A conversation between me and Chuck:
“Wow. The Celtics are in the playoffs. That’s still amazing to me.”
“Yeah, still surreal.”
“I feel like we’re forgetting something”
“OH CRAP, A PREVIEW!”
Yeah, the euphoria and excitement of unexpected playoff basketball is forcing us to reschedule our post-season vacations (mine: a trip to Vegas. Chuck: descending into the netherworld to assume his alter-ego to fight crime in red spandex) to look ahead to a playoff series.
So… here we go.
Short of kidnapping LeBron, what can the Celtics do to stand any chance?
John: Kidnappi… oh, nevermind.
The Celtics best chance at making this a tough series is do simply do what they’ve been doing. It’s all about effort and execution for Boston. If they can go out there and just lay it all out on the line and execute the plays as crisply as possible, they’ll at least force the Cavs to do the same.
I’ll say the same thing of these Celtics that I’ve said over the past couple of months: They might lose, but you’re going to have to beat them. They’re not just going to sit there and let you impose your will. Even if the Cavs are up 40, the Celtics will scratch and claw until the very end. If the Cavs go into the 4th with a 20 point lead and let up, we’ll be looking at a single-digit lead with 5 minutes to go.
Chuck: Limit the other guys. By other guys, I mean everyone not named LeBron and Kyrie.
For the Celtics to stop the Cavs from making those game-busting runs, they need to nullify JR Smith, Kevin Love and Mike Miller, i.e. the guys who can kill you from 3. If I’m Brad Stevens, I might just tell my guys defending on the perimeter, never leave your man. If you do, you will be benched permanently.
Of course, Kyrie and LeBron are so good those guys could score 40 each and still beat the Celtics.
Who needs to have a career week for the Celtics (or how many people)?
Chuck: Kelly Olynyk. Is it too much to ask for him to double his season game averages (10.3 points, 1 3-pointer) for this series? I feel like the mismatches will be there. Whether it’s Timofy Mozgov, Kendrick Perkins, Kevin Love or even Tristan Thompson, Olynyk can pull them all away from the basket and score on them. Of course a lot of Olynyk’s success will depend on whether the Celtics can push the ball in transition or penetrate and move the ball around the perimeter.
John: I was going to say Isaiah Thomas, but he’s probably going to keep doing what he does. I’m going to go with Avery Bradley instead because if the Celtics starting unit can come out hot, it actually gives the Celtics a chance to use their one advantage: the bench. The Cavs bench has been a weakness for them all year long while the Celtics bench has been their strength. If Avery Bradley can shoot like he’s never shot before, then the Celtics will REALLY make the Cavs fight, and it could push this series further than anyone expects. And if other guys want to have career weeks, by all means, join in the fun. It’s going to take all the firepower we have.
Who can the Celtics stop to make things tough for Cleveland?
John: I think Kevin Love is really the key to making life tough for Cleveland. We know LeBron’s gonna LeBron and Irving can drop a double nickle on you at any given time, but if Love is going off, then that makes those other two things so much harder to stop.
If the Celtics can neutralize Love, then maybe they figure out a way to turn LeBron into a jump shooter and roll the dice with Bradley and Smart attacking Irving. I know it’s like trying hit a two-meter wide exhaust port, but who knows… maybe one of the Celtics bigs has experience targeting womp rats in his spare time as a child.
Chuck: I covered this in my first response so I’ll go off on a tangent and say the Celtics should attack the Cavs underlying chemistry issues. Love’s already been relegated to a distant 3rd fiddle this season, so I don’t think he’s the key. But if the Celtics can frustrate Kyrie Irving or smack talk him into playing 1-on-1, then maybe that will piss off Lebron. If we can get Lebron angry at Kyrie, then maybe we can take the Cavs out of their game. Follow?
What’s the prediction?
Chuck: As the Celtics jockeyed for playoff positioning, I wanted no part of Lebron and Cleveland. But I’ve done a 180 and embraced the challenge. I haven’t completely bought in on the ‘Why not us?’ campaign, but I do honestly believe the Celtics can make this series interesting. And by interesting I mean winning one of the first 3 games and making the Cavs work for it. LeBron is too good and too seasoned to let this Cavs team lose focus for 4 games. Cavs in 5. If this goes 6, I’ll throw a party.
John: I want to wave the pom poms. I want to drink the Kool Aid. I want to be the Tommy Heinsohn homer, or Mike Gorman, but there’s just no way I can do it and be honest with you guys. The Cavs SHOULD sweep, but I’m going to give the Celtics a game because I know how hard they’ll work and I think they can catch an overconfident Cavs team napping at least once.
Like I’ve been saying, this won’t be easy. This might be the first Rocky/Creed fight where Rocky loses but wins our hearts. Even if the Celtics ARE swept, this won’t be easy for the Cavs. They will have to earn every win in this series.
I’m just going to kick back and relax during this series, and enjoy what the Celtics bring. They’ll win some hearts and minds, even as they lose in 5 games.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
