Celtics vs Cavs

It is time to start this thread.

The stats for these teams are relatively close.

Cleveland averages 103.1 PPG and gives up 98.7 ppg and Boston averages 101.4 PPG and gives up 101.2

The overall field goal percentages are very close with Cleveland shooting .458 % and Boston shooting .443%

Cleveland takes 22.1 free throws while Boston takes 20.1

Cleveland averages 43 rebounds per game and Boston averages 43.8

Cleveland averages 7.3 Steals per game and Boston averages 8.2

Cleveland turns the ball over 13.6 times per game and Boston turns it over 13.3

The one stat that separates these teams is in shooting the three ball.  Cleveland takes 27 3 point shots per game at a rate of.367% and Boston puts up 24.6 3 point shots at a rate of  .327%

How To beat The Cavs

On offense push the ball to get into the offense quicker  but look for more drives to the hoop and fewer three point shots.  Now that IT is on the team we should be able to match them in getting to the foul line.  The Celtics offensive flow is superior to the Cavs but this game is about  making buckets.  The Celts need to be a bit more selective in their shot attempts.  One very important thing will be to protect the ball.  Those lazy passes can quickly turn into a fast break basket and the Cavs especially is Lebron are very good at over playing the passing lanes.

The Cavs are led by Lebron and his sidekick Kyrie Irving.  They are averaging 25.3 and 21.7 PPG respectively.    These guys fall into the unstoppable category because when they get it going they are terrific scorers from anywhere on the court.  Kevin Love is the 3rd leading scorer averaging  16.4 PPG but he has been relegated to a 3rd wheel and is shooting .437% but he will take and make the 3 ball.

The other scorer is the tattoo wonder, J R Smith.  He actually takes more 3 point shots than anyone on the team (7.3 per game) and THIS year is shooting them well.  The underrated center Mozgov is long and likes to bang down low and averages 10PPG.  The BU center  who is playing both PF and BU center is Tristan Thompson who is good for 8 points and 8 rebounds.  The rest of the team is made up of the Lebron  James Minions Club (Marion, Mike Miller, jones, Perkins (shame on u)  and a few other players.

Defensively, the Celtics need to defend the pick and roll that both Lebron and Irving will feast on.  Avery and Marcus will need to fight over picks and our bigs need to step up quick.  Weakside  rotations to cover the gaps needs to be fluid.  Closing out on the three point shooters may be the biggest obstacle because the Cavs have a lot of shooters that can spread you out.

The pundits are already waging their bets.  The Cavs have more pure talent than the Celtics so on paper this series looks like low hanging fruit for the Cavs.

The Intangibles

Other than Lebron, both teams have very limited playoff experience.  Neither coach has NBA level playoff coaching experience .  I would give the Cavs the edge because of Lebron’s playoff campaigns.  

The Celtics made a mad dash to finish as the 7th seed. It was a remarkable run so they have a lot of momentum going into this series.  The pundits may be underestimating Boston’s ability to compete.

The Celtics are big time underdogs with nothing to lose so they should be fearless.

Celtics fans do not like Lebron and their energy will be a factor.

The statistical differences between these teams is not significant.  

The Cavs have more selfish players on their team.  Boston is a faceless team with a single mindset.

Can Boston win this series?   Yes they can.

No prediction here other than I expect the Celtics to turn the NBA upside down and scare the living crap out of the cavs

dboss

Good thoughtful analysis, Dboss.  Looking forward to what should be a fun series, and very proud of what this team has accomplished already.

Go Celtics,

Sam

Celtics 200-1 to win NBA title:

Cavaliers 9-4
Warriors 5-2
Spurs 4-1
Hawks 12-1
Bulls 14-1
Clippers 14-1
Rockets 14-1
Grizzlies 25-1
Raptors 50-1
Trail Blazers 50-1
Mavericks 60-1
Pelicans 100-1
Wizards 60-1
Bucks 200-1
Celtics 200-1
Nets 200-1

http://www.csnne.com/blog/celtics-talk/cavs-favorites-win-nba-title-celtics-200-1-odds

So he says they have a chance.

Think I heard a line something like that in a movie...

l have a personality type that has me always attempting to see what I deem reality. It keeps me balanced in that I don't get overly excited about things that probably won't happen, but I also don't get the high and lows of many people. My "mindset" has worked great being small business owner for over 25 years now. But sometimes MY reality doesn't allow me the "joy" of having sports teams I follow. everything has its ying/yang I suppose.

I say all that because my mind says we are over matched in this series. While we are the third best team in the east (after the trade deadline), the Cav's have been the BEST team in the NBA over the same time frame.

Their top three talent is far above any three players we can put up.

BUT, basketball is also a TEAM game and I do think we have that advantage. I wrote in another thread how I felt the team can match up best defensively with Cleveland. IF our defensive players ( namely Bass, Crowder, Smart and Bradley) can make James and Irving work VERY hard all series. we can certainly make Cleveland sweat this series.

and while my "heart" says we have a chance, we can match up, there's not THAT much difference in the stats, etc........my head tells me we'll be lucky to take one game.

but as Sam said, no matter what happens THIS YEAR HAS BEEN A FABULOUS SUCCESS!

Ainge has ADDED pieces and made excellent subtractions over the season, on the fly.

Stevens has erased ANY doubts some may have had about his ability to be a good to great NBA coach. so much so that he is being praised all over the sports pages and sports radio and TV nationwide.

we have FUTURE assets in draft picks that ANY NBA GM would love to have.

we have the possibility of salary cap space for a top flight free agent, if Ainge wants a player.


no matter what happens in this series, the Celtics are a team on the rise and the rest of the NBA know it.

40 wins

40 WINS!!!

we are one year ahead of schedule on the rebuild folks.

And Now For The Matchups

Marcus Smart, Evan Turner, Jae Crowder, Gerald Wallace and anyone else in the vicinity  vs Lebron.  The Celtics need to show him different looks and they need to match his physicality.

Zeller vs Mozgov  scoring wise this is a wash but Mozgov is a more physical rebounder while Zeller is quicker. Advantage - Even

Smart vs Irving should be a very interesting matchup as Marcus will not back down from anyone.  Irving will take his share of hero shots but he shot .410% from behind the arc and with his handle he can break anyone down and get to the rim.  Advantage Irving because he is a highend offensive player.

Bass Vs. Love -  Bass was slow to rotate out to check Love on the perimeter when they played during the regular season.  Love is the type of player that can create space to get off his jumper so Bass needs to play up on him more since driving to the rim is not one of Love's strength.  Love is still a very good rebounder so again Bass needs to establish position to secure the rebounds.  Love cannot play more than a lick of defense so Bass should not be challenged when he takes those mid-range shots or when he gets a drive to the rim for his patented two hand dunk Advantage Love because Love is just plan better than Bass on offense and on the glass.

Bradley vs JR Smith - Since the trade from NY Smith has played well for the Cavs.  He is primarily a long distance shooter in their offense.  He puts up 11 FG per game and 7.3 are 3 point attempts.  Avery can neutralize Smith impact but playing up on him and closing him out on the perimeter.  Advantage Bradley because he plays defense and Smith does not

Turner vs Lebron yes the Celtics will give LeBron multiple looks but Turner is the SF/point forward so he will most likely be assigned to check Lebron.  He will need help mostly when Lebron lowers that shoulder and drives the ball.  The help defense must anticipate and be ready to cut him off at the pass.  Turner has settled into his role and when he does not try to do too much he is very effective getting his shot and also feeding his teammates.  Nevertheless this is the biggest mismatch Advantage Lebron

Sully vs Thompson -  Sully will most likely fill in at center when Zeller goes out and he will be matched up with Tristan Thompson.  Thompson has a quickness advantage over Sully but Sully is stronger and has the ability to establish himself in the post on both defense and offense.  The big problem with Sully is his conditioning.  I hate that sully still takes 3 point shots even though he is a very poor 3 point shooter.  If Sully can refrain from taking low percentage 3 point shots and instead play closer to the basket he has the edge in this matchup - Advantage Sully.

Our Bench vs Their Bench - Advantage our bench because we have a guy name Isaiah Thomas who can take over a game and put a tremendous amount of pressure on the defense with his uncanny ability to take you off the dribble and get to the hoop.

Coaching - Advantage Celtics because Brad Stevens has proven that he can beat you even without one allstar.

Overall Advantage goes to Cleveland because they have 2 players that are unstoppable on offense.

dboss

Hi,
Another advantage that Celtics hold is that they're a "Cinderella" team, no one expects much from them, especially playing against one of the favorites. Cavs, OTOH, are under tremendous pressure to produce and produce now. I hope it helps us.

AK

Guys I need to point out that we went I believe 20-11 after the all-star break. thats when THIS team was finally created.

that equates into a 53 win season for an entire year!

THIS team, as it's build today is a top 4 team in the East.

I just starting working on just how good this team is, by putting together the numbers for each game after the all-star break to see how those numbers compare to Atlanta's 60 win season.

we kpeep thinking we need some "star" player to come here, because thats the way it's worked in the past, but Atlanta is showing that you can be an elite team without going that route.

Another advantage for Boston is FGA although in the Cleveland 110-79 blow out win they took more shots than the Celtics.

Although Boston does not shoot a high percentage, the field goal attempts is one of those stats that flies under the radar. It really tempers the impact of shooting poorly.

dboss

I was trying to pick one Celtics player who will have the most surprising positive impact on the game.

I came up with some guy names Crowder.

dboss