The Celtics have finally reached a position where they are masters of their own destiny in more than theory. Two victories in their final three games will clinch a playoff spot, but one win might actually be enough.
One win will put Boston out of reach for the 10th placed Miami Heat, who lost a heartbreaker to the Toronto Raptors on Saturday night.
One win for Boston would also ensure that the Brooklyn Nets would have to win at least two games and the Indiana Pacers all of their remaining three games to push the Celtics out of the playoffs.
And even though Indiana has won all their games with Paul George back, that is a tall order, since they are playing against very good teams, who at this point are still fighting for either a playoff spot (Oklahoma City Thunder) or home court in the first round (the Washington Wizards and the Memphis Grizzlies).
Who will rest for Cleveland?
Boston won in Cleveland on Friday night in a game where the Cavaliers were without Kyrie Irving and rested LeBron James, Kevin Love, and Timofey Mozgov in the fourth quarter.
Rest might be a big factor in this game, too. Neither Kyrie Irving nor Iman Shumpert have been cleared yet, and are questionable. James said after Friday night's game that he will probably rest in this game.
The Cavaliers will still be a dangerous team, even without their biggest stars. Players like J.R. Smith and Kevin Love are huge offensive weapons that can take over a game. Smith had a very bad game on Friday scoring zero points in 18 minutes, and he will look to bounce back. His matchup with Avery Bradley can be important on both ends of the floor.
Because of the question marks surrounding Cleveland's roster, this is a difficult game to make predictions for. Cleveland might want to make a statement, while they are trying to balance resting and keeping players in shape. On the other hand, they might lack real motivation to win this game, since they secured the division title and the second seed in the Eastern Conference. This could go either way.
