Celtics (0-0) at Cavaliers (0-0) Round 1 Game 1 4/18/15

[Celtics18]

Not everything went perfectly (which, unfortunately, it will probably take to win one in this series), but I'm proud of the way the Celtics fought in this game.

Good start. 

[max215]

C's still deserve credit for a great effort. We're outmatched severely in the talent department, but we fought so much harder than the Cavs. In a few years we'll be a legitimate threat to them.

[hwangjini_1]

Will be interesting to see if Stevens comes up with any clever adjustments, but based on the talent gap, all four games should go like this.  Blowout sweep.

Yeah.  The Celts are who we thought they were, as it turns out.  In the same category as the '04 Celts, 2013 Bucks, 2009 Pistons, etc.

Nobody realistically expects them to win the series.  Is it that hard to just enjoy watching a scrappy bunch of guys play against the league's best?

People see things differently just the way it is. I continue to be impressed by what CBS has done and less impressed by this Cavs team. It's not a great team by any stretch.

agreed. i was very impressed with the double teams on lebron's drives in particular. they stopped him more than i expected when he was committed to going to the basket. he had 5 turnovers in the game.

[TA9]

You guys sound so sad. This game makes me feel like we have a chance. Let's go Celts!!!

TP! There is a lot of negativity around here. Lets go CELTICS!

[GratefulCs]

I have an honest question for the people who don't think the refs were jobbing us



Do you think donaghy was the only one?

[positivitize]

You guys sound so sad. This game makes me feel like we have a chance. Let's go Celts!!!

Bring on the next game. This one was a lot closer than it could have been

Good showing by the C's!

[Vox_Populi]

What bothers me most is that LeBron wasn't that great today.

[CelticSooner]

Love went for 19-12 today. I don't like that one bit.

[MBunge]

Will be interesting to see if Stevens comes up with any clever adjustments, but based on the talent gap, all four games should go like this.  Blowout sweep.

Yeah.  The Celts are who we thought they were, as it turns out.  In the same category as the '04 Celts, 2013 Bucks, 2009 Pistons, etc.

Nobody realistically expects them to win the series.  Is it that hard to just enjoy watching a scrappy bunch of guys play against the league's best?

It's hard because this isn't the approach they are wanting from the team this season.

Right, because having misgivings about a lopsided playoff appearance means you are a tanky tanker that wanted the team to lose 82 games.

Do you actually watch basketball?  Kyrie went off, LeBron was LeBron, Boston didn't exactly play a flawless game and we still hung around all the way through the 4th quarter.

Mike

[jpotter33]

You guys sound so sad. This game makes me feel like we have a chance. Let's go Celts!!!

TP! There is a lot of negativity around here. Lets go CELTICS!

Yeah, it's overbearing sometimes.

[hwangjini_1]

You guys sound so sad. This game makes me feel like we have a chance. Let's go Celts!!!

Bring on the next game. This one was a lot closer than it could have been

Good showing by the C's!

tp for you and everyone else today. it was good to cheer on the celtics. they never gave up and worked hard. there were enough good moments and runs that i enjoyed most of the game.

[Kuberski33]

Will be interesting to see if Stevens comes up with any clever adjustments, but based on the talent gap, all four games should go like this.  Blowout sweep.

Yeah.  The Celts are who we thought they were, as it turns out.  In the same category as the '04 Celts, 2013 Bucks, 2009 Pistons, etc.

Nobody realistically expects them to win the series.  Is it that hard to just enjoy watching a scrappy bunch of guys play against the league's best?

It's hard to enjoy watching them get killed, yeah.

I don't particularly enjoy seeing them try as hard as they can and still get beaten by double digits in what feels like just a tune-up for the other team.  Especially since the other team is one I dislike in general.

It might be a half-decade before we can compete with Cleveland.  I understand the "winning is the only thing" concept, but that's going to leave you disappointed the vast majority of the time.

I hope not.  I actually think there's the framework of a very good team already in place.  The tough part is what comes next.  They need to get a star - somehow.  I think it will be easy enough to upgrade the 5 defensively and probably get a real PG, but they need a Kyrie Irving - someone who's good enough to bail you out when nothing else is working - and do it regularly.

[GC003332]

The Celts forced the Cavs to play their stars into the final minute, mission 1 accomplished, Make them work.
Hopefully we can grind them down over the course of this series, remember this is just game 1.

[GratefulCs]

Will be interesting to see if Stevens comes up with any clever adjustments, but based on the talent gap, all four games should go like this.  Blowout sweep.

Yeah.  The Celts are who we thought they were, as it turns out.  In the same category as the '04 Celts, 2013 Bucks, 2009 Pistons, etc.

Nobody realistically expects them to win the series.  Is it that hard to just enjoy watching a scrappy bunch of guys play against the league's best?

It's hard because this isn't the approach they are wanting from the team this season.

Right, because having misgivings about a lopsided playoff appearance means you are a tanky tanker that wanted the team to lose 82 games.

Do you actually watch basketball?  Kyrie went off, LeBron was LeBron, Boston didn't exactly play a flawless game and we still hung around all the way through the 4th quarter.

Mike

I'm a HUGE mbunge fan



TP

[Celtics18]

I've seen much better C's teams get destroyed easier.

Watching a much better team get killed is a different kind of painful.  In that case, you know they're capable of competing, but they don't.

The Celtics didn't play their best game today, but I think they played a lot closer to their best than the Cavs did.  They're just nowhere close to being ready to hang with a contender, and it shows. 

All of that would be fine if they all kinds of potential and just needed time to grow.  This isn't the 2010 Thunder.

We have six guys getting their first ever playoff experience.  We may not have Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, but we've got some young players with talent.

Getting some playoff action is going to be a great experience for all of those guys.