We finally have our Eastern Conference Finals matchup. The Boston Celtics won Game Seven against John Wall and the Wizards, and they will now face the Cavaliers with a trip to the NBA Finals on the line. The Cavs have been resting for about a week, as they made easy work of their semifinals matchup against the Raptors, sweeping them 4-0. This is the matchup everyone was expecting, and they got what they wanted. The Cavs have been on a roll throughout these playoffs, but the Celtics have had to show grit and determination to get this far. Many people believe the Celtics to be the underdogs and expect them to lose in five games.
Game of Rest
One big factor in this series won't have anything to do with playing basketball. Rest and fatigue will play a huge role in who will win this series. The Cavs have only played eight games in the playoffs, winning all eight. They swept the Pacers and Raptors in the first and second rounds. That gave them more Time To Rest and get healthy if any players had nagging injuries. The Cavs' roster was built for the playoffs, as they benefit from not playing in back to back games. LeBron James knows a lot about rest in the playoffs, as he has swept his opponents an NBA record 11 times throughout his career. The Cavs will benefit from the rest and should come out firing against Boston.
Boston is on the opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to rest.
They have played two physical series against the Bulls and Wizards. They have played in 13 games, six against Chicago and seven against Washington. They have had to travel a lot in the first two rounds and even though players might not admit it, that must have worn them down. The Celtics get a day of rest before taking the court on Wednesday in Cleveland.
The Celtics are bound to run into fatigue issues in this series, and the Cavs will take advantage of that. The Celtics haven't had time to rest, and it might come back to hurt them.
Battle of the benches
The bench play from both teams will be huge in this series. This is the time in the playoffs where "the others" need to step up and play well while the starters are out of the game.
The Cavs have the luxury of keeping some of their stars in with some of their bench players, as their big three,James, Love, and Irving, can be sat out at different times. Kyle Korver and Channing Frye can provide a scoring spark from the bench, as they are deadly from three. Both Korver and Frye shoot over 45 percent from three-point land in the playoffs. Deron Williams is a quality backup point guard who can run the offense, getting about three assists per game. Iman Shumpert is a defensive specialist who can lock up Isaiah Thomas and give you decent scoring as well.
The Celtics bench will need to step up to the task of playing well if they want to give their team a chance to win. Marcus Smart is a key piece on defense, averaging almost two steals and a block per game.
Kelly Olynk was the hero in game seven when he scored 26 points, and he will need to have similar performances in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Celtics bench is younger than the Cavs bench, so they might want to try and push the tempo to see if the Cavs can keep with them. The starters will show up on the biggest stage, but it's the play of the bench players that can change the momentum in the series.
This matchup is looking to be a great one as both teams are fighting for a chance to play in the Finals. Cleveland seems to be the overwhelming favorite, but the Celtics shouldn't be slept on, as Isaiah Thomas is coming and he is a headache to guard. LeBron James has been playing some unreal basketball, averaging 34 points in the playoffs. The Cavs are looking for another sweep, getting them to the Finals in convincing fashion. Catch game one on Wednesday at 8 p.m. on TNT.
