I'll say it: Celtics will beat Cavs in second round of playoffs SI.com
The Celtics will beat the Cavaliers in Round 2 of the NBA playoffs.
There. I said it.
Call me a knucklehead. Call me old-school. Call me a fool ( Cedric Maxwell did). This was my pick before the start of the playoffs.
It's right there in black and white, on the sports pages of The Boston Globe on April 15:
"I'm picking the old green guys to at least make it to the Eastern Conference Finals. That means they'll beat Miami in the first round, then beat Cleveland in the second round.''
Here we are a week and a half later and the Celtics and Cavs are on a collision course to meet in the second round. Both Eastern Conference powers own 3-1 series leads and will play at home to clinch their series Tuesday night. The Cavaliers stumbled in Game 3 in Chicago, but bounced back to win easily Sunday. The Celtics owned a 3-0 lead before losing to Dwyane Wade and friends in Miami on Sunday. Look for both team to close things out at home in Game 5. Then look for the Celtics to beat the Cavs in the NBA's best second-round series.