NBA
Are the Cavaliers eliminated if they lose to the Celtics in Game 5 today?
The Cleveland Cavaliers are playing catch-up in their NBA Playoffs Eastern Conference semi-final series against the Boston Celtics.
The Cleveland Cavaliers must beat the Boston Celtics today if they are to retain any hope of a return to the Eastern Conference finals.
Heading into Game 5 of their conference semi-final against the Celtics, the Cavaliers are 3-1 down after suffering back-to-back home defeats. If Boston make it three wins in a row, the 17-time NBA champions will establish an unassailable lead in the teams’ best-of-seven series.
Cavaliers “don’t want to go home” - Bickerstaff
Despite seeing his side go down to consecutive losses, Cavaliers head coach JB Bickerstaff praised his players’ commitment and competitive spirit after their 109-102 reverse in Monday’s Game 4 in Ohio. “They don’t want to go home - they understand the significance of the game and of the moment, and they laid it out there for each other,” Bickerstaff told reporters at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
The 45-year-old added: “They’re a connected group that has been resilient all year long. We’ve been through a ton with this group this season, and never once has our group folded.”
Cleveland injury report ahead of Game 5
The Cavaliers currently have a lengthy injury list. Having missed Game 4 with a calf strain, star guard Donovan Mitchell is listed as questionable for today’s must-win clash in Boston. Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert are both also questionable - Allen is returning from a rib contusion that has ruled him out of the series so far - and Craig Porter is doubtful with an ankle sprain that has caused him to miss 11 straight games.
Celtics vs Cavaliers: series results and schedule
Already played:
Game 1: Cavaliers 95-120 Celtics - 7 May
Game 2: Cavaliers 118-94 Celtics - 9 May
Game 3: Celtics 106-93 Cavaliers - 11 May
Game 4: Celtics 109-102 Cavaliers - 13 May
Still to play:
Game 5: Cavaliers vs Celtics - 15 May, 7pm ET
Game 6: Celtics vs Cavaliers - 17 May, 8:30pm ET (if needed)
Game 7: Cavaliers vs Celtics - 19 May (if needed)
Boston lead the series 3-1
Cavaliers vs Celtics: when, where, how to watch
The Cavaliers visit the Celtics today, Wednesday 15 May 2024, with tip-off at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, scheduled for 7pm ET/4pm PT. Viewers in the US will be able to watch Game 5 on TNT, and can stream the action on the online platform fuboTV, which offers new users a free trial.
Enjoy the Cavaliers vs the Celtics on fubo.
How many NBA teams have come back from 3-1 down?
History does not favour the Cavaliers’ aspirations of turning the series around. According to stats compiled by BetMGM, the Ohioans have only come back from a 3-1 postseason deficit once before in their history. That fightback is a famous one: it came in the 2016 NBA finals, when a LeBron James-led team recovered from two down against the Golden State Warriors to win the franchise’s only championship.
In the entire history of the NBA, BetMGM notes, only 13 postseason series have been won by a team that was 3-1 behind going into Game 5.
When did the Cavaliers last reach the conference finals?
Cleveland haven’t made it to the Eastern Conference finals in six years, since beating the Celtics to the conference championship in 2018, in James’ final season with the franchise. Without the superstar forward on their roster, the Cavaliers last qualified for the conference finals all the way back in 1992.