With NBA Eastern Conference Finals well underway, the series has been extremely even thus far. This series is between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Boston Celtics. The Celtics entered the season with hopes of dethroning the Cavaliers as Eastern Conference champions. So far this series, the home team has dominated every game. Now, the series is returning to Cleveland where the Celtics have been outscored by 39 points in two games this postseason. However, Cleveland is now down 3-2 in the series and has to defend its home court. Expect the Cavaliers to lay it all on the line tonight in what should be a competitive contest.
Cleveland’s success is due to its best player LeBron James. In the regular season, James averaged 27.5 points per game on an absurd shooting percentage of 54.2% from the floor. However, James has been even better in the postseason. In 16 playoff games, James has averaged 33.2 points per game along with 8.8 assists and 8.8 rebounds per game.
Surprisingly, James struggled a bit in game five. Despite scoring 26 points on 50% shooting from the floor, he still had more turnovers than assists and only went 1-6 from three point range. So far this series, James has averaged 35.5 points per game at home and he will most likely score at least 35 points in this upcoming game. Expect James to have a huge game if the Cavaliers plan on winning this contest.
Boston’s regular season success was due to its star point guard Kyrie Irving. During the offseason, the Celtics shocked the NBA world by trading its star point guard Isaiah Thomas to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Kyrie Irving. Since joining the Celtics, Irving was phenomenal and was also a borderline MVP candidate. This season, Irving averaged 24.4 points per game along with 5.1 assists and 3.8 rebounds. However, Irving will be sidelined for the remainder of the season due to a knee injury.
In Irving’s absence, young players like Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have taken over most of the team’s scoring duties. In his second NBA season, Brown averaged 14.5 points per game and 4.9 rebounds a game while shooting a respectable 46.5% from the field. In his rookie season, Tatum averaged 13.9 points per game along with 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting an impressive 47.5% from the floor. If Boston wants to win this game and ultimately the series without its best player, Brown and Tatum will need to play extremely well.
As for my prediction, I have to side with the Cavaliers. Although the Celtics are clearly the better overall team, they are terrible on the road and they already got destroyed by Cleveland in their two road games this series. I do not expect Boston to suddenly play better outside of TD Garden. I think that LeBron James will take over again as both teams will need to meet again for game seven.
Cavaliers vs. Celtics: Game Time, TV Channel & Viewing Details
Event: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics
Date: Friday, May 25, 2018
Start Time: 8:30 P.M. EST
Location: Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH
Broadcast: ESPN
How to Watch Cavaliers vs. Celtics On Your Tablet Or Mobile Device
You can live stream the game on the WatchESPN app.
You can download the WatchESPN app on Google Play, Amazon, iTunes, and the Windows Store. The Fox Sports Go app is also available on the following devices: Apple TV, Roku, Android TV and Fire TV.
How To Live Stream Cavaliers vs. Celtics Online Without Cable Subscription
You can also live stream the game through Sling TV free trial. Just click on the Sling website and click “Watch Now 7 Days Free” for the free trial. Choose the Sling Orange package, which costs $20 per month and comes with ESPN, along with many other sports channels.