in my opinion only team we cant beat is the HEAT

[SHAQATTACK]

IF ...we are totally healthy (JO feels like a spring chicken) , the starting five are not banged up at all. Plus Wilcox and Bass are healthy...and the majority of "LUCK" shots and balls bounce our way ...and a few calls...

I can see playoff win or two is possible ...

Take a series against the Heaters ...

 

[stylo617617]

only way we can beat the heat is if we get another scorer & a rebounding big

[ManUp]

The only team I don't like us against in a seven game series.

[Bahku]

If we're healthy and we play defense like we've been playing the last couple weeks, the older guys are moving and shooting like they have been, Rondo is getting the ball where it needs to be, and the young/new guys keep buying into Doc's plan, we can beat anyone. Miami is not as unbeatable as some people think, and they have some obvious weaknesses to exploit.

[guava_wrench]

I don't see a deep bench as mattering that much in the playoffs since even players on a deep bench are pretty weak against Lebron and Wade.

In the playoffs, those guys will play so many minutes that playing a lot of guys really lowers the average basketball ability we have on the court compared to opponents. There won't be any back to backs during the playoffs. There is also less traveling. Guys can be leaned on more, especially someone in incredible shape like Lebron.

We can beat the Heat in the playoffs, as can many other teams. It is just an unlikely outcome. But even if them losing any particular series is unlikely, it still may be more likely that the do not make the finals than that they do.

Look at football. Even though Green Bay was probably much better than the Giants, the Giants ended up Champions. There are plenty of upsets and being a better team does not mean you win. Life is not like that. There is always lots of chance and contingency. Heck, Orlando's offense a few years ago was all about chance and they made it to the finals like that.

[j804]

If we're healthy and we play defense like we've been playing the last couple weeks, the older guys are moving and shooting like they have been, Rondo is getting the ball where it needs to be, and the young/new guys keep buying into Doc's plan, we can beat anyone. Miami is not as unbeatable as some people think, and they have some obvious weaknesses to exploit.

Yup the biggest improvement I think has been our rotations and help defense. I mean if we play like we have been all on a string and move the ball and execute on that other end we could knock out anybody. Im not sure if the numbers back it up or whatever but our D has looked just as good or better than the "best defense in the league" in Chicago.

[guava_wrench]

If we're healthy and we play defense like we've been playing the last couple weeks, the older guys are moving and shooting like they have been, Rondo is getting the ball where it needs to be, and the young/new guys keep buying into Doc's plan, we can beat anyone. Miami is not as unbeatable as some people think, and they have some obvious weaknesses to exploit.

Isn't "shooting like they have been" an outcome, not a pre-condition? It Rondo "getting the ball where it needs to be" also an outcome? If we are asking whether we can do those things against Miami, tautologically, if we are able to do those things than we can successfully do those things.

Personally, I think we have a lot of talent, though the older talent is unreliable as top level talent at this point. When I say unreliable, I mean for the kinds of performances we need in the playoffs. This will often make us underdogs.

[Celtics4ever]

Rondo was hurt last year and they shot the lights out.   While I think MIA has the edge in a series we almost beat them earlier in the year without PP.   Both LeBron and Bosh have histories of choking at times.  I think now that they got the monkey off their  back last year we could steal a game from them.

[guava_wrench]

Rondo was hurt last year and they shot the lights out.   While I think MIA has the edge in a series we almost beat them earlier in the year without PP.   Both LeBron and Bosh have histories of choking at times.  I think now that they got the monkey off their  back last year we could steal a game from them.

Every player chokes because no one shoots 100% so there is essentially a probability of 1.0 that they will miss a 'clutch' shot if they take many.

That is why 7 games series are better than single elimination for filtering out lesser teams.

[Celtics4ever]

By choking I mean not showing up for big games, guava_wrench.   Where was LeBron in the finals this year?

[BASS_THUMPER]

By choking I mean not showing up for big games, guava_wrench.   Where was LeBron in the finals this year?

Where was LeBron?

he wasnt playin?

well somebody runnin the floor sho did look like LB


*drankin*

[Inside-Out]

Solid help defense on penetration from the center spot should help. 

Not sure whether I'd rather have KG on Bosh or helping closer to the paint.  Anyone know how Bosh and Bass have played against each other?  The size disadvantage against perimeter jumpshooters makes me nervous with Bass.

[Jon]

A others have said, it's still unlikely, but possible. I think this team could give the Heat a run foe their money over 6-7 games with both teams playing like they usually do.

But anything could happen. One of the Big Three could just absolutely catch fire for the series and swing things. Also, if 20-something Rondo can can sustain a series-altering injury last year, there's no reason LeBron can't blow an ACL (also, no reason for us to feel badly about it).

So it's definitely worth one last run. Even if you're someone obsessed with trading the Big Three, there's no reason DA can't either sign and trade them this summer or re-sign them and potentially deal them next trade deadline. We're likely not going to get a major free agent this summer anyway.

[Inside-Out]

only way we can beat the heat is if we get another scorer & a rebounding big

Our best chance of finding that within would be for Wilcox to move up to 3rd big in the rotation, displacing Bass to the 4th big spot.  Better rebounding and interior scoring. 

Let Lebron and Wade chase Paul and Ray around the perimeter and make it a big man's game (which it is anyway!).  I'd take our bigs over theirs any day.

[Bahku]

If we're healthy and we play defense like we've been playing the last couple weeks, the older guys are moving and shooting like they have been, Rondo is getting the ball where it needs to be, and the young/new guys keep buying into Doc's plan, we can beat anyone. Miami is not as unbeatable as some people think, and they have some obvious weaknesses to exploit.

Isn't "shooting like they have been" an outcome, not a pre-condition? It Rondo "getting the ball where it needs to be" also an outcome? If we are asking whether we can do those things against Miami, tautologically, if we are able to do those things than we can successfully do those things.

Personally, I think we have a lot of talent, though the older talent is unreliable as top level talent at this point. When I say unreliable, I mean for the kinds of performances we need in the playoffs. This will often make us underdogs.

Of course it's a precondition, as anything is in the past, that's why I used the word "if" ... it's conditional.

Honestly, the samantics discussions I've had in the last two months is more than the sum total of all the other time I've been here, (maybe it's contagious nitpicking - it seems to spread like wildfire).

I'm not sure, but I think it's the last resort to pick someone's statement apart when there's nothing very tangible to disagree with or summarize. I was saying that if the team's level of play is consistent with of late, then I believe they can beat any team in the NBA.

I know you knew where I was coming from and what point I was making, as similar statements have been used a thousand times on ths blog without such analysis of word usage and references to rhetorical meanings unintended.

I do love that we're underdogs, though ... we've always seemed to respond well to adversity. Time will tell, (alas, more rhetoric ... I guess I come by it naturally). Can time actually tell anything?