Why Bill Simmons has Cavs advancing to NBA Finals over Celtics
03/07/2025 03:14 PM
Bill Simmons gave a controversial take on the Boston Celtics’ chances of advancing to the NBA Finals. The defending champs have had a decent, albeit uneven, season when considering their high standards. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Cavaliers are having a phenomenal season and are in firm control of the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. The top two teams in the East are 2-2 against each other this season.
While Boston has continuously shown glimpses of the juggernaut it was last season, Simmons has several doubts about his hometown team. On an episode of The Bill Simmons Show, the major sports personality dove into his concerns about the Celtics as this group gets closer to the postseason.
“I do wonder sometimes if hunger is the most underrated noun in sports, and that's what worries me with Cleveland vs. Boston. Boston plays hard, Tatum plays hard every night, the team gives a s—t, but Cleveland hasn't been there before and every guy on that team when they play the Celtics, it will be the most important 2 weeks of their life.
The Celtics can't say the same and there's that little edge of like Game 7 at home, Donovan Mitchell with like, holy s—t I could actually make the finals, this is my moment right now. The Celtics had that last year. Going back-to-back is really hard. The history of the NBA is this is the single hardest thing you can do in the NBA is winning the second time in a row…Am I the only one who thinks Cleveland is clearly the favorite right now?”
The Celtics will likely have another gear in the postseason
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While Simmons’ points are fair regarding Cleveland having more of an edge than Boston in a hypothetical series, Boston has shown on more than a few occasions its ability to elevate its play in the playoffs. Winning the Finals is going to be more difficult for this group this year than it was last year.
The Celtics clearly have a target on their back going into the playoffs, and plenty of teams, like the Cavs and others, will be vying to knock them down. However, this era led by Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum has played possum in the regular season on several occasions. And they’ve gone on to be elite in the postseason.
Overall, injuries aside, it still looks like on paper, Boston has a little bit of a better team than Cleveland. Combining that slight talent edge with the Celtics’ experience and labeling the Cavs as the clear favorite is definitely a stretch. However, Simmons knows his words do have some weight, especially for Boston teams. So maybe these comments can serve as inspiration for this team as it looks to become the first franchise to repeat since the Warriors in 2018
