You just saw the 2009 NBA Champions

[celticinorlando]

cavs def. took the team unity and defense from what they saw in boston last year...but it goes to say that boston really hasnt had their emotional leader in KG since the All Star break....and they still got to the 60 win mark.....and i too think the cavs won't beat LA if they get by boston...

[EJPLAYA]

this is disgusting. we've killed with injuries and still win 60, and our players are scheduled to come back for the beginning of the playoffs... yet when we lose a meaningless game with Cleveland (a team we beat without KG) we're hopeless against them. What would have been the difference today if we had a 50% KG? i think it would have been closer, otherwise your saying BBD is more than half the man Kevin is (which he isn't) or maybe your saying that Mikki Moore is our glaring weakness? well how about when we have Leon and Baby to battle Joe Smith in the second unit matchup?

A FIRED UP 85% HEALTH CELTIC TEAM CAN BEAT THESE GUYS.

I believe that the CAVS are eerily similar to us last year. Remember that they didn't have a completely healthy Z last year and he is a very under rated player. Mo Williams was a big pickup. Most importantly though they play the hungry ferocious defense that we did last year. When was the last time you saw us come out with the defensive intensity in the first and third quarters like we used to? We used to win games in the first and third. Now we almost always are playing from behind because we can't come out focused. Even against bad teams. Say what you will, but there is no question they don't have the same level of hunger as they did last year. If you think they can just flip a switch in the EC finals you are sadly mistaken. You can't flip switches against teams that are as good or better than you are.



Edited for same reasons you point.
keep the conversation clean both and not continue on that fan status thing
Edgar

And in personal thinking
Isnt that what Atlanta does against us last year and almost beat us
ANY team can have 4 games of glory
Ask Golden State

Come on! You don't really expect us to believe that you think the CAVS are even remotely in the same league as Atlanta or Golden State?! If you are referring to us, then I am even more depressed...

[Edgar]

this is disgusting. we've killed with injuries and still win 60, and our players are scheduled to come back for the beginning of the playoffs... yet when we lose a meaningless game with Cleveland (a team we beat without KG) we're hopeless against them. What would have been the difference today if we had a 50% KG? i think it would have been closer, otherwise your saying BBD is more than half the man Kevin is (which he isn't) or maybe your saying that Mikki Moore is our glaring weakness? well how about when we have Leon and Baby to battle Joe Smith in the second unit matchup?

A FIRED UP 85% HEALTH CELTIC TEAM CAN BEAT THESE GUYS.

I believe that the CAVS are eerily similar to us last year. Remember that they didn't have a completely healthy Z last year and he is a very under rated player. Mo Williams was a big pickup. Most importantly though they play the hungry ferocious defense that we did last year. When was the last time you saw us come out with the defensive intensity in the first and third quarters like we used to? We used to win games in the first and third. Now we almost always are playing from behind because we can't come out focused. Even against bad teams. Say what you will, but there is no question they don't have the same level of hunger as they did last year. If you think they can just flip a switch in the EC finals you are sadly mistaken. You can't flip switches against teams that are as good or better than you are.



Edited for same reasons you point.
keep the conversation clean both and not continue on that fan status thing
Edgar

And in personal thinking
Isnt that what Atlanta does against us last year and almost beat us
ANY team can have 4 games of glory
Ask Golden State

Come on! You don't really expect us to believe that you think the CAVS are even remotely in the same league as Atlanta or Golden State?! If you are referring to us, then I am even more depressed...

This days with the simptoms of jumping off the ship we have around
yes I am refering to us
We are as good as any team in this league

[winsomme]

just to jump off topic for a sec here....are those not the worst rims in the NBA?

CLE has a big advantage playing on those rims for all their home games. but for a team coming in that doesn't play on them regularly, it seems like the reinforced steel rims we used to shoot on as kids. made that way so they would last through NE winters....

those things in CLE are brutal.

[BballTim]

The Cleveland Cavs are playing the physical style of play that we beat everyone with last year and seemed to have lost somehow along the way. Add the fact that they have the single most difficult player to stop in Lebron and the pickup of Mo Williams and they have the offense to go along with it. Lebron is like a PP on steroids... PP isn't even in his league anymore.

I think we will unfortunately look back in a couple years and be glad we put the banner up when we did. If we don't make a drastic change in either our teams components or our heart we are done. We can't beat Cleveland in 7. That's not over reaction or sour grapes, that is fact.

  Funny, I heard the same thing about the Lakers last year, as they were led by the "best player on the planet".

[EJPLAYA]

this is disgusting. we've killed with injuries and still win 60, and our players are scheduled to come back for the beginning of the playoffs... yet when we lose a meaningless game with Cleveland (a team we beat without KG) we're hopeless against them. What would have been the difference today if we had a 50% KG? i think it would have been closer, otherwise your saying BBD is more than half the man Kevin is (which he isn't) or maybe your saying that Mikki Moore is our glaring weakness? well how about when we have Leon and Baby to battle Joe Smith in the second unit matchup?

A FIRED UP 85% HEALTH CELTIC TEAM CAN BEAT THESE GUYS.

I believe that the CAVS are eerily similar to us last year. Remember that they didn't have a completely healthy Z last year and he is a very under rated player. Mo Williams was a big pickup. Most importantly though they play the hungry ferocious defense that we did last year. When was the last time you saw us come out with the defensive intensity in the first and third quarters like we used to? We used to win games in the first and third. Now we almost always are playing from behind because we can't come out focused. Even against bad teams. Say what you will, but there is no question they don't have the same level of hunger as they did last year. If you think they can just flip a switch in the EC finals you are sadly mistaken. You can't flip switches against teams that are as good or better than you are.



Edited for same reasons you point.
keep the conversation clean both and not continue on that fan status thing
Edgar

And in personal thinking
Isnt that what Atlanta does against us last year and almost beat us
ANY team can have 4 games of glory
Ask Golden State

Come on! You don't really expect us to believe that you think the CAVS are even remotely in the same league as Atlanta or Golden State?! If you are referring to us, then I am even more depressed...

This days with the simptoms of jumping off the ship we have around
yes I am refering to us
We are as good as any team in this league

If we are 100% healthy then I'd agree that we are right there. We aren't as good as last year though. I sure haven't been jumping on and off the bandwagon though because I was am the OP from 4 months ago and have been concerned about our depth. Look at these positions as objectively as you can and tell me we are the best:

      Boston           CAVS              Lakers
PG - Rondo          Williams        Fisher    - us and the Cavs are slightly ahead of LA
SG - Allen             West              Kobe    - LA in a landslide
SF - Pierce             Lebron         ?            - Cavs by a pretty good margin
PF - KG                 Varaejo          Gasol   - Gasols has stats and health. KG is better though
C - Perk                Big Z              Bynum - Probably a wash

Key Backups: Bos - BBD, POWE, House, Marbury
                         Cle - Gibson, Wally, Wallace, Joe Smith
                         LA - Ariza, Walton, Farmar, Powell

If you are talking starters, then the only one that we are arguably better at is at PF. With him not being 100% then that gives the edge IMO to LA and Gasol. The 2 best players on that list are not Celtics. As far as benches go we are talented, but small. The size is what hurts us otherwise I would say we are the best of the group, however Cleveland does have 3 former all-stars and one heck of a shooter in Gibson.

This is my rationale behind my worry. I am not going to put on blinders and pretend we are better than we are.

[winsomme]

The Cleveland Cavs are playing the physical style of play that we beat everyone with last year and seemed to have lost somehow along the way. Add the fact that they have the single most difficult player to stop in Lebron and the pickup of Mo Williams and they have the offense to go along with it. Lebron is like a PP on steroids... PP isn't even in his league anymore.

I think we will unfortunately look back in a couple years and be glad we put the banner up when we did. If we don't make a drastic change in either our teams components or our heart we are done. We can't beat Cleveland in 7. That's not over reaction or sour grapes, that is fact.

  Funny, I heard the same thing about the Lakers last year, as they were led by the "best player on the planet".

yeah, but the front court of the Lakers was actually soft in a way that CLEs isn't.

hey this isn't over by a long shot, but we are going to have to do a much better job of controlling the paint. they just pushed around all day long.

getting Leon back will help. and obviously KG...

[RebusRankin]

Its one game. The Lakers were up 2-0 on Phoenix in 1993 and lost. Seattle was up 2-0 on Denver in 1994 and lost. Those were in a series, who cares that we lost a meaningless regular season game?

[EJPLAYA]

Its one game. The Lakers were up 2-0 on Phoenix in 1993 and lost. Seattle was up 2-0 on Denver in 1994 and lost. Those were in a series, who cares that we lost a meaningless regular season game?

Obviously not that team that stepped out on that floor today...

[TatteredOnMySleeve]

The celtics suck in cleveland, and it leads to threads like this, but paul pierce outplays lebron almost everytime in boston and is every bit 'in his league'. this is why 1st place was important, (cleveland wanted it more) and why 2nd place is useless

[celticinorlando]

The celtics suck in cleveland, and it leads to threads like this, but paul pierce outplays lebron almost everytime in boston and is every bit 'in his league'. this is why 1st place was important, (cleveland wanted it more) and why 2nd place is useless

not so sure cleveland wanted it more...i think the rash of injuries killed boston's chances to get it

[TatteredOnMySleeve]

The celtics suck in cleveland, and it leads to threads like this, but paul pierce outplays lebron almost everytime in boston and is every bit 'in his league'. this is why 1st place was important, (cleveland wanted it more) and why 2nd place is useless

not so sure cleveland wanted it more...i think the rash of injuries killed boston's chances to get it

Pretty sure cleveland wanted it more
Pretty sure cleveland went through injuries of there own
Pretty sure the celtics lost 13 of there 20 losses with a completly healthy KG, including a blowout loss in cleveland

But HEY, with KG we'd never lose..to the warriors, lakers twice, bobcats, knicks and blazers without brandon roy! wait..

[celticinorlando]

The celtics suck in cleveland, and it leads to threads like this, but paul pierce outplays lebron almost everytime in boston and is every bit 'in his league'. this is why 1st place was important, (cleveland wanted it more) and why 2nd place is useless

not so sure cleveland wanted it more...i think the rash of injuries killed boston's chances to get it

Pretty sure cleveland wanted it more
Pretty sure cleveland went through injuries of there own
Pretty sure the celtics lost 13 of there 20 losses with a completly healthy KG, including a blowout loss in cleveland

But HEY, with KG we'd never lose..to the warriors, lakers twice, bobcats, knicks and blazers without brandon roy! wait..

i would hope to think a healthy KG would be worth wins over some of the teams they lost to without him (close games like the clippers, magic twice)...and i am not so sure KG was completely healthy in some of those 13 loses either...cleveland is great at home. better than boston was this year...but you have to factor in this team playing alomost 30 games without their defensive anchor and energy guy

[QuinielaBox]

My GOD! What has happened to this board. It wasn't over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor.

What is the matter with you guys?

When the going gets tough, the tough get going!

You guys are acting like Dean STERNER kicked you out of the NBA!!!!

And Lebron danced on our faces!

Are we going to lay down like whipped puppies?

Come on, we lost Game 3 of the 1984 Finals 137-103 and came back to win.

This was a meaningless game to us since Orlando handed us the #2 seed.

SO LEBRON is too tough, Oh the Referees screw us time and again, Mo Williams is better than Rondo, Davis is Varejevo's ****, LA DEE DA DEE DA!

Guess what!!! The Cadavers are going down in their building on Memorial Day against the Celtics and then they get compared to ......... (er I'm not going there - let Scotty or Wide Load fill in the ........).

The Celtics will win when it counts at the Q.

[Rondo_is_better]

Yeah, we did see the 2009 champions. Funny how poorly they played today; I wasn't expecting a loss or a 36% shooting effort from this years champs.

Get it? Good.