Bold statement: Rondo will be the best player in the Celtics vs. Heat

[BudweiserCeltic]

I think it's key for Rondo to burn the Heat PGs. Then have LeBron put on him and be effective in cross-matching which I think he can handle. This will in turn give Pierce mismatches and hopefully get him going.

  If LeBron could guard Rondo he probably would have done so in the playoffs last year.

Was he given the assignment? Anyways, it doesn't matter if he can or can't as long as he's given the assignment and the Heat did it earlier in the year so I wouldn't be surprised if we see it again if Rondo seems unstoppable, and the onus is on Rondo making it so.

[Who]

Rajon Rondo is the offense in this series.

Boston's offense is going to be hugely vulnerable if Rondo isn't dominant. He needs to beat the defense, force the help and create high percentage shots for the Big Three and Co.

[jsingh1699]

the heat have an amazing defense becaue of how athletic and quick they are. having said that, if rondo is on, their defense will crumble.

if bibby cant stay in front of him, someone will have to come double and/or help out, leaving a free man. rondo is the best at finding that man, and then as we've seen this season, our group is one of the best passing groups in the nba and the open man will get a great shot. that right there is the key to this series.

but what if they decide to have lebron on rondo? they could have a lineup of lebron, dwade, jjones, bosh, random crap center.

penetrating on lebron would be tougher for rondo (and if he gives him space, its harder for rondo to see around lebron). any thoughts on how to counter that?

[Fafnir]

Rajon Rondo is the offense in this series.

Boston's offense is going to be hugely vulnerable if Rondo isn't dominant. He needs to beat the defense, force the help and create high percentage shots for the Big Three and Co.

Yup, though I would be shocked if Wade doesn't get lazy at least one game and stop running hard after Ray through screens.

[Chelm]

The Heat will not be swept.  There will be individual games where either Wade or Lebron play lights out and just take the game over.  They are both capable of doing this.  The Celtics are a better team, sure, but what the Heat have is undeniable.  PP will not match LBJ point for point, Rondo will not be the best player in the series (though he or PP likely will for a game or two).  Bosh will be a relative non-factor, at best match the production of KG.

I predict Cs in 7, and very tentatively so, particularly without HCA.  Lebron & Wade are THAT good.

EDIT:  I'd like to further my prediction that we'll be down 3-2, and pull it even for a game 7.

[ayer]

Whew! heat being sweep... maybe but not this time... the only thing heat can do is shut rondo on his assist and play making... if they figure it out on how to do that, they can take the green out of the series, they could do that also as well to the bulls.. but if not... Heat should start packing for a vacation...

Celtics in 6!!!!!

[clover]

If James isn't the best player in the series, Pierce will be due a heap of credit for his defense.

[BudweiserCeltic]

If James isn't the best player in the series, Pierce will be due a heap of credit for his defense.

I'm a bit nervous of putting Green on James. I rather put West or Von Wafer or on him if he doesn't pan out. I hope Doc doesn't stick with Green defending him if it's not working. And I hope we don't leave him on an island.

[SHAQATTACK]

If not , we may find ourselfs on the losing end of this series.


That said... Rondo is at his best (switched ON) when he is challenged to play a higher level.  The Heat with LBJ and Wade meet or exceed this motivation.

[dtrader]

Obviously, there is a lot of speculation on this series before it is even set in stone.

But, heres my two cents about the Heats star power. Both teams play great team defense, but unlike the Heat, the Celtics have defensive answers for the Heats most imporant players.

Rondo will be the best player in the series. Not saying he 'is' the best player, but he will be the best player. I will explain.

First off, we all know how Rondo plays in the playoffs, no matter who is covering him. But the Heat have absutely no one who tie Rondo's shoes. He will create a mismatch for someone on the court everytime. He was so good last year Lebron covered him in that series.

Also, Ray Allen has the edge in the head to head matchup with wade. No saying he is better, but he has an ANSWER for wade. Wade will be gassed and dizzy covering Ray. Lebron is the best player in the series. but he will not BE the best player in this series. Pierce always plays lebron tough, and that is another answer the celtics have for the heat superstars. Sure, Lebron may take over a game or 2, wade may aswell, but overall I feel the Celtics have an answer for them. Bosh, well not that he would even come close, will get owned by Garnett. Garnett will have Bosh on a leash by the end of the series feeding him dog treats.

I really think Rondo will win us this series with his mismatches he creates.

Plus, Celtics play better team defense than the Heat. (dont care about stats)

Another reason, Celtics have been rested and have been gameplanning for the Heat for the whole week leading up to the game. THe Heat potentially will get 1 day of rest and no days to gameplan, and will not be nearly as fresh as the Celtics.

Rondo will have 2 triple doubles, a 30 point game, and a 20 assist game in a Celtics sweep.

If everything you said came true, I'd be just about the happiest guy in the world. That said...it's not happening. Rondo is not scoring 30 (or 25) on the heat. 

And Ray Allan DOES NOT have the head to head advantage over d. wade. If anything, I'd say that's the one position where Miami has a sizeable advantage.  Yes, if Ray is hot, he can light it up, but there's no one in the league that can consistently stop d. wade one on one if he gets going.  He's faster, stronger, and jumps higher than Ray.  Anyone can get caught behind a screen, but for the most part, wade is completely capable of staying with Ray.  The opposite can't reasonably be said.

This series will absolutely come down to Rondo outplaying their PG committee, and JO/Shaq/Krystic outplaying their Center group.

[angryguy77]

I don't think we have to worry about Rondo's intensity. He will come to play as he did in the last series.

People are putting too much stock in the last game we played each other. The heat are good, but they are not that good. If they hadn't shot the 3 well last night they would have lost. I don't think they have the will to grind with us for a full series.

We are mentally tougher.

We have more experience.

We can win close games against good teams.

We have a better team except for two players.

AAA is not a tough place to play at. HCA will not help them or phase us.

We have defensive answers for their 2 best guys, we may not shut them down, but we can limit them enough. They do not have an answer for Rondo and cannot slow him down.

We have the size advantage(even more so with shaq)



This series is over in 5-6.

[LB3533]

Paul Pierce will be the best player for the C's.

He will be the best player, best performer, MVP etc. etc.

PP's game just tends to rise up in these playoff stages, as the stakes get bigger and bigger and the star matchups get greater and greater.

[Q_FBE]

Obviously, there is a lot of speculation on this series before it is even set in stone.

But, heres my two cents about the Heats star power. Both teams play great team defense, but unlike the Heat, the Celtics have defensive answers for the Heats most imporant players.

Rondo will be the best player in the series. Not saying he 'is' the best player, but he will be the best player. I will explain.

First off, we all know how Rondo plays in the playoffs, no matter who is covering him. But the Heat have absutely no one who tie Rondo's shoes. He will create a mismatch for someone on the court everytime. He was so good last year Lebron covered him in that series.

Also, Ray Allen has the edge in the head to head matchup with wade. No saying he is better, but he has an ANSWER for wade. Wade will be gassed and dizzy covering Ray. Lebron is the best player in the series. but he will not BE the best player in this series. Pierce always plays lebron tough, and that is another answer the celtics have for the heat superstars. Sure, Lebron may take over a game or 2, wade may aswell, but overall I feel the Celtics have an answer for them. Bosh, well not that he would even come close, will get owned by Garnett. Garnett will have Bosh on a leash by the end of the series feeding him dog treats.

I really think Rondo will win us this series with his mismatches he creates.

Plus, Celtics play better team defense than the Heat. (dont care about stats)

Another reason, Celtics have been rested and have been gameplanning for the Heat for the whole week leading up to the game. THe Heat potentially will get 1 day of rest and no days to gameplan, and will not be nearly as fresh as the Celtics.

Rondo will have 2 triple doubles, a 30 point game, and a 20 assist game in a Celtics sweep.

If everything you said came true, I'd be just about the happiest guy in the world. That said...it's not happening. Rondo is not scoring 30 (or 25) on the heat. 

And Ray Allan DOES NOT have the head to head advantage over d. wade. If anything, I'd say that's the one position where Miami has a sizeable advantage.  Yes, if Ray is hot, he can light it up, but there's no one in the league that can consistently stop d. wade one on one if he gets going.  He's faster, stronger, and jumps higher than Ray.  Anyone can get caught behind a screen, but for the most part, wade is completely capable of staying with Ray.  The opposite can't reasonably be said.

This series will absolutely come down to Rondo outplaying their PG committee, and JO/Shaq/Krystic outplaying their Center group.

I admire the thread originators optimism. I also get concerned that Rondo blows by Bibby and Lebron hustles back to block Rondo's layup. Does Rondo pass out for 30 assists? To me an ideal line for Rondo is 6 points, 25 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks, and 7 rebounds.

[RJ87]

This isn't really a bold statement to me. Last year Rondo was the best player in the BOS/CLE series, IMO, even with LBJ on the floor. In all honesty, Rondo's the guy I worry least about when the playoffs start - he really lives for this time of year.

To me, they to watch will be Ray Allen. For the past few years, it seems like Ray has become increasingly streaky as a shooter. One night, he'll hit 8 three's and the next he's posting 3 of 14 shooting. He was hot in the NY series, but I don't expect his three point efficiency to carry over like that. But if he can post 45% on FG's and say 41% on 3pointers on 15 shot attempts - I like our chances.

[mgent]

I think it's key for Rondo to burn the Heat PGs. Then have LeBron put on him and be effective in cross-matching which I think he can handle. This will in turn give Pierce mismatches and hopefully get him going.

  If LeBron could guard Rondo he probably would have done so in the playoffs last year.

Was he given the assignment? Anyways, it doesn't matter if he can or can't as long as he's given the assignment and the Heat did it earlier in the year so I wouldn't be surprised if we see it again if Rondo seems unstoppable, and the onus is on Rondo making it so.

I think even Spo is smart enough to realize they'll be 100x better off with Wade on Rondo and Bibby on Ray than Bibby/Wade on Pierce.