Four of the top storylines to watch as the Celtics-Cavaliers second round series gets underway.
After almost a week off, the Boston Celtics return to the floor at TD Garden on Tuesday night. They’ll begin their Eastern Conference Semifinals series against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
As far as NBA playoff series go, this one is scheduled to be relatively concise. In recent years, the NBA has received criticism for spacing out its playoff series too much – but not this one. The Celtics and Cavs are scheduled to play every other day, through the potential Game 7 on May 19.
Celtics-Cavaliers Eastern Conference Semifinals schedule (so far):
Game 1: Tuesday, May 7 at 7 p.m.
Game 2: Thursday, May 9 at 7 p.m.
Game 3: Saturday, May 11 at 8:30 p.m.
Game 4: Monday, May 13 at 7:00 p.m.
Game 5: Wednesday, May 15 at TBD*
Game 6: Friday, May 17 at TBD*
Game 7: Sunday, May 19 at TBD*
*If necessary
That tight schedule is all the more reason for the Celtics to get this series wrapped up as soon as possible. During their playoff runs the last two years the C’s played longer, physical series that took their toll on the team’s health and conditioning. That showed down the stretch against the Golden State Warriors in 2022 and the Miami Heat last year.
Granted, the Celtics should be able to handle business against the Cavaliers team. Boston took two out of three against Cleveland in the regular season, and had a 22-point lead in the fourth quarter of the third meeting before letting their foot off the gas
Still, the Cavs are here for a reason. What will be the determining factors between these series being a breeze or a battle for the Celtics? Here are three things to watch for in the Celtics-Cavaliers Eastern Conference Semifinals series…
All Celtics playoff games can be heard on the BetMGM Sports Hub Celtics Radio Network. Coverage for all games begins with with pregame 30 minutes prior to the scheduled tip-off time.