Boston Celtics vs Cleveland Cavaliers Preview Print E-mail
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Written by Loz   
Monday, 05 May 2008
Boston Celtics vs Cleveland Cavaliers Preview


The story of this series will be all about the key players. Is Kevin Garnett really a bigger player than Lebron James? Will Garnett get the much-needed support from the backcourt through Ray Allen and Paul Pierce? Or is it going to be Ben Wallace and Zydrunas Ilgauskas dominating the boards?

But don't get it wrong. The key match up is not going to be Garnett vs. James. The focus is going to be on the forwards, Lebron James and Paul Pierce. Their toe-to-toe defense against each other will tell the story of this playoff match. Pierce has to control James from delivering points for the Cavs, all while working on his offense to complement Garnett's game. But from the looks of it, things won't be easy for Kevin. With Ben Wallace always on his face, he will surely have a good run for his money. And don't forget that he is still coming off an injury.  

The Celtics has just ended a full 7-game playoff match against the Atlanta Hawks. Fatigue is going to be a big factor for them. After the grueling games they have to go through to finally put the Hawks down, it is going to be a test of endurance, will, and resiliency for them. Bottom line, they have to keep that big heart and court prowess in order to win.

On the other side, Cleveland has beaten Washington in just six games. This means they have a longer rest period than their opponents. And it would account for their fresher legs and quicker moves. Surely, they are going to need much of that if they want to win at Boston's home court on Game 1.  

The Cavs needs to be prepared for Boston's sticky defense. The Celtics hold the record of orchestrating the best defense play in the league today. They can hold their opponent down to a mere 26 points in two quarters. However, the Cavs are better on rebounds than the Celtics. If they can control the boards and capitalize both on second chance points and Celtic's misses, then they can demoralize the Celtic defense and create ways to win the game.  

But that doesn't mean the Cavs shouldn't step up on their own defense too. If they want to win, they would have to keep Celtics from reaching the 100-point mark. If they fail in doing that, Boston will surely win. Additionally, they have got to shoot more than 90 points amidst Celtic's resistance if they want advance to the next series themselves. With the Celtic's defense always on their heels, they have no choice but to work their hearts out.  

If Boston can master their perimeter defense, James would be shut down and wouldn't be able score. Now if Cavs can successfully make West and Szczerbiak strong offensive options to complement James this series, the games are going to be interesting. The Celtics has the home court advantage this season. If all else boils down to that, they should win the series in full seven games.



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