Celtics-Cavs: Its on!

When the Celtics closed out the Dwayne Wade and the Miami Heat last Sunday, there was only one thought that crossed my mind: Bring on LeBron. And I got my wish when a few hours later the Cavaliers took care of business and finished their series with the Bulls (and that ridiculous and annoying Joakim Noah. God I hate that guy). That gave us the second round matchup that many Celtics fans feared getting when the C's were shuffling down the stretch. Cleveland, the NBA's best team in the regular season, versus the 2008 champion Boston Celtics, an aging contender looking to make a last run at the title. The Big Three (featuring Rajon Rondo) taking on all-world talent and two time MVP LeBron James. So in preparation to what should be a great series, I've decided to break it down blow by blow, position by position. Here we go:


POINT GUARD: RAJON RONDO VS. MO WILLIAMS
Okay, anyone who knows me knows that I am going to be extremely biased here. Rondo is my favorite player on the Celtics and my second favorite player in the league (trailing only the incomparable Tim Duncan). Don't get me wrong, I think Mo Williams is a good player and is the perfect match for the drive and dish game of LeBron. Williams is a very good three point shooter and had a great series against the Bulls. Both Rondo and Williams are All-Star caliber players. But I can't emphasize enough how much Rajon Rondo has done for the 2010 Boston Celtics. He's been the one constant in a season filled with inconsistencies. He's run the show night in and night out, and might just have been the most valuable player for Boston this year (for the record, Rasheed was the least valuable player. But you probably knew that anyway). I'm taking Rondo in this matchup, and you can't convince me otherwise.

EDGE: Celtics

SHOOTING GUARD: RAY ALLEN VS. ANTHONY PARKER
Okay, I understand on paper this looks like a mismatch, and honestly, it is. Ray Allen had an excellent second half, and should be hot coming off a series against Miami where he couldn't miss. Plus he's a Hall of Famer. Anthony Parker is a role player. He's a good perimeter defender, he hits open threes, he's tailor-made to play on Cleveland. However, he's no Ray Allen. If Shuttlesworth shoots like he did against the Heat, then the Celtics have a VERY good shot at stealing this series and the ring right off of LeBron's finger.

EDGE: Celtics

SMALL FORWARD: PAUL PIERCE VS. LEBRON JAMES
It was nice to see Pierce got to drink from the fountain of youth. For the first time in a while, he looked healthy and was taking the ball to the hole with the enthusiasm that we've grown used to seeing. If this was any other matchup, I'd think long and hard about giving the Celtics the edge here. Unfortunately, LeBron is the best player in the NBA. I know, he's got issues with his elbow, and I know, Pierce out dueled LeBron before, but things are different this year. James is on a mission. He's been putting up arcade stats all year, plus he's coming off a series where he averaged 39-10-9 in games 2, 3, and 4. He's been so good this year that my buddy Pat Davis (who is also known as the Panda), a known Kobe lover, has finally agreed with me that James has surpassed Bryant. Regardless, this is a great matchup and hopefully its at the level of the 2008 Eastern Conference Semis. But I gotta go with LeBron here, simply because he's the best in the league.

EDGE: Cavs

POWER FORWARD: KEVIN GARNETT VS. ANTAWN JAMISON
I'm going to sound crazy here, but I'm taking Jamison. I know, I'm just as surprised as you are. No, I haven't lost my mind. Listen. KG hasn't really been KG since his knee injury last season. Sure, he's shown flashes, and that's all fine and good, but don't be fooled. He can't do it for an entire game. Not anymore. I'm hoping that he can turn back the clock and give us some vintage Garnett performances, but I just don't know. Meanwhile Jamison has been the best deadline acquisition this year. He's a perfect fit for the Cavs as he can stretch the floor with shooting and is also a talented post player. He gives Cleveland the versatility that they lacked last year. And I still can't figure out how he gets the ball in the basket with that crazy scoop/floater/layup thing that he lofts over defenders with ease. Any time you have a player who does things you never seen before you have to take him, right? Right? I'm really trying to talk myself into this one.

SLIGHT EDGE: Cavs

CENTER: KENDRICK PERKINS VS. SHAQUILLE O'NEAL
Perk's going to have his hands full in this series. No more picking on Jermaine O'Neal's corpse. Although, it's not like he's facing Shaq circa 1999-2002. This version of O'Neal isn't going to crush anyone for 35 minutes a game. Current Shaq goes in the game for 20-22 minutes, tries to get the opposing team's big men in foul trouble, and hopes to pick up about 12 points and 7 or so rebounds in the process. Not to mention that Perkins is probably one a handful of players strong enough to muscle up with the likes of Shaq and Dwight Howard. And O'Neal was thoroughly outplayed by Joakim Noah (I feel sick just mentioning his name) for the last four games of the Cavs-Bulls series...

EDGE: Even

CELTICS BENCH VS. CAVALIERS BENCH
Fortunately for the Celtics, Glen Davis has decided to show up for the playoffs. Which is good, because it's saved me and countless other Celtic fans from having to watch that lazy thief Rasheed Wallace lumber up and down the court. Unfortunately for the Celtics, because Sheed has packed it in and Marquis Daniels and Nate Robinson are useless (what a shocker), they're pretty much stuck with a bench rotation that consists of Davis, Tony Allen (my least favorite Celtic pre-Sheed) whatever minutes Wallace gives them, and 37 year old Michael Finley. Oh boy. On the other side, the Cavs have a diverse unit that has hustlers like Anderson Varejao, J.J. Hickson, and Jamario Moon (if Moon hits his threes like he did against the Bulls then the Cavs become very dangerous); a good perimeter scorer in "Craziest NBA Player" Finalist Delonte West, and the one of the better shooting centers of all time in Zydrunas Ilgauskas. This is a mismatch.

EDGE: Cavs (and it's not even close)

COACHING: DOC RIVERS VS. MIKE BROWN
I'll keep it short and sweet. Doc has a ring. Brown does not. Doc, while he may not be a great coach, certainly hasn't destroyed a good team. Brown is lucky he has LeBron bailing him out. Doc is a good coach. Brown is not.

EDGE: Celtics.

BOTTOM LINE
I was impressed with the Celtics in round one. They finally started playing championship defense, and showed some heart for the first time all year. If they can keep it up, they have a real shot at this thing. However, I can't help but think that this is finally LeBron's year. I hope I'm wrong, but the Cavs are just too deep, too motivated, and the Celtics will have to play an almost perfect series to beat Cleveland. And from what I've seen this year, I'm not so sure that's going to happen. Boston will need some big performances from its stars if they want to win this series.

VERDICT: Cavs in 7, but I really hope I'm wrong on this one.

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Celtics Turn Up The Heat

Its April vacation this week, and there's nothing going on. You know what that means? I think the time is right for my first ever Simmons-style running diary. And what better topic area could I write about than the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat facing off in Game 2 of their first round series? Here goes nothing!

8:06 p.m. We're coming to you live from the Boston Sports Fan's basement! The Celtics and Heat are just about to get things underway. Glen Davis is in the starting lineup for the suspended Kevin Garnett, which is certainly better than seeing that out of shape slob Sheed in there. I still can't believe KG threw that elbow. He's got to be smarter than that. It better not cost the C's game 2.

8:08 Pierce pulls up and hits a three for the first basket of the game. I have a feeling he's in for a big game tonight after Quentin Richardson's comments about how Pierce is an "actress" (which were pretty accurate, but that's neither here nor there).

8:10 RONDO PULLS UP FOR A THREE AT THE SHOT CLOCK BUZZER AND NAILS IT! I LOVE THIS GUY! WHY AM I TYPING IN ALL CAPS ALREADY?

8:13 Rondo hits Perk with a beautiful fast break lob pass for an easy layup. I dare you to find a better point guard on the break not named Steve Nash than Rondo. Go on. I dare you. Timeout Miami, as Boston has jumped out to an 11-4 lead.

8:17 Jermaine O'Neal's corpse has swatted Glen Davis 4 times already. Fantastic. If the Celts lose tonight, I'm blaming Garnett.

8:23 Sheed comes in and immediately bricks an 18 footer, quite possibly the most predictable outcome to a shot of these playoffs. Then Miami takes the long rebound and turns it into a fast break 3 by Richardson. I swear, whenever Wallace comes into the game whatever lead the Celtics have evaporates within 2 minutes. Every time.

8:29 Pierce with an awkward running jump hook thing for two. He has 7 points here early. Then down on the other end after a Miami basket Rasheed is called for a technical. I hate this guy. Why is he still allowed to play? Why couldn't the Celtics have signed Jamal Crawford or Anthony Parker? And to think we still have to watch two more seasons of this. I feel sick. 23-20 Celtics.

8:33 The first quarter ends with the score tied at 23. Wade quietly has put up 8 points. Early trends: The Celtics are looking a little lethargic on their rotations, as Richardson and Chalmers have been left wide open on multiple occasions; Ray Allen needs to shoot; Jermaine O'Neal must have taken caffeine pills before the game because he's all over the place with 5 blocks. And Sheed continues to be useless.

8:38 Sheed posts up and scores. Why he insists on ignoring his killer post game and just sits at the three point line clanking threes off the back of the rim remains a mystery to me.

8:46 Ray takes his first shot of the game...and swishes a three. The Celtics need to get him more involved here, unless they want Pierce and Rondo carrying the offense tonight. I'm not so sure I want that. Celtics lead 31-29.

8:52 Miami turns the ball over for the 3rd straight possession, and they haven't scored in the last four minutes of game time. Baby Davis lays it up and in (he seems to have recovered from
Jermaine O'Neal repeatedly smacking the ball back at his face earlier) Celtics lead by 6.

8:54 Davis swishes a little jumper and its a 12-0 Boston run! Clark Kellogg just called him the "Ticket Stub". I like the sound of that. Then after a missed shot by Wade, Ray Allen nets another 3. The lead is now 11. It's becoming more and more obvious that nobody on the Heat can score other than Wade.

8:59 Shuttlesworth cuts to the rim, blows by Chalmers (who I've decided has to be one of the worst starting point guards in the league) and lays it in for an easy 2. Its a 19-0 run for Boston, and a shell shocked Eric Spoelstra calls a timeout. The Ticket Stub has 10 points and 6 rebounds and finally looks like the Glen Davis from the second half of last year.

9:04 Miami is 12/37 from the field so far in the first half, make it 13/37 as Michael Beasley drains a jumper to end the 21-0 run. The Celtics are in the drivers seat now as they lead 46-31. Although, the way that the Celtics have held onto leads this year means that this game is far from over.

9:08 Wade bricks a three, he's 5/9 for 10 points, but really hasn't been that effective. The Celtics are throwing the kitchen sink at him, and it's working. I mean, c'mon, would you be scared of Wade kicking it out to the likes of Mario Chalmers or Carlos Arroyo? I didn't think so. And that's why D-Wade is leaving after this year unless Miami brings in someone else.

9:10 The teams head into the locker room with Boston leading 49-33. Glen "The Ticket Stub" Davis leads all scorers with 14 points. Davis has also added 6 boards. Meanwhile Rasheed Wallace has been in the game for 7 minutes. His +/- is -11. NEGATIVE FREAKING ELEVEN! And the Celtics have a 16 point lead! He's so sensationally bad I'm speechless. Also, the Celtics out rebounded Miami 29-15. I don't think I realized how bad the Heat were until this game. With the exception of Wade, the rest of the team is shooting 9/32 (23%). Right now Bulls and Knicks fans are salivating. There's no way that Wade stays in Miami after the season. Also, whatever Jermaine O'Neal took before the game must have worn off. He's 1/8 from the field and has gone back to being a zombie with shot knees.

9:27 Quick side note: Charles Barkley might just be the funniest man alive.

9:32 And we're underway here in the second half. Clark Kellogg just said that Dwayne Wade's 9 shot attempts were not enough. And while I agree with him, it's not Wade's fault that nobody on the team can hit uncontested jumpers.

9:36 Davis is fouled on a transition layup. He's 9-10 from the line tonight. I don't think I can emphasize enough how great he's been (and how awful Rasheed has been)

9:39 And now Davis drains a 20 footer. Big Baby has 17 points. Kevin Garnett who? Timeout Miami, with the score 56-37.

9:41 I absolutely love those NBA Playoffs commercials where they play little sound clips from press conferences to a beat (that's my focus focus focus). Pretty awesome stuff.

9:44 Ray Allen drains back to back treyballs, and it's 62-37! Another timeout by Miami! Allen has 16 points on 6-8 shooting. The Celtics' championship defense looks like it's back, although I can't decide whether the C's are playing that good defense or if Miami just sucks. Probably a combination of both.

9:51 Boston is on a 18-0 run, and they now lead by 32. I still cant believe how well Glen Davis is playing (he's posting a 21 point and 7 'bound night). Ray Ray has picked up the slack and is 5/6 from downtown with 19 points.

9:54 Make that 6/7.

9:58 Wade hits a three to give him 18 points on the night. He's the only Heat player in double figures. Hear that? That's the sound of Wade selling his house in Miami after the game.

10:00 I wish I could put a price tag on Erik Spoelstra's face right now, but I can't. There really are some things that money can't buy.

10:02 Allen hits ANOTHER shot from deep. He's 7/8 and I'm pretty sure he's made 6 in a row, but I lost count. I think it's safe to say he's in the discussion for greatest shooter of all time. He has 17 points in the 3rd quarter alone.

10:04 Wade slams home a putback off a rebound to make it 84-59. He's heating up, but it's way too little, way too late. In other news, the Red Sox are losing (again) 6-4 at home to Texas. Apparently they have allowed 8 walks and 9 steals. I will now light myself on fire.

10:10 The buzzer sounds and at the end of three quarters, the Celtics have a 26 point lead. I think it's safe to say that this one's juuuust about wrapped up. Of course, whenever I say things like that I jinx the team, so I'm going to keep my mouth shut until this one's really over. Rondo has only 5 points, but he also has 11 assists and 6 rebounds, and has controlled the tempo of the game.

10:14 Darnell McDonald smokes one over the monster and the Red Sox have tied the game at 6! Now I have just one question. Who the hell is Darnell McDonald?

10:17 RONDO FOR THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He has 8 points now. No, I don't know why I'm so excited.

10:21 TNT is showing the Suns-Blazers game (I don't blame them), so I've been forced to switch to ComcastSportsNet. It's Tommy Heinsohn time!

10:23 Erik Spoelstra still looks dazed and confused, like someone just took a crap in a brown paper bag, lit the bag on fire, and left it on his front doorstep.

10:24 Sheed lets a routine pass slip right through his fingers, then Tony Allen stole the pass in transition, then missed a wide open layup. Ladies and gentlemen, my two least favorite Celtics players!

10:27 All the Celtics starters are out now, which means its time for Nate Robinson and Michael Finley to close this one out. Gotta love them NBA blowouts. Celtics lead this one 99-66 with 5:52 left to go.

10:30 Surprising stat of the night: Kendrick Perkins has a game high +/- rating of +43. That's a pretty impressive number. (In case you were wondering, plus/minus is my favorite non-traditional basketball stat). Also, the Celtics have out rebounded Miami 46-24.

10:32 SHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED........misses the three (his +/- is still -11). Beasley hits a three to join Chalmers and Wade as the only Heat players in double figures. Wade has more points (29) than Chalmers and Beasley combined.

10:41 The final horn sounds, with the final score being Celtics 106, Heat 77. Apparently Boston heard my mini-rant at the end of the first quarter, as they closed out on the shooters (Miami shot only 38 %) and Ray Allen shot the ball, and shot it well (25 points on 9/13 shooting, including 7/9 from beyond the arc). Glen Davis filled in nicely for KG, providing 23 points and 8 rebounds, as well as countless high energy plays.

So what does this dominating win mean for the Celtics? Nothing, other than giving them a 2-0 series lead and some confidence heading to Miami. That being said, I wouldn't be surprised if the Celtics come out flat in Game 3. Then again, I wouldn't be surprised if they won handily in Game 3. I honestly couldn't tell you anything about what's going to happen in the next game (other than Rasheed Wallace will suck, you can be sure of that one). This season has just been too unpredictable. But one thing is for sure: If the Celtics can bring this kind of defensive intensity and energy like they have in the first two games in this series to the rest of the postseason, then they they can beat anyone this year. Even Cleveland.


(Oh and the Red Sox won 7-6 on a walk-off hit by that Darnell McDonald guy. Things are looking up.)