Celtics vs Cavs

Round 2 starts tomorrow between Boston and Cleveland.

This series favors Cleveland based on the home court advantage. That advantage could change quickly if Boston can split the 1st two road games.

There are some very compelling matchups to watch.

Rondo's all around ball skills vs Moe Williams outside shooting touch
Shaq's beef in the middle against Perk's defensive presence
PP a defender on Lebron (along with a multitude of other players)
Ray Allen vs Parker (Ray should come out ahead)
KG and Jamison (will KG be able to stay with him?)

baby vs the mophead
TA playing PG, sg and sm and going against West or Gibson and even helping out on Lebron
Sheed vs Hickson abd Sheed as a post defender vs Shaq

Which spot duty rotations players for either team will step up and have an impact?

Celtics take game 1 if they have more energy.

dboss

dboss,

Good summary.

The player I think/worry will have the greatest and most unexpected impact for Cleveland is Hickson. From what I've seen Hickson may be one of the more underappreciated up-and-coming players in the league. I don't think we have an answer for him and I'm sure he can run Sheed into the ground like Sheed isn't even there.

Overall the Cavs have better depth than most would give them credit for and it's something to be aware of. It really doesn't have to be all about LeBron, although it normally ends up that way. He's also just that good.

Realistically; Cavs in 6.

Regards

Very sharp analysis, dboss.

I agree with NYCelt about Hickson too. He's a very underappreciated player.

I think KG can stay with Jamison, but you absolutely have to box him off the boards. He is very, very effective down low despite being undersized in part because he gets his shot off faster than pretty much any other player in the league. Learn from that, Davis.

Davis vs Varajao will be an interesting matchup to watch. Varajao vs Sheed, not looking forward to it.

It would have been nice to have given Nate and especially Quis some floor time in the past couple of weeks. As it is, Quis's rhythm is probably sooo cold, he's a walking icebox. He's a foul magnet now, if we put him on LeBron, which is what we got him for.

bob

.

Not only is Hickson underappreciated, but he is also precisely the kind of quick "big" who gives the Celtics fits. I'd much rather have Shaq and Z get big minutes against the Celts than Hickson or Varejao.

Sam

In the first round vs. the Bulls, Hickson hardly got any playing time. He only averaged 4.4 minutes per game. I do agree that he's talented, and I bet if he played for a competent coach he might get some playing time. It's obvious to me that he creates a matchup problem for us, I just hope it's not obvious to Brown.

Sam, I agree, I'd much rather see Shaq and Z get heavy minutes. Unfortunately Z hasn't seen much playing time either...he's only averaging 8.5 minutes a game in these playoffs. Varejao is averaging 25, 5 more minutes than Shaq even though he's their sixth man.

KellyGreen17 wrote: It's obvious to me that he creates a matchup problem for us, I just hope it's not obvious to Brown.

Kelly,

Great observations overall, but I'm going to single the above on Hickson out as the one that makes me most hopeful.

Regards

Hi,
IMO, problem with Hickson is he's clueless on D-end.
As I mentioned on other threads about Celtics vs Cavs, Celtics have advantage in matchup Doc vs MB. Hope they take full advantage of it.
Did they set the time for the games, yet?

AK

PS Yes, they did: 8pm EST on TNT. Sorry, should've looked at NBA.com before posting

I don't know a lot about Hickson, and I don't know what his basketball IQ is like, but I don't think defense is something that Cavs coaches have stressed this year. Maybe if he played for a defensive oriented team like the C's, Bucks or Magic he might be OK. He has the physical makeup to be a decent defender in that he's long and athletic.
AK, I agree that the C's have a huge advantage at the coaching positions.

Hickson has hurt the Celtics in the past He may be at the end of the rotation though

Regarding the KG /Jamison matchup, Jamison is quicker but that does not mean that he will get to the hole. Jamison will not be able to stop KG either. KG can shoot over anyone.

This series will be a nuts and bolts challenge, who brings the energy who get the most 50/50 plays who controls the glass, who has the fewest turovers, who controls the paint.

The Celtics did not go deep into their bench against the Heat but they may need a significant contribution to stay in the series. We have seen games where Boston gave up 2nd half leads and that is troubling but having said that, the Celtics appear to be a more focused determined team with a very high level of confidence.

This series will be a war of attrition!

The Celtics are seasoned warriors.

I believe that Boston can win this series with their defense. No one beats Boston when they play maniacal defense.

dboss is picking Boston in 6 games

fellas and gals

I just got a sweet gig designing a spot for at&t which is good for my wallet and hopes of gettin through it all. But I will probably have to miss some games in this series specialy if it goes deep. I prolly am going to be sick busy.

You guys pullem through! I am very hopeful we can beat cleve.

Jeb

thanx bobc! epic good timing...money tite!

Good luck Jeb - I will miss you though, you always have my back!!!

Was listening to comments from PP on how to defense Lebron:

I think they should put a wall around him and force him to give up the ball. Same strategy as 2008. However the rotations must be precise and the celtics need to read and anticipate when to check their assignments. Boston should also used a variety of defenses including more zone with quick reaction to close out the perimeter. Turn them into a jump shooting team.