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

[NoraG1]

Am i the only one who doesn't think the Heat are that good? Man, that team is overrated. I have watched the Heat all season, and they never blow anyone out. They blow leads. They can't close games. Their role players are mediocre, etc. We beat this team 3 times this season. We lost the 4th game when we were in full on slump mode. The C's would have lost to just about every team in the NBA at that point. I don't know who will win the series, but i'm sorry, i have no fear of the Heat whatsoever. The LeBron Cavs scared me much more than this Heat team does.

I disagree with some of this.  Yes, they have mediocre role players, but they're a good team.  I think you're underestimating their ability to build / hold leads; they led the NBA in point differential this year.

Obviously, they're a shallow team led by their best three players.  However, those three players are extremely talented, and all three (yes, even Bosh) can take over a game.

I think this is our toughest playoff series.  If we win this, I feel confident that the Celtics can and will win the championship.  However, this is going to be a very tough series.

I was listening to WEEI on my way home from work today, and every caller they put through believed we can't lose 4 games to the Heat.

I don't understand this. I can easily see this thing going 4-0 to the Heat with each game looking like the last meeting from the regular season.

Now, this is probably not going to happen, but I don't understand how anyone who saw Carmelo Anthony going off against us won't consider Wade and James doing this for multiple games in a row.

Who won the game when Carmelo went off again? That would be the Celtics of course

[Roy H.]

Am i the only one who doesn't think the Heat are that good? Man, that team is overrated. I have watched the Heat all season, and they never blow anyone out. They blow leads. They can't close games. Their role players are mediocre, etc. We beat this team 3 times this season. We lost the 4th game when we were in full on slump mode. The C's would have lost to just about every team in the NBA at that point. I don't know who will win the series, but i'm sorry, i have no fear of the Heat whatsoever. The LeBron Cavs scared me much more than this Heat team does.

I disagree with some of this.  Yes, they have mediocre role players, but they're a good team.  I think you're underestimating their ability to build / hold leads; they led the NBA in point differential this year.

Obviously, they're a shallow team led by their best three players.  However, those three players are extremely talented, and all three (yes, even Bosh) can take over a game.

I think this is our toughest playoff series.  If we win this, I feel confident that the Celtics can and will win the championship.  However, this is going to be a very tough series.

I was listening to WEEI on my way home from work today, and every caller they put through believed we can't lose 4 games to the Heat.

I don't understand this. I can easily see this thing going 4-0 to the Heat with each game looking like the last meeting from the regular season.

Now, this is probably not going to happen, but I don't understand how anyone who saw Carmelo Anthony going off against us won't consider Wade and James doing this for multiple games in a row.

Who won the game when Carmelo went off again? That would be the Celtics of course

Yeah, but if Carmelo's teammates did anything at all in that game, they would have won.  The Knicks, outside of Carmelo, shot 30.0% in the game.  If Lebron or Wade goes for 40 against us, it's likely that the Heat will get enough production from other guys to win those type of games.

I think it's very plausible that the Heat can beat us.  At the same time, a Celtics victory is a realistic outcome, too.  Hopefully it's a fun series.

[GreenEnvy]

There is going to be a rude awakening for those Celtic fans that the mistakenly believe that Heat of yesterdays is going to be the same Heat team we are going to battle pretty pronto. Of course, if they beat us we will certainly blame the refs and Stern, but amigos, this Heat team is loaded with talent and are a lot younger than we are. The have the legs and are not as beat up as we are. We dont know if JO'slegs can suddenly go kaput on us. We may win this one, but Ill be happily surprised if we do. The Heat is loaded and can put it in the basket all night long, a little easier than we can, and that is all it takes.
 If we had had the horses, we would have certainly tried to get the best record in the NBA, but we are no longer as good as we were in 2008. The excuse that we were saving our legs, is nonsense. We just didnt have the team to have the best record. No we dont have that home court advantage. We didnt have it last year and we lost the last 2 games away from home. Maybe we would have lost anyways, but in 2008 home court did it for us. Dont argue against success. Now we dont even have that traditional edge cause we just couldnt get it. Lets hope we still have a miracle or two in our legs and on our sharpshooting. We will need everything and a little more.

Do you work for ESPN?

Top to bottom, the Celtics have more talent. A lot more. We have the better coach. We know they can win anywhere. You can slurp them if you want, but they are a flawed team.

Don't compare the end of a long regular season (that the C's had backloaded with a lot of games and B2B's) to a playoff series with a week off beforehand and 3 games a week. Doc is great at making adjustments throughout a series, whereas regular season games have so many variables.

HCA may very well have saved us in 2008. But that was our growing pains. Since the ECF in 2008, we have been able to take road games everywhere. The road does not scare us, just ask my fellow New Yorkers.

[bruinsandceltics]

This makes me feel better about the series!

[manbehindtheman]

I think saying they will breeze is an exaggeration, but yes they will probably win.  We can only put 5 guys out there and their big 3 are all young and going to play 40+ minutes...
That darn Pat Riley put Miami together brillantly and is getting lucky that they are geling at the right time.

[Kuberski33]

The Celtics really need BBD & Delonte to show up.  They also need Green to contribute.  But BBD & West are the key guys in my opinion.

I don't know that Miami has any role players like a Derek Fisher who can kill you.  Especially when they get defended like the Celtics are going to defend.  BBD & Delonte on the other hand ARE guys who can do a tune on you and I think those guys need to bring their A games.

I'm assuming our starting 4 will do their thing and the JO will last the entire series.  I'm not assuming that the bench will be productive but I think that's the X factor that can  win the series for the Celtics. 

On paper that's a huge advantage for us.  But they've played like crap to date.

[ManUp]

Am i the only one who doesn't think the Heat are that good? Man, that team is overrated. I have watched the Heat all season, and they never blow anyone out. They blow leads. They can't close games. Their role players are mediocre, etc. We beat this team 3 times this season. We lost the 4th game when we were in full on slump mode. The C's would have lost to just about every team in the NBA at that point. I don't know who will win the series, but i'm sorry, i have no fear of the Heat whatsoever. The LeBron Cavs scared me much more than this Heat team does.

I disagree with some of this.  Yes, they have mediocre role players, but they're a good team.  I think you're underestimating their ability to build / hold leads; they led the NBA in point differential this year.

Obviously, they're a shallow team led by their best three players.  However, those three players are extremely talented, and all three (yes, even Bosh) can take over a game.

I think this is our toughest playoff series.  If we win this, I feel confident that the Celtics can and will win the championship.  However, this is going to be a very tough series.

TP, I completely agree. I think the series will be similar to the second round in 08. It will get our offense and defense where it needs to be.

[Kiorrik]

Am i the only one who doesn't think the Heat are that good? Man, that team is overrated. I have watched the Heat all season, and they never blow anyone out. They blow leads. They can't close games. Their role players are mediocre, etc. We beat this team 3 times this season. We lost the 4th game when we were in full on slump mode. The C's would have lost to just about every team in the NBA at that point. I don't know who will win the series, but i'm sorry, i have no fear of the Heat whatsoever. The LeBron Cavs scared me much more than this Heat team does.

I disagree with some of this.  Yes, they have mediocre role players, but they're a good team.  I think you're underestimating their ability to build / hold leads; they led the NBA in point differential this year.

Obviously, they're a shallow team led by their best three players.  However, those three players are extremely talented, and all three (yes, even Bosh) can take over a game.

I think this is our toughest playoff series.  If we win this, I feel confident that the Celtics can and will win the championship.  However, this is going to be a very tough series.

TP, I completely agree. I think the series will be similar to the second round in 08. It will get our offense and defense where it needs to be.

TP indeed, Roy.

I think you're spot on, this being the toughest series we'll face.

I'm scared.

[PosImpos]

Am i the only one who doesn't think the Heat are that good? Man, that team is overrated. I have watched the Heat all season, and they never blow anyone out. They blow leads. They can't close games. Their role players are mediocre, etc. We beat this team 3 times this season. We lost the 4th game when we were in full on slump mode. The C's would have lost to just about every team in the NBA at that point. I don't know who will win the series, but i'm sorry, i have no fear of the Heat whatsoever. The LeBron Cavs scared me much more than this Heat team does.

I disagree with some of this.  Yes, they have mediocre role players, but they're a good team.  I think you're underestimating their ability to build / hold leads; they led the NBA in point differential this year.

Obviously, they're a shallow team led by their best three players.  However, those three players are extremely talented, and all three (yes, even Bosh) can take over a game.

I think this is our toughest playoff series.  If we win this, I feel confident that the Celtics can and will win the championship.  However, this is going to be a very tough series.

I was listening to WEEI on my way home from work today, and every caller they put through believed we can't lose 4 games to the Heat.

I don't understand this. I can easily see this thing going 4-0 to the Heat with each game looking like the last meeting from the regular season.

Now, this is probably not going to happen, but I don't understand how anyone who saw Carmelo Anthony going off against us won't consider Wade and James doing this for multiple games in a row.

Who won the game when Carmelo went off again? That would be the Celtics of course

Yeah, but if Carmelo's teammates did anything at all in that game, they would have won.  The Knicks, outside of Carmelo, shot 30.0% in the game.  If Lebron or Wade goes for 40 against us, it's likely that the Heat will get enough production from other guys to win those type of games.

I think it's very plausible that the Heat can beat us.  At the same time, a Celtics victory is a realistic outcome, too.  Hopefully it's a fun series.

Honestly, I don't think either Wade or Lebron can do what Carmelo did to us, considering Melo scored primarily with jumpshots.  Neither LeBron nor Wade can shoot like Melo can, even when they're hot.

That's not to say Wade or LeBron won't drop 40 on the C's at some point in the 2nd round, but they'll do it by driving to the basket and drawing contact.  They won't do it with isolation jumpers and contested 3's (at least not primarily).

[indeedproceed]

im just surprised that someone took the time to convert hollingers ones and zeros into actual text.

get it? he's a robot?

[Kiorrik]

im just surprised that someone took the time to convert hollingers ones and zeros into actual text.

get it? he's a robot?

Omg... OMG! I think I get it! Hah! A robot BINARY!

(lol)

[LancerQ]

I promise you when the espn celtics vs. heat series page is made, the predictions would go like heat in 7. this thing wont go to 7. Cs will win this on their homefloor, i dont care if it's in 4 or 6 lol.

[footey]

More specifically he said this following our four game sweep of Knicks:

"I still think the Heat will breeze past [the Celtics] fairly easily in the next round."

Feels that given our first two wins were close when Knicks were healthy, and that the last two wins were not meaningful given the depletion of Knick roster from injury.  All true, but to then jump to the conclusion that Miami will breeze by us, after the way we played them during the regular season, seems to lack insight and data, which are his purported calling cards.  Can't wait to prove him wrong (again).

[wdleehi]

These type of comments make me happy.



This team plays better as a group when they (the talking experts) open their mouths about how the Celtics are done.



I hate when they start with the pump up the Celtic's ego talk. 

[Roy H.]

Am i the only one who doesn't think the Heat are that good? Man, that team is overrated. I have watched the Heat all season, and they never blow anyone out. They blow leads. They can't close games. Their role players are mediocre, etc. We beat this team 3 times this season. We lost the 4th game when we were in full on slump mode. The C's would have lost to just about every team in the NBA at that point. I don't know who will win the series, but i'm sorry, i have no fear of the Heat whatsoever. The LeBron Cavs scared me much more than this Heat team does.

I disagree with some of this.  Yes, they have mediocre role players, but they're a good team.  I think you're underestimating their ability to build / hold leads; they led the NBA in point differential this year.

Obviously, they're a shallow team led by their best three players.  However, those three players are extremely talented, and all three (yes, even Bosh) can take over a game.

I think this is our toughest playoff series.  If we win this, I feel confident that the Celtics can and will win the championship.  However, this is going to be a very tough series.

I was listening to WEEI on my way home from work today, and every caller they put through believed we can't lose 4 games to the Heat.

I don't understand this. I can easily see this thing going 4-0 to the Heat with each game looking like the last meeting from the regular season.

Now, this is probably not going to happen, but I don't understand how anyone who saw Carmelo Anthony going off against us won't consider Wade and James doing this for multiple games in a row.

Who won the game when Carmelo went off again? That would be the Celtics of course

Yeah, but if Carmelo's teammates did anything at all in that game, they would have won.  The Knicks, outside of Carmelo, shot 30.0% in the game.  If Lebron or Wade goes for 40 against us, it's likely that the Heat will get enough production from other guys to win those type of games.

I think it's very plausible that the Heat can beat us.  At the same time, a Celtics victory is a realistic outcome, too.  Hopefully it's a fun series.

Honestly, I don't think either Wade or Lebron can do what Carmelo did to us, considering Melo scored primarily with jumpshots.  Neither LeBron nor Wade can shoot like Melo can, even when they're hot.

That's not to say Wade or LeBron won't drop 40 on the C's at some point in the 2nd round, but they'll do it by driving to the basket and drawing contact.  They won't do it with isolation jumpers and contested 3's (at least not primarily).

Lebron and Wade are both streaky jump shooters, but both can shoot.

For instance, in Game 4 against us last year, Wade trumped Carmelo, scoring 46 points on 16-for-24 shooting, including 5-for-7 from deep.  Lebron is much the same way; outside shooting isn't his bread-and-butter, but he can get hot and can drain threes.