Fear the Sword staff predictions for Cavs-Celtics

In which the Fear the Sword staff predicts Cavs-Celtics.

Chris Manning (@cwmwrites): Boston has Isaiah Thomas, they have some other really good players. And their ball movement will test the Cavs’ defense in a way we haven’t seen yet. And yet, the Cavs have LeBron James. Cavs in five.

Dylan Haines (@DHaines1): The Cavs have favorable matchups across the board in this series. The Celtics have no answer for LeBron or Kyrie defensively (though they may assign Avery Bradley/Marcus Smart to Kyrie and try to hide Isaiah Thomas defensively), Tristan routinely dominates his annual playoff matchups with Al Horford, and they also don’t really have an answer for Kevin Love, either. Oh, and LeBron James has played eight games since April 10...this series begins on May 17. Cavs in four.

Trevor Magnotti (@IllegalScreens): Cavs in five. I think Isaiah Thomas and general Cavs apathy combine to give the Celtics a game.

Alex Raulli (@EVR1022): Boston just doesn’t scare me at all. Isaiah Thomas is a monster, but keeping pace with Kyrie and LeBron will be a challenge to tall even for him. Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson will own the boards, and the Cavs will overwhelm them with shooting. Boston technically has home court, but there are two home games and two road games in every sweep. Cavs in four.

Alex Ralston (@AIRalston): I’ll be honest and admit I would have preferred to play the Wizards. Sure Tristan Thompson absolutely owns Al Horford this time of the year but Isaiah Thomas has the type of scoring ability that can be a wild card in any playoff series. Combine that with Kelly Olynyk being so clumsy and uncoordinated that he could accidentally take out any of our important players at any time and you can see why I didn’t want to play Boston. All that being said the Cavs matchup really well in this series. They should have a serious rebounding advantage and enough versatility on defense thanks to Thompson and JR Smith that they should be able to slow the Celtics offense enough. The Cavs only lost one game to the Celtics during the regular season and I think it will be the same in this series. Cavs in five.

Ryan Mourton (@Ryan_Mourton): Cavs in four, because it feels rude to say Cavs in four.

Aaron Perine (@SumnitLakeHornet): Cavs in four. There is just too much firepower on display from what we have seen out of the Cavs.

Mike Mayer (@MikeMayer_): Cavs in 12. As in minutes. This will be over after the first quarter of the first game. LeBron will be unstoppable. Kyrie will be unstoppable. Kevin Love will be so strong that even if Kelly Olynyk tries to pull his arm out of its socket, he won’t be able to. And yes, Ty Lue will outcoach Brad Stevens.

Mike Zavagno (@MZavagno11): The theme of the series is Fo-Fo-Fo as in the famous prediction by Moses Malone before the 1983 Playoffs. The Cavs (and Warriors) are just one series away from making that a reality. If both sweep, it would be the first time since 1957 that a pair of undefeated teams meet in the NBA Finals (Hawks and Celtics). That’s my prediction here — Game 1 will be close but the Cavs will cruise from there. Cavs in four.

Justin Rowan (@Cavsanada): No matter how many ways you look at it, there just aren’t good options for the Celtics. They will not be able to hide Isaiah Thomas in the same ways as the last two rounds, Tristan Thompson typically dominates Al Horford, and there’s still the LeBron problem. This is a bad matchup for Boston and unless there are serious injuries, I’m taking Cavs in four.

Zack Geoghegan (@ZackGeoghegan): This series will be nothing more than a bunch of scrimmages before the Finals. IT may be able to steal the Celtics a home game if he drops 50 and the Cavs somehow forget LeBron in Cleveland. The Cavs are a matchup nightmare for the Celtics who won’t be able to even remotely hold LeBron or Kyrie in check. With all this said, I do think the Celtics “steal” a home game. Cavs in five.

Brad Ward (@Brad_Ward12) If the Cavs continue to play with the pace and speed they have so far in the playoffs, they will make quick work of an overachieving Celtics club. Games 1 and 2 will be the real test, they will take one of the first two in Boston and take the series in five games. Let’s hope they have something for Kelly-O while they’re at it.