Boston vs. Cleveland prediction

[Prosecutor]

Good point about Redz's defense on Rose. Rondo doesn't shoot the mid-range jumper as well as Rose so the goal is to stay in front of him, and I think Delonte could do it as well or better than any of the guards.

I would alternate Redz and Parker on Rondo and put Mo on Ray Allen. Just tell Mo to stick with him and contest every 3-point shot. If he wants to drive, fine. Have Shaq squash him like a bug the first time he pump fakes and takes it to hole and it will be his last.

I think Larvell is right about having Jamison run the baseline to keep Garnett moving. He can also pop out to the 3-point line to pull KG away from the paint. Run the old man ragged. But Jamo is not that young, either, so I'd like to see Roker give Hickson a shot at KG. I'm not saying it will work, but his energy and movement might be effective after KG has been chasing Jamo back and forth from the baseline to the 3-point line.

Does Z have a role in this series? When Shaq needs a blow will Z come in or will we see the small lineup again?

[scott]

A tired cavs team moves onto play.... Milwaukee.

Even tounge-in-cheek, that's ridiculous.

Hear me now, believe me later.

But be nice to me about it. I have a retarded cat.

That makes NBA predictions for you?

I hope that cat is right.

[Prosecutor]

For what it's worth, the Cavs had yet to play the Celtics at full strength.

Opening game: Jamison was still a Wizard. Roker experiments with Shaq and Z on the floor together. Cavs lose a close one in the Garden.

Feb game: No Z and Shaq only played 12 minutes due to the thumb injury. Cavs win without their big men.

March game: No Shaq, no Z. We still blew them out.

April game: No Shaq, no Varajao. Lost by four in Boston.

This series the Cavs will have everybody available for the first time. Now I'm feeling better about that Cavs in 5 prediction. It's on Roker, though, to figure out which combinations work the best depending on who the Celtics have in there.

[Orenthal]

Cavaliers in 5. Just too much talent on the floor for the good guys. Slower paced game that will play into the hands of our deep frontcourt.

[jb]

Maybe the cat made the pick, maybe it didn't. It's bullimic and retarded so mostly it just pisses me off. But in between heaves I swear it blurted out something about Milwaukee's record in march 7 April.

Guys, the deer is en fuego.

This will be a tough series for the magic.

[hermanfontenot]

Guys, the deer is en fuego.

Not tonight they're not.

[FUDU]

7 games, Cavaliers get it done.

Boston is as up for this series as we are, don't be fooled. In their minds this is a perfect going out party, they'll be ready.

Plus we have a mental lapse for at least a game in every series really, not to mention FT's, they will cost us a game if not two in the next 3 weeks.

Not a chance we sweep, a 5 game series victory would be shocking enough.

[Prosecutor]

Speaking of free throws, it looks like Antawn may have finally shaken the bug. He's 16 for 20 in the playoffs, or 80%. Even Shaq is hitting two out of three. Maybe all that extra FT shooting in practice is starting to pay off.

[pod2dawg]

Roker will not want to expend LBJ's energy on Rondo, especially early in the series. Rondo, like LBJ will be repeatedly knocked to the floor in the paint in an ugly, bloody, gruesome series.

We have the bodies and fortitude and we will win. Shaq is very bitter and 6 hard fouls from him will f$%%^ck somebody up.

The key will be if Mo is hitting the J. If not get him out to shoot another day as he is a D liability.

Are we dressing Powe?

[peeker643]

The TCF crew weighs in with predictions and some thoughts:

http://bit.ly/90V6qi

[Prosecutor]

From Jesse Lamovsky:

"Cleveland needs to go small: The Cavaliers beat Boston twice this season, both times making heavy use of a smaller lineup featuring Anderson Varejao and J.J. Hickson getting major minutes. Shaquille O’Neal was injured during the first win and out during the second. He’s back now, and that might not be a good thing against a Boston offense that will look to pick-and-roll the lumbering O’Neal all night. Varejao bedeviled the Celtics all season but was a non-factor against Chicago- he’ll need to be in regular-season form. And J.J. Hickson has to- has to- play."

I brought this up a while back, about how Boston exploited Shaq relentlessly on the pick-and-roll. I saw some of that in the Chicago series as well. It will be interesting to see how this plays out and what Roker does to deal with it.

The one time this season where the Cavs blew out the Celtics was the game where they were missing both Z and Shaq. Lamovsky says Cleveland "needs to go small." I wonder if Roker agrees. I'm inclined to agree, but I think Shaq needs to be in there when Big Baby is on the floor, otherwise he'll bull his way to the rim and get offensive boards. The Cavs were outrebounded by Chicago and are somewhat vulnerable to a strong offensive rebounding team when Shaq sits. We'll find out what Roker has in mind starting tonight.

[Gradysmanldy]

A tired cavs team moves onto play.... Milwaukee.

Even tounge-in-cheek, that's ridiculous.

Hear me now, believe me later.

But be nice to me about it. I have a retarded cat.

It's ok, I thought Denver or Dallas was going to the finals.

[Cease]

http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball ... cleveland/

Shaughnessy continues his coverage with this love letter to the City of Cleveland.

[aoxo1]

How can a city like Boston have a guy like that working as one of their primary sports journalists?

[jb]

Alls I am saying Poove is that right now Boston is a starving lost and beaten former alpha dog. That dog didn't really eat anything for the rest of the season but finally was gifted some rat to munch on in the first round.

Giving them one of those first two games would be equivalent to giving them a giant steak and while we could probably still put down the revitalized old bastard I don't really want to risk it.

Put your foot on that old dogs throat from the moment you step out of the gate and don't ever give it a chance to bite ya. If you do your now gambling and stranger things have happened in the NBA playoffs.

What's with the respectful repoite ?

Where's da WWE pre match session ?

[jb]

How can a city like Boston have a guy like that working as one of their primary sports journalists?

And the last time you read Pluto & Livvy was ......?

[aoxo1]

It's not surprising to me that Cleveland is saddled with the kind of schmucks it is.

It is surprising that Boston apparently has its own Pluto.

[e0y2e3]

The Boston Sports Media suffers from Pluto disease on a large scale. A very old guard of formerly good/hugely accomplished guys that just refuse to move on w/ their careers and coast through everything and/or turn into that asshat.

[Cease]

Celtics in 6.

Nice call, JoJo White.

Re-skimming this thread reminds me a lot of reskimming the Browns draft thread. Most people allow their personal wants and desires become their expectations. Groupthink forms an opinion and people are happy to be in the group w/numbers. Nothing wrong with that, it's what makes us fans.

I hate when TV and radio guys lay out predictions and never go back to man up. It appears that I failed to call the series at all, but thought the Cavs would win. My philosophy of using speed to run the c's off the court was were not in the game plan.

[Orenthal]

My prediction looks real good if you replace Celtics with Cavaliers and add 1 game to the total... I'd say most here are on the level of rational analysis. You can really tell when one of the core guys here starts wavin' the banner, and going homer...

[peeker643]

I said Cavs in six. I was wrong and I've said it a few times.

And I'll freely admit that I never, ever EVER saw this goat fuck coming. Not this way. Would have been no way I would have believed it for a second.

[Larvell Blanks]

I said Cavs in 6 but that it would be tough.

While everyone was worried about KG on O vs Jamison, I thumped my chest and stated that Boston should be more worried about a gimped up KG defending Jamo. I expected Jamison to be moving sideline to sideline underneath and working the p&r w/ LBJ. Little did I expect KG to soak in the Hot Tub Time Machine and play like it was '08 after game 2.

[Cease]

I don't think picking the Cavs was strictly a homer play, but, man I never saw this coming. I thought we got the wake-up call in the Bulls series, but that the team would gel instead of fall apart at the seams (of their defense).

We weren't alone, I think the honks on ESPN.com were Cavs across the board. Just a stunning defeat.

[jb]

Celtics in 6.

dick

ur fault

[Larvell Blanks]

Celtics in 6.

dick

ur fault

Wait, wait, wait.

Who was the one in here screaming,We got dis!

That's the dick

[fundamentals]

Wait, wait, wait.

Who was the one in here screaming,We got dis!

That's the dick

This guy?

i totally agree with you. cavs in 7 with each team winning a game on the others court.

[Larvell Blanks]

^ Oh no, I was talking about the guy proclaiming this team is getting the whole enchilada

You know who you are!

[JoJo White]

Celtics in 6.

dick

ur fault

You probably still blame for drafting Northcutt when you wanted Jerry Porter.

[hermanfontenot]

Celtics in 6.

Nice call, JoJo White.

Don't give him props for being a troll.

[Cease]

Celtics in 6.

Nice call, JoJo White.

Don't give him props for being a troll.

A call is a call, in my book.

FTR, I don't know who's a troll, who is sarcastically being called a troll, who is unjustly called a troll, and who is commonly known on multiple sites as a troll. Nor do I have the inclination to try to decipher.