Hollinger says "Heat will breeze past us easily in the second round"

[Roy H.]

Even if the Heat win in four or five games, I don't expect that the games will be easy.  I expect this series to be a dog fight.

[Fafnir]

Even if the Heat win in four or five games, I don't expect that the games will be easy.  I expect this series to be a dog fight.

That's the other thing about the NBA that's always strange. The C's were involved in two dog fight games in Boston, one blow out, and one blow out that was a 4 point game with 6 minutes to go.

Was the series easy, competitive, or just a generic sweep? I think people focus on the length more than the competiveness.

[hpantazo]

Even if the Heat win in four or five games, I don't expect that the games will be easy.  I expect this series to be a dog fight.

That's the other thing about the NBA that's always strange. The C's were involved in two dog fight games in Boston, one blow out, and one blow out that was a 4 point game with 6 minutes to go.

Was the series easy, competitive, or just a generic sweep? I think people focus on the length more than the competiveness.

Yes, the knicks were tough, and they played hard, they have nothing to hang their heads about this year.

[barefacedmonk]

Hollinger needs a gut check...

[xmuscularghandix]

LOL good.

[Senninsage]

Breeze past the Celtics? I think this team has too much fight for that. He's letting the fancy Miami Heat highlight plays get to his head.

if the 76ers can give the Heat a hell of a game, the Celtics sure as heck can, as well. How soon people seem to forget that this Celtics has a 3-1 edge in their match-ups against the Heat this season.

We've played them at the start of the season, we've played them further along into the season, once they got into their groove, we've played them further still into the season, when they felt they were equipped to beat us, and finally we played them at the tail end of the season, a time when the Celts were clearly slumping against multiple opponents.

That 3-1 regular season edge won't necessarily decide this series, but it's proof that this Celtics squad matches up a whole lot better than some people might want to think. Jermaine O'neal is also back, and is playing incredible basketball for this team right now, and Shaq, should he return, will be a pretty serious factor for us. Also, Rondo is clearly on his game right now, so is Pierce, so is Allen, Garnett is getting it done, and the execution and ball movement are fantastic right now.

The Knicks, that was just swept, are a team that has proven they can actually beat the Heat, or even beat the Orlando Magics. This series isn't as simple as some are thinking for the Heat. This Celtics team continues to be underestimated, it seems, but that also has its positives.

[fairweatherfan]

As usual Hollinger is overextrapolating from his regular season numbers.  Those numbers give the Heat a strong edge but our head-to-head matchups and the big gap in championship experience and playoff games together should make this a dogfight.

Might be the green glasses but I think we should be the favorites, though it should be a close, intense series.

[Change]

Great News. 

[18isGREATERthan72]

I won't hate on Hollinger, because he is almost solely a stats guy, with almost no eye for the actual intangibles.  Based on the stats (which, reminder, ESPN wants him to analyze the stats) the Heat SHOULD beat us easily.  I respect Hollinger for what he is supposed to do, he is very good at his job, and that is analyzing stats, but he doesn't know how to quantify the intangibles that show up.  There is no stat for KG getting into Bosh's head.  No stat for LeBron getting flustered to end a game.

Whether the Heat or Celtic's win the series (also, I'd like to add, it's very unprofessional to say the Heat will beat the Celtic's easily, when they haven't even won their first round series yet) it is by no means going to be a breeze for either team.  It's going to be a tough series either way.

[hpantazo]

Great News. 

yea, I have to admit, I would have been a bit worried if he picked the celtics to win the series considering his track record

[Prof. Clutch]

Double post - Edit.

[celticinorlando]

hollinger is a hack.

[Vermont Green]

I think it is very hard to tell what to take from the Knicks series.  At the start, with a healthy Billups and Amare, that Knicks team is pretty scary.  We won 2 close games against a good team.  I don't think that shows any weakness.

Then with Billups out and Amare maybe not 100%, they are not so scary and we won relatively easily on the road.  Isn't that what we are supposed to do?

I think the only thing you can take away for sure is that West, Davis, and Green did not play as well as they are going to need to against Miami.  If they give back points every time like against the Knicks, we are going to have a tough time.

[2short]

 
Its playoffs and a series, I can't see how Miami's GLARING weak spots won't be exploited by our team or any 2nd round opponent.
A slow pg (see derek fisher vs chris paul) and no big man.  I dare miami to stop our team game, our bigs down low and rondo.

[GreenFaith1819]

Hollinger just says this stuff to get a reaction. Even he cannot believe that if MIA beats Boston they will breeze by us. Even MIA wouldn't say that...even Lebron wouldn't say that.

Whatever.

If he wants to judge Boston literally, then I suppose he's justified - meaning how Boston struggled in the first two games, but won convincingly in NY vs a depleted NY Team.

But - using that same logic doesn't explain to me NOH's (Minus David West) spirited play vs a fully loaded Lakers team, and how CP3 is somehow carrying NOH on his own.

Hollinger completely leaves out the intangibles with Boston. He (IMO) completely forgets "The Steal By Bird and Pass to DJ"....he forgets how Boston was counted out vs CLE and ORL last year...he forgot a young Rondo and Perk's very spirited play without KG or Powe back in 08-09 playoffs. He forgets 'Toine and Paul carrying Boston in the early 2000's.

He completely leaves out "Celtic Mystique", to me.

He sees what is on the surface too much. I am starting to see his pattern now.