Cleveland Cavaliers blew the Boston Celtics out in the first game of the series and they took home court advantage from them. This was ninth straight playoff win for Cleveland this year and they have yet to lose a game in the postseason. Considering what they showed in the first game, there is a big chance they could sweep the Celtics, but they expected things to get rough and dirty in the next game.
Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith said that the Cavaliers expect their opponent to play hard and give their best. He understands there will be some dirty plays as Boston players will give all they have in order to avoid going down 0-2 in the series.
There will be a lot of physical plays in game two
Boston Celtics are known for their physical plays and they have a long history of dirty plays as well. Just two years ago, these two teams met in the playoffs and the Cavaliers lost Kevin Love because of a dirty play Kelly Olynyk made. Cleveland lost Love, who was one of the best players of the team, for the remainder of the postseason, and they eventually lost in the NBA finals since they were shorthanded.
"For them to come out swinging, playing scrappy like they do. They've been playing like that all year. Whenever their backs are up against the wall, they tend to play better, just like we do. So we just got to expect that and understand there might be dirty plays, might be cheap shots coming from the other side," J.R.
Smith said the following regarding what he expects from the Celtics in the next game. Smith also added how he understands that the Celtics are "playing for their lives" and they will have to give their maximum effort to survive.
Boston Celtics have to win the game
After a blowout loss in game one, Boston Celtics simply cannot afford to lose another game at home.
Losing the game would mean they would go down 0-2 in the series before they play two games on the road in Cleveland, and this is undoubtedly something they have to avoid. Although they didn't show up for the series opener, they have to bounce back in a big way and tie the series.
The Celtics finished the regular season with 53 wins and the fourth best record in the entire NBA.
However, they've struggled in the playoffs and it took them six games to eliminate the Chicago Bulls and then seven games to advance to the conference finals. Furthermore, they won only one out of four games against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the regular season, and it seems they haven't found an answer for LeBron James yet.