Boston V Orlando

[Orenthal]

Time to get this thread started. Have they tipped off? Those who wish to swear off NBA basketball, like booze during a hangover, can just yell at the screen no need to post. Otherwise I wonder if Boston will dominate Orlando in the same fashion the Cavaliers?

Perkins has been able to defend Dewey in the post as he did Shaq.

KG should be able to shoot over Lewis, who defensively is only somewhat stouter then Jamison. The added height and length will surely help.

Will Nelson be able to check Rondo? Or does Barnes, much better on D then Parker, get this assignment?

Wince gets run around by Allen, but does he make Allen work hard on the other end?

I see Boston in 6 again. They took Orlando to 7 last year w/o KG, and had a 3-2 series lead that forced Orlando to win 2 in a row.

[FUDU]

Orlando in 6, maybe 7.

Look at Nelson's numbers right now and compare them to before he got hurt, and remember how well they were playing at the time. Nelson can be the guy when Howard isn't, at least for long enough spells. Then if Vince Carter remotely shows up?

It will be a slug fest each night IMO.

Gonna be hard to motivate myself to watch it throughout though.

[Orenthal]

Boston looking every bit as good as they did against the team that was built to beat Orlando. Watching the Boston offense makes me wish for a credible offensive gameplan and PG.

[GodHatesClevelandSport]

Hey, look at that! LeBron must not have quit after all.

[Orenthal]

Decent piece by Bob Ryan on the Celtics current state and overview of the season. Kind of just tells us what any rational person can see...

http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/articles/2010/05/16/midseason_form_celtics_in_better_shape/?page=2

[hermanfontenot]

Hey, look at that! LeBron must not have quit after all.

Boston is clearly a better basketball team than they looked in the second half of the season and than I gave them credit for.

With Kendrick Perkins in the middle they match up well with Orlando. They've also accrued a lot of momentum while the Magicians have been cooling their heels.

And yeah, LeBron still quit.

[aoxo1]

Hey, look at that! LeBron must not have quit after all.

Boston being better or equal to the Cavs is not mutually exclusive from LeBron (and the rest of the team following the leader) quitting.

[FUDU]

Hey, look at that! LeBron must not have quit after all.

Boston being better or equal to the Cavs is not mutually exclusive from LeBron (and the rest of the team following the leader) quitting.

Exactly, this is where the disappointment will forever stem from, we will never know and will never be able to say with a straight face, simply b/c of how it all went down.

[waborat]

Hey, look at that! LeBron must not have quit after all.

Boston being better or equal to the Cavs is not mutually exclusive from LeBron (and the rest of the team following the leader) quitting.

Exactly, this is where the disappointment will forever stem from, we will never know and will never be able to say with a straight face, simply b/c of how it all went down.

Although it will help, just a teeny bit, if Boston convincingly beats up on Orlando in this series...

It will also be interesting what the national & local media would say?

Like FUDU has been soap-boxing, then I'd just like to know "The why?" for closure

[British_Pharaoh]

It's not like me to root for a Boston team but this game is making me most happy.

Sick of Cavaliers getting panned for losing to 'Old Boston'

Even the team they rape in the ass can't contain them

[waborat]

Hell of an effort from Nelson on the tip in...

Some day Mo(e) will want to do that

[FUDU]

I'll give Boston their due credit, they are doing what it takes, and taking advantage of every situation presented to them.

However it will not convince me that our Cavaliers couldn't have got it done if LeBron would have been himself.

[davemanddd]

i don't care one iota who wins this series. the nba is dead to me now. this will be my one and only post in this thread and even that is one too many.

[JoJo White]

So if Doc wins a title this year, does that make him a great HC?

Funny to think about, but that would be as many titles as Rudy T and Daly.

[daddywags]

I don't know about that, but this Celtics team is pretty good, isn't it?

[Ziner]

Still not sure they can beat the Lakers, but hell, maybe the Cavs arent as bad as we made them out to be. Maybe we just ran in to a buzz saw on a roll. I am amazed how they have just turned it on.

[JoJo White]

I don't know about that, but this Celtics team is pretty good, isn't it?

Yep, they look physically and mentally tougher than any team in the NBA.

[Ziner]

I don't know about that, but this Celtics team is pretty good, isn't it?

Yep, they look physically and mentally tougher than any team in the NBA.

Assuming it plays out as it appears, Lakers/Celtics looks like it will be another epic finals between the two franchises.

[JoJo White]

Still not sure they can beat the Lakers, but hell, maybe the Cavs arent as bad as we made them out to be. Maybe we just ran in to a buzz saw on a roll. I am amazed how they have just turned it on.

That's why I predicted Celtics in 6 over the Cavs. I was extremely impressed with the way they came out and played vs Miami - they just looked locked in while the Cavs didn't play all that impressively vs Chicago and really haven't looked good since February (spare me the W-L record). Joakim Noah exhibited more passion in the Bulls series loss than any Cav player did during this entire postseason. Combine that with Lebron's elbow (will we ever find out what exactly was wrong with it, if anything?), the fact you knew that the C's would bring it at least defensively, and Mike Brown's general sucktitude as a HC and the Cavs were ripe for the pickings.

[waborat]

Did I see all of the Magic suck except for Dewey last night???

We've already seen this movie before

[fundamentals]

My two cents on what I have seen thus far in games 1 and 2 of the ECF: the Celtics seemingly just want it more. They are playing with more physicality and getting more contributions from their bench players (although JJ Redick has been solid, did I just type that?). Rashard Lewis must be in the FBI witness protection program, haven't seen as of yet and add in that Barnes really looks like the back is bothering him. Orlando is in deep doo doo.

[TouchEmAllTime]

So if Doc wins a title this year, does that make him a great HC?

Funny to think about, but that would be as many titles as Rudy T and Daly.

Rudy T's have asterik's by them though.

[jb]

So if Doc wins a title this year, does that make him a great HC?

Funny to think about, but that would be as many titles as Rudy T and Daly.

Rudy T's have asterik's by them though.

+ 1

[tired]

It's funny how all the talking heads had Boston getting beat by running on them. They are to old. Boston has won the last 7 out of 8 playoff series losing the last one to Orlando in game 7 without Garnet. Got to give em credit.

[hermanfontenot]

I understand poo-pooing Houston's 1994 title w/Jordan being out (and with the Sonics being knocked out in the 1st round by Denver, for that matter) but you can't disrespect that team's run in 1995. Four series wins w/o HC over teams with 60, 59, 62 and 57 wins. Three road wins in elimination games, two in deciding games, seven straight road wins to close out the postseason... that was an epic run.

[GodHatesClevelandSport]

LeBron becoming less and less of a quitter with each game of this series.

[hermanfontenot]

LeBron becoming less and less of a quitter with each game of this series.

I don't know why you keep beating this drum. It doesn't matter how well Boston is playing, LEBRON STILL QUIT. The two things are mutually exclusive.

Actually, Boston's outstanding play helped lead to LeBron's white-flagging it in Game 5. The Chosen One thought they were just going to hand him the series win on a silver platter and when he found out it wasn't going to be easy, that the Celtics were going to mount serious resistance... he quit like a little bitch.

[GodHatesClevelandSport]

LeBron did not quit.

[hermanfontenot]

LeBron did not quit.

No, he did. You're the only person left on the planet who doesn't understand that.

Christ. The kid isn't Jehovah, dude. He won't strike you dead if you criticize him.

[GodHatesClevelandSport]

Oh, yea, almost forgot! Delonte was banging LeStiffler's mom, so he got mad and stopped trying. That's become the cause celebre for the "He Quit" camp.

But then I don't understand anything.

He had a crummy Game 5, no doubt, more likely attributable to playing through an injury and realizing late in the game it was most likely a lost cause. All the reasons attributed to LeBron quitting are merely attempts at mindreading.

The body of evidence for his entire career points in an entirely different direction. He had never done anything before Game 5 to make anyone think he would quit on his team. I'll chalk up the quitting accusations to that of a demoralized fanbase that wants to create a wall around its collective heart so it can say "good riddance" if LeBron leaves and thinks it really means it.

[fundamentals]

My favorite line from Simmons' latest on the series btw. Orlando and Boston:

8:22: Rondo (17 points, five assists so far) pulls off what can only be called "The Rondo" (drive into the lane, flip your right hand out like you're passing, cup the ball, keep it, make a running layup). Let the record show that Deron Williams kept the "Best Point Guard Alive" belt for about as long as the Iron Sheik kept the WWF title between Bob Backlund and Hulk Hogan. In a choose-up game, you're taking any other point guard before Rondo right now? Please.

[jb]

LeBron did not quit.

No, he did. You're the only person left on the planet who doesn't understand that.

[JCoz]

The body of evidence for his entire career points in an entirely different direction. He had never done anything before Game 5 to make anyone think he would quit on his team. I'll chalk up the quitting accusations to that of a demoralized fanbase that wants to create a wall around its collective heart so it can say "good riddance" if LeBron leaves and thinks it really means it.

Label it however you want to, but this is the crux of the problem.

I can't speak for everyone but the bewildering issue at hand is that we HAVEN"T SEEN THAT from LBJ in his entire career.

It involved seemingly vouentarily becoming a non-factor at either critical juctures within games, or for entire games.

For me it isn't game five that I started to "WTF" this issue. Game 2, game 4 and game 5 he departed from what I'd seen, and in particular this killer instict closing ability that he'd been honing the last season or two. Something that he'd officially added to his arsenal as far as I was concerned.

Call it quiting, call it over medicated, call it injury, one foot out the door, frustration, call it whatever you want, it's not something I can reconcille at this point. I don't know what it was, but it was ugly to watch.

Because it looked a lot like giving up.

What was it actually? Who knows, as far as I'm concerned it was the Sopranos finale, make it what you feel like because there isn't going to be a clear cut explaination.

Just my .02.

[waborat]

What was it actually? Who knows, as far as I'm concerned it was the Sopranos finale, make it what you feel like because there isn't going to be a clear cut explaination.

That's beautiful...

Unfortunately, I thought Tony died

[GodHatesClevelandSport]

The ending of The Sopranos? David Chase whacked YOU. He whacked the audience.

[metalhead9x9]

Jesus Christ if the Celts didn't play the biggest possum act in the regular season.

[Madre Hill, Superstar]

Jesus Christ if the Celts didn't play the biggest possum act in the regular season.

It was nice Rajon Rondo finally woke them up. It would've really been nice if someone woke up the Cavs during their series.

[RedDawg]

Does ORL down 3-0 change anyone's feelings about the Cavs losing to BOS?

Personally, I think this shows that the Celtics are bad ass when healthy. All the ledging that took place was understandable at the time. But maybe we are/were one good defensive PG away from taking the C's out?

Does stealing Ray Allen in FA, or at least BOS losing him, and getting someone that can defend Rondo tip the balance enough?

[papacass]

Does stealing Ray Allen in FA, or at least BOS losing him, and getting someone that can defend Rondo tip the balance enough?

The Celtics are winning it all. Ray Allen will be back there next year. And who on the face of this Earth can guard Rajon Rondo with any consistency?

The only thing that can slow Boston down is age and subsequent injuries from over-use. But what Rondo's emergence has done is take a lot of weight off of the Big Three. KG, Pierce and Allen can slide into supporting roles while Rondo runs the show.

Boston can probably get 3-4 more years out of this setup before the Big Three's treads really start to burn out. They might have a dynasty before this is all said and done. If they're healthy and playing defense like this every spring, and Rondo continues to emerge as a Top 10 player in the league, it doesn't matter where LeBron stays or goes. He's not winning any rings before the age of 29.

[DrPoove]

Boston can probably get 3-4 more years out of this setup before the Big Three's treads really start to burn out. They might have a dynasty before this is all said and done. If they're healthy and playing defense like this every spring, and Rondo continues to emerge as a Top 10 player in the league, it doesn't matter where LeBron stays or goes. He's not winning any rings before the age of 29.

Sad but true.

I do take a little solace in the fact that they have exposed Orlando as just as mentally weak as the Cavs.

Who do you hate more, Boston who has 5 or 6 of the biggest a-holes in the league (but does play with a ridiculous amount of pride), or Orlando who are the softest bunch of whiny, crybabies who have won nothing and showed zero class by chucking up 3 pointers in garbage time in 20+ point differential games.

So torn with my hate.

I need football season to start so I can focus all my hate on the Inbred.

[Orenthal]

Gonna see some real quit tonight from Orlando. I called Boston in six, but seems they took that momo from beating the Cavaliers and used it to exploit Orlando.

I wouldn't get too wrapped up in a dynasty. Doc is probably going out on top, and their defensive mastermind is going to get a nice new head coaching job. Big three all another year older, and it starts to get exponential at this point. The more they slow, the easier Rondo will become to defend.

Still, until proven otherwise, cass's point could stand...

[peeker643]

Gonna see some real quit tonight from Orlando. I called Boston in six, but seems they took that momo from beating the Cavaliers and used it to exploit Orlando.

I wouldn't get too wrapped up in a dynasty. Doc is probably going out on top, and their defensive mastermind is going to get a nice new head coaching job. Big three all another year older, and it starts to get exponential at this point. The more they slow, the easier Rondo will become to defend.

Still, until proven otherwise, cass's point could stand...

I agree with O. No dynasty in the making with that Celtics team. Tremendous heart and pride and a sense of the moment, but knees don't get better able to play 82 games and playoffs like Garnett's, Pierce is the oldest 32 yr old guy in the league with the weight he carried for the first 7 years of his career and Allen's already in the stage of an aging shooter's career where he lays down as many eggs as big games.

All the props in the world to them for this run but, while they still may be dangerous for another year or two, they're not dynastic.

[Larvell Blanks]

It was weird seeing Rondo look human last night. Didn't control the tempo, passed up a ton of easy shots and just looked out of sync. Why did they go to a PP on 5 offense in the last 3 minutes of the game? I was waiting for the KG double screens to pop open Allen but didn't see that until Boston was desperate for quick scores. Last night was the first time Boston looked like rookies in the final minutes of a playoff game. That last possession in regulation looked like something straight outta TCE.

[peeker643]

It was weird seeing Rondo look human last night. Didn't control the tempo, passed up a ton of easy shots and just looked out of sync. Why did they go to a PP on 5 offense in the last 3 minutes of the game? I was waiting for the KG double screens to pop open Allen but didn't see that until Boston was desperate for quick scores. Last night was the first time Boston looked like rookies in the final minutes of a playoff game. That last possession in regulation looked like something straight outta TCE.

Nelson got him into some foul trouble early as well and it looked like Rondo was looking for Dewey every time he hit the paint. Howard got him a couple times early and once big late and it seemed like Rondo had that in his head. He didn't have to worry about Shaq or Z coming out of nowhere to block his layups and Hickson was usually out of position chasing in his own tail.

Agree on the last possession. Looked like the ball was greased that entire 14 seconds. Entertaining basketball game though now that I've reached the acceptance stage with the Cavs. Looking forward to see if the Suns can not that series up tonight and put at least a bit of pressure on the Lakers.

Hmm...Still not sure how Orlando won that game with Carter and Lewis both going Houdini. Maybe it was the banked in three that Nelson threw in?

[fundamentals]

Last night was a breakout game for Lewis compared to the first three clunkers.
It has been stunning to see him be such a non factor.
Vinsanity, not so much.

[aoxo1]

It was weird seeing Rondo look human last night. Didn't control the tempo, passed up a ton of easy shots and just looked out of sync. Why did they go to a PP on 5 offense in the last 3 minutes of the game? I was waiting for the KG double screens to pop open Allen but didn't see that until Boston was desperate for quick scores. Last night was the first time Boston looked like rookies in the final minutes of a playoff game. That last possession in regulation looked like something straight outta TCE.

Nelson got him into some foul trouble early as well and it looked like Rondo was looking for Dewey every time he hit the paint. Howard got him a couple times early and once big late and it seemed like Rondo had that in his head. He didn't have to worry about Shaq or Z coming out of nowhere to block his layups and Hickson was usually out of position chasing in his own tail.

Agree on the last possession. Looked like the ball was greased that entire 14 seconds. Entertaining basketball game though now that I've reached the acceptance stage with the Cavs. Looking forward to see if the Suns can not that series up tonight and put at least a bit of pressure on the Lakers.

Hmm...Still not sure how Orlando won that game with Carter and Lewis both going Houdini. Maybe it was the banked in three that Nelson threw in?

Same thing happened in game 1 or 2 with Shaq, but then they never bothered to really hit him again.

[Orenthal]

Story of Mike Brown's playoff life. Missed opportunities. Like having Perkins in foul trouble the majority of the series yet usually sitting Shaq for long periods when the matchup said otherwise.

[fundamentals]

Rashard Lewis playing with a viral infection:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/ ... id=5222650

[mitch]

Screw Bahstah, and screw rooting for the most obnoxious team in the league just so you can "feel better" about the Cavs choking.

I think it would be hi-larry-ous to see these overrated geezers choke away a 3-0 lead.

Then again, I'm still hoping for Phoenix to win it all.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

These playoffs have been terrible.