08 Champs vs. Current Team Positional Breakdown

Rondo vs. Rondo: Current Rondo is an all star and a deserving one at that. He has improved in every aspect of the game. It looks like he is able to take over a game whenever he feels like it as long as the other team doesn't have Dwight Howard or someone with similar shotblocking abilities in the paint. He showed us these flashes in the championship season, but now he is WAY more consistent. He even did it on the big stage of the playoffs averaging a triple double vs. Chicago. HUGE EDGE: Current Rondo

Ray vs. Ray: Here's an interesting one. His 3 pt% has dropped, but his 2 pt% has skyrocketed to over 50%. His game has transformed a bit from mostly being a spot up guy on the championship team. He has gone to the rim in offensive lulls and is possibly MORE effective now that he has been in Doc's offense for 3 years. His defense was average to bad then, and is average to bad now. I don't see that much of a difference in that aspect. It's great to have a guy who cares so much about taking care of his body because we haven't seen much of a decline from Allen, which is rare for a 34 year old. Can still be counted on for clutch shots. WASH

Pierce vs. Pierce: He's down by about 2 attempts from his 08 season, but he has actually been more effective this year in similar usage according to TS% compiled by hoopdata.com. He is now DEADLY from 3 point land. And this is after his numbers have tanked a bit after the trainers/medical staff completely botched the situation and let him play too early after having his knee drained. We have seen flashes of the old Pierce in a few games since the injury months, but it seems to only come out 1/3 games. This comparison remains to be seen and could really be different a few weeks from now when he is completely in the groove. He was dominating early in the season and I would even argue was a BETTER version than the 08 Pierce, but it's too bad a knee infection, a freak Caron Butler fall, and messed up thumb have derailed him. He has regressed defensively and on the boards. 08 Pierce, but this one can change and this is what the season hinges on

KG vs. KG: Has lost 3 attempts, a few FT's, and 2 minutes from the 08 season. This is the one everyone is freaking out about and citing as the reason we don't have a chance to win it all. His defense is very similar and the team remains number 1 in the league, and that's even after KG's 10 game hiatus where they let up 10 more points per 100 possessions. That is such a ridiculous stat and truly shows you how valuable he is on the defensive end. I think we've seen VERY LITTLE slippage out of his defense. People point to guys like Lewis and Odom "blowing by him", but those guys are quick 4's that can beat their man off the dribble and the same things happened in 08. Plays by David West and Odom come to mind. It is also a very good sign that it hasn't happened once in the last 3 weeks. His offense looks worse. His postups are less effective. He is finishing at the rim 6% worse than in 08 and his jumpshots from 10-23 feet are 2% lower. This is clearly where the 08 team has slipped the most, but it's not as bad as people make it out to be. 08 KG

Perk vs. Perk: 2 years older and more effective on bigs than ever.(as long as it isn't Bogut) His finishing at the rim has gone up by 7% and it's easy to see the difference. Has regressed in the last few weeks for some unknown reason(heard about tendinitis in the knee. now sure how true). I would argue that he has improved a good amount overall and is more reliable because he stays out of foul trouble. Perk and Pierce were the main reason we were able to take a NBA Finals team to 7 games without one of the best players in the league. His postups do get frustrating, but he still hits them at 47% of the time and can keep defenses honest. He has hurt smaller matchups in the last few days in Maxiell and hickson. I can't think of a better center to play against Shaq and Dwight. New Perk

House/Cassell vs. Nate: House hit some big shots and Cassell basically sucked. House and Nate are defensive liabilities. Nate has almost already won us as many games as Eddie did(I do remember Orlando in last year's playoffs! What a game!) in 2.5 seasons here. I like that Nate thrives in situations other than garbage time. Both of these guys make you nervous handling the ball, but Nate is more dangerous off of the dribble. Nate's spot up 3's have been just as effective as Eddie's were(in 07-08, not 08-09) so I don't see any valid argument for Eddie over Nate. Domi-Nate

Posey/TA vs. Daniels/Finley: Posey was absolutely essential for that 08 title. Hitting big shots, taking charges, leadership, and giving us the ability to go small when needed. His defense was all right. I would say his defense and Daniels' are on par. Finley might be fooling us so far in his limited sample, but his shot looks as good as ever and the trade may have rejuvenated him when you consider his desire to prove himself to a new team. He might be able to fill the role of big shot maker and as a guy who has won a ring and knows the right things to say because I don't trust Rasheed in that position. Daniels has a different skillset than Posey's, but he still gets his points. He is a great cutter and can create his own little shots in the lane anytime he wants to, but some games he doesn't look all there. His BBIQ looks top notch one night and then absent the next. I don't think anyone knows whether to trust him or not yet in the playoffs. Posey

PJ/Baby/Powe vs. Baby/Sheed: PJ was obviously huge for us in a few games. I can remember his impact against Cleveland in Game 7 and against the Lakers in the Game 4 comeback. But I don't even remember him being there vs. Detroit or any other playoff games. Rasheed gets a lot of heat for all of his 3's and it looks like he has mailing it in half the time. I thought he was turning a corner and started trying in March until the Cleveland game happened. I don't understand why someone's 3 pt% would fall 5% when he is getting more open looks, but it's happened. I'd take Rasheed over PJ. PJ didn't have the ability to take over a game in the low post like Rasheed has done a few times. Sheed will key a few playoff games when he takes it inside vs. the backups on other teams(not Varejao). Baby/Powe were not very reliable in the 08 playoffs and we didn't know which one to expect night in/night out. Powe got double the minutes, but he really only made his impact felt in Game 2 in the Finals with Luke Walton guarding him. The current Davis is struggling, but has obviously improved from 08 form and proved it in his time as a starter in the playoffs last season. The jumper was going and the defense was better than average. The jumper isn't going this season, though it's shown signs lately of making a return, but the defense is superb off the bench and so isn't the energy. Current bigs

Overall, I feel like Rondo's improvement might have made up for KG's slip and the entirety of this season lies on whether or not Pierce can round into the form he was at in the beginning of the season.