Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics: Game 4 Prediction, Betting Odds For 2017 East Finals

Seemingly left for dead after maybe the most embarrassing playoff loss the league has ever seen, the Boston Celtics aren’t quite done yet. They improbably have a chance to tie up the Eastern Conference Finals at 2-2 when they visit the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game 4 Tuesday night.

Just about every prediction had the Celtics losing Game 3 to the Cavs. Boston lost their best player to an injury after they were already blown out twice at home. But the Celtics overcame larger odds than any underdog in NBA playoff history, taking advantage of LeBron James’ disappearance.

The best basketball player on the planet looked less than ordinary in Cleveland’s first loss of the postseason, scoring just 11 points on 13 shot attempts, adding six rebounds, six assists and six turnovers. He was nowhere to be found in the final minutes as Boston completed their comeback, failing to score in the game’s final 16 minutes and 31 seconds.

As much help as the four-time MVP has in Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, the Cavs go as James goes. Even with the two All-Stars combining to score 57 points on 31 shots, Cleveland still couldn’t overcome James’ funk. If Boston can somehow contain James for another game, they could be heading home with an opportunity to take the series lead.

What are the chances that James will play poorly two games in a row? Considering Game 3 was James’ first bad performance of the postseason, the answer is highly unlikely.

Every great player that’s put on an NBA uniform has looked pedestrian at times in the playoffs, and James is no different. Given how impressive he had been in his previous 10 games, a bad night for James almost should have been expected.

Yes, even Michael Jordan had playoff performances that made Chicago Bulls’ fans shake their heads. Perhaps not as bad as James’ disappearing act against the Celtics, but certainly much worse than those that idolize Jordan would care to remember.

Jordan was held to five-of-19 shooting in Game 4 of the 1996 NBA Finals, and he went six-of-19 in Game 6, though the Bulls managed to overcome his struggles and clinch the title. Go back three years earlier when the Hall of Famer missed 15 of his 18 field goal attempts against the New York Knicks, or even Game 2 of the 1992 Eastern Conference Finals when Jordan shot seven-of-22 for 20 points in a 107-81 defeat.

What’s much more important than Game 3 is how well James has played for the entirety of the postseason. Averaging 32.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game on 55.4 percent shooting despite Sunday’s aberration, James is almost sure to bounce back Tuesday night. He scored at least 30 points and shot better than 58 percent in both of the Cavs’ previous two games against the Celtics.

Game 3 was the perfect storm for Boston. As James disappeared in the second half, so did Cleveland’s ability to hit three-pointers. The Celtics totaled 111 points without leading scorer Isaiah Thomas, who’s done for the playoffs with a hip injury, and they received offensive contributions from Marcus Smart and Jonas Jerebko that they haven’t gotten all postseason.

It’s why the Cavs are back to being incredibly heavy favorites just two nights later. The betting line is up to 15 points at Las Vegas sportsbooks, via OddsShark, and the over/under is 215.5.

The San Antonio Spurs had their opportunity to hand the Golden State Warriors their only loss of the 2017 playoffs, and they blew it when Kawhi Leonard re-injured his ankle in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. Boston got their chance for an upset in Game 3, and they seized it.

But that’s where the Celtics’ success in the conference finals ends. The NBA Finals rematch that everyone has been preparing for is still unavoidable, and Game 3 will prove to be nothing more than a hiccup in Cleveland's playoff run.

Prediction: Cleveland over Boston, 118-106