Celtics bench can wear down Cavs starters

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CLEVELAND – It’s weird being in Cleveland right now.

For starters, the weather is beautiful, which makes me feel like I’m not even in Cleveland!

And then there’s this playoff series between the Cavs and the Celtics.

These two franchises have had memorable postseason battles in recent years (2008, 2010), but this one is unlike any of the previous matchups.

Cleveland comes in as the overwhelming favorite which in itself is well, weird.

These two franchises have met in the postseason five times, with the Cavs emerging with a series win just once.

That was in 1992 when Larry Bird's back pain became a front-and-center problem which heavily contributed to Boston's playoff elimination.

Cleveland was the higher seed in that playoff matchup, similar to their pole position heading into Game 1 Sunday.

To the Cavs credit, they earned the privilege of being an overwhelming favorite with their play over the course of an 82-game slate of games.

And the Celtics truth be told, had to play near-perfect basketball the final month of the season just to get in as what many perceive as the seventh-seeded sacrificial lamb.

But as much as Cleveland’s talent – on paper at least – should seem overwhelming to Boston, anyone who has seen the Celtics play this season knows that’s not the case.

There isn’t a challenge this group of Celtics aren’t convinced they can’t overcome.

And as much as your head tells you they’re way over their heads in this series, it’s hard to ignore their grittiness, the way they go about wearing teams down and tearing them up with execution in the final moments.

Like any playoff series, matchups more than anything else will determine who emerges.

And with that, here’s a look at the various matchups in this series as well as one man’s prediction.

STARTERS

Cleveland has three of the game’s top players in LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. They are the highest-scoring trio at 63.4 points per game this season. That kind of production is tough to limit or duplicate. As for the Celtics, their starters are more balanced in terms of scoring and defending. However, they’ll need at least one or two to have a better-than-average game today.

EDGE: Cavaliers

BENCH

Boston’s second unit averages a league-best 41.4 points per game this season and are really one of the main reasons why Boston is in the playoffs. Sixth Man of the Year candidate Isaiah Thomas has averaged 19 points off the bench for the Celtics this season. And between his time in Phoenix and Boston, he has had more 20-plus point games (27) than any NBA player off the bench. Throw in Jae Crowder, Jonas Jerebko and a pair of stretch bigs in Kelly Olynyk and Jared Sullinger, it’s clear that the second unit of Boston should absolutely overwhelm their Cleveland counterparts who average an NBA-worst 24.2 points per game.

EDGE: Celtics

COACHES

Framingham native and Cavs coach David Blatt has done a really good job of weathering the storm of a rookie season with great expectations and for the most part, living up to them. But I’m not sure Blatt or any other coach in the NBA for that matter, could have managed to navigate the Celtics to this point with all the changes they underwent this season. Earlier this season, NBA commissioner Adam Silver sat down with Comcast SportsNet’s Mike Gorman and proclaimed Brad Stevens as one of the league’s best young coaches … ever. It seemed somewhat hyperbole at the time. But when you see this team’s success and Stevens’ role in that coming about, it’s hard to envision many coaches who in terms of coaching would have an advantage over him.

EDGE: Celtics

INTANGIBLES

Cleveland has home court advantage, the three best players in the series and the painful reminder of the record-setting 117-78 beating Boston put on the Cavs as they sat four starters. Boston wants to play well, but there’s far more incentive for the Cavs in this series than there is for the Celtics who truth be told, weren’t supposed to be here anyway.

EDGE: Cavaliers

PREDICTION: Cavs in 6.

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