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It happened again. I’m virtually lost for words. This was a defensive matchup in which the teams were toe-to-toe all game long, but down the stretch, Cleveland made big plays while the Celtics did not. It’s that simple. While the Cavaliers certainly deserve credit for their defensive intensity, the Celtics did not capitalize on their opportunities, and are now 0-5 in the postseason on the road.

The evened series (2-2) will shift back to Boston for Game 5 on Wednesday night, where the C’s will have a chance to regain the series lead. Let’s hope LeBron James doesn’t officially unleash his venom and steal the wrong game from the Celtics at the wrong time.

Box Score

Player of the Game

LeBron James
21 PTS, 6 REBS, 13 ASTS, 3 STLS, 2 BLKS, 7-20 FG, 2-5 3FG

Series Standings: Series tied 2-2
Game 5: Wednesday (5/14/08) at 8:00 pm ET.

The 2007-2008 NBA All-Defensive Teams have been announced.

Forward Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics and Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers headline the NBA All-Defensive First Team, the NBA announced today. Garnett, who earns his ninth All-Defensive Team selection, and Bryant, who earns his eighth selection, each received 52 points overall including 24 first-place nods.

Also selected to the First Team are 2007 Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Camby of the Denver Nuggets, who ranked first in blocks (3.61 bpg) and second in rebounds (13.1 rpg), and Bruce Bowen and Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs. Duncan earns his 11th consecutive selection, while Bowen earns his eighth and Camby his second.

Garnett earned his first Defensive Player of the Year award, presented by Kia Motors, by leading the Celtics in rebounds (9.2 rpg) and helping the team hold opponents to a league-best .419 field goal shooting percentage. The Celtics owned the largest point differential (+10.3) during the 2007-08 season and held opponents to 90.3 points per game, nearly nine points less than last season.

The NBA All-Defensive Second Team consists of Shane Battier of the Houston Rockets, Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets, Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, Tayshaun Prince of the Detroit Pistons and Raja Bell of the Phoenix Suns. Paul and Howard are each making their first appearance on an All-Defensive team.

Paul Pierce may not have gotten the respect from the voters that he rightfully deserved, as the Celtics’ captain was only given two second-team votes. Rajon Rondo was shown a little love, however, by receiving 11 total votes and three first-team votes.

2  @ 1
Round 2, Game 4
Monday, May 12, 2008 – 8:00 pm ET
Quicken Loans Arena (Cleveland, OH)
Game aired on TNT

Ten games into the 2008 postseason, the illustrious Boston Celtics have yet to answer the biggest question regarding the team: can they win road games in the playoffs? In the first round, they lost games three, four, and six at Phillips Arena and gave New England a scare before routing the Hawks in Game 7. This Eastern Conference Semi-Finals matchup with Cleveland is just three games young, but the C’s still have the monkey on their back. Tonight, they’ll attempt to ditch it and answer the call by winning their first playoff road game at “The Q.”

In Game 3, the Celtics fell due to their mentality, which was settling rather than attacking, and Cleveland’s adjustments. Cleveland’s biggest adjustment was to attack the weak side when the Celtics loaded up ball-side on LeBron. James’ court vision picked apart the open seems in Boston’s sets, and got his teammates multiple open or one-on-one looks. LeBron himself shot just five of 16 from the floor, but the C’s failed to pay enough attention to the Cavalier role players.

If the Celtics want to silence the doubters, a Game 4 win tonight would work wonders. Should that transpire, the Celtics would hold a 3-1 series advantage and head back home to Boston, where they have yet to lose in the postseason, for a potential close-out Game 5. You’ve got to like the sound of that. It may be cliché to call a playoff game a “must-win,” as all of them are, but let’s hope the green can get their act together on the road and avoid the type of offensive outing LeBron is virtually due for.

Projected Starters

C Kendrick Perkins / Zydrunas Ilgauskas
PF Kevin Garnett / Ben Wallace
SF Paul Pierce / LeBron James
SG Ray Allen / Wally Szczerbiak
PG Rajon Rondo / Delonte West

Key Matchup: Paul Pierce vs. LeBron James

Once again, the focal point is LeBron James. Pierce has done a marvelous job on the defensive end throughout the series, with a little assistance from the help defenders and James Posey, and has absolutely taken James out of his offensive groove. As previously mentioned, it seems as if he is due for an offensive outburst; Pierce and company need to make sure they continue to keep him in check, but at the same time not completely forget about his supporting cast.

Celtics X-Factor: Rajon Rondo

Rajon Rondo of the last two games is not the Rajon Rondo we all know and love. The Rondo that we all know and love is fierce, creates, and plays heady basketball. Over the past two games, he has been anything but that, as he has played one-on-one ball rather than improvising and making smart plays. Tonight in Game 4, it’s time for Rondo to get back into his groove and start playing the kind of ball that the C’s need him to play. It also wouldn’t hurt if Ray Allen joins him on that notion.

Injury Report
BOS – Scot Pollard (torn tendon in left ankle – out for season)
CLE – Eric Snow (sore left knee – out for season)

Celtics Keys to the Game

• Defensive Rotations
• Attack, Don’t Settle
• Sense of Urgency
• Rebounding
• Ball Control

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From a Celtics fan’s standpoint, this game can be summed up on this: same old song and dance on a different day. Boston’s aura of defensive magnificence has once again disappeared on the road. The sense of urgency we saw at the TD BankNorth Garden was simply non-existent, Boston was unable to counter Cleveland’s adjustments (specifically failing to stop the Cavs from taking advantage of the weak side when the C’s loaded up on the ball-side), and the Celtics completely failed to close out on the perimeter. Offensively, they came out with a similar mindset to their road games in Atlanta. That mindset would be to settle, settle, and settle some more.

Credit Cleveland for winning this game, however. Defensively, they played as well as they have throughout the entire postseason, and once again did a great job of making adjustments. The big story on the offensive end was the impact of the role players. LeBron had another sub-par shooting night, as he hit just five of 16 from the floor, but the difference from the first two games of the series was that the help decided to… help. Delonte West was terrific from all angles offensively; the former Celtic shot the ball beautifully from the perimeter, attacked the rim, and played with a great deal of energy throughout the contest. Fellow newcomers Joe Smith, Wally Szczerbiak, and Ben Wallace made also their presence felt, as they combined for 42 points, 15 rebounds, and 62.5% shooting.

James may not have found the touch, but make no mistake about the fact that he made an impact on the game. As previously mentioned, perhaps the biggest offensive adjustment Cleveland made was to take advantage of the weak side of the floor when the Celtics loaded up to close off LeBron’s angles to the rim. James made good use of his freakish court vision and passing ability by whipping the ball to unoccupied sections of the floor, thus creating open or one-on-one opportunities for his teammates. Defensively, he was as active as ever. His four steals and three blocks virtually tell the story.

Whether Boston’s main issue was mental, motivational, or diagrammatic is up for debate, but it’s safe to say that the C’s must show improvement in each area. Game film breakdowns and mental adjustments will be essential for the preparation of Game 4. Cleveland has already made this a series, and LeBron has yet to put together a breakout game. If the Celtics aren’t careful, they could be heading home for Game 5 with the momentum shifted in the Cavaliers’ favor. It’ll be interesting to see if the C’s can break out of their shell and seize their first postseason road victory on Monday night.

Box Score

Player of the Game

Delonte West
21 PTS, 5 REBS, 7 ASTS, 1 STL, 7-11 FG, 4-6 3FG

Series Standings: Boston leads series 2-1

Game 4: Monday (5/12/08) at 8:00 pm ET.

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• LeBron James: 6-24 shooting, seven turnovers. Just when you thought James couldn’t perform any worse after Game 1, he proved us all wrong. Throughout the first two games combined, he has combined for 8-42 shooting (19%) and 17 turnovers. That marks the worst two-game playoff stretch from a player taking 30+ shots in the shot clock era. Wow… just wow.

• LeBron didn’t stink it up by choice, however. Boston’s defense, once again, absolutely demoralized him. The Celtics’ defense was physical with him, made on-point rotations, crowded him with multiple defenders at a time, and closed off all the angles he attempted to attack. He was forced to settle for jumpers, which is just what the Celtics wanted.

  Boston’s defense held the Cavaliers to 35.6% shooting from the field, including 15.4% from beyond the arc, in Game 2.

• Ben Wallace played the first 3:40 of the ballgame, but ended up taking himself off the court with reported dizziness. When he arrived to the bench, he held his hand to his face and struggled to keep his balance. After heading to the locker room for further examination, he returned to the bench but did not return to the floor. Following the game, Wallace noted that it was nothing more than a severe case of allergy trouble, and should be fine for Game 3.

• Like in Game 1, the only Cavalier to get anything going was Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who tallied 19 points on 9-12 shooting. “Big Z” killed he Celtics from mid-range, especially early on where he hit his first six shots.

• The C’s were down 21-9 to start the game, led by Zydrunas Ilgauskas’ unconscious mid-range shooting, but then went on an energetic 21-5 run of their own in the midst of their 27-12 second quarter advantage. The second unit was the major proponent to that run. Sam Cassell contributed nine first-half points, and completely altered the tempo of the game. Leon Powe matched “Sam I Am’s” scoring and gobbled up six rebounds before the break. James Posey put together another stellar defensive showing on LeBron James, and was the catalyst to the momentum shift in the second quarter. Even P.J. Brown provided solid defense and big hustle plays in limited minutes.

  Boston’s bench was exceptional all game long, as it produced 34 points, 17 rebounds, and an energy level that Cleveland was unable to match.

• After the Celtics buckled down in the second quarter, they came out with a vengeance after intermission. Ray Allen went through an uneventful first half, following his scoreless Game 1 performance, but “Jesus” finally was able to get himself going in the second half of Game 2. Allen scored 16 total points, all coming in the second half, and poured in 11 of them in the third quarter alone. Boston outscored Cleveland 26-15 in the third quarter, and blew the game wide open with a 19-point lead heading into the final frame. At that point, it was all but over.

• While Ray Allen was able to put together a big second half, Paul Pierce got himself back on track offensively as well. After an out-of-character 4-point showing in Game 1, Pierce was able to score 19 points on 7-13 shooting in Game 2.

• Boston was +2 on the boards in Game 1, but did an even better job in Game 2, as they won the rebounding column 45-39.

• Another area the Celtics took care of was their turnover number. In Game 1, the C’s turned the ball over 21 times and played as sloppy as they have all season. In Game 2, they limited themselves to just 12, and forced 15 on the defensive end.

The Celtics have taken a 2-0 series lead, but we’ve been down this road in the first round, where their 2-0 lead was pushed to a seventh game. Boston has to come out as focused as possible for Games 3 and 4 in Cleveland, and make sure LeBron and company don’t explode as a product of the home crowd. It’s time for the Celtics to grab their first postseason road victory as a team. Let’s hope the men in green can steal one at “The Q.”

Box Score

Series Standings: Boston leads series 2-0

Game 3: Saturday (5/10/08) at 8:00 pm ET.

By: Dustin Chapman

The 2007-2008 All-NBA teams have been announced, and two Celtics were chosen to represent the organization. Defensive Player of the Year Kevin Garnett earned All-NBA First Team honors, while Celtics captain Paul Pierce was chosen to the All-NBA Third Team for the third time in his career.

Accompanying Garnett on the All-NBA First Team is Most Valuable Player Kobe Bryant, Orlando center Dwight Howard, Cleveland forward LeBron James, and New Orleans guard Chris Paul. Pierce is joined on the All-NBA Third Team by Utah forward Carlos Boozer, Spurs guard Manu Ginobili, and Houston’s All-Star combo of swingman Tracy McGrady and center Yao Ming.

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• LeBron James: 12 points, 2-18 shooting, and 10 turnovers.

• Boston’s defense was excellent, as was Cleveland’s through most stretches. The Celtics’ gameplan on LeBron James was excellent. From the start, they crowded the strong side with help and shadowed LeBron with the likes of Kevin Garnett. LeBron was forced into clustered spots at times, and he began forcing things out of frustration. It was to the point where he even missed a “gimme” layup at the end of the game. Paul Pierce and James Posey deserve individual credit for their defensive jobs on James, as well. Pierce especially did a great job of staying in front of him and moving his feet, even though he struggled offensively. Posey stayed right up in his face at all times.

  Zydrunas Ilgauskas was the only Cavalier to get anything going, as he racked up a double-double of 22 points and 12 rebounds. His mid-range shooting caught the Celtics off guard multiple times.

  As a whole, the Celtics held Cleveland to 30.7% shooting, including a 4-18 three-point clip, and forced 17 turnovers.

• Kevin Garnett was outstanding throughout the entire game, but particularly made his biggest plays down the stretch of the game. He attacked Ben Wallace offensively, and made two buckets in the waning moments to help ice the victory. Defensively, as usual, he was on-point and energetic. Garnett’s 28 points and eight rebounds were huge.

• Sam Cassell is a certified shot maker, and made provided a giant lift off the bench for the Celtics. “Sam I Am” contributed 13 points on 4-8 shooting, and managed to knock down a pair of timely jumpers in the second half.

• James was ice cold and unable to get anything going from the field, but Cleveland was able to hang around all game long by attacking and getting to the free throw line. The Cavs shot 26 free throws on the night, connecting on 22, while Boston was only able to go 14-18. Eight of LeBron’s 12 points came from the charity stripe.

• While the Celtics played excellent defense and forced a lot of turnovers, they were as sloppy as ever on the offensive end themselves. The C’s committed 21 turnovers, and were especially putrid in the second quarter. Through one stretch, they turned the ball over on five straight offensive possessions. Sans Kevin Garnett, each Celtic starter turned the ball over at least three times. Paul Pierce led the pack with six of his own, while Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen chipped in four apiece.

• Paul Pierce and Ray Allen awful offensive basketball. Pierce shot just 2-14, and ended up forcing it too often. Allen only took four shots all game long, and failed to knock down any of them, making it his first scoreless outing since February 1997.

• Rajon Rondo was exceptional in the first half, where he scored all 15 of his points. Right out of the gate, Rondo was able to attack the heart of Cleveland’s defense and get to the rack at will. He also managed to get to the free throw line six times and stuff the stat sheet with six assists and five rebounds. Delonte West was also unable to get anything going with Rondo in front of him through stretches.

• One of the Celtics’ big keys to this series is controlling the glass, and making sure Cleveland doesn’t dominate that column.”]One of the Celtics’ big keys to this series is controlling the glass, and making sure Cleveland doesn’t dominate that column. In Game 1, the C’s came away with a +2 overall rebounding advantage, despite allowing the Cavs to grab 13 offensive boards.

Overall, this was an extremely sloppy, unorthodox, and odd game from start to finish. However, the Celtics managed to pull out the victory and take a 1-0 series lead. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters.

Box Score

Player of the Game

Kevin Garnett
28 PTS, 8 REBS, 3 ASTS, 2 STLS, 13-22 FG

Series Standings: Boston leads series 1-0
Game 2: Thursday (5/8/08) at 7:00 pm ET.

0 @ 0
Round 2, Game 1
Tuesday, May 6, 2008 – 8:00 pm ET
TD BankNorth Garden (Boston, MA)
Game aired on TNT

The grueling seven-game first round series against Atlanta is now behind us, and it’s time to take on LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. Cleveland is the defending Eastern Conference champions, and if the Celtics ever want to reach their ultimate goal, it’s only natural that they’re forced to come through the Cavaliers. They are led by the one and only LeBron James, who is dazzling to watch and is virtually re-writing the record books as we speak. Whether you like him or not, it’s impossible to deny that he is a once in a lifetime specimen.

Scott Souza went over the topic of how Boston plans to defend James today in his column:

The strategy will likely be to start Pierce on James and involve a lot of James Posey off the bench. The Celtics will trap him often, but will be wary of getting carried away with it given the perimeter shooting threats the Cavs have surrounded him with late this season.

“There will be many bodies in front of him, as long as there are not too many bodies in front of him,” Rivers said. “You can overdue it. If you do it like a team, you can get away with some of that (trapping) stuff. If you start running at him at halfcourt he’s going to kill you.”

Another matchup that may draw the interest of Celtics fans is Rajon Rondo vs. Delonte West, who spent his first three professional years with the C’s. Omitting the one or two inch height difference, it is apparent that Rondo has all of the physical advantages in his favor, particularly the lateral quickness. West, as we all know, is a tough player who will give his all on each possession, but “you can’t teach quickness.” As long as Rondo plays attack basketball and makes it a point to force West to his right side on the defensive end, the Celtics should be in good shape.

The area where the Celtics may find themselves struggling, however, could be the rebounding column. Cleveland is one of the better rebounding teams in the league, both statistically and visually, and may even be more dangerous than their season statistics show due to the mid-season addition of Ben Wallace. If the Celtics want to put themselves in a good position to win each game throughout this series, especially on the road, it is impeccable that they will need to make sure Cleveland doesn’t dominate the glass.

In addition, and most importantly, Boston’s defense must be as strong as ever. As Doc Rivers eluded to in Scott Souza’s column, LeBron James can pick an entire defense apart. The Celtics need to make sure Cleveland’s role players and open shooters aren’t the ones that put them away. Their defensive rotations must be extremely on-point, especially on the road, and that sense of urgency must be visible at all times.

Let’s just play Celtics basketball. We can sit here and break down every aspect of the game and discuss each teams’ tendencies, but at the end of the day, the only way they end up on Kenny Smith’s “Gone Fishin’” segment is if they beat themselves.

Bring on the Cavaliers; let’s go Celtics.

Projected Starters

C Zydrunas Ilgauskas / Kendrick Perkins
PF Ben Wallace / Kevin Garnett
SF LeBron James / Paul Pierce
SG Wally Szczerbiak / Ray Allen
PG Delonte West / Rajon Rondo

Key Matchup: LeBron James vs. Paul Pierce

It’s actually more like LeBron James vs. Boston’s team defense as a whole, but Pierce will get long looks at defending him throughout the series. These two stars have had their “chippy” battles in the past, and it’s only fitting that they’ll go head-to-head in the playoffs. LeBron clearly has a lot of advantages over Pierce, especially physically. He is not a guy you will be able to stop one-on-one; it takes a strong collective effort to even contain him for stretches. Individually, Pierce needs to play aggressive defense while staying out of foul trouble, attack offensively, make sure this doesn’t turn into a one-on-one showdown, and keep his composure.

Watching LeBron James and Paul Pierce, arguably the top two small forwards in the game, will be one heck of a matchup to follow.

Celtics X-Factor: James Posey

When the first unit is on the floor, Paul Pierce will likely get the most looks at LeBron defensively. When Pierce is resting and/or taking care of another assignment, it is probable that James Posey will get a shot at defending “The King” as well. Posey has been known throughout his career as a tough, active defender, but LeBron James is a whole ‘nother animal. Stopping LeBron is impossible, but let’s hope Pose can force him to take tough shots and at least keep him in check for short stretches.

Injury Report
CLE – Eric Snow (sore left knee – out for season)
BOS – Scot Pollard (torn tendon in left ankle – out for season)

Celtics Keys to the Game

• Defensive Rotations
• Rebounding
• Attack
• Sense of Urgency
• Ball Control

By: Dustin Chapman

Boston dodged a bullet in the first round, winning the seventh game of the grueling series against the young, athletic Atlanta Hawks. The Celtics’ dominance was apparent at home, but their game, mindset, and attitude on the road was a completely different story.

With that said, this is playoff basketball. There is no room to dwell on the past and there is nobody feeling sorry for you. It’s time for the Celtics to live up to their name, hype, and record by getting it done on the road from here on out.

It will be no easy task, however, as Cleveland is led by the most physically dominant perimeter player the NBA has seen in a long while - LeBron James. James held season averages of 30 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 7.2 assists. “The King” has also made noticeable improvements on the defensive end, and looks to have made more of a commitment to playing both ends of the floor. One-on-one, it’s impossible to stop him. If you double him, he will find the open man. If you give him space with the game on the line, he will rise to the challenge. There is nothing you can do to stop this 23-year-old man-child, whether you have the top defense in the league or the worst. You can only hope to slow him down in stretches.
If the Celtics want to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2002, they’ll need to make sure they deliver the following:

Defense: Boston’s job in this series will not be to stop or even consistently contain LeBron James; we all know that that is virtually an impossible task. Defensively, the Celtics will need to make sure Cleveland’s supporting players don’t put them away. It will be Boston’s job to close out on Cleveland’s shooters (Wally Szczerbiak, Daniel Gibson, and Delonte West), do all they can to control the defensive glass, and make sure that their rotations are as on-point as possible. LeBron James can pick a defense apart, but timely rotations can slow him down and force him to kick out. If that transpires, the Celtics need to work even harder to contest perimeter shots and force the Cavs to shoot a low percentage.

Rebounding: Boston had trouble on the defensive glass against the younger, longer, and more athletic Atlanta Hawks. Well, folks, it doesn’t get any easier in this series. Cleveland is one of the best rebounding teams in the NBA (the third-best statistically), and with Ben Wallace, they are even more of a threat on the offensive glass than the total season stats may tell you. They may not be quite as athletic or mobile as Atlanta, but they are bigger, longer, and stronger. If the Celtics want to come out as winners, especially on the road, they need to make sure Cleveland doesn’t dominate the rebounding column.

Attack: The Celtics are clearly at their best when they play attack basketball. Cleveland does not have the world’s best cast of perimeter defenders, and it is key that the C’s don’t revert to settling from the perimeter on offense. They need to do what they do best - move with and without the ball, attack the rim, and take advantage of Kevin Garnett’s ability in pick and roll situations.

When they attack, they also cannot let the intimidation factor slow them down. Against Atlanta, Josh Smith made the Celtics think twice about driving the lane at times, because of his freakish athleticism and ability to block shots. With Cleveland, it may be even more intimidating at first glance. Ben Wallace is a known shot blocker, Anderson Varejao is as active as they come, and “Big Z” is the biggest center in the Eastern Conference. The Celtics cannot let that affect their gameplan. They need to challenge Cleveland’s interior defense and go up strong regardless of who might be lurking to contest.

Part of attack basketball is taking advantage of the mismatches in your favor. The Celtics will have their hands full on the defensive end with LeBron James and the size of Zydrunas Ilgauskas, but they need to make sure they neutralize those matchups on the offensive end.

Perhaps the most intriguing matchup for Celtics fans is Rajon Rondo vs. former Celtic guard Delonte West. Rondo clearly has all of the physical advantages, sans the one or two-inch height difference. West works hard on each possession, but he simply does not possess the lateral quickness necessary to stick with Rondo. The Celtics also have an advantage at the point guard position when the second units hit the floor. Sam Cassell has been known as one of the most effective point guards in the post for quite some time, and if he takes advantage of that, he will give “Boobie” Gibson some headaches.

Kevin Garnett also needs to make sure he doesn’t settle, individually. Ben Wallace may be stronger, but Kevin Garnett is much quicker and if he comes out with the mindset to attack, Wallace will not stand a chance at successfully defending him.

Finally, whichever Celtic has Wally Szczerbiak defending them will have the advantage. Szczerbiak will have more problems than he can handle trying to stick with Ray Allen running off screens, Paul Pierce attacking the basket, or trying to match up physically with the likes of James Posey. Heck, Tony Allen might get a shot to play, in which Szczerbiak will have no chance at running the floor with. For all of those reasons, Devin Brown will be extremely important for Cleveland on the defensive end.

All in all, the Celtics will lose this series if they do not play attack basketball.

Sense of Urgency: In all honesty, Boston looked a bit shell shocked at times in Phillips Arena. At home, they have all the confidence in the world and play with an unmatchable level of intensity. They need to make sure they bring that swagger on the road, because “The Q” can get fierce. If you thought Phillips Arena was rowdy, wait until you are a witness to a LeBron James tomahawk in front of his home crowd. No more looking like lost puppies, no more let-downs, and no more coasting. It starts with Kevin Garnett and trickles all the way down to Glen “Big Baby” Davis. It’s time to the green to buckle down and play to their capabilities.

In A Nutshell: Let’s play Celtics basketball. At times on the road in the first round, we as fans were not watching the same team we watched dominate the regular season with a 66-16 record. We were not watching the same team rise to each and every challenge against top-tier teams both at home and on the road. It’s time to put the first round behind us, focus on the task at hand (one game at a time), and play Celtics basketball on both ends of the floor. As long as that transpires, the only way the Celtics will go home early is if they beat themselves.