Donovan Mitchell is right about my prediction for Cavs vs. Celtics, but can he prove it wrong? — Jimmy Watkins

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You heard the superstar. Time for Mitchell's teammates to turn their headphones up and put their phones away.

Because in apparently predictable fashion, I'm picking Boston over Cleveland in a quick series that begins Tuesday at T.D. Garden.

Call it five games, given that Boston couldn't sweep the Heat without Jimmy Butler or contain Dean Wade during an epic Cleveland comeback in March. But don't hold your breath for six or seven, and don't blame me for breaking bad news after a huge series win. Mitchell knows how this matchup looks from the outside.

For those who don't: Boston finished seven games clear of second place for the NBA's best record this season. It posted the best scoring differential (+11.4 points per game) since the dynastic Warriors in 2016-17. And the Celtics were the only team to post a top-3 offense (117.7 points per 100 possessions) and top-3 defense (100.7 points allowed per 100) during Round 1 of the playoffs.

Cleveland? Well, we saw the Magic series, and the numbers support our eyes. Cleveland's defense ranked fourth in the first round (104.9 points allowed per 100) against Orlando, but the Cavs' offense finished 15th out of 16 playoff teams (100 points per 100), in part because they also ranked 15th in 3-point percentage (28.7%). And unlike the Magic, Boston will not cooperate with Cleveland's quest to turn rough shooting nights into rock fights.

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Cleveland will count on better Round 2 shooting luck, but Boston doesn't need to. The Celtics deploy six rotation players who shot 37% or better from 3-point range during the regular season, and that's without counting Kristaps Porzingis (37.5%), whose status remains unclear for this series. In fact, the only Boston regular who doesn't meet that high shooting standard is Jaylen Brown, who still demands Cleveland's defensive attention despite shooting 35% from 3 this season and 32.1% in Round 1.

Off whom can Cleveland help when Boston breaks into the paint? And on whom can Cleveland count to make 3-pointers when Boston inevitably sags off the Cavs' less reliable shooters? Fans rejoiced when Evan Mobley made two 3-pointers during Game 1 against Orlando, but Mobley finished the series 3-of-11 (27.2%) on 3s, and he attempted 0 over the final four games of that series. Isaac Okoro can make life harder on Tatum and/or Brown, but only if he takes and makes enough 3-pointers to keep Boston's defense honest. Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla will not hesitate to leave Okoro open, so Okoro can't hesitate when the ball finds him, because Cleveland can't play him heavy minutes if he only shoots 23.5% from 3-point range, as he did in Round 1.

Of course, the Cavs can plug in better shooters like Caris LeVert, Sam Merrill, Marcus Morris Sr. and (theoretically) Georges Niang, but all four spacing options sacrifice defense to a degree that makes rotation decisions complicated for coach J.B. Bickerstaff. Injured forward Dean Wade, who hasn't played since March 8, could be the solution that checks both boxes (shooting and defense). But can the Cavs really count on Wade, whose status also remains unclear, to be playoff prepared after such a long layoff? And if not, can Bickerstaff thread the thin needle between shooting and defense on his roster?

Mazzulla faces fewer such questions. From Tatum to Brown, and from Jrue Holiday to Derrick White, Boston has enough two-way players to switch assignments on defense without stressing and to exert maximum stress when it has the ball. The Celtics have the best record in basketball, the best point differential in years and the most playoff experience of any remaining eastern conference playoff team.

Now compare that experience to Cleveland's still-learning young core. Compare Boston's record to a Cavs team that hasn't won three straight games since early February. Compare a top-three playoff offense to the second worst, and you see why Mitchell could see this column coming.

Naturally, he sees it differently. He sees the young Cavs growing up this postseason, to the point where they can compete with the Celtics (if not beat them). I remain skeptical of Cleveland's chances, but I can't discount Mitchell's take.

After all, he already predicted mine. Maybe he knows something else that media doesn't (but thinks it does).

"I feel like there's a rep about us or whatever," Mitchell said Sunday. "We're inconsistent or whatever. At the end of the day, we're gonna be solid. We're gonna do our job. Obviously, it's not (always) going to be pretty. I've said this all year. This is part of a growth process, to see us grow up in a series.

"...For us. we're a team that can hang with the best and be one of the best. I firmly believe that. So y'all can make the takes y'all wanna make about who we are, but we know who we are. We are team that is a contender."

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