People are too pessimistic regarding our chances against the Cavs

[Boston Garden Leprechaun]

Op stop stressing... Its gravy moving fwd

If celts can at least win one at home and one away...perfect

amen we are playing with HOUSE MONEY PEOPLE. If the 2012 celtics could not beat the heat i see no way this team can beat the cavs. let's just enjoy the games and get a good draft pick and FA.  that 2012 series was painful to me. we coulda beaten that team in 6 but lebron flipped a switch in boston in game 6. we hung around in game 7 until they finished us in the 4th. we were robbed game 2 of that foul wise.

[chilidawg]

Op stop stressing... Its gravy moving fwd

If celts can at least win one at home and one away...perfect

Perfect would be us sweeping the Cavs.  I don't get the low expectations, afraid you might not get what you hope for?

[crimson_stallion]

I agree.

In fact, I prefer our chances against Cleveland over our chances against Washington, in all honesty.

The worst possible matchup for Boston is a team with:

1) A strong two-way PG (who can slow down Thomas with single coverage, while also hurting us with their own scoring)

2) A big and skilled frontcourt that is strong on the boards and can also score

3) A second scoring guard that can pressure our defence, so we can't just throw Thomas on guard #2 and hide his defensive limitations

Washington and Toronto (Lowry, Derozan, Valancunis/Ibaka) are maybe the only two teams in the entire Eastern Conference that offer all of that - and so I saw them as our hardest matchups if we were to come against them.

Looking at the Cavs however:

1) Kyrie cannot defend Thomas any better than Thomas can defend Kyrie
2) Horford matches up very well with Kevin Love in pretty much every criteria
3) Boston can switch Bradley on Kyrie defensively, and force JR Smith to make them pay
4) Tristan Thompson is pretty much zero offensive threat, so Amir/Olynyk can take him fine
5) Olynyk/Smart/Brown/Green/Rozier are more then a match for Deron/Korver/Williams bench

The only real advantage they have is (obviously) Lebron, but we have a ton of wings we can throw at him (Crowder, Smart, Green, Brown) at him to try to make his life a bit more difficult.  He'll have big nights no matter what you do, but if we can at least make things hard for the rest of their team then it puts a ton of pressure on Lebron to carry the load.

I still think the Cavs have the odds to win, but I don't think it'll be as easy as people thing.  I think Boston will make them fight very hard for every win, and if the Cavs don't hold together mentally I do think Boston is capable of upsetting them.

The worst possible matchup for Boston is a team with LeBron that has two additional all-stars and a solid group of vets.

I think LeBron has proved this time and again.

I hate the guy, but come on, he nearly beat the warriors with a crippled tem full of scrubs a couple years back.

This year his team is healthy and loaded.

This is a FAR greater challenge than Washington.

And yet:

* Boston consistently defeated any and all Lebron-led teams in the big-3 era until the end
* The Lebron-led Heat got beaten twice in four seasons (by the Mavs and Spurs, both upsets)
* The Lebron-led Cavs lost to the Warriors before Durant (yeah I know, no Love/Kyrie)

People make the gross mistake of believe that Lebron can do no wrong, and a Lebron led team cannot be beaten by another team in the East.  As long as teams believe this, it will remain true. 

The Cavs are not a head strong team.  They are not a well unified team.  They are a dominant team as long as they are winning games - the instant they start to struggle they mentally and emotionally fall apart.  Their leader (Lord Do-no-wrong James) is the type of leader who refuses to take responsibility, and who's first response in times of struggle is to try to look for a scapegoat to point the finger and throw the blame on. 

If Boston comes out soft and the way they did against Washington in a few of those games, then they don't stand a chance.

But if they come out and play hungry, physical and aggressive (like they did in game 5 and game 7) then they are very much capable of beating the Cavs. 

If they take two home games and push the Cavs into a corner, then they strongly increase the probability that Cleveland loses their composure and start to fall apart emotionally - and if they do that Boston has a very good chance at taking the series.

Boston was the best team in the East during the regular season. The one team people expected might have a chance against the Cavs was Washington - and Boston just knocked them off.

Don't get me wrong, Cleveland still has the odds to take this series - but it is not an unwinnable series for Boston by any means.  It's going to be a 100% mental series - the mentally stronger team is going to take the series.

[SHAQATTACK]

LeBron might win .....but he got a big lump in his throat watching that lottery. 

[chilidawg]

I can guarantee you Marcus Smart and Isaiah Thomas aren't sitting around hoping they win a game or two.

Sack up C's fans.

[guava_wrench]

The OP is fundamentally flawed. Any analysis has to be centered around Lebron, not focused on all the lesser players and then hoping our wings can contain him.

[crimson_stallion]

The OP is fundamentally flawed. Any analysis has to be centered around Lebron, not focused on all the lesser players and then hoping our wings can contain him.

Lebron can't win on his own - it needs to be a team effort.  He needs support.  The Golden State series two years ago was evidence of that.

Tyron Lue has now announced he's starting Shumpert instead of JR Smith - beautiful, makes our matchup even easier.  Now we can happily put Bradley on Kyrie defensively, and we can then put Isaiah on Shumpert who is all of about useless as an offensive threat.

Yet on the other end of the floor Kyrie ain't coming close to stopping Bradley, and Shumpert aint stopping Thomas.

And Love (who has played poorly though most of the playoffs) isn't likely to dominate Horfod either.

Cavs need Lebron plus at least one other star to go off, on every night. 

All we need is for Horford to play steady, for Thomas to give us 20 or so, and for the rest of our team to hit the open shots they will inevitably get when Cleveland has to overload on Thomas.

There is not a single player (bar maybe Lebron) on that Cavs roster who can defend Thomas. Not one.

[mr. dee]

Op stop stressing... Its gravy moving fwd

If celts can at least win one at home and one away...perfect

amen we are playing with HOUSE MONEY PEOPLE. If the 2012 celtics could not beat the heat i see no way this team can beat the cavs. let's just enjoy the games and get a good draft pick and FA.  that 2012 series was painful to me. we coulda beaten that team in 6 but lebron flipped a switch in boston in game 6. we hung around in game 7 until they finished us in the 4th. we were robbed game 2 of that foul wise.

That 2012 Heat was much better defensive team than this current Cavs.

[Somebody]

Celtics in 7

[Drucci]

I agree.

In fact, I prefer our chances against Cleveland over our chances against Washington, in all honesty.

The worst possible matchup for Boston is a team with:

1) A strong two-way PG (who can slow down Thomas with single coverage, while also hurting us with their own scoring)

2) A big and skilled frontcourt that is strong on the boards and can also score

3) A second scoring guard that can pressure our defence, so we can't just throw Thomas on guard #2 and hide his defensive limitations

Washington and Toronto (Lowry, Derozan, Valancunis/Ibaka) are maybe the only two teams in the entire Eastern Conference that offer all of that - and so I saw them as our hardest matchups if we were to come against them.

Looking at the Cavs however:

1) Kyrie cannot defend Thomas any better than Thomas can defend Kyrie
2) Horford matches up very well with Kevin Love in pretty much every criteria
3) Boston can switch Bradley on Kyrie defensively, and force JR Smith to make them pay
4) Tristan Thompson is pretty much zero offensive threat, so Amir/Olynyk can take him fine
5) Olynyk/Smart/Brown/Green/Rozier are more then a match for Deron/Korver/Williams bench

The only real advantage they have is (obviously) Lebron, but we have a ton of wings we can throw at him (Crowder, Smart, Green, Brown) at him to try to make his life a bit more difficult.  He'll have big nights no matter what you do, but if we can at least make things hard for the rest of their team then it puts a ton of pressure on Lebron to carry the load.

I still think the Cavs have the odds to win, but I don't think it'll be as easy as people thing.  I think Boston will make them fight very hard for every win, and if the Cavs don't hold together mentally I do think Boston is capable of upsetting them.

The worst possible matchup for Boston is a team with LeBron that has two additional all-stars and a solid group of vets.

I think LeBron has proved this time and again.

I hate the guy, but come on, he nearly beat the warriors with a crippled tem full of scrubs a couple years back.

This year his team is healthy and loaded.

This is a FAR greater challenge than Washington.

And yet:

* Boston consistently defeated any and all Lebron-led teams in the big-3 era until the end
* The Lebron-led Heat got beaten twice in four seasons (by the Mavs and Spurs, both upsets)
* The Lebron-led Cavs lost to the Warriors before Durant (yeah I know, no Love/Kyrie)

People make the gross mistake of believe that Lebron can do no wrong, and a Lebron led team cannot be beaten by another team in the East.  As long as teams believe this, it will remain true. 

The Cavs are not a head strong team.  They are not a well unified team.  They are a dominant team as long as they are winning games - the instant they start to struggle they mentally and emotionally fall apart.  Their leader (Lord Do-no-wrong James) is the type of leader who refuses to take responsibility, and who's first response in times of struggle is to try to look for a scapegoat to point the finger and throw the blame on. 

If Boston comes out soft and the way they did against Washington in a few of those games, then they don't stand a chance.

But if they come out and play hungry, physical and aggressive (like they did in game 5 and game 7) then they are very much capable of beating the Cavs. 

If they take two home games and push the Cavs into a corner, then they strongly increase the probability that Cleveland loses their composure and start to fall apart emotionally - and if they do that Boston has a very good chance at taking the series.

Boston was the best team in the East during the regular season. The one team people expected might have a chance against the Cavs was Washington - and Boston just knocked them off.

Don't get me wrong, Cleveland still has the odds to take this series - but it is not an unwinnable series for Boston by any means.  It's going to be a 100% mental series - the mentally stronger team is going to take the series.

Amen. The LeBron teams are frontrunners (excellent ones at that, sure), if we flip the narrative early on we have a real shot.

[kraidstar]

I agree.

In fact, I prefer our chances against Cleveland over our chances against Washington, in all honesty.

The worst possible matchup for Boston is a team with:

1) A strong two-way PG (who can slow down Thomas with single coverage, while also hurting us with their own scoring)

2) A big and skilled frontcourt that is strong on the boards and can also score

3) A second scoring guard that can pressure our defence, so we can't just throw Thomas on guard #2 and hide his defensive limitations

Washington and Toronto (Lowry, Derozan, Valancunis/Ibaka) are maybe the only two teams in the entire Eastern Conference that offer all of that - and so I saw them as our hardest matchups if we were to come against them.

Looking at the Cavs however:

1) Kyrie cannot defend Thomas any better than Thomas can defend Kyrie
2) Horford matches up very well with Kevin Love in pretty much every criteria
3) Boston can switch Bradley on Kyrie defensively, and force JR Smith to make them pay
4) Tristan Thompson is pretty much zero offensive threat, so Amir/Olynyk can take him fine
5) Olynyk/Smart/Brown/Green/Rozier are more then a match for Deron/Korver/Williams bench

The only real advantage they have is (obviously) Lebron, but we have a ton of wings we can throw at him (Crowder, Smart, Green, Brown) at him to try to make his life a bit more difficult.  He'll have big nights no matter what you do, but if we can at least make things hard for the rest of their team then it puts a ton of pressure on Lebron to carry the load.

I still think the Cavs have the odds to win, but I don't think it'll be as easy as people thing.  I think Boston will make them fight very hard for every win, and if the Cavs don't hold together mentally I do think Boston is capable of upsetting them.

The worst possible matchup for Boston is a team with LeBron that has two additional all-stars and a solid group of vets.

I think LeBron has proved this time and again.

I hate the guy, but come on, he nearly beat the warriors with a crippled tem full of scrubs a couple years back.

This year his team is healthy and loaded.

This is a FAR greater challenge than Washington.

And yet:

* Boston consistently defeated any and all Lebron-led teams in the big-3 era until the end
* The Lebron-led Heat got beaten twice in four seasons (by the Mavs and Spurs, both upsets)
* The Lebron-led Cavs lost to the Warriors before Durant (yeah I know, no Love/Kyrie)

People make the gross mistake of believe that Lebron can do no wrong, and a Lebron led team cannot be beaten by another team in the East.  As long as teams believe this, it will remain true. 

The Cavs are not a head strong team.  They are not a well unified team.  They are a dominant team as long as they are winning games - the instant they start to struggle they mentally and emotionally fall apart.  Their leader (Lord Do-no-wrong James) is the type of leader who refuses to take responsibility, and who's first response in times of struggle is to try to look for a scapegoat to point the finger and throw the blame on. 

If Boston comes out soft and the way they did against Washington in a few of those games, then they don't stand a chance.

But if they come out and play hungry, physical and aggressive (like they did in game 5 and game 7) then they are very much capable of beating the Cavs. 

If they take two home games and push the Cavs into a corner, then they strongly increase the probability that Cleveland loses their composure and start to fall apart emotionally - and if they do that Boston has a very good chance at taking the series.

Boston was the best team in the East during the regular season. The one team people expected might have a chance against the Cavs was Washington - and Boston just knocked them off.

Don't get me wrong, Cleveland still has the odds to take this series - but it is not an unwinnable series for Boston by any means.  It's going to be a 100% mental series - the mentally stronger team is going to take the series.

This is just totally wrong, you are better than this, Crimson.

I didn't say Lebron's teams are invincible. I said they are clearly the greatest threat in the east, and have been for years, so long as he has some stars playing alongside him.

Those early LeBron teams had trash players like Sasha Pavlovic playing heavy minutes. Their auxiliary "stars" were guys like Mo Williams, a washed-up Antawn Jamison, and 38-year-old Shaq.

The current roster is much better.

And the Heat beat us TWICE in the big three era. Granted, we got shafted by the refs. Which will certainly happen in this upcoming series as well. C'est la vie.

The Mavs and Spurs clubs were a lot better than we are now.

And the fact that LeBron nearly beat the Warriors with a bunch of scrubs is a testament to his ability, not a detriment.

BTW I agree there is some merit to the idea that his teams can be rattled if you punch them in the mouth. I just think we're not quite good enough to do that yet.

And the league will have his back, they will want a rematch of last years finals - the one where the Cavs came back from a 3-1 deficit to win the championship.

I want to beat them as badly as you do, but please give them respect, they have earned it.

[kraidstar]

I agree.

In fact, I prefer our chances against Cleveland over our chances against Washington, in all honesty.

The worst possible matchup for Boston is a team with:

1) A strong two-way PG (who can slow down Thomas with single coverage, while also hurting us with their own scoring)

2) A big and skilled frontcourt that is strong on the boards and can also score

3) A second scoring guard that can pressure our defence, so we can't just throw Thomas on guard #2 and hide his defensive limitations

Washington and Toronto (Lowry, Derozan, Valancunis/Ibaka) are maybe the only two teams in the entire Eastern Conference that offer all of that - and so I saw them as our hardest matchups if we were to come against them.

Looking at the Cavs however:

1) Kyrie cannot defend Thomas any better than Thomas can defend Kyrie
2) Horford matches up very well with Kevin Love in pretty much every criteria
3) Boston can switch Bradley on Kyrie defensively, and force JR Smith to make them pay
4) Tristan Thompson is pretty much zero offensive threat, so Amir/Olynyk can take him fine
5) Olynyk/Smart/Brown/Green/Rozier are more then a match for Deron/Korver/Williams bench

The only real advantage they have is (obviously) Lebron, but we have a ton of wings we can throw at him (Crowder, Smart, Green, Brown) at him to try to make his life a bit more difficult.  He'll have big nights no matter what you do, but if we can at least make things hard for the rest of their team then it puts a ton of pressure on Lebron to carry the load.

I still think the Cavs have the odds to win, but I don't think it'll be as easy as people thing.  I think Boston will make them fight very hard for every win, and if the Cavs don't hold together mentally I do think Boston is capable of upsetting them.

The worst possible matchup for Boston is a team with LeBron that has two additional all-stars and a solid group of vets.

I think LeBron has proved this time and again.

I hate the guy, but come on, he nearly beat the warriors with a crippled tem full of scrubs a couple years back.

This year his team is healthy and loaded.

This is a FAR greater challenge than Washington.

And yet:

* Boston consistently defeated any and all Lebron-led teams in the big-3 era until the end
* The Lebron-led Heat got beaten twice in four seasons (by the Mavs and Spurs, both upsets)
* The Lebron-led Cavs lost to the Warriors before Durant (yeah I know, no Love/Kyrie)

People make the gross mistake of believe that Lebron can do no wrong, and a Lebron led team cannot be beaten by another team in the East.  As long as teams believe this, it will remain true. 

The Cavs are not a head strong team.  They are not a well unified team.  They are a dominant team as long as they are winning games - the instant they start to struggle they mentally and emotionally fall apart.  Their leader (Lord Do-no-wrong James) is the type of leader who refuses to take responsibility, and who's first response in times of struggle is to try to look for a scapegoat to point the finger and throw the blame on. 

If Boston comes out soft and the way they did against Washington in a few of those games, then they don't stand a chance.

But if they come out and play hungry, physical and aggressive (like they did in game 5 and game 7) then they are very much capable of beating the Cavs. 

If they take two home games and push the Cavs into a corner, then they strongly increase the probability that Cleveland loses their composure and start to fall apart emotionally - and if they do that Boston has a very good chance at taking the series.

Boston was the best team in the East during the regular season. The one team people expected might have a chance against the Cavs was Washington - and Boston just knocked them off.

Don't get me wrong, Cleveland still has the odds to take this series - but it is not an unwinnable series for Boston by any means.  It's going to be a 100% mental series - the mentally stronger team is going to take the series.

Amen. The LeBron teams are frontrunners (excellent ones at that, sure), if we flip the narrative early on we have a real shot.

He came back from down 3-2 against us in 2012, and from down 3-1 against Golden State last year.

I would say LeBron is not as resilient as some of the other all-time greats - Bill Russell, Bird, Magic, Jordan, etc - but he is still a dangerous opponent in any situation.

Even if we get up 2-0 on him IMO the Cavs have a good shot at winning. They are good. I hope I am wrong and we win. But for now I am going to give LeBron and the Cavs their due. leBron has had the scoreboard on his side for quite a few years now.

[Celtics4ever]

Still feeling good about our chances? 

I think we had a great year and got the number one pick and made to the ECF.  I am just hoping we win a game or two against the Cavs.

[droopdog7]

At this rate, I'd be shocked we take a lead at any time in this series. 

[Phantom255x]

I never expected us to win this series, but man I thought we were good enough to at least avoid a sweep.

That's looking like a BAD prediction now...