Like everyone else, after watching last night's game and the roll that the Celtics are on, I've been trying to envision how a series with Miami in this year's playoffs could play out any differently than last year's playoffs. We lost in 5 games to the Heat last year...so what happens this year if/when we meet?
Miami - technically they should be vastly improved with Battier, fully healthy Miller and Haslem, some young guards and younger bangers (Turiaf/Anthony instead of Juwan Howard, Zydrunas, etc.)
Celtics - Pietrus (assuming he's fully healthy by playoffs) and Pavlovic in place of Jeff Green. That's a loss of a lot of versatility. Stiemsma over Krstic is a boost on defense for sure but not on offense. A surging Avery Bradley, Ray Allen, Dooling over Allen and West at the SG spot. Bass is definitely an upgrade over Baby as he has been all season. KG is playing better than last year and offers far more offensively at the starting center spot than Jermaine O'Neal. At PG, a fully healthy Rondo.
I really wonder how much of an impact a healthy Rondo would have had on the series last year...does it go 6 instead? 7? do we win? Based on our momentum last year, I really doubt a healthy Rondo would have pushed us any closer than a loss in 6 games. But what does everyone else think?
So thinking about this, there are some improvements and some albeit slight downgrades for our team. Miami, on paper at least, should have improved with no clear downgrades. How does this year play out any differently? Is there an intangible aspect of merely going into playoffs with great momentum (our run in 2010 would seem to downplay that idea). Let's hear it.
Topic: Celtics/Heat 2011 Playoffs - what would be different in 2012? (Read 356 times)