How do we match up with Cleveland?

[Drucci]

I'm not completely sure that Perk and Shaq are a wash.  It will be interesting to see how Shaq fits in with Cleveland and their offense, but overall, he still has a lot left in the tank.

I think he'll be able to stop Perk one on one and slightly outrebound him.  Shaq's issue will be on pick-and-roll defense, I think.

I have been conviced since the Shaq trade to Cleveland that he won't stay in great shape throughout all the season and I'm sure he'll miss a significant amount of games next season. The medical staff in Phoenix has done miracles (see Shaq, Nash, Hill) but in Cleveland Shaq should be less effective as a 37 years old.

The center matchup doesn't worry me at all, Shaq's health put aside, we have the advantage. Perkins will own him defensively and Shaq is terrible on the pick & roll. Overall, I think both teams match up pretty well. On paper we have the better team, and our bench is slightly better than the Cavs (still worried about our backup PG).

What worries me about the Cavs is that they seem to have the mental edge on us when we play them in Cleveland... C's get blown out almost every time they play there. Sure, now the C's have more talent on their roster than before but it doesn't seem like a question of talent, it's clearly mental. The Cavs have been really close to win in Boston last season or even in the playoffs while the same can't be said about the C's at the Q... hopefully next year will be better on their homecourt.

I will say that the Cavs are the team that match up the best against us in the East, that's why I fear more a Cavs/Celtics series than a Magic/Celtics one.

[BostonArizona]

In all honesty I think these are the two best teams in the league and can't wait to see them match up.

I find that the matchup is as close to even as you can find.

Position by position just looks like we could be in store for one of the best playoff series in recent memory.

Biggest thing that concerns me is Cleveland's pickup of Anthony Parker. I do think this guy will be a big time difference maker and will start on this team.
His defensive prowess and dead eye shooting could hurt us.

But then again, the amount of problems Sheed and KG will cause with high pick and rolls will definately offset that.

Love the matchup, I favor the C's but just can't wait to watch.

[MVP]

One Cavs weakness that I haven't seen mentioned is they only have 1 big who can space the floor and that's Zydrunas, but you can't play him together with Shaq. So most of the time, KG is going to be able to roam making Varejao beat us with his jumpshot. Seeing that Shaq is camped in the paint with Perk on him and KG can cheat/help to the paint, it will be hard for Lebron to find good driving lanes. I'm surprised they are not going after Joe Smith harder because they could use his shooting at the pf position and keep KG somewhat honest.

[Check_My_Stats]

Again, im not a Cavs fan. Just a Lebron fan livng in Pittsburgh. So I have no bias towards Cleveland sports. But historically Big Z (who I don't care for at all) has gotten the best of Perkins and Sheed. One of the biggest reasons Cleveland always got the best of those good Pistons teams was because Z would shoot right over Sheed. I think a lot of Boston fans are expecting Sheed to have a Rashard Lewis effect against Cleveland. But the truth is Sheed has never given Cleveland problems in any kind of matchup. Z is pretty slow, but Sheed doesn't have the speed to take advantage of it.
  As for the Perkins/Shaq matchup, I don't see how its a wash.  Perkins does a great job of guarding opposing centers. But unlike Howard, Shaq actually has a post game. Now im sure Perkins can hold his own with Shaq, but he has been in foul trouble just guarding Z. Whats gonna happen with Lebron, Shaq, and Powe thrown in the mix?
   As for the PF matchup, KG is a beast. One of the best power forwards ever. Cleveland is just gonna have to see what Varejao/Powe/Hickson/Lebron can do with him.
    Ray Allen is the best SG out of both teams, but I like Cleveland's depth at the 2 better. Plus like Sheed, Ray has problems with the Cavs. I remember them throwing Wally Szcerbiak at him for a whole series and Allen not being able to take adavantage. Now they finally have a true 2-guard in Parker and West off the bench for depth. If Allen is hitting his shots its gonna be a tough series.
  Cleveland obviously has the best player in the series. Lebron is just a freak. But Pierce is a top SF in the league. Probably even top 3 with Lebron and Melo. Pierce is gonna have to work hard on defense as will Lebron. 
  As for the PG matchup, I think Rondo is the better all around player. But the thing that helps Mo out a lot is the fact that he doesn't need to be a playmaker in the Cavs offense. All he is asked to do is score.
 
In my honest opinion, if Cleveland finds away to mesh Lebron/Mo/Shaq, I don't see how they don't win the East. If Boston has homecourt in a 7 game series, I would give them the edge obviosuly because of history. However, I don't know if anyone can beat the Lakers in a series. Especially if Artest and Kobe can co-exist.

[Check_My_Stats]

Cleveland's big addition was Shaq, of course.  I'll take my chances with the Perk/'Sheed/Landlord combination over virtually any other three big men in the league to keep him in check.  They're all strong enough to make like difficult for him.

Perhaps more importantly, how on earth is Cleveland going to defend KG and 'Sheed on the court together?  Is Shaq going to defend one of those guys on the perimiter?  While Perk should be able to handle Shaq one-on-one as well as anyone in the league, I suspect those Cleveland games may be ones where we see a lot of 'Sheed.  Our big men will be open ALL DAY.  Even if we have BBD in there, any advantage Shaq may have on offense will be offset by the disadvantage he'll be at on D.  Open jumpers ALL GAME LONG.

I'm still a little concerned about our ability to defend against good outside shooters like Mo Williams.  If he gets hot, I'm not sure how much I like Ray Allen being forced to guard him, and I *know* I don't want Eddie House having to check him.  If Mo and Delonte are connecting from downtown, that's a potential X factor, we just don't have an excess of athleticism at the wing spots anymore.  Daniels is the big X factor here.

For the Cavs sake I hope Coach Rivers decides to play Sheed more than Perkins. Shaq is going to to look like 2000 Shaq if Sheed is guarding him one on one for most of the series.

[2short]

C:  Shaq / Big Z
PF: Varejao / Hickson / (Powe)
SF: Lebron / Moon
SG: Delonte / Parker
PG: Williams / Gibson

C:  Perk / Rasheed
PF: KG / BBD / Scal
SF: Pierce / Daniels
SG: Ray / House
PG: Rondo / (?)

Both teams are fairly stacked.  On paper, which team is better, and why will we beat them in a playoff series?

I think the big eye opener is they have a sub as starting pf.  We win that posistion very easily. Sideshow bob hustles his butt off but he is a sub.   I think a big cleveland plus is who besides PP do we have to guard Lebron? scal & daniels (walker?) ?  We can't have doc burn pierce out before the series.  I'd expect Rondo to have another good jump this coming year and be dominate.  Also if Ray is hitting his shots dwest can't stick with him at all.  I think its a great matchup.  KG healthy is such a huge thing our team did a great job last year in playoffs and end of season undermanned.

[Mike-Dub]

C:  Shaq / Big Z
PF: Varejao / Hickson / (Powe)
SF: Lebron / Moon
SG: Delonte / Parker
PG: Williams / Gibson

C:  Perk / Rasheed
PF: KG / BBD / Scal
SF: Pierce / Daniels
SG: Ray / House
PG: Rondo / (?)

Both teams are fairly stacked.  On paper, which team is better, and why will we beat them in a playoff series?

 C: Even
PF: Us EASILY
SF: Cavs barely
SG: Us but not by a whole lot
PG: Undetermined

But Roy you forgot one HUGE IMPORTANT THING
Coach: Mike Brown
Coach: Doc Rivers

I think we get a slight nod a center because Perk-Shaq is even and Sheed-Z is favorable.

You might be exagerating the gap between Garnett and Varejao while minimizing the gap between Pierce and Lebron. Combined, we are a wash at forward.

Ray holds an advantage over West, but does not dominate him. Similarly, Rondo has an advantage over Williams, but does not dominate their either. Guards are a push.

Backups along the perimeter are pretty even, and we have a little more depth underneath.

I think you are right to point out the coaching advantage, but it is not because of Doc - it is because of our Assistant Head Coach.

Also, nobody on Cleveland is going to improve, while Boston is likely to see improvement from Rondo and Perk.

Slight edge Boston.

You say nobody on Cleveland is going to improve... But you are completely forgetting one player on their team... And by the end of that player by the end his career may improve so much that he will be the BEST BASKETBALL PLAYER EVER! and I'm sure now u know who that player is...  How and how much LeBron improves this season will be a huge factor in which team will be better this year!

[indeedproceed]

However we match up with CLE, we don't ahve the moral high ground. We're sorry LEon!

[Roy Hobbs]

However we match up with CLE, we don't ahve the moral high ground. We're sorry LEon!

I feel better that the team offered him a contract.  I think that the failure to pick up the qualifying offer really got under his skin, though.

[slamtheking]

It must be the homer in me but Cle doesn't seem as talented/powerful as last year.  I just don't see Shaq being a dominant player.  This isn't 2000.  He's not what he used to be.  He's someone Perk can handle one on one pretty effectively.

No one on that team really concerns me with the ability to score other than Lebron.  In order for the Cavs to win a game against the C's, I think it only happens if every shooter on their team is having a hot night from deep.  Otherwise, C's should win the games.  They have too much firepower.  KG, PP, Ray and Sheed can all go for a 30 game night.  Heck, even Rondo can put up 30 on occasion.  Other than Bron, I just don't see that kind of scoring on the Cavs except a once-in-a-while hot night from Williams.

Orlando will be more troublesome in the East than the Cavs.

[wild]

Scal will average 50 a game against cavs...

Kidding aside, Cavs last year was better. Adding Shaq adds some depth, sure, but Perk will match up against him very well. Cavs this year will always be about Lebron.

And Scal will grab 25 rebounds 

[jv2764]

Toss up!  Home Court decides it.

[Brendan]

Also, nobody on Cleveland is going to improve, while Boston is likely to see improvement from Rondo and Perk.

Slight edge Boston.

To pick on one small part of a good post: I think Lebron can improve greatly, and pretty easily. Become a better FT shooter and 3pt shooter. Will he? I can't say.

[Brendan]

However we match up with CLE, we don't ahve the moral high ground. We're sorry LEon!

I feel better that the team offered him a contract.  I think that the failure to pick up the qualifying offer really got under his skin, though.

Agree. Seems like he was ticked at that and blinded to any other offer. I also wonder what extension offers Powe turned down (if any.)

[jdub1660]

I hate to sound like a Lebron towel waver BUT...

The guy is sick nasty. Pierce will spend every ounce of energy guarding him so we lose his offense, so it all falls on KG and Ray. Ray has a hard time finding his stroke in games like this, and KG will foul out b/c of Varejao's flopping. Lebron has endless energy so he'll play 48+ minutes and jump over Marquis and dunk all over him.

Shaq too will clog the lanes leaving Delonte and MoWill outside for 3's.

It will be a great game, and I expect our Perk to be the bench C in crunch time so Sheed can win the game on a 3 pointer!