NBA Playoffs 2017: Cavaliers vs. Celtics Game 1 live stream: Watch online
By John Buhler
Game 1 of the 2017 Eastern Conference Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics will be on Wednesday night. Here is how to watch it online.
Then there were only four. The Boston Celtics were able to defend their home court against the Washington Wizards in Game 7 of the 2017 Eastern Conference Semifinals. That game will go down as The Kelly Olynyk Game for the rest of time. It was just that incredible.
Two rounds down and two to go is where the Celtics find themselves heading into Wednesday night. Meeting them at the TD Garden in Boston will be the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2017 Eastern Conference Finals.
Cleveland has played the minimum number of NBA Playoffs games up to this point at eight. The Cavaliers swept both the Indiana Pacers and the Toronto Raptors to reach their third straight Eastern Conference Finals.
Boston may be the No. 1 seed in the East, but Cleveland still has LeBron James. He gives the Cavaliers the clear edge in this best of seven-series. Here is a look at who could be the starting five for both teams on Wednesday night in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Cleveland is well-rested, having last played on Sunday, May 7 against the Raptors in Toronto. Barring head coach Tyronn Lue doing something cute, expect him to trot out the same starting five he has used in every playoff game up to this point: Kyrie Irving at point guard, J.R. Smith at shooting guard, James at small forward, Kevin Love at power forward and Tristan Thompson at center.
As for the Celtics, this could be a bit more difficult for Boston head coach Brad Stevens to figure out. Stevens has started four players in all 13 playoff games so far. Expect Isaiah Thomas to start at point guard, Avery Bradley at shooting guard, Jae Crowder at small forward and Al Horford at center.
What Stevens does at the other frontcourt position is especially tricky. Ideally, he would like to start Amir Johnson at power forward. Johnson has started seven of the Celtics’ 13 playoff games at the four, including Game 7 on Monday night. However, Johnson was a non-factor in that win-or-go-home game.
Gerald Green has started the other six games in the Celtics frontcourt when Stevens didn’t go with an injured Johnson. Green could be back into the fold to help the Celtics go with more space on the floor to better keep pace with Cleveland. Could we see Olynyk get the start at the five and more Hereford up to his preferred position of the four? Probably not, but Olynyk was amazing in Game 7 against the Wizards, so maybe?