If we face Miami Rondo/Green/JO keys?

[j804]

I think it's going to be huge for them three to get us over the top.

Rondo should go without saying obviously he's got the clear advantage we need him to continue what he's been doing and abuse his matchup NOBODY on Heat can stop him. As far as JO he is the next most important IMO he has got to continue to roam and hold down the paint, block or alter shots and contest without fouling. This is going to be huge against this Miami team who in Wade and LeBron duck there heads and are always on the attack we need his help defense. I think lastly Green we need him to play solid defense on Miamis wings hopefully at least stay in front of Wade or whoever he's guarding while he's in, we need him not to shut anyone down but at least play sound defense. Also we need him to get easy buckets he's got the clear height advantage against most of Miami's bench get on the post and make them pay.

If all three do there job I like our chances regardless if either Wade or LeBron go off as great players will it's the others that will get us past them.

[dtrader]

It's so hard to say. Rondo is probably more important than anyone else, because he'llhave the biggest advantage at his position, but JO clogging the lane to stop lebron/wade drives is huge too. Can't discount the Defense that PP and Ray will have to play against wade and lebron though lol.

Man I can't wait for that series 

[Donoghus]

Jermaine is the key for me.  If he can remain consistent and perform like he did much of the New York series, its going to be a huge advantage for us. 

[Who]

This series is all about Rondo. He is the guy. He is the most dangerous player in this series.

The team will succeed or fail based on his play.

[Jon]

Shaq would be huge.  It's already a different ballgame with Jermaine out there.  If we could get two game changers at center who could cover at least 40 (if not all 48 minutes) at center, this series could be very short. 

I agree about the rest.  Jermaine can take away the middle for a team.  And quite frankly, LeBron and Wade aren't all that great at shooting jump shots.  They can get streakily hot, but they can also get very, very cold.  If we can take away the drive, it dramatically increases our chances of winning. 

Green looks to be important too.  LeBron likely will be Pierce in foul trouble at least 1-2 games (if not more).  Green is going to have to pick up the slack.

And of course Rondo.  Not only does he need to play well, he needs to make Bibby into a liability. 

[Lucky17]

I would like to see Shaq back for 10 minutes a game. Just to man the middle and dish out 6 hard fouls to anyone who waltzes in.

That said, I don't think he's essential to the Celtics winning the series. I like what JO has been bringing, and hope his play continues vs. Anthony/Ilgauskas. (He should outplay both.) Let Krstic and Baby divvy up the remaining minutes at C.

Question: is Jeff Green capable of defending Bosh? I wonder if Doc may elect to go with the small-ball lineup in a Miami series.

[Donoghus]

I would like to see Shaq back for 10 minutes a game. Just to man the middle and dish out 6 hard fouls to anyone who waltzes in.

That said, I don't think he's essential to the Celtics winning the series. I like what JO has been bringing, and hope his play continues vs. Anthony/Ilgauskas. (He should outplay both.) Let Krstic and Baby divvy up the remaining minutes at C.

Question: is Jeff Green capable of defending Bosh? I wonder if Doc may elect to go with the small-ball lineup in a Miami series.

I think that's playing into a MIA strength.  I'd much rather see them clog the lane and let Lebron & Wade have to try & work it from the perimeter.  If that happens, I like our chances a lot. 

[Lucky17]

I would like to see Shaq back for 10 minutes a game. Just to man the middle and dish out 6 hard fouls to anyone who waltzes in.

That said, I don't think he's essential to the Celtics winning the series. I like what JO has been bringing, and hope his play continues vs. Anthony/Ilgauskas. (He should outplay both.) Let Krstic and Baby divvy up the remaining minutes at C.

Question: is Jeff Green capable of defending Bosh? I wonder if Doc may elect to go with the small-ball lineup in a Miami series.

I think that's playing into a MIA strength.  I'd much rather see them clog the lane and let Lebron & Wade have to try & work it from the perimeter.  If that happens, I like our chances a lot. 

Yes, good point.

[StartOrien]

So, this is going to sound totally weird:

But I think they key to the series is the play of Mario Chalmers. If he can play well enough to get significant minutes the other-guard matchup won't be nearly as easy to exploit. And if that's the case, I think unforutnately, the Heat will take the series.

That being said, I don't think Chalmers has it in him, and I say the C's take it in 6.

[footey]

I think our defensive schemes against Lebron and Wade will be key, and KG being able to defend Bosh straight up.  Plus, if we can control the boards, keep them from fast breaks.

[Greenbean]

Wall off the driving lanes with terrific help defense and force the ball out of Lebron and Wades hands. Rebound the misses on the defensive end.

Do this and limit turnovers and this series doesnt go longer than 6 games.

[PosImpos]

The key to beating Miami:

[Roy H.]

If I had to pick three guys, they'd probably be the ones you listed:  Rondo, Green, and JO.

Rondo absolutely has to dominate his matchup.  I expect each of Lebron, Wade, and Bosh to outscore their Celtics counterpart, sometimes by a healthy margin.  It will be on our other players to make up that margin, and the biggest factor in doing that will be at PG.  Rondo needs to punish Bibby.

Green will be important in helping keep Pierce fresh.  In the past, Paul has struggled offensively when asked to do a ton defensively on Lebron.  If that's the case here, we're going to need Green to come in and be aggressive in 10 to 15 minutes per game.  He's going to have to work hard on defense, too, so that Lebron doesn't explode when Paul is on the bench.

We need JO to do what he did in the NY series -- block shots on drives to the paint -- but we also need better rebounding from him.  How well he defends + rebounds is going to be crucial here.  Hopefully, Shaq can come back to give JO some support; I don't like the idea of Krstic or Baby trying to cut off penetration.

[ballin]

I agree, Baby and Krstic really shouldn't get minutes against a team that already gets to the free throw line nearly at will.

There's actually a neat little article on nba.com right now that talks about how playing great defense without fouling is key in the playoffs; Baby and Krstic are both unfortunately incapable of doing that.

To me, the scary part about this matchup is that seemingly the only way to win will be to take advantage of their lack of depth. I'm just not sure we expect our starters to outplay their starters... we're going to need a ton of production from our bench. Frankly, that frightens me based on how little our bench has shown thus far.

[BudweiserCeltic]

This series is all about Rondo. He is the guy. He is the most dangerous player in this series.

The team will succeed or fail based on his play.

I agree.

I don't know if we can count on Green defending LeBron as we did with him on Carmelo. He's certainly going to need a lot more help, so hopefully the Celtics come with a good game plan.

But it's all about Rondo, and I'm also looking for KG in the post and Ray's shooting.

Pierce I'd be content with him defending LeBron well, but hopefully he can provide something more.

I don't think JO is the vital player. Nice to have him around being solid, but his play is not going to make or break our team.