NBA Playoffs Preview - Boston Celtics vs Cleveland Caveliers

(1)Boston vs (4)Cleveland: So now that the Boston Celtics finally beat the Atlanta Hawks, I can finish up my preview of the second round of the NBA Playoffs. This is a match up that I have been looking forward too because Lebron James and Kevin Garnett are two players who go all out on the court and it will be great to see their teams square off.

The biggest question mark in this series is pretty much was Boston exposed in the first round by the Atlanta Hawks. I personally do not believe this to be the case, well at least not completely. I think they showed they are vulnerable to teams that like to run who are quick and athletic. Besides Lebron, the Cavs are not really a quick, athletic team that likes to run. I'm sure Lebron will get his in this series, but the key for the Celtics defensively will be to make sure that Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West, and Daniel Gibson don't get good looks.

If the Celtics are able to shut down the Cavs role players. I really don't see how the Cavs can win this series. Everyone is making a big deal about the Celtics not being able to win on the road but in all honesty if they take care of their home games, all they have to do is win one road game in Cleveland and the series would be over in 5.

Another factor in this series is definitely going to be the refs. If the referees favor Lebron in this series, it is definitely possible for him to completely take over and will the Cavs to victory. It's also possible for the Celtics to favor from the calls at home. You can be pretty certain that fans of both teams will be complaining about the refs at some point in this series.

Overall, I think Boston will win this series. They have better players and they are a deeper team. Paul Pierce needs to stay aggressive and Kevin Garnett should have an easier time down low then he did against the Hawks. Rajon Rondo could definitely be an X-factor in this series, I think he will have some big games against the Cavs. It will be interesting to see how the Celtics defend Lebron and I expect the Cavs role players to play a major part in this series. If they play well, then this series will be tough for Boston, if they don't then it will be over quickly.

If you asked me before the playoffs started, I would have taken the Celtics in 5 in this series, but after their sketchy road performance and that fact that Lebron will probably go off in this series, then I'll have to go with:

Celtics in 6

Previously:

NBA Playoffs Preview: Lakers-Jazz, Pistons-Magic, Spurs-Hornets