ORL Vs. BOS Vs. Cle - Analysis of the remaining schedule!

[klemen4]

I made analysis what is ahead of the top 3 teams in East:


Home Vs. away games

ORL 24:19
BOS 18:21
CLE 21:22
(LAL 17:25)

Now lets look the quality of the oponent teams.That is why I will devide teams in 2 groups:

- Good teams: Top 9 Western teams + top 8 Eastern teams(Bos,Orl,Cle,Atl,Det,Mia,Phi,Mil)
- Avarage teams: Other 13 teams


Home games against avarage teams Vs. good teams

ORL 13:11
BOS 9:9
CLE 8:13
(LAL 8:9)

Away game against avarage teams Vs. good teams

ORL 9:11
BOS 5:16 *!!!
CLE 10:12
(LAL 13:12)

Away games Vs. top 9 Western teams:

ORL 2 (NOH, HOU)
BOS 6 (NOH, DAL, UTA, PHO, DEN, SAS)
CLE 5 (POR, UTA, HOU, SAS, PHO)



Looking the schedule Orlando is the favorite to finish first:
- They have the fewest away games(19)
- They have a majority of home games against average teams(13:11)
- They have the fewest away games against good teams(11)
- They have the fewest away games against top 9 Eastern teams(2)


Uff...after making this analysis Im worried about us defending nb.1 spot in East. Loking at those 16 away games against good teams, not good.

Your opinion?

----------------------
* Now I also added LAL schedule just to have a look at what is comparison between the best of East Vs. the best of West regarding final record and potential home court advantage in NBA 09 Finals.

[Kefa461]

They play the games on the court not on paper......

[BillessuR6]

Interesting analysis.

We definitely have some tough games remaining but I like to take one game at a time. Whatever our record will be at the end I am more worried about how our roster will look at that time. If we manage to add 2-3 veteran players I believe we can beat anybody anywhere.

[CeltsfanSinceBirth]

Nice post!

Based on the schedule, the Cs could very well be a #3 seed in the East even after winning 60 games. The Cs can't rely on getting HCA anymore. It would be nice to have, but it doesn't look like the schedule won't work in our favor. This team learned how to win road games in the playoffs on the fly last year. Hopefully they'll be better prepared this year.

[Mahoney_jr]

Only thing that favours us is that we have less games to play overall than the other contenders.

[tombattor]

Good analysis. I think on paper, it seems like we're destined for #3 seed. However, I think we'll do better than that. Maybe I'm being a homer, but I think the Celtics have a team that can beat any team on any given day, which means, even if we have a stretch of tough games, we can potentially win all or majority of them. But then, I guess you can say the same about the Cavs or the Magic...

[sully00]

I still think in the end the fact that ORL and CLE have 4 more and LAL has 3 more games to play is going to weigh heavy.

The "good teams" thing is a little overrated, NJ is percentage points ahead of MIL and we saw their act this weekend. Of the 6 teams over .500 in the East 3 of those teams are in the Southeast division.

The Celts only have one remaining game on the West Coast against the Clippers. Over the last 21 games Boston only plays on the road against the Western Conference twice once against the Spurs and the Grizzlies.

I think the head to head between the 3 teams will play as much into this as the schedule itself.

[Kefa461]

Good analysis. I think on paper, it seems like we're destined for #3 seed. However, I think we'll do better than that. Maybe I'm being a homer, but I think the Celtics have a team that can beat any team on any given day, which means, even if we have a stretch of tough games, we can potentially win all or majority of them. But then, I guess you can say the same about the Cavs or the Magic...

The difference Tom is this.....the C's are a proven lot....they have done it. The others have not.

[tombattor]

Good analysis. I think on paper, it seems like we're destined for #3 seed. However, I think we'll do better than that. Maybe I'm being a homer, but I think the Celtics have a team that can beat any team on any given day, which means, even if we have a stretch of tough games, we can potentially win all or majority of them. But then, I guess you can say the same about the Cavs or the Magic...

The difference Tom is this.....the C's are a proven lot....they have done it. The others have not.

I think you nailed it on the head. That's pretty much the reason why I'm still feeling pretty confident.

[campybatman]

These are all good points below. Whether or not the Celtics can make the best of it and have it end with them clinching the top seed in the eastern conference remains to be seen. Still, the differences in the second half of the schedule can only help Boston you would think. The truly good teams tends to do well I think when they've challenges to keep them motivated or sharp. Boston should see their fall from atop the eastern conference standing as another challenge they firmly as a team believe they can overcome and recapture. Even if they don't... You've to believe that you can no matter what. Anything can happen down the stretch.

I feel like Cleveland's dominance at home is enough reason to push themselves that much harder to secure the conference's best record. Again, if it doesn't happen and the Cavaliers or Magic succeed in clinching the top seed. Then at least as a Boston fan you know that Boston is battle tested and I believe that last season's playoff run with all the losses on the road prepared them for what obstacles they could face in this season's playoff match ups. In other words, they [Boston] know what to expect and can expect from new and familiar opponents. And that's a fight. Take nothing for granted. Underestimate no one. But, as I'd written before... Boston needs to go into the playoffs believing not that they've a target on their backs but view all the eastern conference teams that make the playoffs as their target. We'll take the fight to you and not the other way around.

Boston has played four more games than the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Celtics think the schedule could work in their favor as they try to hold off the team that is most likely to challenge them for the best record in the Eastern Conference.

"It'll help us big," said Rivers. "It was just a tough beginning for us. We had a lot of games squeezed into a short period of time."

There will be 10 times in the second half of the season when Boston has at least two straight days off. That includes a six-day layoff over the all-star break. In the past, the Celtics often have had to practice on the Monday after the break and then play Tuesday. But this season they don't play until the Thursday after the break, when they are at Utah in the first game of a four-game Western trip.

Rivers hopes to be able to practice and give his players some valuable rest on the off days in the second half.

"For me, it'll be great if we can rest," he said. "But more importantly, we get practice time the rest of this year. There's a stretch in February where it's tough. Other than that, we actually get to practice the rest of the season and that'll make us a much better basketball team."

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/bucks/37739889.html

Now they get to do it all over again, but there’s one huge difference. This time, they’ve got 13 weeks (91 days) to get in 41 games, and that spells one thing: rest. OK, two things: rest and practice time.

“It’ll help us big,” said Celts coach Doc Rivers after his team’s 56.4 percent shooting performance. “We’ve played 41 games tonight and the Cavs have played, what? 36? 37? It was just a tough beginning for us. We had a lot of games squeezed into a short time.”

That’s the truth. No team in the NBA has played more games, and only the Milwaukee Bucks have played as many.

The Celts feel that the lack of time together cost them during the recent four-game losing streak, amidst a stretch of seven losses in nine games.

Still, while the Celtics have slipped from their perch at the top of the league, it’s not as if they’ve suddenly taken a nosedive.

“Well, I never thought we were in the woods or out of the woods, really,” Rivers said of the current three-game winning streak. “The point I was making before we lost, and went in the stretch, I didn’t think we were as good as we were playing, and when we were losing we weren’t that bad. We really don’t pay a lot of attention. All we want to do is keep trending in the better direction. And I thought during that stretch we were just kind of staying in the same spot.

http://www.patriotledger.com/sports/pro ... -so-hectic

[sully00]

I also think that the fact that CLE relies on LeBron offensively and ORL Howard defensively and they have been so good in the first half that even a slump by those players never mind an injury will likely allow the losses to build.

[celticfan42487]

We'll it will be intresting to see where we'll end up.

Had to know lossing what.. 5 games to horrrrrrrible teams was going to come back and bite us in the ass.

LeBron's been taken advantage of crappy teams. So he'll use that schedual as much he can.. although hopefully Big Z is out a long time. if that's the case with West he may have a harder time winning against the good teams.

D-12 I don't really see any reason why he or ORL should slow down. I'm not even going to consider that Hedo gets accustomed to this year and actually starts shooting well. Along with the favorable schedual... it would seem they are the favorites to win HCA. If they do I hope DET get's eight seed and somehow "magically" beats them.

[MaxwellSmart]

Just like the 80's....When the C's had to battle against Philly/Detroit/Hawks/Bucks/Bulls just to get to the finals----while the Lakers waltzed their way to the finals playing basically Nobody....."Team of the 80's" my butt.

[shackles10]

Very good analysis, but to know how it really will affect the team you'd have to look and see how those games are spread out. Are the Celtics games against tough teams in a row, with little rest, and for something we can't predict yet are we going to have injuries or will the team we're facing have injuries? I think the fact that CLE has 4 games (5 after tonight) and ORL 3 games to make up to be at our pace over the next 40 or so will have just as much of a toll if not more compared to who each of us actually plays. I think it will especially hurt CLE since they have more road games left. For every 9 games we play they'll play 10, and that's gonna be true for the next few months.

Besides, why is nobody talking about how CLE is 5-4 in their lats 9 games, but when we were 5-4 the sky was falling? Unless they go on a 4 game winning streak to beat GSW (should be easy) on the road with UTAH (always tough in UTAH especially on a back to back) the next night, then SAC (should be easy) at home, with ORL on the road to follow, they are on the exact same pace as us despite them supposedly being so much better than us after our 2-9 streak.

[CelticFaninLBC]

I think Orlando's going to hit the wall and cool off some just like Boston hit the wall a few weeks ago... I'm more concerened with the more experience teams like LA and Cleveland. Homecourts going to be a nailbiter.

[MyInsatiableOne]

They play the games on the court not on paper......

Agreed...Orlando's inexperience and Cleveland's lack of tough schedule thus far could be their undoing...

[sully00]

I think Orlando's going to hit the wall and cool off some just like Boston hit the wall a few weeks ago... I'm more concerened with the more experience teams like LA and Cleveland. Homecourts going to be a nailbiter.

The question is whether that was a bigger win or a bigger loss last night. Everything was in ORL favor last night and the holes in their undies were all exposed.

They live and die by the three, they can't match up with Pierce (no Pietrus will not change that), Howard is not dynamic enough, at least yet, to elevate his game, and as much as I admire the little bugger Nelson's size is a problem against Rondo, as he could not do anything until Rondo got in foul trouble.

While their defensive numbers are improved I still think they are a bit of a fraud. Their defense is built off the made 3 and not giving up second chance points, not getting stops. What I mean is teams want to match a made 3 or failing that look to score quickly to answer so it leads to quick, bad shots. The Magic not only have Howard on the glass but are long on the perimeter as well so they don't give up many offensive rebounds. But their defense is swiss cheese at 16-18 ft were Howard is powerless and they lack the foot speed to challenge wing players. On top of that if you can get Howard one on one on the blocks he is just like every other young big in the game. Add to that Nelson's lack of size on the ball and as long as you are careful you can find a match up to go to.

It is funny to say about a team with that kind of size but it is stop the 3's and stop the Magic.

[CelticFaninLBC]

I think Orlando's going to hit the wall and cool off some just like Boston hit the wall a few weeks ago... I'm more concerened with the more experience teams like LA and Cleveland. Homecourts going to be a nailbiter.

The question is whether that was a bigger win or a bigger loss last night. Everything was in ORL favor last night and the holes in their undies were all exposed.

They live and die by the three, they can't match up with Pierce (no Pietrus will not change that), Howard is not dynamic enough, at least yet, to elevate his game, and as much as I admire the little bugger Nelson's size is a problem against Rondo, as he could not do anything until Rondo got in foul trouble.

While their defensive numbers are improved I still think they are a bit of a fraud. Their defense is built off the made 3 and not giving up second chance points, not getting stops. What I mean is teams want to match a made 3 or failing that look to score quickly to answer so it leads to quick, bad shots. The Magic not only have Howard on the glass but are long on the perimeter as well so they don't give up many offensive rebounds. But their defense is swiss cheese at 16-18 ft were Howard is powerless and they lack the foot speed to challenge wing players. On top of that if you can get Howard one on one on the blocks he is just like every other young big in the game. Add to that Nelson's lack of size on the ball and as long as you are careful you can find a match up to go to.

It is funny to say about a team with that kind of size but it is stop the 3's and stop the Magic.

It's a bigger loss. This one will hurt their confidence. Orlando reminds me of New Orleans. They have one superstar and some good role players around the star..

[Triple M]

There will be 10 times in the second half of the season when Boston has at least two straight days off. That includes a six-day layoff over the all-star break. In the past, the Celtics often have had to practice on the Monday after the break and then play Tuesday. But this season they don't play until the Thursday after the break, when they are at Utah in the first game of a four-game Western trip.

Rivers hopes to be able to practice and give his players some valuable rest on the off days in the second half.

"For me, it'll be great if we can rest," he said. "But more importantly, we get practice time the rest of this year. There's a stretch in February where it's tough. Other than that, we actually get to practice the rest of the season and that'll make us a much better basketball team."

I think that bodes well for us just look at rondo's #'s with 2 days off.

14.9ppg 9.0apg 6.7rpg 1.6spg .557fg% in 31mpg

[tombattor]

The question is whether that was a bigger win or a bigger loss last night. Everything was in ORL favor last night and the holes in their undies were all exposed.

They live and die by the three, they can't match up with Pierce (no Pietrus will not change that), Howard is not dynamic enough, at least yet, to elevate his game, and as much as I admire the little bugger Nelson's size is a problem against Rondo, as he could not do anything until Rondo got in foul trouble.

While their defensive numbers are improved I still think they are a bit of a fraud. Their defense is built off the made 3 and not giving up second chance points, not getting stops. What I mean is teams want to match a made 3 or failing that look to score quickly to answer so it leads to quick, bad shots. The Magic not only have Howard on the glass but are long on the perimeter as well so they don't give up many offensive rebounds. But their defense is swiss cheese at 16-18 ft were Howard is powerless and they lack the foot speed to challenge wing players. On top of that if you can get Howard one on one on the blocks he is just like every other young big in the game. Add to that Nelson's lack of size on the ball and as long as you are careful you can find a match up to go to.

It is funny to say about a team with that kind of size but it is stop the 3's and stop the Magic.

I don't know if I'd go as far as to call them a fraud, but I do think the Cavs and the Celtics can and will beat them in a 7-game series.