Saw an interesting comment in another thread and thought I'd make a topic of it.
Do you think the Celtics have actually constructed a team to beat the L.A. Lakers while not concentrating on assembling a team that will beat the Bulls, Magic and especially The Heat?
Logically we could assume that they have a stronger team (on paper) from last year. Although time will tell how the absence of Tony Allen and long time injury to Kendrick Perkins will hinder the team.
There is still a question mark in my mind over Shaq (even thought I adore the big fella) and JON. How will they blend with the team when the games start to matter. How will they be used in the rotation?
Seems to me that management may have designed this team with the purpose of beating the Lakers. I think the Magic did a similar thing after their loss to us in the '09 finals. And it cost them the next season.
Celtics planning for the NBA Finals before they get there?
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Celtics planning for the NBA Finals before they get there?
posted at 10/12/2010 11:52 PM EDT
- RUWorthy
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Re: Celtics planning for the NBA Finals before they get there?
posted at 10/13/2010 8:39 AM EDT
- P34
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No way! If it's Lakers vs. Celtics again, in June 2011, the Celtics will easily beat the Lakers 4-1.
Such is life. -
Re: Celtics planning for the NBA Finals before they get there?
posted at 10/13/2010 9:27 AM EDT
- greenpride32
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Doesn't matter who the Celtics played last year whether it was the Lakers or somebody else; it was clear their biggest weaknesses were lack of rebounding and in general effective big bodies. So they addressed that with Shaq and JON.
It's just that the Lakers happen to have the best trio of bigs in Gasol, Bynum, and Odom and were the team most capable of exposing the weakness.
And if you thought they built the team with only beating the Lakers in mind there's no way they let TA go as he's somebody who could effectively guard Kobe. -
Re: Celtics planning for the NBA Finals before they get there?
posted at 10/13/2010 11:16 AM EDT
- Jimmy42Jack0
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i think its funny people underestimate chris bosh...
he is the best PF in the game who played on a woeful team
now he doesnt...and even though its only the preseason...you see his gobs of talent whether it be a smooth jumper in the corner or cleaning up someone else's garbage...the guy is a straight up beast...
pittman has also played well enough in camp to get rid of jamal magloire which will leave us with 3 capable centers(big z, anthony) and heat's PG doesnt have to do much other than to not screw things up -
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Re: Celtics planning for the NBA Finals before they get there?
posted at 10/13/2010 11:56 AM EDT
- cabutan
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In Response to Re: Celtics planning for the NBA Finals before they get there?:i think its funny people underestimate chris bosh... he is the best PF in the game who played on a woeful team now he doesnt...and even though its only the preseason...you see his gobs of talent whether it be a smooth jumper in the corner or cleaning up someone else's garbage...the guy is a straight up beast... pittman has also played well enough in camp to get rid of jamal magloire which will leave us with 3 capable centers(big z, anthony) and heat's PG doesnt have to do much other than to not screw things up
Posted by Jimmy42Jack0Give me the injured KG that we have over Chris Bosh any given day!! I am one that does not think highly of Bosh. Write that down if you want. ..He is good, but not great...Not a physical player..
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Re: Celtics planning for the NBA Finals before they get there?
posted at 10/13/2010 12:08 PM EDT
- CHEisCHE
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"Logically we could assume that they have a stronger team (on paper) from last year."
Why on paper? They beat up Lebron and Wade and they are on white paper?
Celtics bench are much much better this year.
Although I like Tony, I don't miss Perkins at all. He has no weight in this team. -
Re: Celtics planning for the NBA Finals before they get there?
posted at 10/13/2010 12:42 PM EDT
- mem17
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Bosh is a very good player, but he's not the best power forward in the NBA. He's not even close. I hate to say it but with K.G's age now I have to give the nod to Gasol as the NBA's best power forward. -
Re: Celtics planning for the NBA Finals before they get there?
posted at 10/13/2010 1:13 PM EDT
- cabutan
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This is a more confident team than last year from the start. I was all for Sheed last year but he set the tone for the teams slacking/conformist state of mind. He was one of the best Celtics in the playoffs but all along regular season he was just running the court. We dont have him this year... Also, note that last year Lebron James said that the Celtics where a team to not overlook and I wonder what he is thinking as of today. I bet that not even him thinks that the Heat will just walk through and I am sure that he is thinking about the Celtics as well just like last year... -
Re: Celtics planning for the NBA Finals before they get there?
posted at 10/13/2010 1:26 PM EDT
- FlobusMcNugget
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Bosh was a good player on a subpar team in Toronto. Put him on a team with a few other options and watch his numbers sink. My two cents. -
Re: Celtics planning for the NBA Finals before they get there?
posted at 10/13/2010 1:46 PM EDT
- BirdandCowens
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Isn't it funny how both Wade and MeBron are hurt? -
Re: Celtics planning for the NBA Finals before they get there?
posted at 10/13/2010 3:20 PM EDT
- damfuno
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In Response to Re: Celtics planning for the NBA Finals before they get there?:In Response to Re: Celtics planning for the NBA Finals before they get there? : Please tell me you don't think Big Z, Anthony and Pittman are going to offset Shaq, Garnett, JO, Erdin, BB etc. Not going to happen. I never said Bosh wasn't a good player. He is a finess PF not a banger! Great Shot, high BBall IQ, I would want him on my team, but he can't bang with these guys.
Posted by DFURY13
What Bosh is going to do when the Heat play us is to RUN RUN and RUN........I will give him props that he can run the floor better than any of our bigs and probably with more consistency........somehow we will have to try to slow the game down.......we definitely do not want to get into an open court game with Bosh, LeQueen and Wade,,,,,,,,,that would be the only way I can see us losing to the Heat..... -
Re: Celtics planning for the NBA Finals before they get there?
posted at 10/13/2010 4:35 PM EDT
- beavis
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Called Confidence..."Gotta Believe".... -
Re: Celtics planning for the NBA Finals before they get there?
posted at 10/13/2010 5:24 PM EDT
- rameakap
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Yes the Celtics are doing what Cleve did last year
Cleve planned for the Magic, Shaq to bang Howard, Mo and Nelson to nuetralize and LeBron (w/ Varajoa) to simply be superior to Carter/Lewis imore than in the way they were just slightly better than Hedo/Lewis last year
and instead found themselves with Rondo destroying Mo, Perk neutralizing shaq and LeBron and his band of underachivers (like Jamison) not quite up to the intensity and winning play of the big 3
This year I strongly feel the team we have constructed WILL BEAT the Lakers in the NBA finals... only issue is we have is.... getting to the finals
Rondo is only going to be even better, him and Nate will destoy Fish/Blake
Kobe may have an easier time with Ray/DWest then with TA, only I feel Ray will be more rested, fresh legs and couldn't shoot worse (other than game 2) then he did last year
Pierce is only 1 year older that Kobe, so if you expect the same Kobe, expect the same Pierce. Same w/ Ron Ron of course.
Odom/Gasol will be facing a superior Baby/KG duo
Gasol @ C has to deal with Shaq/JON instead of sheed, and a recovering Perk shouldn't hurt that much as we'll have a 3 man weave of minutes and fouls and bigs to throw @ Gasol/Bynum
So yes, this team if healthy is built to and should beat the Lakers, just like the inferior team we had last year SHOULD HAVE BEAT THE LAKERS
Too bad the refs are going to let Miami win in game 7 of the Eastern Finals....
Blaaah, I'm going to really hate the NBA come May/June -
Re: Celtics planning for the NBA Finals before they get there?
posted at 10/13/2010 5:31 PM EDT
- rameakap
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I think a mix of Ray and DWest can at least bother Wade enough to slow his usually #'s or whatever he will do regular season
Smash him with screen and run Ray over and over half the game and then have crazy DWest, who is basically the same size as him, in his grille the other half
Still Wade will get his 20-25 and Ray/DWest prob only 16-19
Pierce is going to be on Bron and do ok, but have little offense again
KG will be expected to do the same thing to Bosh
Both will likely produce 10-12 a game while just limiting Bosh and LeBron to less than they usally get, concentrate on smothering annoying playoff D and gamesmanship. If that is reg season production is 24 (Bron) and 17 (Bosh) then they will still get 21 and 14 and still score 10-15 points more than PP and KG
Therefore Shaq (Perk/JON as well) and Rondo need to be 20 points better than Maim's PG and C in ANY game we plan to win, and while their big 3 rests, prob only for 4-6 mins in the playoffs, our bench has to MURDER their bench
If we can do that in 4 of 7 games we have a shot
If the refs let Bron and Wade start doing whatever they want by calling BS fouls the way Kobe was allowed free reign in the 4th quarter after 3 quarters of real bball saw LA go down 13, then the Celts are in trouble -
Re: Celtics planning for the NBA Finals before they get there?
posted at 10/13/2010 5:32 PM EDT
- rameakap
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This team with Prince, Battier or Ariza come March would make me feel different about the Miami series -
Re: Celtics planning for the NBA Finals before they get there?
posted at 10/13/2010 8:25 PM EDT
- RUMcHale
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In Response to Re: Celtics planning for the NBA Finals before they get there?:getting to the finals Rondo is only going to be even better, him and Nate will destoy Fish/Blake
Posted by rameakap
Funny thing is what I saw of Rondo playing for Team USA there wasn't a hint of any improvement in his outside shot. So where does this him getting better come from? Oh, btw Kobe guarded Rondo not Fish so there was no straight up comparisson on their end. And if you think Nate is better than Blake.....lmao.
Fish is clutch. Remember game 7:
Fisher for 3.......bang....tied game (64-64). You underestimate the importance of Fisher, he's done those sorts of things time and again. If I had to choose between Fisher and Rondo with 5 mins to go in a game 7, I'd take Fisher everytime! -
Re: Celtics planning for the NBA Finals before they get there?
posted at 10/14/2010 4:58 AM EDT
- RUWorthy
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Fisher can hit clutch shots. Big difference in rating the players. For Rondo he has more hustle in his game than Fisher has ever possessed.
I'm still not sold on Miami yet. Wasn't sold on the 2008 Celtics either until they started winning the games that mattered.
Bosh and James if they believe it's Wade's team then there will be trouble for the league. As I see Miami as being Wade's team, he is the Heat. As far as I'm concerned now James is his version of Pippen. A more potent scorer to be sure, but just an exceptionally talented sidekick. Wade showed real heart against the Celtics last year. But then James new he was leaving Cleveland so that may have had something to do with his play.
Ramekap you echo my sentiments. I don't see the heat as being as deep as that 2008 Celtics team. I think that 2008 side from Boston was very hungry for a title as well. Guys like Allen and especially Garnett. Maybe after winning A title they could have relaxed mentally, we're champions let it ride. They may not even know it. But somewhere in the back of their minds it is there. We'll see this season. I think Celtic teams usually win two championships and this is their last realistic chance so that could be a factor in propelling them to title 18. -
Re: Celtics planning for the NBA Finals before they get there?
posted at 10/14/2010 10:43 AM EDT
- Jimmy42Jack0
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In Response to Re: Celtics planning for the NBA Finals before they get there?:In Response to Re: Celtics planning for the NBA Finals before they get there? : Please tell me you don't think Big Z, Anthony and Pittman are going to offset Shaq, Garnett, JO, Erdin, BB etc. Not going to happen. I never said Bosh wasn't a good player. He is a finess PF not a banger! Great Shot, high BBall IQ, I would want him on my team, but he can't bang with these guys.
Posted by DFURY13
they probably wont offset them...but who on the C's is going to be able to run with wade and lebron and bosh for 48 minutes because we all know that miami is not looking to be a whole heck of alot of half court sets -
Re: Celtics planning for the NBA Finals before they get there?
posted at 10/14/2010 10:46 AM EDT
- Jimmy42Jack0
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In Response to Re: Celtics planning for the NBA Finals before they get there?:In Response to Re: Celtics planning for the NBA Finals before they get there? : Give me the injured KG that we have over Chris Bosh any given day!! I am one that does not think highly of Bosh. Write that down if you want. ..He is good, but not great...Not a physical player..
Posted by cabutan
for future reference....how do you take your crow?
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Re: Celtics planning for the NBA Finals before they get there?
posted at 10/14/2010 10:50 AM EDT
- Jimmy42Jack0
- Posts: 3769
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In Response to Re: Celtics planning for the NBA Finals before they get there?:Bosh is a very good player, but he's not the best power forward in the NBA. He's not even close. I hate to say it but with K.G's age now I have to give the nod to Gasol as the NBA's best power forward.
Posted by mem17
its close between bosh and gasol...gasol's numbers suffered because there were more options...i expect the same for bosh...but not for his level of play to suffer...i also expect his fg% to go up by quite a bit -
Re: Celtics planning for the NBA Finals before they get there?
posted at 10/14/2010 12:00 PM EDT
- Tachometrix
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In Response to Re: Celtics planning for the NBA Finals before they get there?:In Response to Re: Celtics planning for the NBA Finals before they get there? : they probably wont offset them...but who on the C's is going to be able to run with wade and lebron and bosh for 48 minutes because we all know that miami is not looking to be a whole heck of alot of half court sets
Posted by Jimmy42Jack0Like when the game doesn't slow down when it's playoff time. The Heat have no true Center and only Mike Miller is the only legit 3pt shooter on that team. If Lebron himself said that they are still behind compared to some teams I think I believe him! -
Re: Celtics planning for the NBA Finals before they get there?
posted at 10/14/2010 1:29 PM EDT
- Jimmy42Jack0
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In Response to Re: Celtics planning for the NBA Finals before they get there?:In Response to Re: Celtics planning for the NBA Finals before they get there? : Like when the game doesn't slow down when it's playoff time. The Heat have no true Center and only Mike Miller is the only legit 3pt shooter on that team. If Lebron himself said that they are still behind compared to some teams I think I believe him!
Posted by Tachometrix
i dont think that is going to hinder miami's offense much, even in playoff time...wade and lebron are going to be match up nightmares and that is going to leave wide open shots all over the court...even if miller is the only legit threat...eddie house is still pretty solid from deep and james jones is as well
but shooting a bunch of 3's isnt what will set this team apart...it will be their ability to get to the line that will and the heat are going to draw a ton of fouls this year
IMO, i agree with lebron...but come march and april, this team will be playing more and more like a team and thats when everyone should look out -
Re: Celtics planning for the NBA Finals before they get there?
posted at 10/14/2010 2:34 PM EDT
- djkg
- Posts: 275
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In Response to Celtics planning for the NBA Finals before they get there?:Saw an interesting comment in another thread and thought I'd make a topic of it. Do you think the Celtics have actually constructed a team to beat the L.A. Lakers while not concentrating on assembling a team that will beat the Bulls, Magic and especially The Heat? Logically we could assume that they have a stronger team (on paper) from last year. Although time will tell how the absence of Tony Allen and long time injury to Kendrick Perkins will hinder the team. There is still a question mark in my mind over Shaq (even thought I adore the big fella) and JON. How will they blend with the team when the games start to matter. How will they be used in the rotation? Seems to me that management may have designed this team with the purpose of beating the Lakers. I think the Magic did a similar thing after their loss to us in the '09 finals. And it cost them the next season.
Posted by RUWorthy
It is an interesting point. A lot of people were talking about how Cleveland constructed their team in the offseason with the purpose of beating Orlando. Of course that did not work out because the Celts beat them and went on to face Orlando.
However, as for the C's strategy, I don't think there were many better routes to go. They wanted to keep TA and he suprised everyone and left. If healthy, the C's should be able to match up with anyone this season because of not only the sheer depth in the frontcourt, but the diversity of talent in the frontcourt. Should be an exciting season!