NBA PLAYOFFS: Boston Celtics at Cleveland Cavaliers ($25 Prize!)
UPDATE: THE WINNER OF THE $25 AMAZON GIFT CARD IS tjbri******@hotmail.com CONGRATULATIONS!
May 21, 2017; Cleveland, OH, USA; Boston Celtics guard Avery Bradley (0) drives to the basket between Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) and guard JR Smith (5) during the second half in game three of the Eastern conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Prizing:
1st Place: $25 Amazon gift card
2nd-5th Place: $10 Starbucks gift card
Overview:
On Tuesday, May 23rd, the Boston Celtics will be on the road to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers in game four of the Eastern Conference Finals. Cleveland has a (2-1) series advantage.
The Crowd:
“The Crowd” is projecting a final score of Cavaliers 110.8 – Celtics 101.0 with an over/under of 211.7.
Statistics (2016-17 season):
Point differential: Cavaliers +3.1 (7th) > Celtics +2.6 (8th)
Points per game: Cavaliers 110.3 (4th) > Celtics 108.0 (7th)
Points allowed per game: Celtics 105.4 (15th) > Cavaliers 107.2 (20th)
Field Goal Percentage Offense: Cavaliers 47.0% (5th)> Celtics 45.4% (16th)
Three Point Percentage: Cavaliers 38.4% (2nd) > Celtics 35.9% (14th)
Field Goal Percentage Defense: Celtics 45.0% (9th) > Cavaliers 45.8% (16th)
Turnovers committed per game: Celtics 12.6 (tied for 8th) > Cavaliers 13.2 (tied for 15th)
Turnovers forced per game: Celtics 13.4 (tied for 15th) > Cavaliers 12.0 (28th)
Rebounds per game: Cavaliers 43.8 (12th) > Celtics 42.0 (tied for 26th)
Assists per game: Celtics 25.2 (tied for 3rd) > Cavaliers 22.7 (13th)
Summary:
Cleveland still holds a (2-1) series advantage after losing game three 111-108 at home. The Celtics were without their star point guard Isaiah Thomas who was averaging 23.3 points and 6.7 assists. Losing Thomas actually improved the Celtics defense as the Cavaliers had been exploiting his lack of size throughout the first two games. The Cavaliers allowed a 21 point lead to slip away as Avery Bradley’s last second three pointer sealed their fate. Lebron James had one of the worst games of his career with just 11 points on 4-13 shooting and 6 turnovers. Kyrie Irving (29 points and 7 assists) and Kevin Love (28 points and 10 rebounds) carried the scoring load while Cavaliers bench managed just 9 total points. The Celtics really moved the ball well with 28 assists and only turned the ball over 9 times. Marcus Smart was huge down the stretch with 27 points including 7-10 from three-point range. For the playoffs, Cleveland is averaging 115.5 points per game while allowing 103.6. Boston is averaging 105.8 points per game and allowing 106.2. I expect Lebron to bounce back in a big way and lead the Cavs to a game four victory at home.
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