CLEVELAND AT BOSTON 11/19/24

IS CLEVELAND FINALLY GONNA LOSE TOMORROW?!?!?!

@usikbasterd

 I like Cleveland tomorrow, most of the bettors will jump on Boston.

I¡¯ll probably change my mind 50 times over the next 24 hours and then not even take a side, BUT here¡¯s my $0.02 

I¡¯ve heard some people try to spin the narrative that Boston will want to get up for this game. Clearly this team is bored and a little bit cocky. From Jaylen Brown comments to the defensive stats to even their record of 11-3 which includes a loss to the hawks without Trae, it¡¯s obvious to anyone who is paying attention that this team is not serious right now. You can¡¯t exactly blame them given how easily they ran through competition last year, but that¡¯s the concern with a team trying to repeat. They should face more difficult competition this year (at the very least in the finals, should they return) and we¡¯ve already seen a lack of focus. It¡¯s a long season, but so far they have not been the aggressors as Mazzula was saying and that is a hole in the armour of the league¡¯s most talented team. 

The #1 thing I am always trying to sort out when I cap games is how much each team cares about this specific game in particular. Can the Celtics win? Of course. Can Cleveland? Of course. This could be a dd victory for either team and I would not be surprised. 

Cleveland¡¯s motivation is obvious and almost overwhelming;

- undefeated so far. Clearly want to keep that going as long as possible. 
- game against the defending champs and clear #1 team. Great chance to prove themselves. 
^ Show the importance of this game by resting Mitchell the game before and bringing Mobley back so he¡¯s not rusty for that game. 
- it¡¯s on a smaller scale but let¡¯s also note that this is a cup game. Boston is already 0-1 because of that loss to the hawks. Cleveland is 1-0 with a +18 PD. I think cup motivation leans heavily in favour of a team like the Cavs, rather than a team coming off a league championship. 

What¡¯s the motivation for Boston?

- Be the team to end the streak. > I would like this angle more if Cleveland was headed towards breaking some Boston record but they¡¯re not. 
- Re-assert themselves at the top of the EC. > Even if they win this game, they will still be in 2nd and they¡¯ve already shown they don¡¯t care as much about regular season. 
- Get back in the running for the cup. > as I said earlier, I¡¯m just not sure a team that¡¯s been to the top so recently cares. We probably would have seen a better effort in their first game if they did. 

Gimme the Cavs. 

I¡¯ll probably change my mind 50 times over the next 24 hours and then not even take a side, BUT here¡¯s my $0.02 

I¡¯ve heard some people try to spin the narrative that Boston will want to get up for this game. Clearly this team is bored and a little bit cocky. From Jaylen Brown comments to the defensive stats to even their record of 11-3 which includes a loss to the hawks without Trae, it¡¯s obvious to anyone who is paying attention that this team is not serious right now. You can¡¯t exactly blame them given how easily they ran through competition last year, but that¡¯s the concern with a team trying to repeat. They should face more difficult competition this year (at the very least in the finals, should they return) and we¡¯ve already seen a lack of focus. It¡¯s a long season, but so far they have not been the aggressors as Mazzula was saying and that is a hole in the armour of the league¡¯s most talented team. 

The #1 thing I am always trying to sort out when I cap games is how much each team cares about this specific game in particular. Can the Celtics win? Of course. Can Cleveland? Of course. This could be a dd victory for either team and I would not be surprised. 

Cleveland¡¯s motivation is obvious and almost overwhelming;

- undefeated so far. Clearly want to keep that going as long as possible. 
- game against the defending champs and clear #1 team. Great chance to prove themselves. 
^ Show the importance of this game by resting Mitchell the game before and bringing Mobley back so he¡¯s not rusty for that game. 
- it¡¯s on a smaller scale but let¡¯s also note that this is a cup game. Boston is already 0-1 because of that loss to the hawks. Cleveland is 1-0 with a +18 PD. I think cup motivation leans heavily in favour of a team like the Cavs, rather than a team coming off a league championship. 

What¡¯s the motivation for Boston?

- Be the team to end the streak. > I would like this angle more if Cleveland was headed towards breaking some Boston record but they¡¯re not. 
- Re-assert themselves at the top of the EC. > Even if they win this game, they will still be in 2nd and they¡¯ve already shown they don¡¯t care as much about regular season. 
- Get back in the running for the cup. > as I said earlier, I¡¯m just not sure a team that¡¯s been to the top so recently cares. We probably would have seen a better effort in their first game if they did. 

Gimme the Cavs. 

It's November.  Meaningless game.  Cleveland!