Cavs vs. Boston -- 2017 Eastern Conference Finals

[Hydroponic3385]

I got the Celtics in 4

 

[Zeus69]

Another thing- aren't the Cavs on the verge of setting an NBA record for consecutive playoff wins? I'm sure they guys are aware of that.. not ever day you get to cement yourself into the recordbooks like that. Would be a neat achievement and a bit of extra extra motivation to win these games in Boston.

It's fun seeing this thread brimming with confidence.. far cry from how most of us felt 2 months ago.

Agree. But a crap performance loss by the Cavs Wednesday night and the space-time continuum will bend as forum members warp back to March.

 

[Kbiz]

I just hope if Olynk tries to pull any dirty shit early on in the series, someone will call him out on it publicly. In those situations, it's always in the team's best interest to put it out there. Even if it's deniable, it still puts Olynk under a microscope for the entire series.

If one of our guys goes down due to some BS, I will be livid.

 

[Zman80000]

538 has the Celtics currently at 52% to make the Finals.

I'd love to find the idiot that wrote the program that calculated that %, and offer him a bet for $10,000 straight up that the Cavs win the series.

 

[Zeus69]

Boston in the playoffs has no chance stopping the Cavs on offense. I expect the Cavs to get wide open looks on every trip down the court.
Just set a screen by whoever is guarded by Thomas and force a switch against Lebron, post him up, rinse and repeat.

We are going to own them on the boards aswell. They have 0 chance if we come out strong.

I hope Lue tells them to crush them from the start, don't let their crazy ass crowd get involved.

They are streaky and can hit threes in bunches, so it will be key to withstand the inevitable Celtics run(s). We showed the ability to remain composed against the Pacers and Raptors when they did it, so less concerned about it being an issue.

 

[Zeus69]

Yep. They need to win the first two games of this series to tie the record. 88 - 89 Lakers streak stands at 13.

edit: Do you think we whip out the black jerseys tomorrow or do you think we are saving that for a potential GM 1 at Oracle?

You have to assume they are making an appearance this post-season.

Navys until necessary

 

[Sir'Dom Pointer]

They are streaky and can hit threes in bunches, so it will be key to withstand the inevitable Celtics run(s). We showed the ability to remain composed against the Pacers and Raptors when they did it, so less concerned about it being an issue.

A shot blocker could have helped close out the lane completely and make our guys stay home and at the same time completely limit IT's finishing ability inside. We are going to need to scramble on the defensive end to limit their 3pt shots and Thomas.

Bliting him and hope some of their role players miss shots is a good tactic?

 

[shoes22]

538 has the Celtics currently at 52% to make the Finals.

I'd love to find the idiot that wrote the program that calculated that %, and offer him a bet for $10,000 straight up that the Cavs win the series.

I can speak to this. I don't think anyone that works at 538 thinks that the Celtics actually are more likely to win this series than the Cavs.

538 calculates its ratings off an ELO based model, and it takes into account nothing but wins and losses and margin of victory to determine a team rating. In such a model, the Cavs were penalized by a lackadaisical regular season effort and losing to shitty opponents in the regular season.

It's not a good model to use for playoff odds and it's baffling why they continue to use it in such a way.

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

.

If one of our guys goes down due to some BS, I will be livid.

Well, Jurkic, George Hill, and Kawhi Leonard are pretty confident that whatever EC team plays GSW in the Finals is going to suffer an injury to a key player....

 

[-Akronite-]

I'm ready for some playoff level boos for Kelly. Game 3 can't come fast enough.

 

[Zeus69]

I'm ready for some playoff level boos for Kelly. Game 3 can't come fast enough.

I think the Cavs should hand out man-bun wigs for Game 3

 

[noisymicrophone]

I'm ready for some playoff level boos for Kelly. Game 3 can't come fast enough.

By then Kevin might not have any arms to work with...

 

[TyGuy]

Hide Kyrie on whoever isn't I.Thomas at guard, involve IT in constant pick and rolls, make life a living hell for IT with doubles, traps, switches with appropriate personnel, sell out on the usual suspects. Get out of the series quick and unscathed. EZPZ.

 

[mAo_mAo]

Unlike the Raps whose role players can't hit a shot to save their lives, Celtics have capable players who can hit those shots.

Probably a good idea to reverse the tactic by having IT beat us. Ice and don't trap.

 

[Pioneer10]

https://theringer.com/2017-nba-play...gton-wizards-game-7-marcus-smart-52c05fe7536f

Just don't see how their all defense lineup (Bradley, Smart, Crowder) bothers us nearly as much as Washington: our guys just shoot over them. I mean JR, Korver, Lebron all will be able to elevate over this if they can get open. I know they'll fight hard, get strips, play good positional defense but I'm just not seeing it.