pundits not

I was watching a panel of sports pundits last night all opining on how the Cleveland Cavaliers are superior to the Celtics.  Not one of the experts thought the Celtics will come close to winning the series. One, a Boston commentator, said flatly as if a contrary notion was absurd: The Celtics will. of course, not win the series, but she thought that it was possible that the Celtics will win one game of the best of seven.

Okay, I think the Cavaliers will also win the series, but to dismiss categorically the Celtics is just foolish and reflects no awareness of history.  Yes, the Cavaliers butchered the Celtics on Wednesday night. They hit everything, nobody could stop James, and the Celtics could not drop the ball in the ocean. However, haven't these experts seen in the past how a team that is cold one night can be hot the next and vice versa.

You read it here first. The Celtics will win tonight in game 2. They will also win one of the two games in Cleveland.  Here's why.

The Cavaliers have played great in their last seven games.  The only stinker that they have had is in the very first game in their first series, when they came within a missed shot at the buzzer from losing to the Pacers. The Cavaliers have not been consistent like this all year.  LeBron James may be able to turn it on and off and maybe Kyrie Irving, but the rest of the players are not always that good. They are due for an off night.

Tonight the Cavs will come out flat, not shoot a high percentage, and see a better brand of defense. The Celtics will not be as good as they can be, but will be good enough to win.  The spread is Cleveland minus 5.5. The Over Under is 219.  I like the Celtics on the money line and then of course against the spread, and to a lesser extent I like the under.