Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics are now unfriendly opponents in the NBA playoffs | News, sports, jobs

Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics (left) drives past Georges Niang of the Cavaliers during the second half on March 5 in Cleveland. (AP file photo)

BOSTON — One of the things Celtics forward Jaylen Brown remembers from his time in the NBA's Florida bubble in 2020 during the pandemic was his chance sightings of Donovan Mitchell.

Mitchell, then with the Utah Jazz, appeared to show up in the bubble common areas at the same time as Brown. This led to humorous discussions between the two on social media and helped create a friendship between the young stars that continues to this day.

But none of that is on Brown's mind this week as the East's top-seeded Celtics prepare to open their second-round series with Mitchell's Cleveland Cavaliers.

“There are no friends in the playoffs” Brown said. “You just have to prepare for the game. That’s all I have to say about it.”

Mitchell, who also calls Boston All-Star Jayson Tatum a friend, said he stopped talking to them once the bracket was set.

Celtics center Al Horford (left) passes the ball to Golden State Warriors forward Otto Porter Jr. during the fourth quarter of Game 3 of the NBA Finals on June 8, 2022, in Boston. (AP file photo)

“It’s all competition and I expect nothing but the best from them and vice versa” he said. “And we had to go out and take care of business in a hostile environment. … It will be fun. And I’m excited.”

After defeating the Miami Heat in the first round in five games, Boston will open Game 1 of its series with Cleveland as the clear favorite tonight, according to BetMGM.

The Celtics will have a Cavaliers team that only needs to play one day off to advance after a Game 7 win over Orlando in which they overcame an 18-point deficit.

In that game, Mitchell scored 39 points, increasing his scoring average to 28.7 points this postseason. It includes a 50-point performance in Game 6 against the Magic. After missing Miami's Jimmy Butler in the opening round, Mitchell will be the first dynamic scorer Boston faces this postseason.

Cleveland's resilience followed a regular season in which the Cavs had a 23-5 record before the All-Star break and then finished the season at 12-17. There were a number of injuries, including a nagging problem with Mitchell's left knee. Starting center and defensive anchor Jarrett Allen also missed the final three games of the Magic series due to a painful rib injury.

Before he got injured, Allen was arguably Cleveland's most consistent and consistent player since November. He missed five games to start the year before playing 77 straight games and averaging 16.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists, a career-high.

Allen is questionable for Game 1 with backup big man Dean Wade out with a right knee sprain.

Cavs coach JB Bickerstaff believes he realized his team's true identity in their Game 7 win over Orlando.

“This group in particular has been through so much this year, a group that has been left to die by many people multiple times this year.” he said. “For them to come together in this moment and figure it out, it’s more about the group than it is about me. We’re very proud of that, but we’re not done yet.”

The Celtics also have 7-foot-2 Kristaps Porzingis out of the series opener as he continues to recover from the right calf strain that caused him to miss the Heat series finale.

While it's likely that Allen returns at some point in this series, Porzingis could miss most, if not all, of this round.

Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said his team is willing to adjust when necessary, just as it did in the loss to Miami.

“It doesn’t matter what situation we find ourselves in. The important thing is that we are ready to play.” said Mazzulla.

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MEMORIES OF 2018

This will be the first meeting between the two teams since Cleveland swept past Boston in the 2018 Eastern Conference Finals to clinch the Finals for the fourth straight year. The Cavs won Game 7 of that series at the Garden, led by LeBron James' 35 points.

This will be the ninth time the teams have met in the playoffs and the fourth since 2015.

The 2018 meeting was Brown's second career playoff run and the first for Tatum.

Cleveland was the hunted team in the East at the time. Now the tables are turned.

“That was a long time ago. 2018? My goodness,” Brown said. “I feel like I've come a long way. It was obviously a great experience and journey to be able to play in the playoffs. They had LeBron back then. It still hurts a little that we ended up losing in Game 7. I’m going to make sure this series is a little different.”

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ROAD REPAIR

Cleveland hasn't fared well in the playoffs the last two years, losing all five road games by an average of 19.4 points – and Boston won't roll out the welcome mat.

The Cavs lost Game 1 in Orlando, losing by 38 points, the most lopsided loss in team playoff history. They were beaten by 23 points in Game 2, then came up relatively close, losing Game 3 by just 7 points.

The team's away troubles extend into the regular season as well, as Cleveland lost seven of its last eight regular season games on the road.

The Cavs lost both of their games in Boston in December – within three nights.

It was a painfully short stay, as Darius Garland suffered a broken jaw in the Dec. 14 game when he collided with Porzingis on his way to the basket.

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AP Sports Writer Tom Withers in Cleveland contributed to this report.

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