Celts/Cavs/Lakers

[Chris]

I would like to see Cleveland play some teams with winning records before drawing any conclusions.

Only 3 good quality wins for the Cavs so far.

Dallas by 19
Denver by 11 (the night before Denver beat the Celtics in Boston)
Utah by 12 (although Deron wasn't playing)

I would also add that Dallas was in the middle of losing 7 of 9 games, when they lost to Cleveland...it was before they hit their stride.  Also, Utah was missing Deron AND Okur. 

I think this is something that can't be overlooked.  I give the Cavs a ton of credit for beating the teams they are supposed to beat (handily at that), but we have yet to see them show that they are going to be able to beat the elite teams in the league consistently (although the scheduling is not their fault).

The game that sticks out to me is Denver.  Cavs take care of them at home on the front end of a back to back for Denver.  Then Denver travels to play a rested Boston in Boston the next night and beats Boston by 9.  What happened there? 

Oh and I dont even watch ESPN anymore.  All they do is over hype and over dramatize over there.  I just want to talk sports

The Denver win is absolutely impressive.  But that still puts them (by my count...obviously debatable) 1-2 against elite teams (Denver, Boston, New Orleans).

[ManUp]

Great post Sinbad. TP 4 U.

I agree with almost all of it. The only thing that i don't agree with is Posey being a difference maker vs. Cleveland. I'm surprised people have forgotten how badly Lebron torched Posey in the play-offs. Posey was to slow, and wasn't strong enough, Lebron scored on him at will.

[cornbreadsmart]

c's didnt come to play vs denver. that's a throwaway game for me. i'm surprised nobody is mentioning what will probably be the second best player on the cavs. redd,etc? yikes .

[wdleehi]

Lakers are still not the team that scares me in the west.  If they put all their best players on the floor at once, they play into the strength of the Celtics defense (inside) because of so little outside shooting. 


Yes, they are probably the best team in the West.  I just don't think they matchup well against the Celtics defense. 



I would be more worried if a team like SA (if healthy) broke through to the Finals because of their ability to defend and hit big outside shots. 

[SladeRider]

I think both the Cavs and the Lakers are not only a big worry with their current teams but with what they have as trade bait.

The Lakers have Lamar Odom and his $14 million dollar expiring contract to go along with Lamar himself.

The Cavs have Wally and his $10 million dollar expiring contract to dangle at the trade deadline.

Both teams might look good now or at the beginning of the season, but when February comes around, they might improve even more.

And a note on the Lakers, Jackson isn't playing Bynum at the end of games for some reason and this might be effecting what we see from the Lakers, it might not but it's something to note.

[Who]

I would be more worried if a team like SA (if healthy) broke through to the Finals because of their ability to defend and hit big outside shots. 

I think Perkins gives the Celtics a fairly large advantage over San Antonio. I can't see the Spurs big men keeping pace with Boston. I can't see San Antonio's defense keeping pace with Boston. I can't see San Antonio's rebounding keeping pace with Boston.

That's a lot of work that has to be made up elsewhere. With Finley and Bowen suffering on the wings, I don't think their perimeter is strong enough to counter that.

I think Perkins is a big difference maker between the two sides. Glen Davis is another nice option because he can defend Duncan. Tim wouldn't have an easy matchup for a single minute all series - Perk, BBD and KG. Each one will be fresh and ready to defend him, he'll be tiring with each battle. Very tough.

Anyway, I don't think San Antonio get out of the Western Conference. Their supporting cast is too weak. Maybe if they can make a trade or sign a buyout free agent or two ...

Lakers are still not the team that scares me in the west.  If they put all their best players on the floor at once, they play into the strength of the Celtics defense (inside) because of so little outside shooting. 

Yes, they are probably the best team in the West.  I just don't think they matchup well against the Celtics defense. 

I agree. I don't think that Lakers squad matches up well against Boston either. They don't have enough go-to scoring options outside of Kobe .... as long as Pau isn't aggressive enough their offense will fall flat against Boston's defense.

[TatteredOnMySleeve]

I think both the Cavs and the Lakers are not only a big worry with their current teams but with what they have as trade bait.

The Lakers have Lamar Odom and his $14 million dollar expiring contract to go along with Lamar himself.

The Cavs have Wally and his $10 million dollar expiring contract to dangle at the trade deadline.

Both teams might look good now or at the beginning of the season, but when February comes around, they might improve even more.

And a note on the Lakers, Jackson isn't playing Bynum at the end of games for some reason and this might be effecting what we see from the Lakers, it might not but it's something to note.

who cares what jackson is doing with Bynum? he's not playing him at the end of games because he doesnt trust him, and bynum has been  an idiot defensivly, at least thats what lakers fans are saying, this is Phils way too send his players messages.