Cavs-Celtics has a better ring

[-KingofKings23-]

Bob Finnan from the News Herald:

With everything that's happened in the last two years, it seems like the Cavaliers and Boston Celtics have some unfinished business.

The Celtics upended the Cavs in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at TD Banknorth Garden, 97-92, on May 18, 2008. They went on to win the NBA championship.

It seems fitting that the Cavs and Celtics should duke it out in the Eastern Conference finals.

Boston and Orlando are tied, 3-3, in their second-round series. Game 1 of the East finals will be Wednesday at Quicken Loans Arena.

"Obviously, we've developed a little bit of a rivalry with Boston after last year," Cavs guard/forward Wally Szczerbiak said. "It was a very hard-fought series that went seven games."

Many of the Cavs players felt lousy walking off the court that day. Szczerbiak said his motivation came later in the playoffs.

""Honestly, the most motivating time for me was watching Boston hoist that trophy," he said. "I felt we were right there, five points away, and had a chance to beat them in Game 7. If we had advanced, I thought we'd have won the whole thing. It was very motivating to see them move on and beat Detroit and then L.A. for the title.

"That left a taste in my mouth all summer and all season.

We want to get that feeling and achieve that feeling. I think my teammates feel the same way."

Then, the NBA orchestrated a matchup in the regular-season opener in Boston. The Celtics hosted their emotional ring ceremony that night.

The Cavs waited in the locker room just so they weren't affected by the river of tears being shed on the floor.

"It all sunk in watching them win the title and celebrating afterward," Szczerbiak said. "That could have been us. We have to back and get the job done and, hopefully, hoist that trophy this year."

Cavs forward LeBron James said they are well aware of Boston's back-to-back 60-win seasons.

""We know everything about Boston," he said. "We have a history with them. They're an experienced club. You take away one All-Star, one Hall of Famer in K.G. (Kevin Garnett), and they still have two more. It is going to be a tough conference final no matter which team we play because it is going to be one more step to the goal. We can't wait."

James admitted that the stinging defeat to Boston in Game 7 ranked second all-time on his list of disappointments.

"The worst feeling I had was losing the state championship my junior year in high school (to Cincinnati Roger Bacon)," he said.

"That was the second."

He was in no mood to talk about his dejection from the Game 7 loss.

"We just lost," he said. "I'm not a loser."

After the four-game sweep of Atlanta, James spoke about the next round in his postgame address. It sure seems like he wants another shot at the Celtics.

"I'm a competitor," he said. "I thrive on going against the best. I love playing against the best. You make your answer out of that."

Cavs coach Mike Brown said the feeling he got walking off the court in Boston has motivated him.

"I hated to lose," he said. "It didn't matter if it was the Celtics or the Washington Wizards, the Detroit Pistons. For me, personally, I would have felt the same because we had lost."

He said it stuck in his craw for most of the summer.

"Everyone is going to feel it except for one team when you lose that last game and your season is over," he said. "You could feel that for most of the summer, no matter who it was against."

Cavs forward/center Joe Smith said they don't want to hold a grudge toward Boston.

"We do remember what happened last year in Game 7," he said. "Obviously, that's something guys fed off of all year long."

Quick shots

n The entire coaching staff traveled to Brown's house on Thursday to watch the Boston-Orlando game.

n James' new Nike commercial, which features himself and Lakers guard Kobe Bryant as puppets, has been quite popular. "We had to come out with a flash and came up with the powder thing," he said. "We have a lot more coming. Kobe and I had the last say so. I don't have a problem making fun of myself. There's three or four more. We'll keep it going until the buzz dies down. I'm like the executive producer."

n He said it was "humbling" being a unanimous first-team All-NBA selection. "The media guys have a lot to do with it," he said. " 'Thanks.' I put in a lot of hard work to be named with Kobe, D-Wade (Dwyane Wade), Dwight (Howard) and Dirk (Nowitzki). It's a great feat."

http://www.news-herald.com/articles/2009/05/15/sports/nh898795.txt