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New York Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Knicks stayed alive in Game 5, but can they force a Game 7 vs. Pacers?
With their backs against the wall and facing playoff elimination, the New York Knicks rose to the occasion in Game 5 with a dominant 111-94 win over the Indiana Pacers to stay alive. As the series heads back to Indianapolis on Saturday with the Pacers leading 3-2, the Knicks will need to replicate the same intensity they showed on Thursday. If the Knicks can grind out a road win, NBA fans will be treated to the mouth-watering prospect of a Game 7 at Madison Square Garden, with a trip to the NBA Finals on the line. Advertisement On the latest episode of 'The Athletic NBA Daily,' Dave DuFour and Es Baraheni broke down how the Knicks fought to keep their season alive. They also discussed how Karl-Anthony Towns set the tone from the opening tip, how New York leaned on its rotation to stay fresh for the fourth quarter and whether the Knicks may have finally cracked Indiana's code. DuFour and Baraheni were joined by The Athletic's Shakeia Taylor, who highlighted how New York's suffocating defense kept the Pacers out of rhythm and how the Knicks controlled the pace from start to finish. Despite the loss, Indiana still has a chance to close out the series on their home floor. But after such a flat Game 5 performance, they know they'll need to bounce back quickly. DuFour, Baraheni and Taylor discuss why the Pacers looked so flat, how New York's defensive pressure affected Tyrese Haliburton, whether Aaron Nesmith's ankle injury should be a concern and the postgame reactions from the Pacers' locker room. Watch the full episode of 'The Athletic NBA Daily' below or on the YouTube channel or via the 'The Athletic NBA Daily' podcast feed on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. (Photo of Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)
New York Times
19-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
NBA Eastern Conference finals preview: Knicks-Pacers X-factors, predictions and more
By James L. Edwards III, Fred Katz and Shakeia Taylor The Eastern Conference finals we all anticipated are here. Oh, wait. Is this 2000? The Boston Celtics-Cleveland Cavaliers showdown everyone penciled in months ago isn't happening. Instead, the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers decided to play spoilers and find themselves with an opportunity to add to a longtime rivalry. Advertisement New York is back in this spot for the first time in 25 years. The Pacers return for the second year in a row, having taken down a depleted Knicks team last season in the second round. This time, both teams are at full strength. To break it all down, three of The Athletic's NBA writers — Shakeia Taylor, who's covered the Pacers this postseason; and Fred Katz and James L. Edwards III, who've followed the Knicks all season — got together to answer five burning questions about the series. Taylor: The Pacers went to Cleveland and took the first two games from the top-seeded Cavaliers, and it looked like the series was theirs from there. In Game 2, Tyrese Haliburton missed a free throw but got the rebound and hit a triple to put the Pacers up one with seconds left to win the game. While teams can only play who is in front of them, Indiana drew a Cavs team that had some health struggles. Darius Garland missed the first two games of the season with a toe injury, and Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley and forward De'Andre Hunter missed Game 2. Despite those injuries, Indiana wasn't favored in a single contest. In Game 5, Indiana came back from a 19-point deficit to turn the game on its head. The Pacers took three games on the road en route to their second consecutive East finals appearance. Edwards: A roller coaster is how I'd summarize the Knicks journey. The New York-Boston series was one of the weirdest I can remember in quite some time. Boston lost not one but two 20-point leads late at home in Games 1 and 2. Boston forgot how to shoot in both contests. The Celtics led by 14-plus points in every game except Game 6. The Knicks, despite all of that, had a 3-1 series lead after four games. In Game 5, Luke Kornet turned into prime Dikembe Mutombo, helping Boston offset the loss of NBA ironman Jayson Tatum, who tore his Achilles days earlier. Advertisement New York, in Game 6, did what it hadn't done all postseason, which was completely obliterate its opponent. Mitchell Robinson became prime Shaq. The Knicks played about six flawless quarters of basketball out of 24, and four of those were in the final game. Yet, not only did New York win the series, but also it won it with a game to spare. The Knicks finally clinched a series on their home floor after not doing so in decades. Did I miss anything? New York rose to the occasion, finding a way to do what many people, including myself and Fred, said they couldn't. Katz: The Knicks of today are unlike the group that played during the regular season. The first-round defeat of the Detroit Pistons was a rock fight that hardened New York, six ugly games against a team that thrives in chaos. The Pistons maul you. They set screens. They fight. By the end of that series, it was almost as if Detroit transferred its identity to the Knicks, who emerged grittier than ever. By Round 2, the Knicks fought. They fell down 20 points during each of the first two games against Boston, then won both of them. The Celtics roared to a 14-point lead in Game 4, when they could have tied the series at two games apiece, but the Knicks mounted another comeback that evening, too. With the Eastern Conference finals approaching, it's difficult to pin the Knicks as anything other than tough — physically and mentally. They exchange punches with teams who want to box, and they throttle back from deep deficits when no one else expects it. Taylor: Indiana has to play its own game. Its offense is about playing uptempo and sharing the ball. In the only loss against Cleveland, Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson made an in-game adjustment to a 3-2 zone defense with Mobley at the top of the key, which slowed the Pacers down and stalled their offense. In games where Indiana gets to play fast, it has a much better chance at winning. The Pacers call it the 'wear-down effect.' Advertisement Edwards: The Knicks can't decide that they only want to communicate sometimes. They can't decide that they want to defend every two or three games. New York has told on itself a few times throughout this postseason, most notably in Game 6 against Boston. The Knicks can defend and communicate at a championship level. They just decide that they don't have to do it consistently for some reason. Indiana, as Shakeia said, plays fast, but it's not just that. The Pacers also don't make many mistakes on offense. From Jan. 1 until the end of the regular season, Indiana was one of two teams to rank in the top 10 in pace (ninth), assist-to-turnover ratio (first) and true shooting percentage (eighth). The other team was the Oklahoma City Thunder. New York can be good in transition, but for the most part, it hasn't done it well enough consistently, even dating to the start of the regular season. The Knicks have to be tied together defensively with a consistency that they haven't shown before. Katz: The Knicks' starters need to hold their own against the Pacers' starters. At times, such as during the second half of Game 4 or all of Game 6 against Boston, the Knicks' first unit has dominated. In other moments, it has struggled. New York's starting lineup, which played more than any other unit during the regular season, was a net negative after Christmas. The Pacers are on the other side of the spectrum. Indiana's first unit smacked opponents by 12.2 points per 100 possessions during the regular season, according to Cleaning the Glass. It's been even better in the playoffs. All five first-string Pacers (Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner) complement one another. Turner guards the rim and jacks 3-pointers. Nembhard takes on the opponent's highest-usage player and can run the offense. Advertisement Chances are, he will man Jalen Brunson to start the series, though Nesmith will receive time on the All-Star point guard, as well. Nesmith is large, physical and hasn't missed a corner 3 in two years. (Please don't fact-check that.) Siakam would make All-NBA if they added a fourth team. And Haliburton is the fastest-moving low-turnover point guard of his generation. The Knicks are loaded with talent, and they've proved that a large deficit to begin a game doesn't mean a surefire loss is on the way. If they can neutralize Indiana's first unit, they stand a much better chance to move onto the finals. Taylor: Rebounding and second-chance points. Indiana hasn't been very effective on the glass in the postseason, and it's been something the Pacers have pointed to throughout the playoffs as a part of their game that needs cleaning up. They are last among all teams in rebounding rate, while the Knicks have grabbed 30.8 percent of their missed shot attempts. Indiana has allowed 16.2 second-chance points per game in the postseason. Losing the rebounding battle could prove detrimental for the Pacers' hopes of getting past New York. Edwards: The Knicks are at their best when they're able to play fast, but I'm not sure they'll be able to do that much in this series. With that, the half-court offense has to be creative, and players need to cut and move. As I mentioned before, the Pacers don't turn the ball over. One way to get out in transition is by forcing turnovers and, well, that might not happen much in this series. Another way to get out and play fast is by forcing the other team to miss, and, well, Indiana didn't miss a ton in the regular season and has been more efficient in the playoffs. New York, when locked in, can defend as well as any team. Will the Knicks do it enough to get the Pacers out of sorts? We'll have to see. Even then, to keep pace with Indiana, New York's half-court offense has to be better than it has been for most of this postseason. Advertisement Katz: The Pacers' incessant pick-and-roll attack should worry the Knicks. Indiana will score in transition, especially if the Knicks fall victim to the same miscommunications they struggled with at times during the Boston series. If Indiana slays in the half court, too, then New York has a problem. Three pass-first point guards means a trio of heady floor generals to run the offense — and the Pacers can do it in a way that scratches at the Knicks' weaknesses. First, let's guess (emphasis on guess) the defensive matchups: Mikal Bridges on Haliburton, OG Anunoby on Siakam, Josh Hart on Nembhard, Brunson on Nesmith and Karl-Anthony Towns on Turner. Haliburton and Turner would present a scary duo, able to prey on Towns' inconsistent defensive habits. Too often, the Knicks' center will lag back while guarding screeners on pick-and-rolls. Turner, meanwhile, is a 3-point shooter. If Towns strays from him too far, Turner can get hot from deep. The Knicks finished just 26th this season in points allowed per possession while defending pick-and-pops, according to Second Spectrum. But this is not just about Haliburton and Turner's lethal combination. Siakam will confuse defenses when he screens for Haliburton, sometimes holding his picks and at other times rolling to the hoop or popping to the 3-point arc early to catch the opponent by surprise. If Bridges and Anunoby are the Knicks' defenders in that action, New York would probably switch it. Nembhard is an underrated facilitator, capable of facilitating, too. And he won't miss his jumpers in the process. Taylor: Indiana's main X-factor isn't a single person but a few of them: its bench. The Pacers' depth is one of their strengths, especially as they get deeper into a series. This is a team of guys, from No. 1 through No. 11, who share the same mentality, who run, make shots and get after hustle plays. The Indiana bench can make a massive impact on the series as Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau relies on his starters to play big minutes. Advertisement In this year's playoffs, Indiana is averaging 35.7 points off the bench and shooting 48 percent from the field. The Pacers score by committee and had seven players average in double figures in the regular season: Siakam (20.2), Haliburton (18.6), Bennedict Mathurin (16.1), Turner (15.6), Nesmith (12.0), Obi Toppin (10.5) and Nembhard (10.0). Mathurin, Toppin and veteran point guard T.J. McConnell (9.1 ppg) give Indiana reliable scoring off the bench, and their depth also provides defensive options. Katz: The answer seems obvious for the Knicks: Mitchell Robinson. If the oft-injured Robinson dominated a full season the way he did the Celtics, he would be in All-Defense and Sixth Man of the Year conversations. He took away pick-and-rolls, got into passing lanes, deterred jumpers and layups abound and switched onto (then stopped) supposedly quicker perimeter players. But the way Robinson guards — and his growing chemistry alongside Towns in the Knicks' double-big lineup — is only part of the reason he's the go-to answer here. Neither Indiana nor New York turns the ball over much, but the Knicks have a chance to win the possession game because of their work on the boards, which starts with Robinson. The Pacers don't prioritize the offensive glass and finished the regular season in the middle of the pack in defensive rebound rate. Meanwhile, the Knicks are grabbing 39 percent of their own missed shots when Robinson is on the court during the playoffs. If that figure belonged to a team for a full season, it would break the all-time record, which tracks to 1996, when the NBA began keeping per-possession data. It's not just about rebounds, either. The Knicks offense after corralling offensive boards is elite, sixth in the NBA on second-chance efficiency, according to Cleaning the Glass. Advertisement Haliburton, for all his excellence, can prioritize setting up for the outlet pass over boxing out. If he ends up defending Hart by the end of a possession, watch those two once a jumper goes up. Hart crashes the boards incessantly, and if Indiana sends multiple defenders at Robinson to keep him off the glass, it could open up lanes for Hart, a loose-ball fiend. But this starts with Robinson. Edwards: I'm going to go with Robinson, as well. For all of the reasons Fred laid out. And just to add more to the conversation, I'll also toss in Towns as an X-factor. The Knicks will need to find ways to get him to put up more 3s in the half court, assuming New York won't be able to run as much as it would like. A large chunk of Towns' 3s this postseason have come in transition. The Knicks have struggled to generate any for their big man in a half-court setting. On the defensive end, as previously mentioned, New York will need Towns to be consistently focused. He's shown he can do it. Towns had some brilliant moments defensively against Boston, but he also has games where he looks out of sorts on that end. With how Haliburton and Turner play as a pick-and-pop duo, Towns has to be sharp in contesting 3s. And even if New York switches, let's say, with Bridges and Towns on the Haliburton-Turner actions, Haliburton is far more of a driving threat off the dribble than Tatum and Jaylen Brown — both of whom Towns defended well on an island — were in the last series. He has more wiggle as a ballhandler, is a bit quicker and doesn't settle for jumpers like the stars in Boston tend to do. Towns, at the very least, has to pay attention to detail every single game against Indiana. Taylor: Pacers in six. The teams look about even, in my opinion, but I don't expect it to end quickly. A longer series should favor the Pacers, and if their series against the Cavs is any indication — they won three games on the road and weren't rattled by the noise of the Cleveland crowd — I think they have a shot to make their own history. Indiana is fast, physical and hungry, and coach Rick Carlisle's championship experience cannot be overlooked. Edwards: Knicks in seven. Indiana is in the midst of the most dominating playoff run by any team still remaining, and I think that will benefit the Pacers in the first game or two. However, the Knicks are the more talented team with the best player in the series in Brunson. Furthermore, Bridges is a good matchup for Haliburton. Anunoby is the perfect matchup for Siakam. I don't think Nembhard will out Josh Hart Josh Hart. I just don't trust the Pacers' secondary guys to be good enough for long enough, assuming New York only puts up one or two defensive stinkers in this series. And, yes, you have to pencil the Knicks in for a defensive stinker or two. Advertisement Rebounding will be the difference. I have no reason to believe that Robinson will just stop dominating the glass. New York will generate extra possessions from him having his way on the offensive boards. Katz: Knicks in seven. Both of these teams are better than their overarching, regular-season performances. The Pacers finished the year 50-32, tightening up their defense in the process. The Knicks are tougher, grittier, healthier and more technically sound than they were for most of the first 82. I anticipate this coming down to the wire, but even if the Pacers did pull off a Game 7 victory at Madison Square Garden last season (thanks to a historic shooting performance), it's difficult to choose the road team in a close-out game. (Top photo of Jalen Brunson and Pascal Siakam: Michael Hickey / Getty Images)
New York Times
03-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Is a Cavaliers-Celtics Eastern Conference finals inevitable? Our writers discuss
— By Shakeia Taylor, James L. Edwards III, Hunter Patterson and Eric Nehm The East-leading Cleveland Cavaliers (61-15) and defending champion Boston Celtics (56-20) have been the class of the conference this season. Cleveland leads the East in point differential and has posted two 15-game win streaks. Boston is seeking to become the NBA's first repeat champion since the 2017-18 Golden State Warriors and is on pace for 60 wins. If the Celtics reach that threshold, it would mark the first time the East has had multiple 60-win teams since the 2008-09 season, when these two franchises did it. Advertisement Behind Cleveland and Boston, the New York Knicks are sitting at No. 3, while the Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks are within three games of one another in the fourth through sixth spots. Could one of those teams threaten a potential Cavaliers-Celtics conference finals? The Athletic gathered four of its NBA writers to get their thoughts on the East's premier teams, potential dark horse squads and how the postseason may play out. Taylor: Yes, but also no. I'll explain. Right now, they are far and away the best teams in the East, and I believe they'll be in the Eastern Conference finals, but I just don't think we should deal in absolutes when it comes to the postseason. Anything could happen (injuries, etc.), and anybody could get hot and dangerous at the right time. Edwards: The answer is yes, and that's because we can only go off what we know so far. We know the Celtics and Cavs will be the only two teams in the East to finish in the top 10 in both offense and defense by the end of the regular season. We know the Celtics and Cavs, so far, are a combined 20-5 against the Knicks, Pistons, Pacers and Bucks. I know the playoffs are a different beast, but we can't just ignore this type of dominance. The only thing that could change this outcome, for me, would be injuries. Patterson: Simply put, yes. I'd really say, despite the Cavs' record, the East is the Celtics' to lose. Although Cleveland plowed through the regular season, I doubt this group's consistency during the postseason. Donovan Mitchell is a proven playoff problem, but outside of him, I'm not convinced Darius Garland or even Evan Mobley can pick up the offensive slack if Mitchell struggles. Boston, on the other hand, has essentially returned the same team that won a championship last season. The Celtics are primed for the postseason, and I can see them ousting the Cavs in six games at best. Advertisement Nehm: Those are the two teams I feel most confident can win three playoff series in the East, so I have to answer yes. The Bucks went 0-10 against the top three teams in the East, and the Knicks are winless against the Celtics and Cavaliers. So, while I think the Bucks and the Knicks both have the ability to upset the Cavaliers or the Celtics in one series, I couldn't see either the Bucks or the Knicks beating both of those teams in consecutive series. GO DEEPER NBA Power Rankings: Across the league, there's an app for that — good and bad Taylor: Indiana. In addition to being unable to win in a normal way most of the time, the Pacers are clicking at the right time. Their success depends on Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam, but they aren't a team where one or two players are going to be able to carry them — they win as a unit. If everyone can stay in whatever zone they're in right now, they could make a run. Edwards: I'll say the Knicks, even though New York has yet to beat either one of them. New York has the best starting lineup of the teams just below the Cavs and Celtics. Talent does matter. Jalen Brunson will be one of the two best players in any series he's in. Karl-Anthony Towns will be a top-five player in any series. OG Anunoby has been playing at a ridiculous level for about a month. Josh Hart does stuff teams can't really plan for. Mikal Bridges is talented and a wild card in terms of where he could rank individually in a series. New York has talent across the board and an experienced coach. I don't think neither Boston nor Cleveland is worried, but the Knicks have proven talent these other teams don't. Patterson: In theme with my colleagues, I'll go with the team I'm most familiar with: the Pistons. Playoff series can often come down to which team has the best player. Cade Cunningham can be the best player on the floor against Cleveland. Against Boston, I'm not so sure. The Celtics have so many weapons from Jayson Tatum to Kristaps Porziņģis to Derrick White. Each of the aforementioned Boston players have notched multiple games with at least 30 points this season. The Celtics just have too much firepower and too many players who compete at an elite level on both ends. Advertisement Detroit, however, boasts the NBA's sixth-best defense post-All-Star break. The Pistons' defense has traveled in the final months of the regular season, and I don't expect that to stop during the playoffs. Nehm: A long-held adage of playoff basketball is the team with the best player will win the series. Because I covered Giannis Antetokounmpo averaging 33.9 points, 14.7 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game while losing to the Celtics in seven games in the 2022 playoffs, I know that adage is not always true, but I think it's still a useful reference point in predicting playoff potential. In my opinion, Antetokounmpo is the East's best player. That doesn't mean he will be the best player in a specific series — example: Kawhi Leonard outplaying Antetokounmpo in his first MVP season during the 2019 East finals — but there is a world where Antetokounmpo, who hasn't been healthy in the playoffs since 2022, is simply too good for the Cavaliers or the Celtics, and the Bucks upset one of the East's top two teams. GO DEEPER The NBA is as talented and skilled as it's ever been. So ... why all the negativity? Taylor: The Pistons. They're unbothered and unafraid. They're playing with a chip on their shoulder, and Detroit vs. Everybody is really deep within them. While a healthy and available Cade Cunningham is key, should they get past the first round, the experience factor is going to be huge here. They're playing with house money considering they weren't even supposed to be in the thick of things. Edwards: I've got to go with the Bucks. They are 0-10 against the top-three seeds in the East. Antetokounmpo will be the best player in any series but, at a point, a team's work — or lack thereof — in the regular season means something. He's been an MVP candidate all year, and Milwaukee still hasn't looked very threatening. Obviously, Damian Lillard's health and availability is a real concern too. I'm just not sure there's enough around Antetokounmpo, especially without Lillard, to feel comfortable saying they'll win even a series. Patterson: I must preface by saying, as it stands with the injury to Lillard, I don't see the Bucks as contenders. Considering the Knicks are third in the East and have the league's fifth-best record, I'll say New York. The Knicks, in the postseason, will go as far as Brunson can take them. It's unfortunate that injuries limited Brunson during the playoffs last season, but he hasn't played since March 6 against the Los Angeles Lakers. Advertisement The Knicks have other weapons in Towns, Bridges, Anunoby and even Hart. But I trust each of them much less without Brunson in the fold. Unless Brunson can come back and be the best version of himself in time for the start of the playoffs, I don't see New York being for real. Nehm: The Bucks. It is unclear whether Lillard will be available for the postseason. The Bucks went 7-9 in March, their worst month since starting the season with a 1-4 record in October, and have looked disjointed for much of the last few weeks. While other teams in the East appear to be peaking as the season comes to an end, the Bucks are doing the opposite. Taylor: Antetokounmpo. If he's healthy and the Bucks are relatively whole, he is a gamechanger. They could do it without Lillard, I believe, as long as the rest of the team finds their shot and lets Antetokounmpo do his thing. Edwards: I'll go with Antetokounmpo, despite what I said above. He's one of the five best players in the world. He's been relatively healthy and appears to have gotten through the regular season somewhat fresh. Because of how good he is and my respect for him as a competitor, I don't believe it's out of the realm of possibilities that he puts together one of the greatest individual postseason runs we've ever seen. I still don't think that would be enough, especially without knowing Lillard's availability, but if anyone could carry a team by himself, it's the man built like a Greek God. Patterson: Antetokounmpo is the easy answer for me. He's the best player in the conference, and his career averages for points, rebounds and assists are all higher in the playoffs. Even with Lillard sidelined, Antetokounmpo has proven during the regular season and postseason that he can win games on his own. That's very much still the case. Nehm: Antetokounmpo, obviously. But to give this section a bit more diversity, I'll go with Tyrese Haliburton. Despite being injured throughout last season's playoffs, Haliburton helped guide the Pacers to the conference finals through his playmaking and overall work conducting one of the league's most explosive offenses. With him running the show, the Pacers can be a relentless offensive engine capable of scoring enough points in four games to win a seven-game series. Advertisement Taylor: The Chicago Bulls are a wild card to me. Do I think they're some incredible team? Absolutely not. Clearly not. But they've been winning — whether on purpose or just dumb luck — in some really fun ways. I wouldn't rule them out entirely as a team who could come in and be a chaos agent even if they don't make it very far due to the talent gap. Edwards: No. The Atlanta Hawks have some good wins this regular season but have been so inconsistent. The Orlando Magic are a disaster offensively. The Bulls have been fun as of late, but they don't have the talent to compete with either of the top teams. And the Miami Heat have just three wins against teams with a winning record since Feb. 1. Patterson: I wouldn't say they should be feared, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the Magic make it into the playoffs and win a couple games in a first-round series. There's not much else I expect from Orlando, though. While Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are two extremely talented young players, the Magic have been injury plagued all season. I don't see them having a chance against Boston. Against Cleveland, I could see Orlando winning a game or two. But either way, I don't see the Magic making it out of the first round. Nehm: While the Bulls, Hawks and Heat are all experienced Play-In participants, those three teams, as well as the Magic, should not be feared. Taylor: The Celtics are better than they were last year. For a while, I was thinking Mitchell and Cleveland were going to challenge Boston for top dog in the East and win, but I think I have to take the Celtics over the Cavs in seven. Cleveland is going to make it hard. Edwards: Boston beats Cleveland in six games. These have been the best two teams in the East by a country mile for a long time. Barring injuries, I just don't see how anything changes that. The Celtics know what it takes come playoff time, and the Cavs, despite their disappointments in the postseason the previous years, appear to be a team on a mission ready and able to prove they're for real. Advertisement Patterson: Barring any major injuries to both teams, I see the Cavaliers and Celtics matchup up in the East finals. The Celtics would be my bet to close the series out in no more than six games. I think a lot would have to go wrong for Boston for its unit to not make it to the NBA Finals again. Nehm: The Celtics are more experienced than the Cavaliers in the biggest moments, but the Cavaliers have a deep roster and have been the NBA's best offensive team this season. In the playoffs, you have to be able to score and maintain the necessary offensive diversity to score. With Kenny Atkinson getting more out of Garland and Mobley offensively while still getting a great season out of Mitchell, the Cavaliers have enough weapons to beat the Celtics' switching defense. I'll go with the Cavaliers in seven games.
