Cleveland Cavaliers: Why They’re Not A Lock To Make The NBA Finals

Beantown

As I’ve mentioned many times before, I am a Celtics fan and have been one since I was a kid. While my beloved C’s didn’t make a trade for Paul George or Jimmy Butler or Andre Drummond or KCP or you know, anyone; it’s really okay. They’re still the No. 2 seed with their current roster, and despite the fact Cleveland was without K-Love and J.R. Swish, beat Cleveland this past Thursday.

Now, why do the Celtics have a shot?

Well, I could easily point to the King of the Fourth, but his role has started to change in that final frame as defenses are hounding him, forcing I.T. to be more of a playmaker than human flamethrower. This had led to players like Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder and Marcus Smart to step up (as they did against Cleveland) late in games.

While none of those players (except maybe Smart, and even that’s a stretch) are not known for their shot-creating abilities. Instead, they’re known for their stout defense, and as Bradley showed guarding Kyrie I-Have-The-Best-Handles-In-the-League Irving, the Celtics’ guards can hang with the best of ’em.

While that game was just one regular season game, and it is still the regular season and the postseason is “where it matters”, the Celtics are full of fierce competitors who are hungry to get another shot at the defending champs. Only time will tell what happens, but I have  a good feeling about I.T. time.