With Pierce and Kg leading the way, and with AB able to guard DW, and Green able guard LJ, can we beat the Heat?

Not in the 1st round.

There's just too much pressure on a 1 vs. 8 match-up.

But beyond the 1st round is another story.

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In response to Kirk6's comment:

... so are you calling the NBA professional wrestling? Is it all about the ratings, or is it sport?

 

 

I guess most are not faithful.

In response to KG-LB-KM's comment:

 

In response to Kirk6's comment:

 

In response to KG-LB-KM's comment:

 

With Pierce and Kg leading the way, and with AB able to guard DW, and Green able guard LJ, can we beat the Heat?

 

If they would ever call traveling or an offensive foul on Lebron, since he travels every single time he makes a move.

 

 

... so are you calling the NBA professional wrestling? Is it all about the ratings, or is it sport?

 

 

NBA is a sport spectacle.  LeBron needs to be made bigger than life.  Needs to be made a star.  NBA does regulate officiating, enough to affect games.  LeBron fouled out of game 3 in last year playoff series after all the howling about the non-call of Wade's foul on Rondo.

 

Unless the officiating is put under a microscope during the playoffs, LeBron will get a favorable treatment and will be able to dominate more than he should.

In response to Fierce34's comment:

But wait... you said the Celts weren't making it past the first round.

In response to videoburns' comment:

Many would say that the first round is the best time to play the Heat.  The guys are more rested in the first round and probably the healthiest of the playoffs.  I don't believe there would be any more pressure for us in round 1 against the Heat vs round 3.  Matter a fact  think round 3 there would be more pressure,  but for both teams.

In response to videoburns' comment:

That's because you failed to mention that I also said if the Celts finished 7th or 8th. 

Check my post again, I clearly stated that if the Celts finish 7th or 8th they would be eliminated in the 1st round. 

Again, if the Celts face Miami or NY in the 1st round, game over for the Celts.

In response to OneOnOne's comment:

The pressure will be on the Heat. NBA fans that are not Celtic fans are not expecting the Celts to get to the Finals. In other words, if the Celts reach that far then they have nothing to lose.

In response to Fierce34's comment:

There are pressure for both teams.  When they are playing the game I guarantee you they are not thinking about what seed they were.  The pressure is huge.  Did the Heat feel more pressure last year because of the Celtics seeding?   I doubt it.  I think the Heat fear the Celtics more than probably any team out there.  JMO

The Celts would have to have so much dumb luck to get pass the 1st round that rational thinking betting folk would not give them much of any progress from then on.  Unless the basketball Gods bestow some kind of blessing on them and they play well beyond their current abilities while cursing opponent teams, the idea of the Celts playing for a division title is slimmer than slim.  Just to remind everyone...these are the same basketbal Gods that gimped Rondo, Sully and is currently giving PP a pain in the neck.  I, myself, is/are waiting for more injuries to happen just because the BB Gods hate the Celts so much still.  I love the Celts, but they break my heart more than any lil beetch in HS every did.  The human/professional sports relationship is a very complicated emotion.  Right now I'm in the emotional stage of:  Don't expect too much because of all the adversity the Celts have gone through.  I'm not gonna blow smoke up my nether region about this team.  I'm just gonna enjoy the last stand of PP & KG as any Celts fan should at this point.

In response to Fierce34's comment:

The heat are unbeatable lately.  As much as I dislike them, I don't see anyone else in the East beating them.  If the Heat don't advance to the NBA finals this year I would be surprised but very happy.  I know many on this board dislike the Lakers but I dislike Miami more. 

I guess the resident fungus is saying the Celts cant beat the Heat or Knicks in the first round, but can in later rounds. 

Is there a way we can bottle up this wisdom and spread it out all over the world via crop dusters so all mankind may benefit from it??

In response to OneOnOne's comment:

It's not about the seeding, it's about the expectations for both teams. If the Celts make it to the east finals, every Celtic fan will be happy and every non-Celtic fan will be shocked. But there's more pressure for the Heat because almost everybody is expecting them to repeat.

If the Celts reach the east finals they overachieved.

But if the Heat fail to repeat, they underacieved and you could make a case that they're just a one hit wonder. 

Well thats your opinion,  I just don't agree with it.  The fans IMO don't even figure into this discussion.  The Heat have the same expectations whether they are playing a number 2 seed or a number 8 seed.  Either way a loss in a series and they get labeled a one hit wonder.  That has nothing to do with who beat them.  Spurs just lost the first round to a 8th seed,  the Mavs also lost to a 8 seed i believe after winning 66 games.

Not sure what the Celtics overachieving and the Heat being labeled as a one hit wonder has to do with the original discussions.

In response to OneOnOne's comment:

At the beginning of the season, GK made a thread about the Celts not being in the discussion for winning a championship this season. 

Again, it's the expectations, no matter what the Heat players say, it's in their heads that they have to repeat. Just like Pierce said the Big 3 of KG, Pierce, and Ray are nothing special if they don't win 2 rings.

In response to KG-LB-KM's comment:

The Celtics won't roll over and will give the Heat all or more than they can handle due to our speed and defense. It doesn't really matter where we meet them in the playoffs. We will have better insight as the team gets more practice and after the Heat come to visit on the 18th. I don't think the game on 4/12 in Miami will be as significant.

Don't overlook the Knicks because right now the only way the Celts face the Heat is if they beat NY first.

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If Williams, Crawford, and White can pick up the system before the playoffs I believe that the Celtics will have a chance. White is undersized. Boston needs a big. Desperately.

The Celtics will make it to the eastern conference finals. 

In response to Fierce34's comment:

There are no guarantees in anything, but to suggest the Celtics do not have fighting chance against the Heat based on the past is wrong. To suggest that we cannot beat the Knicks is really wrong.  We absolutely could.  If we do not sustain anymore injuries and the other teams do, we will be even stronger.

 

Remember if the Celtics build momentum Pierce and Garnett will give everything they have in the playoffs.  Green if he can play well in three out of every four versus showing up only half the time. This team becomes a terror during the playoffs. Green is so talented, he may be a top ten talent, of course he is not that as a performer, but he shows up more frequently than ever now. If Pierce can learn to let Green take over at the right times in the playoffs with our defense I want to say it again we will be very strong.  We have tools we did not have last year, a healthy Bradley,  Lee and some scorers on the bench.  Lastly I believe Terry has a playoff gear that he will find and this with our veteran experience will make us the toughest 5,6,7,or 8th seed in NBA history.

 

The schedule is tougher, I think we are going to play well from this point on. I could change my mind by next week but I saw something last night.  The Celtics are built for the playoffs no matter what the seed.

While I think that we will miss Rondo in the play-offs, I think that Jeff Green could more than make up for it. The way that he guarded Lebron last game could be a series changer. 

Green's problem of course is inconsistency. The good news is that defense is effort based, even if his offense comes and goes.

The other factor is the defensive play of our guards. We did not have Bradley for the entire series last time. Both Lee and Bradley will be tough.

In response to prakash's comment:

If you believe that games and championships are scripted, why do you watch?