Some Thoughts as We Head into the (probable) Celtics Heat Series

by bfrombleacher on Apr 25, 2011 1:58 AM EDT

Barring a major upset of epic historical proportions, the Celtics will be facing the Miami Heat in the second round. Here are some of my thoughts as we prepare for what should be an exciting series:

I hope for the best and expect the worst for Shaq. The worst case scenario is not that bad though as J.O. has been very solid of late.
The main advantage the Heat have over the Celtics are, obviously, their Big Three. The Celtics on the other hand will have an edge in coaching, match ups at the point and the five, and, if all goes well, the bench...
Speaking of the bench, they have been a non-factor of late. The Knicks game was promising but not enough. Krstic and West's performances on the Heat's end of the floor and Big Baby and Green's defense will be key to victory...
Krstic is probably the most important player in this series after the Big Four, J.O. and Shaq (if he does return). He will keep Big Baby off the center position, provide six fouls and give the Heat different looks in one of their worst positions.
Continuing with the bench, there is potential for Pavlovic, Arroyo and Von Wafer to have a role in this series:
Pavlovic is a decent defender and can stretch the floor well. Being able to eat up minutes at the two and the three is invaluable in this series.
Arroyo knows the Heat's offense. Plus, you also know what he's going to give you: a few good possessions and some mistakes, cancelling out to net a small positive. Allowing Rondo and injury-prone Delonte West to rest will definitely help.
Last but definitely not least, Von Wafer. In Wafer's last meeting with the Heat, he went 4-5 from the field hitting 2-3 three-pointers in under 14 minutes of playing time after going 3-6 for eight against the Lakers. Both times Von Wafer displayed active defense. His aggressiveness on both ends of the floor is just incredible. If Doc decides to give Von Wafer playing time, I'd bet that he would emerge as a dark horse.
Troy Murphy is a bust.
The Celtics beat the Heat thrice this season. The first two times without Perkins, the third time with Paul Pierce having no field goals and Shaq out.
Rondo had double digit assists in the three of the Heat's defeats.
They don't have Nate Robinson, Marquis Daniels and possibly (hopefully not), Shaq this time, who all contributed in those Heat games, but gained Delonte West, Jeff Green, Jermaine O'Neal and Nenad Krstic.
The Celtics have been improving their FG% gradually in the Knicks series. Good sign.
Doc Rivers can coach! In the first three games, the Knicks got a few second chance looks that made it real ugly. In this game, everybody who played snatched at least five rebounds. Spoelstra can't touch that.
Go 76ers!
Go Celtics!

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After yesterday, I think our bench is better than Miami's. I'm confident with our bench.

We have a week to practice and get ready now. Miami, after LeFraud missed another game winner, will probably start feeling some heat. They don’t do well with adversity or against teams that aren’t scared of them.

If the refs give Jeff Green some respect, I think he can make LeFraud or Bosh have to work. With JO’s improved health and play, I think we can win without Shaq (but it would be nice to have him).

I think Arroyo knowing how Miami works could be a huge plus for us, as well as Delonte’s knowledge of James and Illgauskis.

To me, I don’t think Miami is ready to win because of their egos. They seem to win when Wade gets the last shot, but Wade seems to defer to let LeFraud shoot. I wonder if that was a condition of LeFraud taking his talents to South Beach.

by Ab4PSU on Apr 25, 2011 2:08 PM EDT reply actions

I agree with most of this, but we cannot forget on issue

TURNOVERS will kill us against the heat, this is where they thrive. We need ball control and force a half court situation on both ends of the floor in every possible situation all game. If we get lazy with the ball the heat will easily stay in the game and force the game to come down to late game decisions and shots, which with the 1-19 record isn’t the worst possibility, but I would rather a controlled 8-10 point W for four straight games.

We need to grind this team down, they do not have the mental toughness to handle what we can do to a team. You don’t eat an elephant in a single bite, you take small pieces, which is what we need to do against the Heat.

by Celticnation on Apr 28, 2011 1:03 PM EDT reply actions