Celtics vs Cavaliers Game 5 Preview and Pick

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Boston Celtics Eastern Conference Finals Game 5 Predictions

Submitted by Sack on Thu, 05/25/2017 - 12:03

What: Cleveland Cavaliers at Boston Celtics

When: Thursday, May 25, 2017, 8:30 PM ET
Where: TD Garden, Boston
Spread: Cavaliers -10
Over/Under: 216

Betting on the Cavaliers

The Cavs won Game 5, but it wasn’t all LeBron, LeBron, rather it was Kyrie Irving who took front and center in the win.

Irving scored a playoff career high 42 points including four from downtown in the 112-99 win. Meanwhile, James added 34 himself, but found himself sitting on the bench due to foul trouble.

The series heads back to Boston for this game, but it’s clear that if Irving and James are firing on all cylinders, it’s hard to think the Celtics will have anything to stop them.

Irving has averaged 26.3 points on 62.7 percent shooting in the conference finals, while James is averaging 28.3 points, 6.0 boards, and 6.5 assists in the past three games.

Expect Cleveland to drive hard in the paint. In Game 4, the Cavaliers out-shot Boston by 24 points on the inside without too much resistance.

Betting on the Celtics

Playing on their home court doesn’t give the Celtics too much respite. The last time a game took place in Beantown, in Game 2, the Cavaliers won 130-86. And, unless anything changes, don’t expect things to get any better for Boston.

Give credit to C’s however for winning Game 3 and putting up a good fight in Game 4. If they can hold it together for this game, they just might extend the series to another game.

Avery Bradley had a great performance in Game 4, scoring 19 points on 7 of 19 shooting. But, apart from him no other player amounted to much. Marcus Smart was shooting bricks after a 27-point performance in Game 3, only scoring eight points.

On a bright note, despite missing Isaiah Thomas the Celtics have found a way to move the ball around effectively. If they can find a way to score, they just might give the Cavaliers a run for their money.