Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics Game 3 preview

This is one of the more difficult playoff pregame previews I’ve ever had to write. It’s not often that you see dominance to this degree from a team in the playoffs and even rarer to see it this late in the playoffs. The Cleveland Cavaliers are playing incredible basketball right now and are coming off a 130-86 road win.

Now, the series shifts back to Quicken Loans Arena, where the Cavs look to clinch a playoff series win at home for the first time since the 2015 Eastern Conference Finals.

There isn’t a whole lot of room for improvement when it comes to the Cavs right now. The team is firing on all cylinders on both ends of the floor. But there are still at least two games left in this series, and focus will once again be a major point of focus for the Cavs.

Isaiah Thomas did not playing in the second half of Game 2 as a result of a hip injury. Regardless of whether or not he plays in Game 3, it’s important that the Cavs don’t fall into bad habits. They have handled the Celtics with ease up to this point, but they’re playing for more than just this series. Making sure that they use every possible moment to work on their execution and communication will be key if they want to repeat as champions.

Kyrie Irving finally had a great game shooting the ball, so it’s worth monitoring to see if that confidence carries over to the next game. He’s been playing a great overall game and has made up for some of his shooting woes by getting to the free throw line. But if he combines that floor game with his regular shooting splits, the Cavs will become even more difficult to deal with.

Outside of that, there’s not a lot to real keys to the game. As long as the Cavs continue to execute at the level they have, they should cruise to a series sweep. Boston will be playing for pride, but the Cavs are nearly unbeatable on their homecourt. Plus, if Thomas is out, then that is just the final dagger for the team.

Fear the Sword’s Fearless Prediction

Cavs come away with a 123-90 win in front of a very loud crowd at Quicken Loans Arena.