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BOSTON — Heading into Wednesday night’s complete ruination of the Boston Celtics, FiveThirtyEight gave the Cleveland Cavaliers a two percent chance to win their second-straight championship. Ahead of them, with higher odds, sat five teams, including Boston. And aside from the fact that LeBron James, the best player alive, has cracked the past six NBA Finals, it was a justifiable read.
Cleveland’s defense has looked like a defected sifter since the All-Star break, allowing 111.8 points per 100 possessions (28th in the league, per NBA.