Against all odds in the face of a cruel Boston crowd, the Cleveland Cavaliers shook the Boston Celtics. The fourth seed in the East blew out the home favorites by 24 points to level the series at 1-1. Stealing a win on the road has now given the Cavaliers a largely beneficial home advantage in the series against Boston. Now, hours away from Game 3, the Cavaliers are recipients of more good news.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
According to Chris Fedor, the status of both big man Jarrett Allen and forward Dean Wade have been upgraded to ‘questionable’ for tonight. Allen is suffering from a bruised rib which has sidelined him for the past five games. Personal reasons and a lingering knee injury forced Wade to sit out the last 28 games of the season.
#Cavs Dean Wade (knee) is listed as QUESTIONABLE for tomorrow night’s Game 3. Same with Jarrett Allen (rib).
Allen is a monster inside the paint. His defensive impact is severely missed by the Cavaliers who continue to play shorthanded. The shot blocker is a part of five of the Cavaliers’ best defensive lineups to have played at least 60 minutes together. Wade on the other hand provides them with spacing as a 39% three-point shooter. He last featured in a game back in March in a win against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
For the Boston Celtics, star center Kristaps Porzingis remains out dealing with a right calf injury. If Allen does make his debut in the series, the Cavaliers can exploit the Celtics’ depleted inside protection with his combination alongside Evan Mobley.
How will the Cleveland Cavaliers lineup in Game 3?
Without Jarrett Allen, the Cavaliers have opted to play a small ball lineup in the playoffs. Isaac Okoro plays at the power forward position while Mobley shifts to the five. Having not featured for long, Dean Wade’s position has significantly fallen in the rotational hierarchy. However, he did average over 20 minutes when an active part of the roster in the regular season.
Considering all the facts and accounting for both their returns here is how the depth chart for the Cleveland Cavaliers looks before Game 3 against the Boston Celtics.
| POSITION | STARTER | 2 | 3 |
| PG | Darius Garland | Donovan Mitchell | Caris LeVert |
| SG | Donovan Mitchell | Caris LeVert | Sam Merrill |
| SF | Max Strus | Isaac Okoro | Georges Niang |
| PF | Evan Mobley | Marcus Morris Sr. | Georges Niang |
| C | Jarrett Allen (Questionable) | Evan Mobley | Damian Jones |
The Cavaliers have everything in their favor for Game 3. The crowd will be roaring for them, they have a home-court advantage, and the Celtics are still processing their loss from Game 2. Can they pull off what could be the biggest upset of this postseason? Let us know what you feel in the comments below.
