Can the King Reign?

Posted by Mike Giardi May 6, 2008 at 1:27 pm

Here we go. Cavs and Celtics. Game 1 of Round 2. Who ya got? Says here LeBron’s good for two wins this series, minimum. He’s the single most dominating force in the NBA, strong, fluid, intelligent. At yesterday’s C’s practice, one of my favorite newspaper guys compared him to Paul Pierce. I forgive the questioner. Sometimes we try to outsmart each other, or ourselves. But no way am I buying that. Not for a second.

The only similarity is the two men’s ability to get to the rack, but even then, Lebron gets the edge. We’re talking about and watching a player who could be one of the Top-5 or 10 of ALL-TIME! Not of this decade, or since Jordan. ALL-TIME. Does Pierce fall into that category? I think not. In fact, only once in his career has he played like a Top-10 player for a full season. Not trying to hammer the man, but let’s have perspective here.

LeBron’s only problem in this series is the Celts are just deeper, and while I was tempted to pick an upset, I can’t do it, not when Wally Szczerbiak and what’s left of Ben Wallace are forced to play such important roles for Cleveland. We saw enough of Wally here to understand what his game’s all about, and his best days have long since come and gone. Ditto for Wallace, one of the worst free signings of my lifetime (think Chicago would like a do-over on that one?). So I say C’s in…7? Yeah, 7 will do.

Hawks Grounded at the Garden

Posted by Mike Giardi May 4, 2008 at 4:07 pm

Despite all my gnashing of teeth and disappointment in the Celtics through the first six games of their playoff series with Atlanta, I - like just about everyone else who’s watched this team on a daily basis - figured a return to good times in Game 7. But this good? Wow. What a clinic by the Green team, a 99-65 rout of the Hawks.

Defense spurring everything for the C’s. They forced Atlanta to settle for way too many jumpers early on, never a good thing for a young and understandably nervous team. Then, even when the Hawks got to the hoop, they were unable to finish, only compounding their woes.

There were a couple minutes in the second quarter that proved just how unwilling or unable the visitors were to match what the C’s were bringing. Old man P.J. Brown had not one, but two blocks, and even Sam Cassell - who hasn’t guarded a soul in this series - had a strip steal. When that’s going down, warm up the chartered jet, fill it with fuel and get dinner cooking ’cause the boys are headed home for a long summer.

As Atlanta tries to size up what could be a bright future, they have to wonder what happened to their most talented big man, Josh Smith. He loves to talk and scowl, but when it mattered the most, he was atrocious, the worst player on the court. Al Horford, a much more stable sort, was pretty bad as well. Give the Celts some credit for getting into their kitchens, but also wonder about the mental state of that duo.

Now its on to Round 2 and a date with Cleveland. Its going at least 6. LeBron is good enough for at least two wins. At least. He tortured the C’s during the season series, going for 30-plus in two of the three he played. King James did miss one with a finger injury, and the Cavs only scored 70 in that game. Surprised? I didn’t think so.

 

Celtics Fans: No Need to Worry

Posted by Craig Kolodny April 30, 2008 at 1:05 pm

There’s definitely a lot of angst in Boston tonight as the Celtics head into Game 5 against the upstart Hawks. There was never supposed to even be a Game 5. And then after Atlanta won Game 3, tonight’s game was viewed as a chance to win the series on home soil. Oh how things have changed.  After tonight, Celtics fans probably don’t want to see the Celts on the parquet until Game 1 of the next round. Win Game 5, take Game 6 on the road, and we’ll pretend this series never happened.

And I’m here to tell you that is exactly what’s going to happen. Yes, I’ve seen Games 3 and 4. There’s no way Joe Johnson could do that again. But I also saw Games 1 and 2 in Boston. The Hawks had no chance in the Garden. The green team only lost 6 times at home all season. Kevin Garnett and company have come too far to go and mess it all up in round 1. We’ve already had enough 1 vs 8 drama in the postseason around these parts (I’m talking about the Bruins in case you forgot).

I’ve heard from enough people that now is the time to panic, and all I can do is laugh. Yes, the series shouldn’t have gone this far, but unlike the Super Bowl, this is a 7 game series and most of the time, the better team will prevail. The Celtics were 29 games better than the Hawks this year, and it will show over the next few games. Boston makes a statement tonight in another double digit win at the Garden, and everyone around here will be singing a different tune, anticipating a (probable) showdown with LeBron and the Cavs.    

Playoff Basketball

Posted by Mike Giardi April 20, 2008 at 9:34 pm

We’ve had our first real surprise of the NBA Playoffs. That didn’t take long. The 76ers going into Detroit and stealing Game 1 of their first round series. In the grand scheme of this postseason, it may not mean much, but to me, it strengthens my belief that something is amiss with the Pistons. Its why - for many reasons - I think LeBron poses a bigger threat to the Celtics than anyone else in the East (and yes, I know the Cavs supporting cast is a grade better than my 12-and-under Travel Team). LeBron is a singular force. I put him in football terms. He’s built like a linebacker with a scatback’s speed and a fullback’s power. A freak of nature. If any one human being can beat a team almost singlehandedly, its Bron Bron. It doesn’t how many bodies you run at him, James can go 1-on-5 and still get a good look. Just ask the guys who have the unenviable task of checking him.

Back to Detroit…any team that Rasheed Wallace plays a critical role on will always be in question to me. Yes, the man is incredibly gifted. He can play go-to-guy on offense, and stopper on defense. His basketball IQ is at the top of the chart. But he’s a nut case. In that last meeting with the C’s, he got so annoyed that he wasn’t getting any calls inside that he decided to play outside the arc for the entire second half. How’s that productive? It wasn’t, and his coach, Flip Saunders knows it. ‘Sheed will probably cost Flip his job at some point. Trust me. Its bound to happen, just like his team under-performing in the playoffs yet again.

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