This Just In: C's Better On D With KG

by Jeff Clark on Mar 6, 2009 8:06 AM EST in Boston Celtics News & Links

Pierce, looking back at the sight of point guard Devin Harris repeatedly beating the Celtics off the break, made one easy prediction.

"If we play like this against Cleveland, then we won't be happy when we go back to the locker room," he said.

Defense, as usual, will make all the difference.

"Breakdowns have been a lot of our problem," Kendrick Perkins [stats] said. "But ‘Ticket' anchors our defense. He brings that intensity that makes us so good. When you're missing the defensive player of the year from last year, that takes a lot of work from everyone else to make up the difference."

Added Rajon Rondo [stats]: "We can't overhelp. Delonte (West) and Mo Williams are both great scorers, too. We can't just overload on LeBron and think that is going to take care of the problem."

I'm not a big fan of making excuses, especially before the game even begins. However, I can't help but give the Cavs the edge in this one.

Yes, the Celtics will be properly motivated for home court and perhaps to get back at the Cavs for the last game. But without KG, how much of a chance do we have against LeBron? If the Nets and Pistons can top 100 points on us, are we really going to shut down the Cavs?

Maybe the key is setting my expectations low. If we lose, well... nobody would be overly shocked by that. If we win it would be a fantastic surprise.

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Exactly how I view the game.

That last line of yours (providing you don’t add to the article :P) is spot on. Low expectations work well. Or just have none.

- Dirk

by Kiorrik on Mar 6, 2009 8:24 AM EST reply actions

pessimist

a friend of mine once told me he enjoyed being a pessimist because he’s always either right or pleasantly surprised

to each his own I guess

"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers" Henry V

by Jeff Clark on Mar 6, 2009 8:31 AM EST up reply actions

I like that

I’m approaching tonights game with that mindset. If we lose, I won’y be floored. If we win, it’ll be that much sweeter since it wasn’t overly expected.

I’m trying to take not having KG right now as an advantage (to help me get through it). Because teams we will be facing in the playoffs that may beat us during the regular season without KG. won’t be able to use the same gameplan against us with KG during the playoffs. It may make our team seem ‘new’ to them. Especially with Marbury and Moore hopefully getting into the flow and experiencing the entire team when KG is back. KG def. brings our team to another level.

by BOSPORTS on Mar 6, 2009 8:41 AM EST up reply actions

Hey... Isn't that some kind of paradox?

Being pessimistic means you chose to expect lowly to be sure you have something to feel good about? Isn’t “always having something to feel good about” a very optimistic view of life?

…

My head hurts.

- Dirk

by Kiorrik on Mar 6, 2009 8:45 AM EST up reply actions

Headache, my bad!

It’s friday. Attempts to think are FAIL anyway :P

- Dirk

by Kiorrik on Mar 6, 2009 8:46 AM EST up reply actions

Me too, but there's always maybe

You have to double LeBron but you can’t because he’s such a good passer. There is no way without KG that we win on paper. Of course they have to play the game and you know Paul will man-up with LeBron and someone else could be hot (Ray, Eddie), and the refs could screw Cleveland for a change, or Z gets 3 fouls in 5 mins, or Cleveland has horrible shooting night.

The one thing I don’t like….our new back-up center is built like Olive Oil when we needed Popeye. I wouldn’t want to bump into Mikki in a dark alley but he is puny in an NBA frontcourt. Perk has to avoid foul trouble tonight and Leon has to be a monster, Baby too.

by Wildblu1 on Mar 6, 2009 8:39 AM EST reply actions

Ray Ray has to bring it tonight. His shooting has been off the last two games.

by Bankshot on Mar 6, 2009 8:52 AM EST reply actions

Tonight is an Ubuntu game if there ever was one.

I’m not thinking about win-lose in this game. I’m thinking about how much heart the C’s bring tonight. When the C’s out-hustle a team, we are hard to beat, KG or no KG.

by chunnamark on Mar 6, 2009 9:11 AM EST reply actions

Wait a minute, we're better on D WITH the DPOY?

Shocking.

It makes me sad but, this is the first game in nearly two years now where I just don’t expect the Cs to win. Every other game, especially last year, you just believed they would pull through somehow. This one, like Jeff, I just don’t have high expectations for. Won’t even get to watch it either.

by illantari on Mar 6, 2009 9:14 AM EST reply actions

Did you not watch the Denver and Phoenix games?

We DESTROYED BOTH of them on the road without KG! So i’m sick of the reporters who say we gave up 100 to Detroit and NJ thus we can’t stop CLEVE. Last time i checked, Denver was a better team then both of those and we beat them by 40!!!

by Adrigol6 on Mar 6, 2009 9:30 AM EST reply actions

This game is special 'cause . .

. . it gives Doc & company a chance to experiment and have fun in unpredictable ways. It is not like teams haven’t had to get creative because of injuries before – like Magic at center with Kareem’s absence in the ‘80 finals. I expect the C’s will try to totally confuse the Cavs; maybe it works, maybe it doesn’t. I’ll be disappointed with a predictable game plan more than a loss. Because this is an important game I expect Doc to find new ways to use the available talent.

by OldCeltFan on Mar 6, 2009 10:14 AM EST reply actions