The set-up: The Boston Celtics didn't just defeat the Cavs in Game 1 and 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, they served up a pair of beatdowns. Boston won Game 1 by 25 points and then, after falling behind 55-48 at the half of Game, outscored Cleveland 59-39 in the second-half in a 13-point win. The Cavs 'limped' back home for Game 3, wondering just what had 'hit them' and would LBJ be able to get enough "help from his friends" with teh change of venue. For all the excitement the Celtics have provided as the overachievers in this year's NBA playoffs, Boston has struggled away from TD Garden. That was teh case ion Game 3, as Cleveland raced to a 20-4 lead and never looked back in a 116-86 victory against a Boston team that shot 39.2 percent from the floor and made just six three-pointers, its lowest total this postseason.

Boston: "The toughest team sets the rules," Boston PG Terry Rozier told reporters. "They came out aggressive from the jump and never looked back. We've got to play aggressive from the tip. Tonight, we were all over the place, playing too fast and doing things we didn't want to do." Boston is now just 1-5 on the road in the playoffs but it knows that a victory would've been elusive no matter where Game 3 was played. "If we would have played like that in Boston, we would have gotten beat," head coach Brad Stevens told reporters after his team also tied a playoff low with 16 assists while getting out-rebounded 45-34. Jaylen Brown is averaging 11.3 points on 42.3 percent shooting in the past three road games, compared to 23.3 on 59.6 percent in the past three at home. He was limited to 10 points with one assist and three turnovers in Game 3. The Cavs put LBJ on Brown for Game 3 and Brown didn't even score until there was 8:20 left in the second quarter. The Cavs also gave Al Horford little room to move (he had just seven points, while taking only four shots!) and it stifled the Celtics' offense. Boston coach Brad Stevens said the Celtics would have to consider lineup changes "because of the way (Cleveland is) playing." Tristan Thompson is guarding Horford and Kevin Love is on Morris. The Celtics want to force Love to guard Horford.

Cleveland: it always starts with LeBron James for the Cavs and he scored 27 points on 8-of-12 shooting plus also handed out 12 assists in a dominant all-around effort that got his team back in the series. Starting guards George Hill and J.R. Smith combined to make six three-pointers and score 24 points Saturday, after they put up a pair of clunkers in Boston, while reserve sharpshooter Kyle Korver made all five of his shot attempts, en route to 14 points in 20 minutes. Another complementary player stepped up on the defensive end as center Tristan Thompson stifled Celtics big man Al Horford (see above). Reserve PF Larry Nance Jr. had eight points on 4-of-4 shooting to go along with six rebounds, three assists and three steals in Game 3, after a pair of scoreless outings in Boston. In the end, Cleveland had a 2018 playoffs-high six players score in double figures and connected on 17 threes.

The pick: Yes, the Celtics have been bad on the road all postseason (see above) but never in these playoffs had they been clobbered quite like the clobbering the Cavs laid upon them.Are we headed back to Boston tied at one game apiece? Not so fast. Let's not forget that Cleveland's Game 3 win was just the Cavs' second ATS win at home, in seven tries this postseason. On the season, the Cavs are a woeful 15-32-1 ATS, which leaves them at 31.9% ATS. Take the points and make Boston a 10* play.