Dominated

[Fafnir]

Mike Brown ripped the team in the locker room, and apparently he was the most animated he has ever been.  It's only taken him 3 years to wake up.

He has to realize the this is probably his last chance to secure his career. If Cleveland wins and LeBron leaves, he'll have a fig leaf. If they are upset, he's likely fire. If LeBron leaves on top of that.....

He might not get another job.

[Evantime34]

Mike Brown ripped the team in the locker room, and apparently he was the most animated he has ever been.  It's only taken him 3 years to wake up.

He has to realize the this is probably his last chance to secure his career. If Cleveland wins and LeBron leaves, he'll have a fig leaf. If they are upset, he's likely fire. If LeBron leaves on top of that.....

He might not get another job.

I've never heard the expression have a fig leaf, can you explain to me what it means?

Mike Brown is lucky to have the roster he does, I think he's a very average coach.

[Fafnir]

Mike Brown ripped the team in the locker room, and apparently he was the most animated he has ever been.  It's only taken him 3 years to wake up.

He has to realize the this is probably his last chance to secure his career. If Cleveland wins and LeBron leaves, he'll have a fig leaf. If they are upset, he's likely fire. If LeBron leaves on top of that.....

He might not get another job.

I've never heard the expression have a fig leaf, can you explain to me what it means?

Mike Brown is lucky to have the roster he does, I think he's a very average coach.

It means he'll have a something to cover himself with, namely a title.

[Evantime34]

Mike Brown ripped the team in the locker room, and apparently he was the most animated he has ever been.  It's only taken him 3 years to wake up.

He has to realize the this is probably his last chance to secure his career. If Cleveland wins and LeBron leaves, he'll have a fig leaf. If they are upset, he's likely fire. If LeBron leaves on top of that.....

He might not get another job.

I've never heard the expression have a fig leaf, can you explain to me what it means?

Mike Brown is lucky to have the roster he does, I think he's a very average coach.

It means he'll have a something to cover himself with, namely a title.

Thanks.

Celticsblog where learning happens.

[Spilling Green Dye]

MMachOH, great thread and I really liked your 2nd post (on the first page).  I completely agree that a smaller lineup where Lebron potentially guards KG could work, and quite frankly would do wonders in opening up the floor so Cleveland gets more wide open 3's.  I hope Mike Brown doesn't take that route.

As far as the ref's are concerned, I thought that the 2nd half style completely benefited the Celtics.  The C's got away with a lot of contact inside 10' of the hoop.  The first half was slightly in the Cav's favor, but the Celtics didn't really attack the rim often.. and when they did they usually turned it over lol.

I'm hoping that the Celtics do two things well in game 3:

1) Keep up the defensive intensity and rotations.  Their defense in the 3rd quarter of game 2 was some of the best defense I've seen.

2) Keep the turnovers to a minimum.  It seemd like 80% of their game 2 turnovers resulted in points for the Cavs.

[BballTim]

16-4 personal foul disparity in one half just doesn't happen if the refs are making calls objectively.  Bottom line, end of story.

That said, I agree that the reffing, while bad, hasn't had a huge impact on this series (yet).

If the Cavs (or the Celts) win a game primarily because of the amount of free throws they take, especially in the fourth quarter, then I will become annoyed.

  I don't think it's always the disparity, but the timing of the calls. Sometimes you'll see the Celts go on a run and then get 3 or so questionable whistles against them. That's all it takes to kill off any momentum we build.
 

[yoursweatersux]

We are ABSOLUTELY going to complain about one-sided reffing, even if we win the game despite the fix.

Lebron has 2 fouls in EIGHT QUARTERS? That's simply not possible. Also, it's apparently impossible for him to travel. I'm not just talking about the double jump-stop/bunnyhop thing either... try watching this for fun. Whenever he catches a ball on a fast break he'll take the first two steps before dribbling. In game 2, there was one play where he did this and literally went from halfcourt to the rim (for a dunk) by taking only a single dribble. I'm being literal... the ball hit the ground once. Again, that's not possible, no matter how big your stride is. He has a play like this at least once a game.

But it's not just limited to Lebron. There are an AMAZING number of non-calls in favor of the Cavs. For example, Paul Pierce has gotten to the line to shoot 6 free throws in the first two games. For reference, Paul Pierce usually shoots 6 free throws a game. During the playoffs, as he gets more aggressive and gets more playing time, this number jumps to 7 per game. So Paul has had literally HALF of the opportunities he usually gets. While correlation =/= causation, when you see Paul getting fouled hard without a whistle it makes you wonder.

Plus, no fouls for 21 straight minutes? Ok, just go ahead and try to justify that. This stat is so absurd it doesn't even need to be discussed.

The harsh reality of the matter is that both games were called heavily in the Cavs' favor, and in my opinion the refs were the only reason the Celtics lost game 1.

/shades of Lakers-Kings...

[Evantime34]

We are ABSOLUTELY going to complain about one-sided reffing, even if we win the game despite the fix.

Lebron has 2 fouls in EIGHT QUARTERS? That's simply not possible. Also, it's apparently impossible for him to travel. I'm not just talking about the double jump-stop/bunnyhop thing either... try watching this for fun. Whenever he catches a ball on a fast break he'll take the first two steps before dribbling. In game 2, there was one play where he did this and literally went from halfcourt to the rim (for a dunk) by taking only a single dribble. I'm being literal... the ball hit the ground once. Again, that's not possible, no matter how big your stride is. He has a play like this at least once a game.

But it's not just limited to Lebron. There are an AMAZING number of non-calls in favor of the Cavs. For example, Paul Pierce has gotten to the line to shoot 6 free throws in the first two games. For reference, Paul Pierce usually shoots 6 free throws a game. During the playoffs, as he gets more aggressive and gets more playing time, this number jumps to 7 per game. So Paul has had literally HALF of the opportunities he usually gets. While correlation =/= causation, when you see Paul getting fouled hard without a whistle it makes you wonder.

Plus, no fouls for 21 straight minutes? Ok, just go ahead and try to justify that. This stat is so absurd it doesn't even need to be discussed.

The harsh reality of the matter is that both games were called heavily in the Cavs' favor, and in my opinion the refs were the only reason the Celtics lost game 1.

/shades of Lakers-Kings...

I agree that the refs have been terrible, but you lose credibility in the eyes of fans of other teams when you say that the refs are the only reason we lost.

Mo Williams caught fire and that sunk us, the refs contributed but to say it was only the refs gives them too much credit.

[celticinorlando]

why does everyone think that if they increase the tempo it somehow hurts boston? i think boston is a better team when they can get out and go

[Fafnir]

why does everyone think that if they increase the tempo it somehow hurts boston? i think boston is a better team when they can get out and go

Because Cleveland has a more athletic team, and a deeper team. The Big 3 would all tire more quickly than Cleveland would.

[Who]

why does everyone think that if they increase the tempo it somehow hurts boston? i think boston is a better team when they can get out and go

Boston's starting lineup is the better transition vs the Cavs starting lineup.

I think Cleveland is the better transition team when Varejao + Hickson are in the game together along with LeBron.

[MMacOH]

why does everyone think that if they increase the tempo it somehow hurts boston? i think boston is a better team when they can get out and go

Because Cleveland has a more athletic team, and a deeper team. The Big 3 would all tire more quickly than Cleveland would.

This.  The Cavs have outscored the Celtics this year with a smaller lineup.  The Celtics can get out and run in spurts, but they can't do it consistently.  

[j804]

why does everyone think that if they increase the tempo it somehow hurts boston? i think boston is a better team when they can get out and go

Because Cleveland has a more athletic team, and a deeper team. The Big 3 would all tire more quickly than Cleveland would.

This.  The Cavs have outscored the Celtics this year with a smaller lineup.  The Celtics can get out and run in spurts, but they can't do it consistently.  

Are you a Celtic or Cavs fan? 

[BballTim]

why does everyone think that if they increase the tempo it somehow hurts boston? i think boston is a better team when they can get out and go

Because Cleveland has a more athletic team, and a deeper team. The Big 3 would all tire more quickly than Cleveland would.

  Paul and Ray only have to run as far as the 3 point line. And if the Cavs can't handle Rondo in the half court with their defense set then they'll get killed in the open court. We do a lot better when we push the ball than when we walk it up the court.

[jr_3421]

I do admit we are a better team when we push the ball but I never get mad when Rondo walks it up during games. If Doc is going to play him the whole game, then he needs to get some rest somehow.