ESPN "Experts" Unanimously Choose the Celtic's Opponent...Again

[FallGuy]

Also, read what Hollinger says, its a riot -- he's literally the biggest Celtic hater ever.

No. Hollinger is just overly influenced by the statistical data from the regular season. The Celtics will be real outliers if they win in view of their regular season performance.

EDIT: Find another way to say you disagree with something besides calling it idiotic.
-IP

  Hollinger just posted this on twitter:

  @johnhollinger Think you meant "Paul Pierce" there RT @sportsguy33 Unofficial Vegas odds: "Will V Carter make it thru series without getting carried off?" about an hour ago

Now he's just talking crap...like a magic fan. or just someone who hates the celtics. Doesn't sound like statistics to me.

Or he was just making a joke?

[Rondo_is_better]

Also, read what Hollinger says, its a riot -- he's literally the biggest Celtic hater ever.

No. Hollinger is just overly influenced by the statistical data from the regular season. The Celtics will be real outliers if they win in view of their regular season performance.

EDIT: Find another way to say you disagree with something besides calling it idiotic.
-IP

  Hollinger just posted this on twitter:

  @johnhollinger Think you meant "Paul Pierce" there RT @sportsguy33 Unofficial Vegas odds: "Will V Carter make it thru series without getting carried off?" about an hour ago

Now he's just talking crap...like a magic fan. or just someone who hates the celtics. Doesn't sound like statistics to me.

Or he was just making a joke?

It was the type of quasi-friendly joke that you make when you have an axe to grind.

[timepiece33]

The experts chose Cleveland and we kicked the hell out of them.

I like how some are pointing to them beating us without Jameer Nelson, yet seem to forget that we were without Kevin Garnett AND the improvement of Rajon Rondo.

[PosImpos]

Also, read what Hollinger says, its a riot -- he's literally the biggest Celtic hater ever.

No. Hollinger is just overly influenced by the statistical data from the regular season. The Celtics will be real outliers if they win in view of their regular season performance.

EDIT: Find another way to say you disagree with something besides calling it idiotic.
-IP

  Hollinger just posted this on twitter:

  @johnhollinger Think you meant "Paul Pierce" there RT @sportsguy33 Unofficial Vegas odds: "Will V Carter make it thru series without getting carried off?" about an hour ago

Now he's just talking crap...like a magic fan. or just someone who hates the celtics. Doesn't sound like statistics to me.

Or he was just making a joke?

It was the type of quasi-friendly joke that you make when you have an axe to grind.

Yeah, I don't know if Hollinger dislikes the Celtics or not, but he certainly doesn't like them.  You'd think a stat-head like him would like our disciplined team based around sharing the ball and playing hard-nosed defense, but he doesn't seem to appreciate that.  Or at least he appreciates it on the Magic a whole lot more.

[twinbree]

I swear sometimes I think Legler is the only one who actually bothers to think through the match-up before making a prediction. It's really not the pick itself I have trouble with it's usually the thought process behind it.

Arnovitz: The Magic have the best offense remaining in the postseason coupled with the stingiest defense.

No analysis of whether favorable match-ups have influenced those results.

Abbott: Orlando...but the Magic are the better team, and they have home-court advantage.

No thought on how much home-court means to us.

Hollinger: ... and beat Boston last year with Rafer Alston in place of Jameer Nelson.They have the best players, more depth and more rest

No mention of KG anywhere in this paragraph (I read it twice to make sure). Also no mention of how little rest meant last year when they took us to 7 and beat the rested Cavs in 6 seeing as how he's using past history here to predict here.

Sheridan: Orlando in seven on the strength of its 3-point shooting, and Howard raising his game to a new level over the course of the series. I'd even venture to say his free throw shooting takes a sharp turn for the better.

Huh? Can I get the lottery numbers with that prediction? And a thought on whether our not double-teaming the post will affect their 3 point shooting.

Stein: Orlando in six. The Magic's offensive prowess will trump Boston's suffocating D.

And here I was thinking it was defense that mattered.


etc. etc. I can go on and on. If I turned in papers with this kind of sloppy analysis I'd have flunked out of grad school by now.

[PosImpos]

I swear sometimes I think Legler is the only one who actually bothers to think through the match-up before making a prediction. It's really not the pick itself I have trouble with it's usually the thought process behind it.

Arnovitz: The Magic have the best offense remaining in the postseason coupled with the stingiest defense.

No analysis of whether favorable match-ups have influenced those results.

Abbott: Orlando...but the Magic are the better team, and they have home-court advantage.

No thought on how much home-court means to us.

Hollinger: ... and beat Boston last year with Rafer Alston in place of Jameer Nelson.They have the best players, more depth and more rest

No mention of KG anywhere in this paragraph (I read it twice to make sure). Also no mention of how little rest meant last year when they took us to 7 and beat the rested Cavs in 6 seeing as how he's using past history here to predict here.

Sheridan: Orlando in seven on the strength of its 3-point shooting, and Howard raising his game to a new level over the course of the series. I'd even venture to say his free throw shooting takes a sharp turn for the better.

Huh? Can I get the lottery numbers with that prediction? And a thought on whether our not double-teaming the post will affect their 3 point shooting.

Stein: Orlando in six. The Magic's offensive prowess will trump Boston's suffocating D.

And here I was thinking it was defense that mattered.


etc. etc. I can go on and on. If I turned in papers with this kind of sloppy analysis I'd have flunked out of grad school by now.

Yeah, the Hollinger omission of KG's absence is pretty glaring.  It says, "I DIDN'T THINK ABOUT THIS BEFORE I WROTE IT!"  Two extremely different teams meeting each other in the ECF this year.  You really can't talk about last year.  Even if you do, you have to admit that KG is a much bigger upgrade over Glen Davis than Nelson is over Alston.  Anybody who claims otherwise is outing himself as a fool.

Speaking of papers and flunking out...I NEED TO FOCUS ON WRITING A PAPER AND I CAN'T.  CURSE YOU CELTICSBLOG.

[Kwhit10]

Is anyone else not worried about not having HCA?  We play just as well if not better on the road.

[PosImpos]

Is anyone else not worried about not having HCA?  We play just as well if not better on the road.

Yeah, that certainly seems to be the case.  I don't think the Magic are quite as formidable at home as the Cavs were all season, either.  The crowd in Orlando doesn't have that same sense of nervous desperation to rile them up.


Check this out - SportsNation disagrees with the experts:
http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/polls?pCat=46&sCat=1266

[FallGuy]

I swear sometimes I think Legler is the only one who actually bothers to think through the match-up before making a prediction. It's really not the pick itself I have trouble with it's usually the thought process behind it.

Arnovitz: The Magic have the best offense remaining in the postseason coupled with the stingiest defense.

No analysis of whether favorable match-ups have influenced those results.

Abbott: Orlando...but the Magic are the better team, and they have home-court advantage.

No thought on how much home-court means to us.

Hollinger: ... and beat Boston last year with Rafer Alston in place of Jameer Nelson.They have the best players, more depth and more rest

No mention of KG anywhere in this paragraph (I read it twice to make sure). Also no mention of how little rest meant last year when they took us to 7 and beat the rested Cavs in 6 seeing as how he's using past history here to predict here.

Sheridan: Orlando in seven on the strength of its 3-point shooting, and Howard raising his game to a new level over the course of the series. I'd even venture to say his free throw shooting takes a sharp turn for the better.

Huh? Can I get the lottery numbers with that prediction? And a thought on whether our not double-teaming the post will affect their 3 point shooting.

Stein: Orlando in six. The Magic's offensive prowess will trump Boston's suffocating D.

And here I was thinking it was defense that mattered.


etc. etc. I can go on and on. If I turned in papers with this kind of sloppy analysis I'd have flunked out of grad school by now.

*Sigh*

They're not gonna put every thought they have online. Arnovitz, for example, is one of the very best analysts working anywhere.

[jv2764]

Why do C's fans get all riled up when the national media picks the Magic.  If you're impartial you have to give the nod to the Magic.  Doesn't guarantee anything but they have to pick someone.  Orlando is a better team than last year and you have to admit they are playing the best ball of anyone in the playoffs so it's not that far fetched that the Magic are favored.  There were 2 ESPN guys that picked the Celts over the Magic and Jamal Mashburn picked the C's to beat the Cavs in the last round.  Kenny Smoth has been ont he C's bandwagon too all year.  Relax Celtic Nation!

[jv2764]

Even CSNNE's A. Sherrod Blakely gives the series to Orlando in seven ... I love being the underdog, and we will be that for the rest of the playoffs, no matter what happens. I think we'll stun the world again with Orlando, and either sweep them in four, or lose the first, then win four-in-a-row. So call me crazy.

A sweep?  Cmon man thats not crazy thats psychotic. 

[PosImpos]

Why do C's fans get all riled up when the national media picks the Magic.  If you're impartial you have to give the nod to the Magic.  Doesn't guarantee anything but they have to pick someone.  Orlando is a better team than last year and you have to admit they are playing the best ball of anyone in the playoffs so it's not that far fetched that the Magic are favored.  There were 2 ESPN guys that picked the Celts over the Magic and Jamal Mashburn picked the C's to beat the Cavs in the last round.  Kenny Smoth has been ont he C's bandwagon too all year.  Relax Celtic Nation!

I'm fine with the experts picking the Magic; that's their right, and it's not a bad pick, per se.  I think most people here agree.  I think the indignation comes when it seems as if the media doesn't give the Celtics due credit for beating one of the best teams in the league and "oos" and "ahhs" over the Magic's ability to decimate two disjointed, inexperienced, poorly built / poorly disciplined teams.

[jv2764]

Why do C's fans get all riled up when the national media picks the Magic.  If you're impartial you have to give the nod to the Magic.  Doesn't guarantee anything but they have to pick someone.  Orlando is a better team than last year and you have to admit they are playing the best ball of anyone in the playoffs so it's not that far fetched that the Magic are favored.  There were 2 ESPN guys that picked the Celts over the Magic and Jamal Mashburn picked the C's to beat the Cavs in the last round.  Kenny Smoth has been ont he C's bandwagon too all year.  Relax Celtic Nation!

I'm fine with the experts picking the Magic; that's their right, and it's not a bad pick, per se.  I think most people here agree.  I think the indignation comes when it seems as if the media doesn't give the Celtics due credit for beating one of the best teams in the league and "oos" and "ahhs" over the Magic's ability to decimate two disjointed, inexperienced, poorly built / poorly disciplined teams.

That disjointed team in Atlanta would have been a nightmare matchup for the Celts I say.  I wanted no part of them.  They get up to play the C's.  It's all about matchups and I thnk the Cavs were a good matchup for the Celts.  The Magic is a tougher matchup.  If the Celts don't rebond this series they are going to lose plain and simple.  If they win the rebound war or are even they win the series.  No rebounding no ring. 

[PosImpos]

Why do C's fans get all riled up when the national media picks the Magic.  If you're impartial you have to give the nod to the Magic.  Doesn't guarantee anything but they have to pick someone.  Orlando is a better team than last year and you have to admit they are playing the best ball of anyone in the playoffs so it's not that far fetched that the Magic are favored.  There were 2 ESPN guys that picked the Celts over the Magic and Jamal Mashburn picked the C's to beat the Cavs in the last round.  Kenny Smoth has been ont he C's bandwagon too all year.  Relax Celtic Nation!

I'm fine with the experts picking the Magic; that's their right, and it's not a bad pick, per se.  I think most people here agree.  I think the indignation comes when it seems as if the media doesn't give the Celtics due credit for beating one of the best teams in the league and "oos" and "ahhs" over the Magic's ability to decimate two disjointed, inexperienced, poorly built / poorly disciplined teams.

That disjointed team in Atlanta would have been a nightmare matchup for the Celts I say.  I wanted no part of them.  They get up to play the C's.  It's all about matchups and I thnk the Cavs were a good matchup for the Celts.  The Magic is a tougher matchup.  If the Celts don't rebond this series they are going to lose plain and simple.  If they win the rebound war or are even they win the series.  No rebounding no ring.  

The point about rebounding is true against pretty much any team.

I disagree that the Celtics would've had a hard time with the Hawks.  The Hawks clearly have the talent to give the Celtics a hard time, but I think the season sweep was mostly because we played 3 of our 4 games against them in our worst month of the season.  The way the Hawks were playing in the playoffs this year, the Celtics would have swept them too.  The Hawks were totally out of sync and unfocused.  After all, they took 7 games to defeat the Bogut-less Bucks, a team they ought to have been able to manhandle.  The Hawks were simply playing far below their potential in the post-season this year.

[twinbree]

I swear sometimes I think Legler is the only one who actually bothers to think through the match-up before making a prediction. It's really not the pick itself I have trouble with it's usually the thought process behind it.

Arnovitz: The Magic have the best offense remaining in the postseason coupled with the stingiest defense.

No analysis of whether favorable match-ups have influenced those results.

Abbott: Orlando...but the Magic are the better team, and they have home-court advantage.

No thought on how much home-court means to us.

Hollinger: ... and beat Boston last year with Rafer Alston in place of Jameer Nelson.They have the best players, more depth and more rest

No mention of KG anywhere in this paragraph (I read it twice to make sure). Also no mention of how little rest meant last year when they took us to 7 and beat the rested Cavs in 6 seeing as how he's using past history here to predict here.

Sheridan: Orlando in seven on the strength of its 3-point shooting, and Howard raising his game to a new level over the course of the series. I'd even venture to say his free throw shooting takes a sharp turn for the better.

Huh? Can I get the lottery numbers with that prediction? And a thought on whether our not double-teaming the post will affect their 3 point shooting.

Stein: Orlando in six. The Magic's offensive prowess will trump Boston's suffocating D.

And here I was thinking it was defense that mattered.


etc. etc. I can go on and on. If I turned in papers with this kind of sloppy analysis I'd have flunked out of grad school by now.

*Sigh*

They're not gonna put every thought they have online. Arnovitz, for example, is one of the very best analysts working anywhere.

Obviously I know that. And I'm not asking for them to. All I ask is for them to consider all the salient factors and I don't think concluding on advantages that in reality could be interpreted as question marks reflects that they did.