BOSTON – The Cleveland Cavaliers are in trouble, says local NBA scout Jeff Nelson as their second round series begins on Tuesday night.
The only thing going in the Cavs favor is the calf injury to Celtics center Kristaps Porzingis, who will probably miss the entire series.
“This is not only a bad matchup for the Cavs,” said Nelson. “But the Celtics are rested and able to prepared for their one major offensive weapon, Donovan Mitchell.”
Nelson believes that the Celtics “plan” for Mitchell, whom he calls a top 15 talent in the NBA, is slow down his best trait – transition scoring – but do it with several players, including Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White and even Payton Pritchard.
“I don’t see the Celtics shutting him down. He’s too good. But they will like difficult for him, especially early in the shot clock when he’s at his best,” said Nelson. “The Cavs have a few guys that can score, but not consistently, at an elite level.”
Nelson believes Jarrett Allen’s injured ribs, forcing him to miss three games against the Magic, is another thing in the Celtics favor.
“When he’s in the game it gives the Cavs two bigs, which can cause problems,” said Nelson. “But without him, Isaac Okoro starts. They’re not even close.”
Two potential problems, said Nelson, are point guard Darius Garland and Caris LeVert, a shooter off the bench.
“Garland is a wild card,” said Nelson. “But he struggled against the Magic. He’s got to play a lot better for the Cavs to have a chance. LeVert is the Baby Boomer version of Vinnie Johnson. He shoots and shoots.
“If LeVert is hot for an extended period, could the Cavs steal a game in Boston and make this a series?” said Nelson. “I don’t think so, but as we saw against Miami last year, anything could happen.”
Nelson said while people will point to the Celtics blowing away an injured Heat team in the last series, he believes the way they answered after the Game 2 loss was meaningful.
“I think every game after that they had a 30-point lead at some point,” said Nelson. “They blew them out. There were no questions. They got back to being the team they were for the regular season.”
Nelson said he’d be surprised if the Cavs extend the series beyond five games, saying it comes down to math.
“The Celtics have too many people that can really hurt you compared to the Cavs,” said Nelson.
You can email Bill Burt at bburt@eagletribune.com.