What is you sincere opionion of Boston's chances to win the east...

[Kamnik]

I don't see Orlando or Cleveland eliminating them if all 3 teams are healthy.

Shaq is simply to big of a defensive liability to make it all up by good offensive production.

And we all saw what happened to Howard's offensive game when a proper defensive game plan was made against him in the finals. I believe Celtic's are able to make that happen.


I would love to hear a serious take on them from some of you who follow them more.

[Culburn369]

A cakewalk.

[TJastal]

I think all 3 have an equal shot

BOS 33%
ORL 33%
CLE 33%

If I had to pick one of those, I'd have to go with Orlando because of their extremely talent laden bench, and relative younger ages.

[Riverwalkman]

I don't know but I think Cleveland had better motivation, LBJ will be a free agent next summer, Shaq will do his best to surpass Duncan.Boston is good but they've got champ once.

Magic has very good players but I doubt Carter could fill in Turkoglu's role, who was very good at decision-making and play-making in Orlando.

[TJastal]

I don't know but I think Cleveland had better motivation, LBJ will be a free agent next summer, Shaq will do his best to surpass Duncan.Boston is good but they've got champ once.

Magic has very good players but I doubt Carter could fill in Turkoglu's role, who was very good at decision-making and play-making in Orlando.

I wish I had 10 bucks for every time I've heard someone use this argument as a reason the magic will be worse this year. A simple look at the numbers proves otherwise, and actually shows that the magic will be better off w/VC.

Carter's assist ratio last year was nearly identical to Turk's. (4.7/4.9). There goes the crux of your argument right there. Rebounding, steals, blocks all pretty much equal as well. Carter shoots a better % and turns the ball over significantly less (there goes the rest of your argument).

[Allanon]

I don't think there's a clear-cut leader of the 3 East teams although If I had to choose, I'd go with Boston.

I hope the ECF matchup will be Cavs vs Celtics, that would be an awesome series and probably the most hyped ECF in recent memory.

One huge obstacle stands in Cleveland's way...the Wizards. If the Cavs and Wizards matchup in the Playoffs again, we might see a major upset.

[iggypop123]

boston is the best but lebron almost beat the celtics by himself in a 7 game series. and he is better now, kg always defers to players in big games letting vaerejo shut him down

[spursfan1000]

In my opinion they have the best chance out of coming out of the east. Ronda showed last year in the playoffs that he could hold his own, his teamates will compliment him. Ray Allen is still a lights out shooter. Paul Pierce is still a great leader. Garnett if he can have a good this year I think they will have a great shot.

[dirk4mvp]

If the Cavs were to get Jackson, I think they'd be the favorites in the East.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

It's impossible tell, but right now they have the best chance cause there are still question marks on orlando and Cleveland way bigger than that of Boston.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

If the Cavs were to get Jackson, I think they'd be the favorites in the East.


As long as they are giving Mo Williams a major role, they are setting themselves up for failure.

[dirk4mvp]

As long as they are giving Mo Williams a major role, they are setting themselves up for failure.

Well acquiring Jackson would lessen his role, which can only be a good thing. Unless it's a regular season game against a team 15 games below .500 and then he's money.

[JMarkJohns]

While the bench of Orlando may have more talent, I like the bench of Boston with House, T.Allen, Daniels, Davis, Wallace and I think their defensive system can maximize Sheldon Williams as well. They all know their roles, most can shoot and/or defend/rebound.

Health, as mentioned, will be the key, but even if Garnett allows himself to be shutdown on offense, he's a fierce defender and will not just allow LeBron to crabwalk his way down the lane. They may be missing that one piece (a true backup PG or another big, good-shooting wing), but they'll have some contracts to move for that player should he become available. Scalabrine, House and Allen total roughly 8 million in expiring contracts, and only House is a true rotation player.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

Well acquiring Jackson would lessen his role, which can only be a good thing. Unless it's a regular season game against a team 15 games below .500 and then he's money.


Their problem is Mike Brown, it sounds crazy but he's got a lot of similarities to Mike D'antoni. His team loves to blow all the crappy teams out, and lose to all the other contenders, and being the idiot he is, he convinces himself that that's not a problem. He plays the starters 40 MPG during the regular season to inflate their record and doesn't develop the bench, so he's up shit's creek without a paddle when someone in his 6-7 man rotation is having a bad series. He also is horrible at making any adjustments over the course of a series. Delonte West was getting torched by Turk in game 1-5, so of course he goes with the same matchup for a must win game.

[JMarkJohns]

Carter will have his way with Allen by what, settling for perimeter jumpers all game long? Carter isn't attacking the basket with Garnett, Perkins, Wallace, Davis, Williams waiting for him in the lane... I mean, he hardly attacks the basket anyways.

Magic have a ton of talent, so it makes sense to pick them, but not on the dribble-drive potential of Carter. He's six years removed from consistently being that player.

[DPG21920]

In my opinion, if Boston is healthy, they are the clear cut favorites in the East by about the same margin as the Lakers in the West.

They can be that good. Scary good.

[Mavs_man_41]

Right now I'd break the odds down like this:

Boston 40%
Cleveland 30%
Orlando 30%

[xellos88330]

Right now I'd break the odds down like this:

Boston 40%
Cleveland 30%
Orlando 30%

I like this.

[blink]

boston is easily the favorite in the east. they wouldve destroyed the lakers last year with a healthy KG. this year is infinitely more interesting, with artest and a healthy bynum, the lakers are just loaded.

[The Franchise]

I don't have an opionion. :p:

[tlongII]

I think Cleveland is much better than Boston. They had the best record in the league last year and just imploded in the ECF. With the addition of Shaq I see no way for Boston to beat them.

[JMarkJohns]

A little narrow minded are we? Carter wont have to drive to the hole against Allen, he can post him up all day long. Ray Allen is a weak post defender. Everyone knows Carter has lost a step, but Allen has showed he will disappear on you in the playoffs for long stretches. The truth of the matter is the Celtics are no where near as good in the playoffs as they are in the regular season, and I don't see that changing with the addition of an underachieving Wallace, and a Daniels that can hit a jump-shot.

The critique of Allen would have more wait if that same critique didn't fit Carter's game/mentality like a glove.

[DPG21920]

What are you judging this by? Could it be the fact that they have gone 7 games with every team in the East for the past two seasons? The Celtics have no room for error, while the Lakers have shown to get it down a less than full speed.

I am judging it by how good of a team they were when they were healthy and by the additions they made to their team. The health is a big if, but keep in mind, the Lakers were taken to 7 games by a depleted Rockets team and could have lost the Nuggets series as well. It is not like they steamrolled their way through the playoffs.

Celtics are just a better overall team than the other teams in the East if they are healthy.

[DPG21920]

It is not hype, they smashed the Lakers in the finals when healthy and the only major contributors missing were Ariza & Bynum and really Bynum did not do shit this year.

Health is a major concern, but if they are healthy, they will be a great team. Not as good as the Lakers, but they could be if all things go well.

[DPG21920]

Bynum did not do shit this year in the playoffs. He was not putting up the same numbers or playing the number of quality minutes Perkins was. Bynum was a non-factor this year, Perkins was a major factor, even if his numbers weren't great.

Bynum this year is why the Lakers will be ahead of the Celtics, but the Celts will be very good if they are healthy.

[Culburn369]

Bynum did not do shit this year in the playoffs.

Stopping, & making Howard quit notwithstanding.

[picc84]

Last year, I thought Orlando > Cleveland > Boston > Orlando, if KG was healthy.

This year with the new additions, I don't see Cleveland beating Boston since they have the best weapons to exploit the Shaq pick and roll, two outside shooting bigs and dynamic guards. They'll probably beat Orlando too. I like the 40/30/30 for the three teams.

A lot depends on homecourt advantage too. Thats gonna be more important for the east teams then the west teams IMO.

[bostonguy]

It depends on if they stay healthy or not. If they do, I like their chances. Time will tell. I will say this though. If the Lakers make it out of the West (which I expect them to), the only team from the east who will give them the best fight is Boston. Orlando can't limit the Lakers on O, and the Cavs simply have no chance in hell.

[picc84]

Wow. No Bynum or Ariza is like Boston not having Posey and Perkins that season.

More like Posey and Powe.

[DPG21920]

I was not trying to say Bynum was healthy. I was saying he did not make a difference in the Lakers winning a title. Ariza did.

[23LeBronJames23]

i think we can take boston because LeBron almost took Cs two years ago by him self and now the Cs hasnt improved their players are older 2 years and KG just came from an injury.

its orlando that scares me because thfy either dominate with dwight or their shooters shoot lights out. But since know we got shaq i hope he can still have some fuel left to stop Dwight.

[tlongII]

I want to agree with you, but Cleveland is just not built for the playoffs. Everything runs through James. Shaq is a shell of himself, and they don't run enough. James made a comment to Mo when the Lakers went into Cleveland last year and defeated them. "We cant beat them if we don't have Z to draw their big men out of the lane." Ok, now Z is on the bench and probably on the trrading block as well. Now you have the biggest, slowest center in the league clogging the lane, so they are still stuck with the same problem they had last year.

That doesn't make any sense. Cleveland doesn't have to beat the Lakers to get out of the East.

[DPG21920]

Either way, Boston would not have beaten us if we were fully healthy and they were missing two of their key role players. Yet, all you hear is how great that Boston team was, and how the Lakers squeaked by because of injuries to other teams. DPG gives a perfect example of this double standard when he says the Lakers were smashed by the Celtics, but the Nuggets could have beaten the Lakers, even though the Lakers smashed the Nuggets on their home floor.

Not a double standard. You brought up the Celtics going 7 games, and acted like the Lakers just breezed through. Many of their series were close and none ended as badly as game 6

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

By the way, Boston's chances are about 5%. That 5% is the percentage James may get hurt and not play in the series. If both teams are healthy, it's game over before the series even starts.

Yeah sure, just like it was in 2008.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

I see 0 question marks for Cleveland and a ton for Boston


Their pick and roll defense isn't a question mark?

[bostonguy]

Their pick and roll defense isn't a question mark?

They have Lebron James. Pick and roll D won't be a concern. Mo Williams is also a legit all-star according to the Spurs/Cavs fan.

[DPG21920]

Call it what you will, but I saw a lot of close games against Orlando (even though the Lakers always seemed to be better) and a couple close games with the Nuggets that could have gone either way.

Fact is, the Celtics are a damn good team.

[tlongII]

Is this Jr, or Dad? It makes perfect sense, because the teams that the Cavs have to face in the East have dominant bigs who are much better defenders and shot blockers than the Lakers bigs. If you have Shaq clogging the lane, then Mo and James cant do what they do best, which is drive and kick to the shooters, or finish at the rim.

This is Dad. You're crazy. Shaq can still abuse Kendrick Perkins and Dwight Howard for stretches and that's all they'll ask of him.

[picc84]

I was not trying to say Bynum was healthy. I was saying he did not make a difference in the Lakers winning a title. Ariza did.

You don't think Gasol having to guard Howard for 48 minutes would have been advantageous to the Magic?

[picc84]

Either way, Boston would not have beaten us if we were fully healthy and they were missing two of their key role players. Yet, all you hear is how great that Boston team was, and how the Lakers squeaked by because of injuries to other teams. DPG gives a perfect example of this double standard when he says the Lakers were smashed by the Celtics, but the Nuggets could have beaten the Lakers, even though the Lakers smashed the Nuggets on their home floor.

I agree. If we were healthy and Boston was without Posey/Powe last year, we win. But no one cares. And the argument that we got by because of injuries is a slap in the face when Boston won in a year when Detroit, LA, and SA were all injured, two of those being teams they beat on the way to the title. Its bullshit, yeah, but whatever. People always remember what they want to.

[Lars]

Its all about matchups.

Orlando > Cleveland
Cleveland > Boston
Boston > Orlando

[Kobe™]

If Shaq magically manifests into an amazing P&R defender I'll give Cleveland the edge over Orlando,
other then that it goes:
Boston
Orlando
Cleveland

(barring injuries)

[DPG21920]

I saw games 1,2, and 4 as close games against the Celtics, but you say they were smashed in that series.

I didn't say the Lakers got walked over (although Kobe was pretty well neutralized), I said game 6 was a smash or at least that is what I meant.

[DPG21920]

You don't think Gasol having to guard Howard for 48 minutes would have been advantageous to the Magic?

Plenty of people could have done the job Bynum did. His numbers were pedestrian and he averaged like 17 MPG. Sure, Gasol needed a break, but plenty of players could have done what Bynum did in those 17 MPG.

Bynum was not healthy however, and if they were matched up again, Bynum would fare much better.

[DPG21920]

Lakers fans crying about other fans blaming injuries on the Lakers winning is way overblown. Most fans understand the Lakers were far and away the best team and the majority of people arguing otherwise are mostly doing it tongue-in-cheek to mess with Laker fans.

[bostonguy]

If you want to talk pick and roll D, nobody on the Celtics can guard the pick and roll like Varejao.

:cry

Looks like someone is butthurt Mo was there and not Rondo.

Nah. Mo can have that bragging right (even though he really isn't a legit all-star). At least Rondo doesn't act like a trash talking pussy under playoff pressure like Mo did in the ECF.


I even know you don't believe most of your own crap. You constantly contradict yourself when you bring up the age card. Shaq is almost 40 yet no mention about his age yet you call the Boston 3 party (who are a good couple of years younger) old as dirt. Again are you saying this for attention? I know you don't believe it. You keep spewing it over and over and it is somewhat getting boring. Then again if you feel the need to get on your knees for the Cavs for the sake of getting attention, knock yourself out.

[Darthkiller]

boston if healthy has the best chance of winning the east, however that's a very big if.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

That question has already been answered. They can be vulnerable to it, but it isn't enough to sink them. Shaq changes absolutely nothing in this regard, as they had Ilgauskas last season and seemed to do just fine.


Did just fine? You must have missed that series where they were beaten because they couldn't defend the Turk-Howard pick and roll.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

If you want to talk pick and roll D, nobody on the Celtics can guard the pick and roll like Varejao.




Where was this pick and roll D against Orlando?

Are you seriously retarded enough to say Varejao can defend the PNR better than KG can?

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

Shaq is old as dirt. He was also one of the most dominant players ever. None of the Celtics big 3 can say that.


What the fuck does what Shaq did in 2000 have to do with now?

[bostonguy]

blah blah blah blah Look at me I am yapping just to get attention. I know I am full of shit. I just say this repetitive crap to get a rise out of people so I can argue with them about bullshit I don't even believe in. It's fun.

This is what you are indirectly telling me. Thanks.:lmao

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

This is what you are indirectly telling me. Thanks.:lmao


I'm beginning to agree that this is just a troll who says really dumb shit to get a reaction.

[bostonguy]

Shaq is old as dirt. He was also one of the most dominant players ever. None of the Celtics big 3 can say that. Add on top of that he put up 18 and 8 last year. Add on top of that the Cavs got him for nothing. Add on top of that all that the Cavs needed last season was a big body to throw at Howard. So yes, you're correct in saying he's old as dirt... the problem is saying that I'm contradicting myself, because I never said that he wasn't. The point is, the best team in the league got a player who put up 18 and 8 last year for nothing at all. It's simple.

But he is 38 years old and here you are getting on your knees for him. What Shaq did in 2000 is moot now. He is no where near that level anymore. Are you trying to tell me that you are not contradicting yourself due to what Shaq did in 2000-2002? :lmao:lmao:lmao

You were going well with this act but now you are failing dramatically. :lmao:lmao

[bostonguy]

I'm beginning to agree that this is just a troll who says really dumb shit to get a reaction.

That is exactly what he is.

[KidCongo]

Their problem is Mike Brown, it sounds crazy but he's got a lot of similarities to Mike D'antoni. His team loves to blow all the crappy teams out, and lose to all the other contenders, and being the idiot he is, he convinces himself that that's not a problem. He plays the starters 40 MPG during the regular season to inflate their record and doesn't develop the bench, so he's up shit's creek without a paddle when someone in his 6-7 man rotation is having a bad series. He also is horrible at making any adjustments over the course of a series. Delonte West was getting torched by Turk in game 1-5, so of course he goes with the same matchup for a must win game.

I think it's time to take a stroll down memory lane. Throughout the LeBron James era Cavalier fans have always wondered "Why aren't we called elite when we took Boston to 7 and gave them the hardest series they had all playoffs?" or "Why aren't we called elite when we when the ECF without HCA against the Detroit Pistons?"

The common answer from most analysts was that Cleveland gave up too many easy wins against bad opponents. Now we tick over to last season and the Cavs are blowing out every team that wasn't elite and even then handed out some floggings to the Celtics, Nuggets, Mavs, Spurs. The Cavaliers had finally found that consistency and were good enough to blow out the shitty teams and be a true contender.

Mike Brown didn't leave the starters in there for 40mpg, in fact LeBron played the least amount of MPG ever, even lower than his rookie season at 37.7 (his rookie season was 39.5 by the way). Mo, Z, Big Ben all had their minutes go down. Delonte and AV had their minutes go up slightly but no where this so called 40minutes you claim.

I know Mike Brown should have played Boobie Gibson major minutes whilst he has battled with an injury all season and lets match him up with Pietrus, or shit for brains Sasha Pavlovic or perhaps the defensive dynamo Wally Szczerbiak. You couldn't have meant the rookie with a back injury JJ Hickson?

The only I will give you is that Mike Brown is extremely stubborn when it comes to his defensive adjustments. From inside sources on Cavaliers boards there was some tension between the assistants and Brown as to making the Magic match up with us instead of Brown playing the waiting game. The Cavaliers didn't have the personnal to match-up with the Magic on the wings like they do now. Small ball with that offense in the 4th Q in game 5 with LJ at the 4 was what I thought would work except giving Pavs or Wally major minutes as the SF would be its folly. Now the Cavaliers can play Moon there who I think will surprise alot of people this season.

[KidCongo]

I want to agree with you, but Cleveland is just not built for the playoffs. Everything runs through James. Shaq is a shell of himself, and they don't run enough. James made a comment to Mo when the Lakers went into Cleveland last year and defeated them. "We cant beat them if we don't have Z to draw their big men out of the lane." Ok, now Z is on the bench and probably on the trrading block as well. Now you have the biggest, slowest center in the league clogging the lane, so they are still stuck with the same problem they had last year.

Except that the Cavaliers have added two solid wings in Moon and Parker, another year of development for LeBron, people like Gibson and JJ getting healthy.

Shaq is replacing the juggernaut Ben Wallace. The spacing issue is overblown. This is what coaches would have been figuring out all off-season. It's not the perfect set-up but it will get the job done. Lets have a big man rotate off Shaq and leave him wide open or AV wide open on a cut, he has got the best reverse lay-up in the NBA, no joke.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

I think it's time to take a stroll down memory lane. Throughout the LeBron James era Cavalier fans have always wondered "Why aren't we called elite when we took Boston to 7 and gave them the hardest series they had all playoffs?" or "Why aren't we called elite when we when the ECF without HCA against the Detroit Pistons?"

The common answer from most analysts was that Cleveland gave up too many easy wins against bad opponents. Now we tick over to last season and the Cavs are blowing out every team that wasn't elite and even then handed out some floggings to the Celtics, Nuggets, Mavs, Spurs. The Cavaliers had finally found that consistency and were good enough to blow out the shitty teams and be a true contender.

Mike Brown didn't leave the starters in there for 40mpg, in fact LeBron played the least amount of MPG ever, even lower than his rookie season at 37.7 (his rookie season was 39.5 by the way). Mo, Z, Big Ben all had their minutes go down. Delonte and AV had their minutes go up slightly but no where this so called 40minutes you claim.

I know Mike Brown should have played Boobie Gibson major minutes whilst he has battled with an injury all season and lets match him up with Pietrus, or shit for brains Sasha Pavlovic or perhaps the defensive dynamo Wally Szczerbiak. You couldn't have meant the rookie with a back injury JJ Hickson?

The only I will give you is that Mike Brown is extremely stubborn when it comes to his defensive adjustments. From inside sources on Cavaliers boards there was some tension between the assistants and Brown as to making the Magic match up with us instead of Brown playing the waiting game. The Cavaliers didn't have the personnal to match-up with the Magic on the wings like they do now. Small ball with that offense in the 4th Q in game 5 with LJ at the 4 was what I thought would work except giving Pavs or Wally major minutes as the SF would be its folly. Now the Cavaliers can play Moon there who I think will surprise alot of people this season.


I didn't literally mean 40 MPG, but he did not use his bench very much, you can't deny that.

And if the problem is the bench sucked and he only had 6-7 players worth using, that's something he should have addressed at the trade deadline, and should get blame for pretending lack of depth wasn't a problem.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

The KING already schooled you enough on this subject, but I'll just add on to what he said and make you look like even more of a moron.

Hedo Turkoglu:

Game 1: 4-11FG(.36%)
Game 2: 9-17(.52%)
Game 3: 1-11(.09%)
Game 4: 5-13(.38%)
Game 5: 10-18(.55%)


What are his assist numbers? He was doing a lot of his work dishing it off o Dwight cause West was screened off him so easily and Dwight's guy had to help.

[sribb43]

The Sheed acquistion is being way overrated just because he landed with the C's

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

What do his assist numbers matter? You said he was lighting West up. That means, obviously, that he was scoring on him. I've never heard anyone drop an assist off to a teammate for a dunk and say "you can't guard me". Stop trying to hide the fact that you don't know shit about the NBA, like most Suns fans. Go grab your skateboard and do what you do best.


:lmao

You're either a really funny troll, or a stupid San Antonio Mexican. I can't tell.

[HotRod]

:lmao

You're either a really funny troll, or a stupid San Antonio Mexican. I can't tell.

seeings as though you have been owned twice, the stupid comment would be a more likely reference for yourself!

[KidCongo]

The Sheed acquistion is being way overrated just because he landed with the C's

Fuckin ay. Cavs can deal with his lazy ass quite easily.

[Culburn369]

DUNCAN has been on the rag all weekend.

[Culburn369]

Fuckin ay. Cavs can deal with his lazy ass quite easily.

I'll hold you to that boast, thank you.

[mavsluva]

I bet that if they have more points than their opponents that they'll win it all.

[Ghazi]

you need a fuckin superduperstar to win in this league. Kobe last year, KG year before, Duncan*4... Shaq*3... Dirk*1.. Hakeem*2 MJ *6


Can a 34 YO KG (come playoffs) who showed dip in production last year and is coming off a knee injury lead a team to a championship? Highly doubt it

Pierce? Not really a superstar, and he's past his prime as well.

To me the Celtics as currently constructed are similar to those Suns/Pistons/Kings teams from the standpoint that while a nice collection of talent, they lack the guy who has "it"...although KG used to have it.

Can they win the East? Sure... although against the Cavs/Magic they have the disadvantage of NOT having the best player on the court at all times. Even if they do, the Lakers or Mavs will hand their ass to them in the Finals.

[Culburn369]

or Mavs

tee, hee.

[Ghazi]

In the improbable event that anyone other than the Lakers makes it out of the West, it will be the Mavs rather than any other team.

[Ghazi]

4-1 faggots

[LnGrrrR]

I'd go 40% Boston, 30% Cleveland, 30% Orlando.

[picc84]

I'll stand by the 40/30/30 Boston advantage in the east, and 50/50 with the Lakers if we come out of the west. Boston has one of the most stacked rosters in the history of the league, you cant deny they are beastly.

[Chieflion]

If Garnett does not return to full health, this team has a 0% chance of winning. Pierce and Allen better remain the same and Rondo has to improve if they want to get out of the East alive.

[TJastal]

The sixers are looking more and more like they will be my darkhorse pick in the east.

[Kamnik]

The Sheed acquistion is being way overrated just because he landed with the C's

Agreed.

Even though... KG is the real glue in Boston so they will be especially good because of him and not Sheed.

[Chieflion]

The sixers are looking more and more like they will be my darkhorse pick in the east.
How? By subtracting Andre Miller and adding Jrue Holiday?

[HotRod]

you need a fuckin superduperstar to win in this league. Kobe last year, KG year before, Duncan*4... Shaq*3... Dirk*1.. Hakeem*2 MJ *6


Can a 34 YO KG (come playoffs) who showed dip in production last year and is coming off a knee injury lead a team to a championship? Highly doubt it

Pierce? Not really a superstar, and he's past his prime as well.

To me the Celtics as currently constructed are similar to those Suns/Pistons/Kings teams from the standpoint that while a nice collection of talent, they lack the guy who has "it"...although KG used to have it.

Can they win the East? Sure... although against the Cavs/Magic they have the disadvantage of NOT having the best player on the court at all times. Even if they do, the Lakers or Mavs will hand their ass to them in the Finals.


got that right, something special is needed.. which is why i believe cavs will take the honours in the east (i can only dream hope for detroit haha)
lbj is just getting better and better and the addition of shaq gives them a bit of intimidation (i mean who wouldnt crap themselves standing next to that beast)..

however i disagree about mavs or even lakers handing their ass to them in the final.. i would be a litttttle bit worried that dallas might choke:p: haha

[Gant]

I agree with those that say any of the three top teams can win the East (and for that matter the title). However, if Garnett is healthy this year's Celtics will probably be better than the championship team.

Addressing some points that have been raised in this thread and having seen all the Boston preseason games:

* Garnett looks great; way better than expected at this point. He's receiving Rondo alley oops and beating his man down the floor. It's a measured and long road back, but things sure look good for him.

* The back up point situation is fine. Between Marquis Daniels and Eddie House, every point guard attribute is covered (passing, defense, shooting, driving) The two players compliment one another and cover each other's shortcomings. Daniels allows House to play off the ball and get better looks.
Also fwiw #58 pick Lester Hudson has been effective in limited minutes (shocking, considering the expectations).

* The Celtics are huge. Between Perkins, Rasheed, and Garnett they can match up in size with anyone including Cleveland and LA.

* The Mavs though good, are not in the same echleon as the top 5 teams.

A few other items:

* Big Baby and Perkins have both lost considerable weight. Both are much faster.

* The Celtics second unit looks very good.

* The reason the Celtics should be considered favorites is because of their defense. They have three excellent defending big men, the best on the ball point in the game, Tom Thibodeau's schemes, and enough depth to allow everyone to go full blast on both ends. This may be a historically great defensive team.

To sum it up: it all comes down to Garnett's health. So far he looks wonderful.