A Stroll Down Memory Lane

[Evantime34]

Usually strolls down memory lane indicate you are remembering a good memory.

The ECF of 2007-2008 is a good memory though!

Its just this team has shifted roles, I'm hoping as much as anyone we flip the script!

Fair enough.

[Mr October]

I am absolutely worried that the Celtics are going to be just a pinch too complacent/overconfident and drop one of these games at home. You can feel it coming.

As I've stated all along, one way or another, I felt that these teams were going to be tied 2-2 after four games.

Man, I hope I'm wrong and the C's take advantage of every opportunity and go up 3-1!! Go Celtics!!

[Birdbrain]

Boston was clearly the best team that year.

By what measure wasn't Cleveland the best team this year?

Boston had 3 HOFs and still has 3 HOFs on their roster.  That Detroit team has maybe 1 and this Cleveland team most assuredly only has 1.

*cough* Shaq *cough*

I know he's been awful for them, but I couldn't resist. He's obviously declined more than the Big 3, but they're no longer putting up HoF numbers either.

The situations aren't completely similar, but they're not as different as you say. Remember that Detroit team had a ton of success with the same core group, just like Boston's core has. They were also accussed of coasting just like the C's after they'd killed themselves to get HCA last year and then been upset by Cleveland.

Boston might have out played Cleveland in Games 1 and 2 aggregately, but I really worry that they won't be able step up their game when LeBron and Cleveland counterpunch in Boston.

I never felt Cleveland was the best team in the league and still don't obviously.  Those that did (incorrectly) don't have a good grasp of the game and don't realize match ups are much more important in the playoffs. No offense.

I did forgot about shaq's decaying corpse.  The point still stands of course.  3 HOFs that actually have an impact on the game.

KGs heart > Sheed's heart

[Fafnir]

I never felt Cleveland was the best team in the league and still don't obviously.  Those that did (incorrectly) don't have a good grasp of the game and don't realize match ups are much more important in the playoffs. No offense.

Care to support the position that Cleveland hasn't been the best team this year?

I'm not sure what makes you so dismissive of other's knowledge and opinions, adding "no offense" as a fig leaf doesn't change what is a pretty insulting statement.

[Chris]

I did forgot about shaq's decaying corpse.  The point still stands of course.  3 HOFs that actually have an impact on the game.

He is not what he used to be, but Shaq certainly had an impact at the end of game 1.

[jdpapa3]

I'm not sure what makes you so dismissive of other's knowledge and opinions, adding "no offense" as a fig leaf doesn't change what is a pretty insulting statement.

Haha. The person that receives the "no offense" phrase is being offended 99% of the time!

What do you guys think? Do we have to win every home game to win the series? Will we be able to get another game in Cleveland if they do grab one in Boston?

Before the series, I would've said we absolutely have to win every home game, but it feels different now. We finally don't quiver in the Q and the Cavs don't have that home swagger they used to. Orlando split in Cleveland last year (barely because of that Lebron 3 that you can see replayed in half of the NBA commercials this season)and then took care of their home games to win in 6. I wonder if Cleveland is actually better than last year. Shaq seems to be a detriment vs. Perk and Jamison's upgrade in O might be equal to Varejao's upgrade on D. To put it in better terms, Varejao just might be = Jamison as a player.

[Mr October]

I'm not sure what makes you so dismissive of other's knowledge and opinions, adding "no offense" as a fig leaf doesn't change what is a pretty insulting statement.

Haha. The person that receives the "no offense" phrase is being offended 99% of the time!

What do you guys think? Do we have to win every home game to win the series? Will we be able to get another game in Cleveland if they do grab one in Boston?

Before the series, I would've said we absolutely have to win every home game, but it feels different now. We finally don't quiver in the Q and the Cavs don't have that home swagger they used to. Orlando split in Cleveland last year (barely because of that Lebron 3 that you can see replayed in half of the NBA commercials this season)and then took care of their home games to win in 6. I wonder if Cleveland is actually better than last year. Shaq seems to be a detriment vs. Perk and Jamison's upgrade in O might be equal to Varejao's upgrade on D. To put it in better terms, Varejao just might be = Jamison as a player.

The 2010 Celtics are an excellent road team. They don't get rattled like the 2008 team did in those first couple of rounds.

I like our chances. Go Celtics!

[Donoghus]

I'm not sure what makes you so dismissive of other's knowledge and opinions, adding "no offense" as a fig leaf doesn't change what is a pretty insulting statement.

Haha. The person that receives the "no offense" phrase is being offended 99% of the time!

What do you guys think? Do we have to win every home game to win the series? Will we be able to get another game in Cleveland if they do grab one in Boston?

Before the series, I would've said we absolutely have to win every home game, but it feels different now. We finally don't quiver in the Q and the Cavs don't have that home swagger they used to. Orlando split in Cleveland last year (barely because of that Lebron 3 that you can see replayed in half of the NBA commercials this season)and then took care of their home games to win in 6. I wonder if Cleveland is actually better than last year. Shaq seems to be a detriment vs. Perk and Jamison's upgrade in O might be equal to Varejao's upgrade on D. To put it in better terms, Varejao just might be = Jamison as a player.

We can definitely still win this series if we split in BOS but its not something I really want.  If CLE pulls a split here, the series momentum is clearly back in their favor. To me, it doesn't matter if they win Game 3 and lose Game 4 or vice versa.  We're proven we can win at the Q so we can't completely dismiss the notion of winning 2 more games there but its an uphill battle, IMO. 

[Fafnir]

Haha. The person that receives the "no offense" phrase is being offended 99% of the time!

Its the old rule, if you preface your statement with, "now I'm not racist", then you're going to hear a racist joke....

[Greenbean]

I am absolutely worried that the Celtics are going to be just a pinch too complacent/overconfident and drop one of these games at home. You can feel it coming.

As I've stated all along, one way or another, I felt that these teams were going to be tied 2-2 after four games.

Man, I hope I'm wrong and the C's take advantage of every opportunity and go up 3-1!! Go Celtics!!

I think we have to win these 2 at home to win the series. I cant see the Cavs dropping another home game. I pray the Celts are in the same mindset.

[Greenbean]

Okay Faf, I thought about this a little more. We were coming off of 2 gruelling 7 game series going into that ECF and Doc cited fatigue as one of the reasons we didnt have any energy that night.

What excuse does this Cleveland team have for looking like the inferior team for the better parts of the first 2 games at home?

Edit: Oh yeah aaaannnd. We only lost that game by 6. We beat Cleveland much more convincingly.

[Mr October]

I am absolutely worried that the Celtics are going to be just a pinch too complacent/overconfident and drop one of these games at home. You can feel it coming.

As I've stated all along, one way or another, I felt that these teams were going to be tied 2-2 after four games.

Man, I hope I'm wrong and the C's take advantage of every opportunity and go up 3-1!! Go Celtics!!

I think we have to win these 2 at home to win the series. I cant see the Cavs dropping another home game. I pray the Celts are in the same mindset.

Yeah, i hope the C's fully comprehend the urgency and advantage gained by protecting the home court! If the series is tied 2-2, Cleveland will remain the series' favorites. 

One game at a time! We can do this!!

[Mike-Dub]

A lot of the comments and threads on this site reminded me of another series where the team with the best record lost a game 2 to an aging team with a faded window.

I'm talking of course about the 2007-2008 ECF between Detroit and Boston. So I looked at a couple of posts at a Pistons site I haven't been to much this year, as the Pistons were terrible the entire year. Take a look at this posts from Detroit Bad Boys, circa 2007-2008

http://www.detroitbadboys.com/2008/5/23/1216030/its-all-tied-up

Technically we have a tie series, but it sure feels like Detroit took a commanding lead.

This quote struck me, and makes me very worried for Game 3.

Yeah ... this is the game I've been most worried about all year ... we have a real danger of being too casual about it ... just enough to let the Cavs steal one. Hopefully our Boyz are thinking the same thing, and will give 110 ... along with the hometown crowd. Great post. (TP)

I'm also worried because the Celtics haven't been a great home team by any means.

We also have Rasheed screaming ball don't lie just like those Pistons did....

Rasheed doesn't have as big a roll like he did on that Pistons team, still may be as important to the series.

Difference is that Game 2 was a tight game and was within 2 pts with a few minutes left and we kinda just mopped the floor with them. See what you're getting at, though. Hope the players don't have too much arrogance right now.

Bonus is that I roadtripped to Detroit for Game 3 and inspired the team to win on the road.  So, if a fan in a Lebron jersey asks you for directions to the Garden, just point them the wrong way. Well, that was probably the instructions anyhow.

Yeah, its not the results but the attitude and general feeling that got me worried. Not so much the team, I don't know what they're thinking, but rather the blog's...

Who cares, they'e blogs.  Every blog thought Cleveland was going to blow us out and now it's even and every blog thought that the Cavs were going to blow out the Magic last year, but that didn't happen and they split the first two games at Cleveland, and then the Magic held down home court.  So why can't this series be like that one?

Your point is right though, that these next two home games for us are crucial and we really need to hold down home court and not think we got this thing wrapped up, because it is not over by a long shot.

[angryguy77]

Our guy's are not going to come out expecting Cleveland to roll over. If they have that attitude, then they are not championship material. I really believe this team is motivated and will come out matching the intensity of the leroids.

If this was that type of team, they wouldn't have rebounded the way they did in game 2 after coughing up the first meeting. I said at the start of the series if they win one in Cleveland, they will win the series.

We didn't win because of luck or elbows or surprise. We won because we are better-period.

Remember we were not supossed to be in this position according to the "experts" we were only to be playing for pride. Wrong as usual. They hear the same bs that we do and I don't doubt for a second that they want to crush the Cavs and prove everyone wrong.

They know it's going to be a fight, they know they have to take advantage of every opportunity. If anything, the run that Cleveland made in the 4th quarter should work to Boston's benefit. If there was a slight bit of over-confidence, it's gone after that.


This rest is also going to work to our benefit. Rondo will be refreshed and ready to carve up Cleveland's d.

If Boston loses, it won't be because of the items listed above. It will be because we didn't adjust to the changes that Cleveland is going to make, or that we were cold and couldn't hit our normal shots.

Bottom line is Cleveland is the team that should be worried, not us fans.


Now C's, don't make me look dumb....

[Birdbrain]

I never felt Cleveland was the best team in the league and still don't obviously.  Those that did (incorrectly) don't have a good grasp of the game and don't realize match ups are much more important in the playoffs. No offense.

Care to support the position that Cleveland hasn't been the best team this year?

I'm not sure what makes you so dismissive of other's knowledge and opinions, adding "no offense" as a fig leaf doesn't change what is a pretty insulting statement.

Last year should have been clue enough to that Cleveland wasn't really the best team in the league.

Honesty can be insulting so I thought I would throw out the the ' no offense fig leaf ' as you state for those that might get offended by it.