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I have to rationalize why the Celtics are being tested so early in these playoffs.

So this is it:

We are going to win the championship this year, but before we do we have to overcome adversity in these playoffs. We haven't had much of a test in the regular season, so that is why we are experiencing the difficulty of this road less traveled so early in these playoffs.

After we win Game 7 on Sunday we are going to not take any other opponents lightly the rest of the way.

We haven't taken them lightly since game 3. We just aren't "catching the breaks".


And by "catching the breaks" I mean the refs really really suck and are just following orders from the Gestapo (Stern and Stu Jackson) to ensure basketball is revived in Atlanta.

If we win this series, the other series' might be less of a headache than Atlanta. That doesn't mean it'll be easy, just that playing Cleveland might fit our style better.

This has been the most frustrating **** in the world. In the world, Craig, the wooorld!

Before the Playoffs, if you had told me that Boston would be the last to finish up in the first round, I would have said you were full of ****

PPAW4Life wrote:I have to rationalize why the Celtics are being tested so early in these playoffs.

So this is it:

We are going to win the championship this year, but before we do we have to overcome adversity in these playoffs. We haven't had much of a test in the regular season, so that is why we are experiencing the difficulty of this road less traveled so early in these playoffs.

After we win Game 7 on Sunday we are going to not take any other opponents lightly the rest of the way.

true but at the negative side...celtics might actually lose confidence going into the second round.

I haven't posted much but I have been watching.

1) The Hawks are obviously better than advertised.

2) The Celtics are not as good as advertised.

To expand on on 2)

Atlanta has shown that taking the ball to the hoop can negate that Celtic defense. Yes, the Hawks are very athletic but this is a pro sport and they are supposed to be athletic.

Big back court players bother the Celts a great deal because they lack a stopper back there. As a team they have done a pretty good job on Joe Johnson but it has consumed too many resources too far from the hoop. Others Hawk players get loose and are inside the Celtic defense....LaBron James, Billups, Deron Williams all potentially present similar problems.

The lack of a post presence on offense means a good defense can turn the Celtics into a bunch of jump shooters. Nailing open shots is what good offense is about but without a post up offense good defenses contest those jumpers. The Celtic shooting percentage falls and the offense stagnates. Nice feeds into Perk and Baby helped during the season but we have seen less of that

The above issues were known I think. The surprises to me are:

The inability to close out 4th quarters.

A veteran Celtic team losing its composure against kids (good kids but still kids).

Doc's contributions:

Several players that help get the team to the big dance are on the shelf

Big Baby probably does not match up well with the Hawks but he plays strong inside and is smart. And the Celtics at times have not played smart.

Eddie House is also a defensive liability in the back court but he is going to lose his rhythm on the bench and dead-eye shooters are always needed - especially when the Celts are in jump shooting mode because they can't get into the post.

Doc apparently does not trust Tony Allen to keep his head in the game. He may be right but Tony's D in the back court and drives to the hoop could really help.

PJ Brown is done. Doc has to wrap his mind around that.

The Celts might still be OK but the respect they gained during the season is gone. Opposing coaches will spend less time worrying about how to contain the Green and put more effort into exploiting weaknesses the Hawks have revealed.

Final points:

Jump shooting teams don't win titles. Post play wins titles.

Even if the Celtics win Sunday, Cleveland will be rested and the home court advantage is threatened.

Good breakdown BigHands. I have to agree with your assessment of PJ Brown, it was painful watching him defend like a d-leaguer. I would have thought that at the very least, the man could still keep his body between his man and the basket. But at least twice that I observed, he pathetically tried to pull down his opposite number because he was outmanuevered so bad on the box. Not even a space issue, these were in tight quarters.

I don't agree that post play win titles.

I am actually in the camp that jump shooting teams win titles when they MAKE the open shots.

The league right now is not about dominating big men, it is about the quick guard or swing man who can get to the rim or make the mid range shot. If he can make the 3, he is even more deadly.

PPAW4Life wrote:I don't agree that post play win titles.

I am actually in the camp that jump shooting teams win titles when they MAKE the open shots.

The league right now is not about dominating big men, it is about the quick guard or swing man who can get to the rim or make the mid range shot. If he can make the 3, he is even more deadly.

When I said post play I was referring to offense and defense.

Go back 20 years of so and you will see that only Jordan's Bulls and the 03-04 Pistons did not have a Hall of Fame player in the post.....and Ben Wallace did play Hall of Fame quality defense that year.

It is the post play that allows open jumpers on offense and forces contested jumpers on the part of the opposition.

When Atlanta has hurt the Celts it has been in the post.

KG plays good D in the post but on offense the C's are hurting inside unless KG can feed an open man in the paint.

I think when Atlanta hurts us, it isn't Horford in the post or Josh Smith in the post...it is when Joe Johnson is driving.

Other than Joe Johnson, the Hawks have no post play and they are perimeter with Bibby, Marvin Williams and especially Josh Smith.

Childress gets a lot of cleanup hustle baskets too, off those missed shots though.