What to watch for when the Celtics take on the Cavaliers in the East semis

BOSTON -- The Celtics are back in the Eastern Conference semifinals for the seventh time in the last eight seasons. Standing in their way of a third straight trip to the Eastern Conference Finals is a talented -- but uneven -- Cleveland Cavaliers team.

The Celtics got a few days off following their five-game series win over the Miami Heat in the opening round, thanks to the four-seeded Cavaliers needing seven games to dispatch the Orlando Magic. The Cavs had to come back in Sunday's Game 7 too, falling behind by 18 points in the first half before waking up in the second and advancing with a 106-94 victory in Cleveland.

If the Cavaliers had their hands full with a young and inexperienced Magic team, they're going to have a lot more issues with a dominant Boston team. And Cleveland really hasn't been playing great basketball for a while now, stumbling to a 12-17 record after the All-Star break. The Cavs didn't play particularly well offensively during that stretch, ranking 20th in the NBA, and were even worse on defense, ranking 25th over that span.

But one of those dozen wins came against the Celtics, when the Cavaliers came back from down 22 points in the fourth quarter thanks to Dean Wade turning into Steph Curry for the final frame. That was Cleveland's only win in their three regular-season meetings against Boston this season, after taking three of four against Boston last season.

The Celtics shouldn't have too many problems with Cleveland, even without Kristaps Porzingis in the lineup. The Cavaliers do have some size that could give the Celtics some fits, but the Celtics just have too much talent for Cleveland to overcome.

Donovan Mitchell is a stud. Darius Garland is an incredible backcourt mate for him, and Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen can gobble up rebounds with the best of them. But the Celtics have the Jays, Derrick White is playing at an unreal level right now, and Al Horford should be able to hold things down in the frontcourt in Porzingis' absence. 

If the Celtics play their brand of basketball where they keep the ball moving on offense and continue to suffocate teams on defense, they should be able to wrap this series up in five games. Here's what we'll be watching for when the series tips off Tuesday night at TD Garden.

The Battle of the Backcourts

Cleveland's backcourt of Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell is pretty darn good. Mitchell is as dangerous as they come and will get his own section here shortly. Garland is a pest and can really hurt teams as either a scorer or a playmaker. He struggled to put up points against the Magic though, averaging 14.9 points per game for the series, though he shot 45 percent overall and 40 percent from downtown. And if he can get into the paint, it would really open things up for Cleveland's 3-point shooters.

But that's where Jrue Holiday comes in, and he'll be blanketing Garland all series. Holiday will be bumping Garland every chance he can get to get the Cleveland guard out of his rhythm, and it won't be easy for him to find anyone with Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, and Jayson Tatum ready to get their hands into passing lanes.

Whether it's White or Brown on Mitchell is TBD, but Brown will likely get most of the defensive looks on his buddy.  It will be a treat to watch those two go head-to-head and try to get the best of one another.

"Ain't no friends in the playoffs," Brown said after Boston's practice on Monday.

If Brown sets his sights on locking down Mitchell, that will allow White to roam on the defensive end and try to lock up Cleveland's three-point shooters. Hopefully that means Max Strus won't revert back into the Miami Heat Max Strus that haunted the Celtics in each of the last two postseasons.

Brace yourself for a Donovan Mitchell takeover game

It's extremely likely that at some point over the next 4-7 games, Donovan Mitchell is going to go wild. It could happen quick, with Mitchell pouring in 89 points over his last two games.

Mitchell dropped a 50 burger on the Magic in Cleveland's Game 6 loss in Orlando on Friday night. He then went out and scored 39 in Sunday's Game 7 win, including 24 points in the second half as the Cavs erased an 18-point deficit to win. When the Cavs needed their superstar to play like a superstar, he did just that.

He tends to do that against Boston, too. In his two games against the Celtics this season, Mitchell had 31 and 29 points. Last season, he scored 40 or more in three of his four matchups in Boston. He likes to put the ball in the hoop against the Celtics.

He's going to go off and probably win Cleveland a game in this series. He may go off all series long. It's going to happen.

The key for the Celtics will be to make sure that no one else is doing anything while Mitchell is scoring his 40 or so points. Let the star get his points, keep the rest of the Cavaliers off the score sheet, and the Celtics should be able to survive Mitchell's scoring explosions. He may win the Cavaliers a game, but the Celtics won't let that happen more than once or twice.

And if it does start happening, expect Derrick White to simply take over the series for Boston. 

How big of a factor will injuries play in Celtics-Cavaliers?

Kristaps Porzingis is the biggest injury to hit either team, and the Celtics aren't expecting him back anytime soon. Al Horford will get the start in his place, while Luke Kornet and Xavier Tillman are bound to log some big minutes off the bench.

Horford can more than hold his own this series, especially if Jarrett Allen is still out or hobbled for Cleveland. The Cavs big man missed their last three games with a rib injury, and if he couldn't go in a win-or-go-home Game 7, how likely is it that he'll be good to go 48 hours later for Game 1 against Boston? 

The Cavaliers relied on a lot of small ball without Allen, with Isaac Okoro starting alongside Evan Mobley and the likes of Marcus Morris and Tristan Thompson making appearances off the bench. Not having Porzingis obviously puts the Celtics in a tough spot, but not as much if Allen is also out.

There's also the little matter of Mitchell being dinged up, after he aggravated the knee injury that has been bothering him most of the season on Friday night. The knee didn't seem to bother him for Sunday's win, but it's definitely something to keep an eye on as this series gets underway.

And if you were worried about Dean Wade coming in and hitting all 30 of his three-pointers this series, breathe easy. He's been out the last two months with a knee injury he suffered two games after he lit the world on fire against Boston.

Will the Celtics play some small ball against the Cavs?

They might have to, but that could work to their favor. Horford isn't going to be able to play all game and there will be times that Joe Mazzulla wants his team to really get out and run. When that happens, we could see Jayson Tatum play a little small-ball center for Boston.

And if/when that happens -- heck, even if it doesn't happen -- Tatum should go right at Mobley to try and get the Cavs big man into foul trouble. Tatum has the moves and strength to get by the lengthy defender, which could help get Mobley into foul trouble. And if the Celtics can get Mobley to try to guard Tatum away from the hoop, it will just open the lane for everyone else on the floor, especially if Allen is out of the mix.

If the Celtics do play small, expect to see Sam Hauser get some run and make some shots for Boston as well.

It will be a fun chess match to watch as both teams try to figure out injuries in the frontcourt. But if the Celtics can get Cleveland's bigs out of the paint, they should be able to feast at the basket throughout the series.