ESPN Picks East Champs (C's Get 25% of Votes)

by Jeff Clark on Sep 3, 2009 6:42 PM EDT in Boston Celtics News & Links

NBA Summer Forecast: Eastern Conference champs - ESPN

Boston Celtics (13 votes) Rajon Rondo emerged, for much of the playoffs, as Boston's best player. So what does that mean for a team formerly known as the Big Three? Here are three ways to see it:

1. The cup-runneth-over version of the story is that the Celtics now have a Big Four, and that Rondo will lead them back to the promised land.

2. The cup-half-full version is that while the Celtics have some issues to solve, they are still a very potent team just 15 months removed from winning it all. Sure, Celtics president Danny Ainge shopped Rondo and criticized him, and it emerged that Doc Rivers found him hard to coach. Sure, the C's need a healthy Kevin Garnett. Sure, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen have trouble bringing it every night the way they used to. But add it all up, and factor in a bench bolstered by the acquisition of Rasheed Wallace and Marquis Daniels, and the Celtics are ready to rock the East again, just as they did when they started 41-9 last season.

3. The leaky-cup version of the story is that, as dynamic as Rondo might be, it's all too telling that Boston needed him to play out of his mind to squeak past the 41-41 Chicago Bulls in the first round of the playoffs. In this version, KG is a 33-year-old with a bad knee, Allen is a 34-year-old shooting guard (a species not known for longevity) and Pierce is soon to be 32. What's more, Sheed will be 35 this month and isn't known for his commitment to conditioning or fitting in quietly. For 25 percent of our panel, the Celtics' cup runneth over. The other 75 percent disagree.

Tweet Comment 16 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

I see the cup running over!

I see the cup running over right now. We almost won last year and the year we won we had a much weaker bench than we have now. Scal is like the 11th man now TA 12th. This team is stacked. Health is the only reason we won’t win it all!

by liamail on Sep 3, 2009 6:49 PM EDT reply actions

send me what you are taking liamail....I've got iced green kool-aid to wash it down with

They play the games for a reason….so I’ll be there to watch – hopefully for more than 82 games. Is it soup yet?

Is it Soup Yet?

by Master Po on Sep 3, 2009 7:34 PM EDT up reply actions

I want some of...

…. What you’re drinking if you think we can win 82 games. I think 72 is more realistic. LOL….

by liamail on Sep 4, 2009 1:25 AM EDT up reply actions

I think he meant

he’ll watch 82 games (and hopefully many more)

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

by Jeff Clark on Sep 4, 2009 7:33 AM EDT up reply actions

its so funny how all three are basically equally plausible and the reason why i love the nba!

by mandoman10 on Sep 3, 2009 10:03 PM EDT reply actions

0-15

Here is the Cavs record at Orlando in their last 6 games 0-6 -65
Here is the Cavs record at Boston in their last 9 games 0-9 -65
That is a combined 0-15 -130.
Good luck with those EPSN writers.
Would you give an 0-15 team 32 votes to 13 and 8?
Doesn’t make sense, does it.

by star18 on Sep 3, 2009 10:07 PM EDT reply actions

aren't we...

0 for the last whatever number of games in Cleveland?

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

by Jeff Clark on Sep 4, 2009 7:34 AM EDT up reply actions

yes

we are 0-11 against Cavs in our last 11 games in Cle which is horrible, that streak should end opening night. we have won 2 of our last 5 in Orlando, and Orlando has won 1 of their last 3 in Cle, and Orlando has also won 2 of their last 5 in Boston. The point is that the three teams are evenly matched. Giving an 0-15 team that high of a percentage of votes makes no sense. Cavs 20, Celtics 17, Magic 16 is fair and much more realistic. When you have 3 evenly matched teams, and the team that gets 60% of the votes hasn’t won on the other two teams home floor in a very long time, 15 games to be exact, is illogical. Numbers wise it doesn’t make any sense and ESPN shouldn’t allow it.

by star18 on Sep 4, 2009 3:40 PM EDT up reply actions

#1 seed

whoever gets the #1 seed has the advantage because #2 & #3 will play each other, so the #1 seed will have 1 really tough opponent to get to the finals and #2 & #3 will have 2 really tough opponents to get to the finals.
Rashard will miss the first 10 games for Orlando
Shaq will sit out 25 games for the Cavs, and Powe will sit out the first 60 games for the Cavs. So for 20 games this season Cavs will have essentially traded Wally,Ben,Pav, & J Smith for only Parker and Moon.
This is why the Celtics have the advantage to get the #1 seed.

by star18 on Sep 3, 2009 11:33 PM EDT reply actions

I agree...

But this is similar to the ‘problem’ this past year and the number 3 seed is the one that went to the finals. Yes, I hope we get the number 1- home court is important and I would rather only have to face one of these two teams, but it’s not all over if we don’t…

by jambr380 on Sep 4, 2009 12:00 AM EDT up reply actions

The voting makes me thing of the last line from Bridge on the River Kwai

“Madness! Madness!”

by Datahog on Sep 3, 2009 11:49 PM EDT reply actions

WE WIN... WE WIN.... WE WIN

“Good post star18”. Very thoughtful . We are loaded but especially in the paint. We will give Cleveland the same medicine that we give everyone else. If they can’t hit jumpers for four quarters they have no chance. Shaq can’t out play Perk, Sheed and Baby in the paint. All the while covering the pick and role, something he is horrible doing. These people at ESPN are good at talking about sports AFTER the event is over not before it happens. Let’s not let them confuse us with there limited ability.

This team is built to withstand injuries. We lost because we only had three big men left, not because they beat us. With three big men left we still played them to with in an inch of there life. Screw ESPN

by tyquinton on Sep 4, 2009 12:34 AM EDT reply actions

32 votes

Hey who gave Hollinger 32 votes, he’s only supposed to get 1.

by star18 on Sep 4, 2009 1:12 AM EDT reply actions

Anti-Celtic bias by ESPN...Celts are alone in the East!!!

The Celtics won 62 games, and pushed Orlando to a Game 7…with KG missing 99% of all playing time following the All-Star break. Now, he`s healthy…and along comes Rasheed, Daniels, and Williams to lighten his load.

Meanwhile, Orlando lost Turkoglu…and Carter will not offset that loss.

Shaq will be his old lazy self in Cleveland…he`ll be complaining about the cold climate by Xmas….and he`ll be 38 next spring!

by Title 18 on Sep 4, 2009 11:35 AM EDT reply actions

We are oozing toughness this year

I don’t think the reality has set in yet for most people how good this team really is. Adding Sheed to this Celtics team will be the Perfect Storm. No team has a more athletic and tougher front line, and with all the improvement Baby made last year and in the offseason, being able to bring him off the bench will be amazing.

Now consider our primary SF backup goes from…Tony Allen was it? To Marquis Daniels, who started in most of his games last year, and how much that eases the pressure off Pierce and Ray. Not to mention Eddie House returning and Bill Walker having a year of experience under his belt. I really don’t care who the ESPN “experts” are picking, but I could not be more excited about this years team.

by Silhouette on Sep 4, 2009 1:13 PM EDT reply actions