Cleveland Cavaliers vs Boston Celtics Preview: Odds, Tips and Prediction

• Overall Record: 37-9
• Home Record: 22-3
• Away Record: 15-6

The Cleveland Cavaliers are a problem in the Eastern Conference and the entire NBA as a whole. They are equipped with one of the most dynamic NBA rosters that has demonstrated elite chemistry and maturity. After much speculation during the NBA offseason on whether to tear up the current roster and trade for another superstar, the Cavaliers decided to stick to their guns and roll it back.

They have been rewarded with massive player development to their young core, which has surprised many. They currently have no weakness, as they are blessed with size, length, depth, perimeter shooting, athleticism, elite ball handling and playmaking, elite perimeter and post defence – all that coupled up with supreme coaching.

Head Coach Kenny Atkinson has sorted out the chemistry issues that grappled the team from a season ago and has instilled a togetherness that has resulted in them playing selfless team basketball. This has enabled the Cavaliers to possess multiple weapons that take turns, scorching their opponents on any given night.

Donovan Mitchell is among the MVP candidates this season and has already been voted as a starter for the 2025 All-Star game. He is the leader of the franchise. Darius Garland has developed tremendously and found a way to exist next to Mitchell. Perhaps the biggest leap with the team has been made by Evan Mobley, who is finally living up to the Kevin Garnett comparisons that have often been anointed on him. Mobley has grown as a playmaker and is an elite two-way player in the league, where defence is continuously losing relevance. Jarrett Allen offers a unique post threat on both ends of the floor and the team's bench is among the best in the NBA.

The Cavaliers seem destined to face the Celtics in the postseason and this year’s regular season meetings have been like a nuclear testing field, offering closely contested clashes. 

Darius Garland and Jayson Tatum//Getty Images

• Overall Record: 32-14
• Home Record: 15-8
• Away Record: 17-6

The Boston Celtics so far have had a strong season as they look to defend their NBA championship. However, it may go under the radar due to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Oklahoma City Thunder taking much of the applause, given that they are currently the best teams in the league, based on their superior record.

As is the case with most championship teams, the Celtics have cruised through the regular season but many fans expect them to really turn it up in the playoffs. They are equipped with championship experience and a core of elite talent on their roster.

Jason Tatum is once again among the MVP conversations within the league, with Olympic benching guiding his motivation. Tatum leads the Celtics in points per game, steals, rebounds and assists and his partner in crime, Jaylen Brown, is also an x-factor capable of taking over games down the stretch. Kristaps Porziņģis is finally healthy after a lengthy layoff while veterans Al Horford and Jrue Holiday continue to offer timeless and unselfish play.

Derrick White is posting the best numbers of his career since joining the team, averaging 16.2 points a game and nearly five rebounds and assists. 

The Celtics have recently lost five games that they were expected to easily dominate, and they will be looking to shore up on defence, as they seek to keep pace with the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers who are ready to dethrone them.

Both teams have claimed a victory a piece, and this third matchup in their four-game regular season series will be one of the most anticipated games of the season.