 months’s Japanese Convention Finals as a member of the Warmth whereas making 23 of 55 makes an attempt past the arc in opposition to Boston. That included making a trio of 3-pointers as Miami received Sport 1 in Boston. Strus was +40 in his courtroom time over these first three video games as Miami constructed a 3-0 lead.
Mitchell and Garland demand a lot consideration that Strus is an X-factor of kinds that the Celtics should hold tabs on. Particularly given the motivation enhance he appears to get seeing inexperienced.
3. Mobley’s influence across the basket
Mobley’s game-saving block in Sport 4 was a reminder of how impactful he will be across the basket. Franz Wagner appeared to have a step on Mobley attacking the basket late however the massive man nonetheless lunged for a left-handed swat of a layup try that preserved a two-point lead.
For the postseason, Magic gamers are taking pictures 4 % under anticipated output when defended by Mobley, per NBA monitoring. Mobley is defending 17.8 pictures per recreation and opponents are taking pictures an eye-popping 9.7 % decrease than anticipated on pictures inside six ft (53.8 %).
If Jarrett Allen will get wholesome from a rib harm, the Cavaliers have some big-man choices that can trigger the Celtics some complications, particularly with out Porzingis obtainable as a weapon.
