Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics Game 1: Start Time, TV Channel, Live Stream Info, Prediction

It’s almost unheard of for a No.1 seed to be a heavy underdog in the NBA playoffs, but that’s the situation that LeBron James has created. The Cleveland Cavaliers are favored over the Boston Celtics in the 2017 Eastern Conference Finals, and the series might not last very long if Isaiah Thomas and Co. can’t steal Game 1 at home Wednesday night.

The Game 1 betting line is four points, via OddsShark, and the over/under is 219.5. The series opener starts at 8:30 p.m. EDT on TNT, and fans who can’t get to a TV can watch Game 1 with a free live stream online at tntdrama.com.

The Celtics will return to TD Garden, where they defeated the Washington Wizards in Game 7 of their second-round series just two nights ago. Boston has won five straight games at home this postseason.

“They didn't give us a chance [against the Wizards]. They didn't give us a chance when we were down 2-0 to Chicago. We got the No. 1 seed, they didn't give us a chance,” Thomas told reporters after Monday's Game 7.

“They don't ever give us a chance, and we just keep going; we don't care about what others say.”

It’s not exactly accurate to say that the Celtics weren’t given a chance to beat the Wizards since they were never trailing in the series and always favored to advance. But it’s true that no one expects Boston to upset Cleveland.

The Cavaliers have reached the NBA Finals in each of the last two seasons. James hasn’t lost a playoff series in the East since 2010, and he’s probably playing the best basketball of his career. He’s helped the Cavs go undefeated in the 2017 postseason, and Cleveland has won 11 straight playoff games, dating back to the 2016 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors.

After scoring 26.4 points per game in the regular season, James has improved his scoring average to 34.4 points in the playoffs. All the days off have allowed him to play more than 42 minutes per game, and Cleveland hasn’t looked anything like the team that nearly had a .500 record over the final 50 games of the regular season.

There is often talk that Cleveland is able to “flip the switch” and turn up their level of play when they need to, and it seems that some of the Celtics believe that to be true.

“They're playing at a really high level,” Boston forward Al Horford said Monday. “The regular season for them is just kind of like, let's get through it. And now they've turned it up to another level. So it's going to be a fun challenge for our group.”

Cleveland relinquished the No.1 seed and home-court advantage by losing their final four games of the regular season. Just before that losing streak began, the Cavaliers went into Boston and beat the Celtics by 23 points.

As much as Boston believes it can defeat Cleveland, few would be surprised if Game 1 is another easy victory for the defending champs.

Prediction: Cleveland over Boston, 112-100