The Cleveland Cavaliers managed to escape their first-round series with the Orlando Magic with Sunday’s Game 7 victory, that’s the good news. The bad news, however, is that they will be facing the Boston Celtics in the next round. This is going to be a tough matchup for the Cavs and one that few expect them to come out on top of.
It is not just about how the Celtics are a better team than the Cavs. It is about how Cleveland barely managed to get past Orlando. Having to play seven games in the first round is incredibly taxing, and the effects linger on for the remainder of their postseason run. The Cavaliers expended so much energy against the Magic, that it is hard to see how they have any left for the Celtics.
Is there a world where Cleveland upsets Boston? Sure, but don’t count on it. The Celtics are on the league’s best teams and should make the NBA Finals out of the east. This is on top of being a far superior team than the Magic. If it took the Cavs seven games to get by Orlando, how much of a chance do they have against Boston? Slim to none seems to be the right answer here.
If the Cavs can at least keep the series competitive and not get blown out or swept, it would be a huge win. There were quite a few times when they looked dead in the water against Orlando, and it could very well happen again versus Boston. The only difference this time is that it is unlikely they will be able to engineer another double-digit comeback when facing elimination this time around. Boston is significantly better than Orlando and is simply too good to let that happen to them.
