Cavaliers have some excellent players, but also enough flaws that the Celtics should be able to exploit and prevail - The Boston Globe

That doesn't mean he won't demand the attention of the Celtics defense. The Cavaliers finished 20th in the NBA in scoring offense and 12th in field goal percentage. Mitchell is one of the game's premier scorers because of his ability to score despite contact and his knack for knocking down 3-point shots.

He scored a combined 89 points in Games 6 and 7 against the Magic. At times, he was the Cavaliers offense. Garland can take any defender off the dribble and is crafty around the rim, but the duo is sometimes forced to take on too much of the scoring load.

The health of Allen could be critical in this series, especially with the absence of Kristaps Porzingis, who is expected to miss the series with a calf strain. Allen averaged 17 points and 13.8 rebounds in the first four games against Orlando before the rib issue. With no Allen, the Cavaliers have had to rely on former Celtic Tristan Thompson for spot minutes.

Cleveland also added ex-Celtic Marcus Morris Sr. in the buyout market, a testament to its need for bench production. Coach J.B. Bickerstaff dug deep into his reserves looking for a spark. After going a combined minus-22 in the two losses in Orlando, Niang played just 14 minutes in the final two games of the series after not playing at all in Game 5.

Morris was pulled out of the starting lineup for usual starter Isaac Okoro because of his offensive struggles. Bickerstaff also used sharpshooter Sam Merrill, who played meaningful minutes in the decisive Game 7.

The question for Cleveland is how it plans to guard the Celtics. Okoro is the Cavaliers' best perimeter defender but he's also only 6 feet 5 inches, giving Jayson Tatum a sizable advantage. Mitchell has improved defensively since his Utah days, when he was considered a major liability, but he's going to have to defend either Derrick White or Jrue Holiday.

That's likely going to leave Strus to defend Jaylen Brown. Strus is a decent defender and can get physical but that's a matchup Brown should relish.

The teams met three times in the regular season, with the Celtics winning both in Boston. The Celtics rallied behind Tatum and Brown to edge the Cavaliers without Mobley on Dec. 12 and then withstood 26 points from LeVert to win two nights later.

The March 5 matchup in Cleveland is infamous for the Celtics, who blew a 22-point lead in the final nine minutes and allowed reserve Dean Wade to score 20 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Cavaliers to a 105-104 win. Wade has missed the postseason with a knee injury and his status for the Boston series is uncertain. Mitchell did not play in that final matchup, and the blown lead was considered one of the Celtics' most disheartening losses of the season.

The Cavaliers actually won 17 of 18 games in a five-week stretch beginning in early January, but they also finished the season 13-18 and lost Games 3 and 4 in Orlando by a combined 61 points. In the fourth quarter of Game 6, Mitchell scored all of Cleveland's 18 points in the 103-96 loss.

The Celtics are facing a formidable opponent but one that is flawed. Mitchell hasn't committed to staying in Cleveland, and Bickerstaff likely saved his job with that series win against Orlando. Boston will enter Tuesday's Game 1 with five days off after disposing of the Heat, so it will be rested.

But the Celtics will have to be ready for the onslaught of Mitchell, the size of Allen and Mobley, and the streakiness of LeVert. Cleveland has the potential to win a game or two in this series, but the Celtics, if they play focused and with efficiency, should prevail.

Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at gary.washburn@globe.com. Follow him @GwashburnGlobe.