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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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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