If Celtics added Paul George or Jimmy Butler right now, could they beat Cavs in this series?
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This question comes from my buddy Noah Coslov, who hosts programming on Sirius XM’s NBA channel. He asked me Wednesday — yes, even before the LeBron-administered dismantling in Game 1 — if I thought the Celtics would beat the Cavaliers in this series if they could add Jimmy Butler or Paul George to the roster right now.
Considering that I hemmed and hawed before finally saying yes, I suppose that means I didn’t think the Celtics had a chance of winning this thing even before what happened Wednesday night. And I guess that’s true.
The Cavs are superior, we knew it entering the opener, and they went out and proved it with menace anyway in Game 1. I still think the Celtics can steal a game or two. Probably just one. But we’ll be solely focused on next season and the upcoming draft soon while the Cavs and Warriors meet again. It’s OK to admit it.
But, hypothetically … if they had Butler or George now? Different series for sure, and one they’d have decent odds of winning, I’d think. Butler is the conventional 20-something-points-per-game scoring option the Celtics lack in tandem with Isaiah Thomas, and he’d be among the wave of defenders Brad Stevens could rotate onto LeBron. And George gave the Cavs all they could handle in the first round; it was no fault of his that the Pacers were swept.
Don’t take this as anything close to an endorsement of trading the top pick for one of these two guys. I’m against that, at this point. But if they had either on the roster right now? The Celtics would have a real shot in this series, which is something we can’t say right now. Hey, so they’re just a superstar away!
What do you guys think? If the Celtics had George or Butler right now, added to the roster they already have, could they take down the Cavs? Or is LeBron just too much of an unstoppable force at this point. Let me hear ya in the comments.
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