How do we beat the Cavs in the ECF?

[bellerephon]

I think Semi will be able to guard Lebron effectively most of the time. LBJ doesn't have the same length as Greek Freak, and definitely doesn't have as explosive of a first step at this stage in his career as Giannis. However, he is a far superior outside shooter, which I believe is going to force Semi to play tighter on him, and he will be in foul trouble most of this series.

I think whoever wins the Horford/Love matchup is going to come out on top.

Lebron is also going to be spending most of the game likely guarding Tatum, which will hopefully tire him out.

I think the Celtics have a good chance to beat Cleveland. It will take a very low turnover, mistake free series. Smart is going to have to spin some more magic and either make his outside shots, or just pass the freaking rock. He has been ice cold from the outside. His plus minus would have been through the roof with all his amazing defensive plays, had he taken a few less outside shots a game.

No one can guard Lebron effectively most of the time. Certainly Semi cannot. Furthermore, he is so bad on offense it drags the team down, it's like playing 5 on 4. I'm not saying he has no role in this series, he can defend and he has the strength and speed to match up a bit with Lebron, but he's not going slow him down much, just another body to run at Lebron.

[Granath]

To beat the Cavs you have to do a few things:

1. Not get bullied on the boards
2. Run when you can
3. Hit your 3s

But all of that pales in comparison to one thing. You cannot let Lebron run their offense. Oh, he's going to get 30 points a game. There's not a thing you can do about that. But you try not to let him kill you on the boards and even worse with assists. Don't let him facilitate other players. Against Indy he averaged 8 assists. Against Toronto? 11 per game. You can't let him set up guys like Korver on the outside (who averaged about 15ppg that series). Make him work to get his points and play the other guys straight up. Don't give him passing lanes. I don't care if he drops 40, so long as the other guys don't beat you. The Cavs shot about 40% from behind the arc in that Toronto series. You simply have to take that away and you SHOULD be able to do it since their guys aren't that athletic. You just can't let Lebron collapse the defense.

Then you hope the refs don't kill you.

[ImShakHeIsShaq]

I think Semi will be able to guard Lebron effectively most of the time. LBJ doesn't have the same length as Greek Freak, and definitely doesn't have as explosive of a first step at this stage in his career as Giannis. However, he is a far superior outside shooter, which I believe is going to force Semi to play tighter on him, and he will be in foul trouble most of this series.

I think whoever wins the Horford/Love matchup is going to come out on top.

Lebron is also going to be spending most of the game likely guarding Tatum, which will hopefully tire him out.

I think the Celtics have a good chance to beat Cleveland. It will take a very low turnover, mistake free series. Smart is going to have to spin some more magic and either make his outside shots, or just pass the freaking rock. He has been ice cold from the outside. His plus minus would have been through the roof with all his amazing defensive plays, had he taken a few less outside shots a game.

No one can guard Lebron effectively most of the time. Certainly Semi cannot. Furthermore, he is so bad on offense it drags the team down, it's like playing 5 on 4. I'm not saying he has no role in this series, he can defend and he has the strength and speed to match up a bit with Lebron, but he's not going slow him down much, just another body to run at Lebron.

Healthy KL is about the best you will ever see and still LBJ gets his. It's always the others that teams will need to stop. Last season LBJ and KI were dang near scoring 40 each during last years finals and they still only made it to 5 games. Pacers nearly did just that but I remember they let Korver hold them steady in 3-4th Qs. You can't let that happen because LBJ will hit clutch shots if guys keep him in it when he's tired during the second half.

[sdceltsfan]

I think Semi will be able to guard Lebron effectively most of the time. LBJ doesn't have the same length as Greek Freak, and definitely doesn't have as explosive of a first step at this stage in his career as Giannis. However, he is a far superior outside shooter, which I believe is going to force Semi to play tighter on him, and he will be in foul trouble most of this series.

I think whoever wins the Horford/Love matchup is going to come out on top.

Lebron is also going to be spending most of the game likely guarding Tatum, which will hopefully tire him out.

I think the Celtics have a good chance to beat Cleveland. It will take a very low turnover, mistake free series. Smart is going to have to spin some more magic and either make his outside shots, or just pass the freaking rock. He has been ice cold from the outside. His plus minus would have been through the roof with all his amazing defensive plays, had he taken a few less outside shots a game.

No one can guard Lebron effectively most of the time. Certainly Semi cannot. Furthermore, he is so bad on offense it drags the team down, it's like playing 5 on 4. I'm not saying he has no role in this series, he can defend and he has the strength and speed to match up a bit with Lebron, but he's not going slow him down much, just another body to run at Lebron.

Sorry, guess I needed to be more specific with the word "effectively," since you're assuming I meant that Semi is going to shut down Lebron like Kawhi....

Wasn't born yesterday. It was a simple comparison to what Semi did against Giannis most of the Bucks series. He played very little against the Sixers because there just wasn't a similar situation where there was an overpowering athlete like Giannis/Lebron. The closest thing was Simmons, and better offensive players in Morris/Tatum/Brown/Smart all kind of took turns and got the job done.

James is absolutely going to get his. But the difference in keeping him at his season averages, and him dropping 40-50 burgers every game, is going to be a big key in the Celtics winning this series, and having an athletic defender like Semi on him for stretches of the game to force more jump shots, will be a huge help.

Never meant that an end of the rotation guy like Semi is going to shut down one of the greatest Forwards of all time. Contain effectively.

[Rosco917]

Pressure James when he tries to bring the ball over half court, with different players and at times maybe several players. Make him uncomfortable, by having to deal with pesky smaller quicker players and taller more physical players.

IMO this version of the Cavs is not as good as last year. Unfortunately, as the injuries pile up, neither are we. But defensively this Celtic team is much better than last years team, much longer, taller, stronger, and everyone is a pretty good defender.

He'll get his points, rebounds, assists for sure...make him work for them.

[Dino Pitino]

If Morris defends James as above-average-ly as advertised and shoots lights out, if Smart shoots at an average clip and defends at an All-Defense level, if Rozier and Tatum and Brown and Horford all average about the same ppg as they do now.

I feel good about how many options we have to throw defensively at Lebron, players who can pose a challenge to LeBron. Morris, Smart, Ojeleye, Brown, Tatum, Horford are as good a collection of LeBron defenders as it gets.

[gouki88]

If Morris defends James as above-average-ly as advertised and shoots lights out, if Smart shoots at an average clip and defends at an All-Defense level, if Rozier and Tatum and Brown and Horford all average about the same ppg as they do now.

A Marcus Smart average clip or a normal player average clip?

[Dino Pitino]

If Morris defends James as above-average-ly as advertised and shoots lights out, if Smart shoots at an average clip and defends at an All-Defense level, if Rozier and Tatum and Brown and Horford all average about the same ppg as they do now.

A Marcus Smart average clip or a normal player average clip?

Normal average from Smart is what I think we'll need to beat the Cavs, so, a step up from his own average.

[SHAQATTACK]

series will be a defining moment for Marcus Morris .

Will he hvae the fire in his belly to muscle up against Lebron and push him around .

He can make a career statement defending Bron.   I think this was part of DA thinking .

[Dino Pitino]

series will be a defining moment for Marcus Morris .

Will he hvae the fire in his belly to muscle up against Lebron and push him around .

He can make a career statement defending Bron.   I think this was part of DA thinking .

Yep, this is exactly why Ainge traded for him, for this series, this moment, against LeBron.

I like the way these Celtics compare to the 89-90 Pistons and the 04 Pistons, the way those offenses were evenly distributed, the defensive beast like Rodman or Wallace being the guard version in Smart, the star power they had to overcome to win. If we play like those Pistons teams we could beat whoever comes out of the West, too.

[SparzWizard]

series will be a defining moment for Marcus Morris .

Will he hvae the fire in his belly to muscle up against Lebron and push him around .

He can make a career statement defending Bron.   I think this was part of DA thinking .

Yep, this is exactly why Ainge traded for him, for this series, this moment, against LeBron.

I like the way these Celtics compare to the 89-90 Pistons and the 04 Pistons, the way those offenses were evenly distributed, the defensive beast like Rodman or Wallace being the guard version in Smart, the star power they had to overcome to win. If we play like those Pistons teams we could beat whoever comes out of the West, too.

Warriors are a different level with three of the sharpest shooters in the world and an energy fella.

[Dino Pitino]

series will be a defining moment for Marcus Morris .

Will he hvae the fire in his belly to muscle up against Lebron and push him around .

He can make a career statement defending Bron.   I think this was part of DA thinking .

Yep, this is exactly why Ainge traded for him, for this series, this moment, against LeBron.

I like the way these Celtics compare to the 89-90 Pistons and the 04 Pistons, the way those offenses were evenly distributed, the defensive beast like Rodman or Wallace being the guard version in Smart, the star power they had to overcome to win. If we play like those Pistons teams we could beat whoever comes out of the West, too.

Warriors are a different level with three of the sharpest shooters in the world and an energy fella.

Those Pistons teams beat the Jordan Bulls, the Showtime Lakers, and the Shaq/Kobe Lakers.

[konkmv]

Playing better?

[gouki88]

series will be a defining moment for Marcus Morris .

Will he hvae the fire in his belly to muscle up against Lebron and push him around .

He can make a career statement defending Bron.   I think this was part of DA thinking .

Yep, this is exactly why Ainge traded for him, for this series, this moment, against LeBron.

I like the way these Celtics compare to the 89-90 Pistons and the 04 Pistons, the way those offenses were evenly distributed, the defensive beast like Rodman or Wallace being the guard version in Smart, the star power they had to overcome to win. If we play like those Pistons teams we could beat whoever comes out of the West, too.

Warriors are a different level with three of the sharpest shooters in the world and an energy fella.

Those Pistons teams beat the Jordan Bulls, the Showtime Lakers, and the Shaq/Kobe Lakers.

Yeah, Pistons beat better teams. Especially those Laker squads

[Beat LA]

series will be a defining moment for Marcus Morris .

Will he hvae the fire in his belly to muscle up against Lebron and push him around .

He can make a career statement defending Bron.   I think this was part of DA thinking .

Yep, this is exactly why Ainge traded for him, for this series, this moment, against LeBron.

I like the way these Celtics compare to the 89-90 Pistons and the 04 Pistons, the way those offenses were evenly distributed, the defensive beast like Rodman or Wallace being the guard version in Smart, the star power they had to overcome to win. If we play like those Pistons teams we could beat whoever comes out of the West, too.

Warriors are a different level with three of the sharpest shooters in the world and an energy fella.

Those Pistons teams beat the Jordan Bulls, the Showtime Lakers, and the Shaq/Kobe Lakers.

Yeah, Pistons beat better teams. Especially those Laker squads

With the exception of the 86 Celtics, imo, those Pistons teams with The Microwave, Aguirre, and Salley as reserves probably had the best bench in NBA history, although the 85 Lakers were loaded, too, iirc.

Still, I'm not sure that Detroit beats the 88-89 Lakers if Pat Riley doesn't put his team through insane workouts prior to the start of the Finals that resulted in Byron Scott tearing his hamstring and putting him out of action for the entire series, as even without him, and despite losing Magic in the third quarter of Game 2, the Lakers could very well have won that contest, so who knows? If Magic doesn't get hurt they probably at least get a split, but we'll never know, now.

Besides, how does our bench stack up with that of the 89-90 Pistons? Is Morris our Aguirre? Doubtful, at best lma0, Smart is no VJ, to say the least, and we have no one comparable to Salley, especially with Theis being out. I think.

Plus, who wants to be the Pistons, anyway, lol?