Road to the O'Brien: Celtics vs Cavaliers East Semi-Finals Matchup

ANAHEIM, CA. MAY 07, 2024

Is Championship 18 coming this year for the Celtics?

or is a non-Lebron-led ring in Cleveland underway?

The Celtics are coming off a gentleman's sweep over the Heat with no Jimmy Butler. But the Celtics were short their Latvian center in Kristaps Porzingis. Porzingis' injury is looking to have him miss the entirety of the Eastern Semi-Finals round. The Celtics have been a great team all season long, never letting go of that #1 seed in the East. This team without Porzingis still looks to be well intact, to go against this Cavaliers team tonight at 4:00 pm.

The Cavaliers on the other hand are coming off a very fresh six-game series win over the young and upcoming Orlando Magic, who surprisingly did a lot better than I imagined them to. Paolo Banchero will be back. This Donovan Mitchell-led Cavaliers team has been playing great basketball. With each player playing their role perfectly so hopefully, they aren't too tired to face this Celtics roster.

THE MATCHUPS

POINT GUARD MATCHUP: HOLIDAY V GARLAND

This one may shock some Cavaliers supporters, picking Jrue Holiday over Darius Garland. Here's why, Holiday is playing great basketball and is playing like a true-defensive point guard. Unlike being a scoring priority in Milwaukee, Jrue has had the opportunity to focus on running the floor and playing more focused defense. Being the 2nd leader of the Celtics in assists and also has a 3.1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Jrue's defense is what carries him over Garland. Leading Boston this playoff run in steals and 2nd in blocks, behind 7'4" Porzingis, he has helped this Celtic team win games, he is a great fit in his roster. As for Garland, he is also managing the floor for the Cavs, being the team's assists leader this playoff run and team leader in assists-to-turnover ratio with a ratio of 2. Garland's offense is much needed in this Cavs lineup, explaining his 7-point-per-game advantage over Holiday. With Holiday, most likely guarding Garland, his scoring numbers should lower, and will have to depend more on Donovan Mitchell to score.

SHOOTING GUARD MATCHUP: WHITE V MITCHELL

Derrick White has been playing out of his mind. Shooting 57% from the field, 48% from 3, and scoring 22 points a night, almost leading the Celtics with Tatum and Brown on the roster. He has been playing like the number 1 option on the team and I'm here for it, as a player who was sought out to be a sixth man, he has been playing great. Now Donovan Mitchell is a different story. Leading the Cavs in scoring with 29 points a game in the playoffs, he has an offensive force for them. Not to mention, his team-leading steals statistic. Although slightly struggling from 3 with a 25% 3-point percentage, he is still the Cavaliers offense. It's a matchup of offense for these shooting guards, Mitchell is the known option.

SMALL FORWARD MATCHUP: BROWN V STRUS

Jaylen Brown has been great. Leading the Celtics in scoring with his 23 points a game, he has done his part on rebounding, 2nd on the team, with 7 boards a game, and a steal a game. Much like White, Brown will probably be a more offensive-focused player especially with the matchup being Max Strus. Max Strus is no understatement, he's just not the best defensively and doesn't have a significant scoring role on this Cavs roster. He's played well for the sample size he is given easily, but it's not enough to go against Jaylen Brown.

POWER FORWARD MATCHUP: TATUM V MOBLEY

This was closer than you think. I was close to picking Mobley here, but Tatum comes on top. Jayson Tatum is the other Celtic averaging 22 points per game, and surprisingly the team leader in rebounds with 10 a game, with Porzingis and Al Horford alongside him. It's understandable why Tatum's scoring numbers aren't as high as we are used to seeing based on his shooting splits of 41% from the field and 29% from 3. But it will be interesting to see what he can do against Evan Mobley, current league playoff leader in blocks with 3 a game. Mobley has been the defensive anchor for Cleveland with 9 rebounds a game, and a steal to add to that. It's good to see him focus primarily on defense and help this roster with a questionable Jarrett Allen for game 1. I'm taking Tatum over Mobley.

CENTER MATCHUP: HORFORD V ALLEN

As I just mentioned, Cleveland's Jarrett Allen is currently questionable for game 1 of the series. If he is out for too long, it could be devastating for the Cavaliers. Currently the team leader in rebounds with 14 a game, he has been scoring well for them. Shooting a team-best 67% from the field, and is currently the offensive force behind Donovan Mitchell with 17 points a game. With Kristaps Porzingis out, Al Horford is likely to start in his place, who is playing very well and efficiently for his sample size, plus his 7 rebounds a game, he isn't the worst replacement for Boston. Sadly, I'll take Allen over Horford, no matter how many games Allen will play.

BENCH MATCHUP: CELTICS V CAVALIERS

Outside the starting 5, the Celtics do not have much to fall back on. With Horford likely starting, the bench only has Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser to come to light. As for the Cavaliers, who have Caris LeVert and Issac Okoro to fall back on, they are better both offensively and defensively.

OVERALL SERIES: CELTICS WIN IN 6 GAMES

It's going to be an interesting series between the two rosters. Both rosters have systems that just fit so well. Although the Celtics are short of Porzingis, the Cavs are also likely short of Allen. When it comes down to the wire, the Celtics have just been consistently well-rounded and will come out on top over the Cavaliers. My prediction: The Celtics will take the East and be in this year's finals for a shot at Championship 18.