Am I the only one who thinks we will beat Cle in playoffs

[Athanacropolis]

I think we do, because I'm a homer. Realistically, though, if I were a betting man, the only thing I'd bet on is that a Boston/Cleveland series this year is going to go 7 games, and not on the outcome. Unless I were independently wealthy; then I'd put money on the Celtics

[GuyClinch]

The issue with the C's isn't just the injuries its the loss of rythm and chemistry from them. I think last year was a great example of how teams with "units" can play greater then sum of there parts.

When guys are out for extended times that "knowing where you are on the court" at all times and seemingly "instinctively" makign the right play fades. Guys like House, T Allen, Powe and others can play better then you think they should when this happens.

This is why guys like Marbury were all over Eddie House last year. By himself House isn't very good but as part of a functioning unit they can destroy far more talented players. My fear is THIS is what we might have trouble getting back.

Not only do we need guys healthy but Doc needs to settle on some nice rotations and start working them so that those playeres start to mesh with eachother. We have seen over and over how injured players even when they come back can take far too long to get back into the flow.

This is what bugs me about the injuries. It forces Doc into those ridiculous lineups that we woudl never want to see in a real game. This doesn't really help the team build but can be counterproductive.

[humblebum]

I haven't really gotten a chance to see any of your match ups this season, so I have no idea how the C's are defending LeBron. I remember the C's clogged the paint on Kobe in the Finals or swung help towards him if he got loose, will that work on LeBron ? I don't know he's much bigger than Kobe so he's going to bull his way to the basket regardless.

Celtic fans I pose this question to you guys.

OK if this match happens ( and it will ), how will the Celtics defend LeBron ?

Well for starters Pierce has proven to be a very, very solid defender of Lebron 1 on 1. Pierce is obviously very strong with good length and he's disciplined. He basically just keeps Lebron between his knees and makes him work for everything. Now clearly the Celtics will use a similar "zone and recover" scheme as the one they used on Kobe in the finals. And as you remember that scheme is effective in forcing the focus of that scheme (Kobe or Lebron) into contested jumpers, while limiting dunk and layup opportunities.

With Lebron the Celtics top priority, IMO, is to make him get his offense in the halfcourt . To accomplish that they bring three players to Lebron when he's handling the ball in transition. In the past game the Celtics would hustle back on D and force Lebron to pass the ball off or slow up and set the offense. The Celtics will do this even at the expense of giving up semi to fully open looks to the Cavs other shooters.

So overall I think the scheme is very effective in limiting Lebron, but it definitely allows opportunities for Z, Mo, West, Smith etc. to get open looks. The Celtics prioritize frustrating Lebron and putting the pressure on the supporting cast to make shots. Also, I believe that the Celtics believe that by utilizing this strategy they'll be able to control tempo, get stops and get out in THEIR transition offense with Rondo attacking a poor defender in Mo Williams (vs. West who defended Rondo last year and is a much better defender), allowing him to set the table for the Celtics premier scorers. So in a nutshell that's the Celtics strategy vs. the Cavs and IMO it's a good one, the one caveat is that they'll have to execute at a very high level on the road to actually win the series. Hopefully the year of experience for Rondo, Perk, Powe, Davis will help in achieving that level of execution.

[DEEP3CL]

I like that term "zone and recover", yeah it was pretty effective. In my personal opinion I think the battle of the boards will determine this series winner, and whoever can stay the most consistant on D.

[humblebum]

Ya, the boards, physical play, and consistency on D is basically a euphemism (who knows if I'm using that term properly) for Eastern Confernce basketball. That's why I think it's important to note Cleveland's propensity to go small and the changes in their backcourt pairing since last season. The Cavs are smaller and a more guard oriented team this season. The Celtics also are not reliant on small ball lineups with Posey this season which IMO is really important to note as well.

I just think that the Celtics are the more balanced and complete team in this matchup. Lebron would have to shoot REALLY well on contested jumpers to beat the Celtics, either that or they'd need some pretty special performances from Mo, West, Z and Varejao. I just like the Celtics odds when it comes down to it because I don't believe that Lebron's jumper or the supporting cast are going to be special enough to take down the balanced and diverse attack that the Celtics present. Rondo, Ray, Pierce, KG, Powe, Marbury... there are a TON of options for the Celtics on the offensive end. Eventually I think the depth of scoring threats and the consistency in the defense will win out for Boston.