Cavaliers vs Celtics Game 4: Game preview, start time, and TV info

The Cavaliers have the Celtics on the brink of elimination and it appears that Game 4 is just a formalit-

Wait, what? The Celtics won Game 3, you say? Well, then this got a lot more interesting.

Who: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Boston Celtics - Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals

When: Tuesday, 8:30 PM ET

Where: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio

Where to watch: TNT

What to Watch for:

• My guess is that Marcus Smart won’t make seven threes again. My other guess is that the Cavaliers will be more than happy to let him shoot ten threes again, even if a few go in. The gameplan is the gameplan, and Tyronn Lue will let bad shooters shoot.
• Tristan Thompson was amazing in Game 3, grabbing pivotal offensive boards and making his free throws. Al Horford has nothing for him, and he should shine again in Game 4.
• LeBron James is less likely to score less than 15 points than Marcus Smart is to hit 20 threes. He was a disaster in Game 3, turning the ball over six times, only getting up 11 shot attempts while hitting four and generally being uninvolved.

• That won’t happen again for the rest of the playoffs barring some sort of weird injury. LeBron eviscerated this team in the first two games of the series and he has a history of bouncing back big in a major way when he struggles.
• Kevin Love was amazing and he’s clearly found a role in this series. He can draw fouls in the post and is getting a steady diet of open jumpers when the Cavs are clicking offensively. Meanwhile, he’s done a nice job on the defensive boards and is proving to be playing his best basketball heading into a potential Finals matchup against the Warriors.

Fear the Sword’s Fearless Prediction

If the Cavaliers react like I expect them to, this should be a relatively easy win. The Cavaliers were burnt by middling intensity, a randomly terrible LeBron James game and scorching Celtics three-point shooting in Game 3. If just one of those flipped the other way, the game would have comfortably been in the Cavaliers hands.

I would expect at least one of those to flip in Game 4, so the Cavaliers will win, 116-103.