2011 Playoffs: (2) Heat Vs. (3) Celtics

[Cartar]

Celtics in 6. Hard-fought, LeBron will suck, Allen will be hot and D-Wade will come through in the end.

Almost correct, fixed it for you.

[atlwarrior]

Heat in 6 with my fingers crossed. I want to see Miami win but Boston can easily win this series if the Heat allow them to discourage them.

[Mavs4Life]

So hard... one of them in 7. C's cause, the Heat will not learn to give D- Wade the ball in the clutch.

[atlwarrior]

Wade clutch stats are actually no better than LeBron's if not worse. In fact the whole team is bad in clutch situations. Yep every Heat player is guilty. The thing that kills me is how fast they are at blowing huge leads. That is what they should address.

[Stress Fracture]

Assuming that Shaq will be back, Celtics in 5. But if he returns at the middle of the series, Celtics in 7.

[Houndy]

Celtics in 7

[kibaxx7]

My fav series to watch. Heat in 7

[SkyLine03LT]

I think the Heat will come out with more fire as they lost the season series 3-1 and the Sixers have given them the business the last 3 games of their 1st round series, while the Celtics swept the Knicks (I wouldn't say easily, at least not for the first two games). I think they gained more confidence and not motivation, which would have been the case if it was a 6 or 7 game series like most predicted, and I believe motivation is more important, especially in the playoffs.

I'm sure coach Spo is gonna start Mario and Joel, but the key for the Heat in the series is how the bench is gonna perform. There will be ups and downs for the big three, no doubt. But if the C's couldn't find ways to handle Carmelo alone in game 2, it will be a whole lot easier for the big three to rack up numbers than for Carmelo. LeBron ain't no Jeffries, that's for sure.

Like I said, the key for Miami will be the play of the supporting cast, whether Mike Miller can earn his money and Mike Bibby can start making those treys again. If they, and the rest of the role players can't take advantage of their opportunities, the series belong to the Celtics.
The key for Boston will be the return of Shaq. With the Perkins Trade C's lost their interior presence, that discouraged most players from attacking their basket. Jermaine O'neal is a skilled player but not bigger and stronger than most centers in the league. That's not enough size for James not to try dunking on his head again. Not to say he won't get blocked back down to the ground again... But Shaquille will fill up that post and the big three will think twice before attacking the rim, Shaq and Howard are about the only two players, who can turn anyone into Jared Jeffries.

While everyone is talking about the return of Haslem and how it's a big deal for the Heat, the reality says different. And as much as I love Udonis and what he brings to the table, he hasn't played in months, and it's a gamble whether he will score more for the Heat or for the Celtics, so I don't count on it. Same with Shaq, but now it's more about his presence than his skill, he's not Shaq of the old anymore...

If the Celtics will come out victorious in the series, they will need their own big three (not talking about Rondo yet) to come up big. Everyone is talking about the greatness of Celtics defense, but they forget that Miami is a defensive team, and one of the best at it. Just about every Heat player can match up 1 on 1 against their Celtic matchup (apart from Bosh-KG), furthermore, Miami is playing team defense better and better, and while they have long ways to go compared to Boston's team defense, it is a best of 7 game series, not 82. In the end, it's all about the effort. Can the aging Celtics outrun the young guns?

The X-Factor for the series will be (you probably guessed) the play of Rajon Rondo. While the defense is the most important thing in basketball, offense is nearly as important, especially against this Miami team. It will take the heat 2 seconds to score off turnovers, so he'd better be ready to take care of the ball. The way I see it, if the Heat will put D Wade on Rondo, Wade will be smart enough not to let Rondo control the flow of the game, resulting in Heat winning the series. However, Miami's point guards might not be as smart, resulting in an opposite result.

In the end, I say the Heat are very much prepared for the Celtics, and Boston might not realize it. It all comes down to little things, and we'll see it all this afternoon. I take Heat in 7.

[Martti.]

James Jones being Jones, 7 points in less then 30 seconds. Mike Miller being Miller, 2 turnovers in less then 30 seconds.

[NovU]

Old Celtics looking good. Only down by 15 in half. That's pretty good... against the champ to be.

[Lamrock]

Old Celtics looking good. Only down by 15 in half. That's pretty good... against the champ to be.

Quoting this for the next time you desire solitude.

[rise]

...which will be after Game 7 against Dallas in the Finals.

[Alpha_]

Good defensive game for Joel Anthony. Miami up by 14. The payoff period coming up.

[Lamrock]

...which will be after Game 7 against Dallas in the Finals.

A bit far fetched expecting Kobe, both Gasols, Z-Bo, Durant, LeBron and Wade all suffering season ending injuries, dontcha think?

[Alpha_]

Pierce has been thrown out. HAHA!

[NovU]

Wade amazing!

Ray too...

[NovU]

Pierce's ejection

Pierce's screen...

Wade: Dude WTF

Pierce: FU

Ref: G'bye Pierce

Wade: : )

Pierce: T_T I wanna be alone

[jenroe962002]

LoL.This Game 1 Reminds me of Cavs-Celtics Last Year.

[Martti.]

U MAD?

[atlwarrior]

LoL.This Game 1 Reminds me of Cavs-Celtics Last Year.

You know I kind of agree with him. If it weren't for James Jones extra 25 Pts the Heat would've lost. James Jones is not going to put up numbers like that every game. LeBron made some big plays in the fourth but he could not buy a basket. It was all Wade. Ray Allen was hot from the three and Pierce started making shots too before he got ejected. I cant but wonder what would've happened if Pierce played those last seven minutes.

[NovU]

James Jones had a great game because he was wide open most of times and also was gifted with freebies at charity line. Give him the same looks and he'll consistently have those 25 points games all again.

This game easily could have been a blow out just like their last regular season game but Ray Ray kept the game alive. The Celtics aren't as good as last year and that's for sure.

I hated when Ilguaskas was on the floor. He's too slow on both ends of the court, can't block, can't get open, and only grabs rebounds which come right over his head. If it wasn't for him, the Celtics wouldn't have had that 10-0 run in the third. Otherwise a convincing victory for the Heat. Lebron had a subpar game but I'm sure he'll pick it up. Bosh was awful but that's because we didn't really look for him in the offense and he had no chance to get into a rhythm. That's why someone else other than big 3, Jones was able to have a great game.

[[Q]]

LOL at Pierce's ejection. they should've pulled out the wheelchair to wheel him into the back

[shadowgrin]

I hated when Ilguaskas was on the floor.

So you hate Ilgauskas again?

From the Heat thread:

I am starting like how things are falling into places with this Heat team. With soon-to-be back Chalmers, Ilgua and Haslem, this team will be at full strength while Bibby makes himself more comfy on the court. Also, the Heat got used to playing in hostile playoffs atmosphere and other teams bringing their A game all season long. No wonder they got bored and now can't wait for the playoffs.

[NovU]

For that one stretch, I actually did dislike how he was playing. Joel Anthony on the other hand was awesome. Was at the right place at the right time, blocking shots, clogging the lane, and taking a charge. No wonder Ilgau gets so limited playing time as even a starter. But still, I think there will be times when we make good use of his size sometime in the playoffs.

[buzzy]

Joel MVP Anthony is +87 in this playoffs now, to lead all players. Second best is Luol Deng with +60.