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Spurs in 7? I'd say in 5 and at the max 6.
Celtics vs. Spurs: 07-08 Finals Preview?
Posted By David Thiessen On August 9, 2007 @ 10:35 pm In Uncategorized | 6 Comments
Kevin Garnett may have left the Western Conference to pursue a le out East, but chances are he will still have to deal with Tim Duncan and the Spurs. With Allen and Pierce at his side, I have no doubt that the Celtics have the talent to reach the finals. Lebron did it with a flopping center, a bald power forward with a small patch of hair on the back of his head and a rookie point guard named Boobie. San Antonio on the other hand has to deal with the Suns, Mavs, Rockets and Jazz, but they could easily find themselves playing for back-to-back les. With all the moves the Celtics have made, they can make it out of the East, but do they have enough to battle with the current champs? The following takes a look at position battles and breaks down the potential matchups.
Point Guard The big question for the dancing leprechauns is who will be the point guard. The only returning 1 on the team is second year player Rajon Rondo. He appeared in 78 games, averaging 6.4 points, 3.8 assists, 1.6 steals and shot 41.8%. However, as a starter in 25 games he averaged 10.6 points, 5.8 assists, 2.4 steals and shot 47.4%. Even though he is young, Rando is already one of the better on the ball defenders. He has long arms and is super quick. It remains to be seen if he can lead a team loaded with talent and keep the All-Stars happy. Against Tony Parker his defense will help. Nobody can stay in front of the mercurial Frenchman, but Rando has the tools to do a better job than most. Still, Parker’s shot is improving every year, making him even harder to defend. Parker is also an underappreciated defender with his quick feet. Rando has a bright future, but Tony is one of the top five point guards in the league right now. Advantage: Spurs
Shooting Guard When the Celtics acquired Ray Allen, many scratched their heads and saw this as a move just to make a move. Coming off an injury, it will be interesting to see how Allen adapts to a new role. Will he still be the franchise player he once ways? Allen’s game is centered around his ability to shoot and score, and he will have more open looks now than ever before. As he ages, I see Allen becoming even more of a shooter, staying more around the perimeter. His averages might drop, but he can still be a dangerous scorer. We all know the drama between Allen and Bruce Bowen, but I think the Spurs will match him with Manu Ginobili because Bowen matches up better with Pierce. Ginobili is definitely getting up their in age, but can still be highly effective. He struggled at times in the playoffs, but could also take over a game with his ability to score in a wide variety of ways. Unlike Allen, he isn’t limited to the offensive end, providing great help defense and good on the ball defense. Allen is a decent rebounder and passer, but no better than Ginobili. In the end, Allen is a better offensive player. Ginobili is better all around. But Allen is a little more consistent. Advantage: Celtics
Small Forward Paul Pierce is also coming off an injury plagued season, but he is still an elite player. Unlike Allen, Pierce likes to go inside and use his muscular body to overpower smaller players. He can still shoot the three to though, making 38.9% last year. Because he is bigger than Allen, I expect San Antonio to use Bowen against Pierce. Even though Bruce gives up 30 pounds, he has routinely defended bigger, stronger players thoughout his career with Lebron being the most recent. He is till one of the best defenders around and is helped by the best defensive system in the league. San Antonio’s players understand defensive rotations better than any other team, which allows them to compensate when Bowen might be physically outmatched. Bowen has never been a scorer, but he is deadly from the corners and has hit many timely threes. Advantage: Celtics
Power Forward This is the most interesting matchup to me. You have old rivals Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan battling again. They have been compared to each other all through out their careers, even though they have different styles. Garnett is emotional and brash. Duncan is quite and stoic. Garnett often relies on his midrange game and turnaround jumpers. Duncan relies on his lowpost game and bank shots. Garnett is a great defender who has never had a great defense. Duncan is a great defender who anchors the league’s best defense. Over the years they have had some great battles despite these differences. I would still take Duncan any day of the week over Garnett, but in the end this battle is a wash. They have been the two best power forwards for the past decade and are still the two best. Advantage: tie
Center I know Fabricio Oberto and Francisco Elson don’t scare many people, but neither do Kendrick Perkins and Scott Pollard. My colleague Steve Weinman over at [1] Taking it to the Rack said it for me the other day.
For those who aren’t devout Perk followers (hopefully all who aren’t Celts fans, if you know what’s good for your sanity), he is a 6-foot-10, 270-pound center who has averaged a whopping 4.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.1 blocks and 2.5 fouls in 16.6 minutes per game over the course of his career. He possesses no touch around the rim, doesn’t run the floor or move his feet particularly well on defense and doesn’t understand the concept of finesse-based defense, as evidenced by the fact that his shot blocking potential has been long offset by his tendency to get into quick foul trouble. Perkins has been an out-and-out debacle throughout his four years in the Association.
Steve then says that Perkins’ biggest asset is his size. Oberto on the other hand understands the team game, providing rebounding, scoring, defense and hustle plays. Oberto fits well with the team and Elson has his moments. Advantage: Spurs
Coach No compe ion here. Advantage: Spurs
Bench Lets see, the Celtics have Tony Allen, Eddie House, Scott Pollard, Brian Scalabrine, Leon Powe, Gabe Pruitt, Glen Davis, Brandon Wallace and possibly Reggie Miller. San Antonio has Michael Finley, Francisco Elson, Brent Barry, Jacque Vaughn, Matt Bonner, Robert Horry and Beno Udrih. Read those names again. The only players on the Celtics bench worth anything are Allen, House and Pollard and Scalabrine on good days. Pruitt might amount to something, but no telling there. San Antonio on the other hand is loaded with talent and experience. Advantage: Spurs
Boston has a definite advantage with Pierce, but I think Allen will be only a slight advantage over Ginobili. Da Kid and the Big Fundamental cancel each other out, which doesn’t happen often with Duncan, but San Antonio holds advantages everywhere else. The Celtics are difficult to matchup with because of their Big Three, but they have no support and will have to play near 40 minutes a game because of it. In the end, I think the Spurs would win in a seven game series because they have more than just the Big Three.
Article printed from Spur of the Moment: http://mvn.com/nba-spurs
URL to article: http://mvn.com/nba-spurs/2007/08/09/...inals-preview/
Spurs in 7? I'd say in 5 and at the max 6.
Go Spurs Gooo!
When you look past the plethora of spelling errors (including the fact that the author can't spell Rajon Rondo's name right despite many attempts) then you might be fooled into thinking this is a professional article and won't get the impression that this is just written by some random fan on his dinky little website.
I'd say in less than 3 cuz the celtics will forfeit halfway thru the 2nd quarter of game 3.
Premature Ejaculation Forum
I agree. It's far too early to say that the Celtics will make any noise next year.
The author forgot to mention that in his scenario it is assumed that Boston has in fact already made a pact with the devil to remain injury-free. Otherwise, a great article...
The east is so bad, they have as good a chance as anybody, but I'm not sold on them until they can upgrade at PG.
Outside of their "Big Three" they don't have much. Heck, they start Kendrick frickin' Perkins don't they? Ray's coming off knee surgery, and Pierce just had surgery on his elbow. I wouldn't count on either of these 2 to be healthy for a full 82. But IF this scenario happens, Spurs in 4.
outside of the big three in piston land what do the pistons have
Outside of their "Big Three" they don't have much. Heck, they start Kendrick frickin' Perkins don't they? Ray's coming off knee surgery, and Pierce just had surgery on his elbow. I wouldn't count on either of these 2 to be healthy for a full 82. But IF this scenario happens, Spurs in 4.
The Celtics will have their best season when two of their big three are in contract years. It's kind of sad when Paul Pierce has the most playoff success of the three of them.
Antonio McDyess.outside of the big three in piston land what do the pistons haveAnd we don't start Kendrick Perkins at center...(darn, I forgot Nazr's our starting center...
)
The Celtics are more tantalizing as a fantasy team than a real one.
Boston isn't going to the Finals period.
For me, the Celtics are more tantalizing as a thought experiment:
"Can I root for this team if Reggie plays for them?" I honestly don't know. I hated the Celtics when they were relevant; later, I ignored them when they weren't. We'll see.
P.S. Boston ain't makin' no Finals, Willis.
Teams better than Celtics in the East:
Cavs
Bulls
Pistons
Celtics still has no point guard to distribute. Pierce and Allen dominate the ball, and KG needs the ball to be effective. Doc Rivers is a good a coach as a handful of cashews, I would be quite surprised if the Celtics go past the 2nd round. I would trade Allen and some filler for Kidd in a heartbeat for them, or even Pierce. That would make them a scary team.
The Bulls win the east this year. Book it.
No way is Cleveland better than Boston.
Spurs >>> Anyone in the LEast
Chicago and Detroit *should* beat the Celtics in a 7-game series, as they have a lot more depth and better coaching. Miami has a fair chance as well. However, after the Pistons' abysmal performance against the Cavs, nothing will surprise me.
With Ray Allen, Pierce and Perkins, the Celtic defense is not a major threat to the West champs, whoever they might be. Phoenix with their pick and roll and uptempo style should absolutely rip them apart, and both the Spurs (Parker, Manu) and the Mavs (Howard, Terry, Stackhouse) have enough offensive weapons which the Celts have no answer for. And that's assuming that KG can stay out of foul trouble while guarding Duncan/Dirk.
Even if they reach the Finals and draw a fair amount of love from the refs, the Celts will be in no position to take any of the 3 West powers (SA, Phx, Dal) to anything more than 6 games.
If (big if) DWade returns and shaq stays healthy the heat will be the team to beat!!
Boston are the favorites to come out of the East.
The Spurs are the favorites to win the championship.
and you are the least favorite here
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