Cavs vs. Celtics (Tuesday 7PM, FSNHD/NBATVHD)

[chiefwahoo]

@

Tuesday, November 27, 2007
7:00 pm ET, Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
TV: FSN Ohio HD, NBATV HD, Radio: WTAM 1100

Boston Celtics

PG Rajon Rondo

ESPN's Scouting Report

Rondo is 6-1 but has insanely long arms that seem to constantly be poking the ball away. There's a cost for this -- he had a high rate of fouls -- but the positives far outweigh the negatives. He's great at back-tapping dribblers as they go by on the pick-and-roll, and is incredibly fast -- I actually saw him run down T.J. Ford on a fast break. He's still learning exactly what he can get away with in terms of gambling for steals, but he's already an ace and is going to get better.

Offensively he's a strong driver going to his right, but he can't shoot and because defenders play so far off him he's always driving into crowds. He's good in transition and draws a lot of fouls, but he needs to improve as a passer.

SG Ray Allen

ESPN's Scouting Report

Allen might have the best jump shot in the game, a quick, smooth stroke from over his head that he fires with textbook form. That's the strongest part of his game, as he's attempted eight 3-pointers a game the past two seasons, but there's plenty more. He's also a skillful dribbler who can handle the ball like a point guard, and a quality finisher in traffic who still can get to the rim at 32. His jumper is just as deadly off the dribble as it is on the catch, and the threat of it forces defenders to play him close and expose themselves to the drive.

Allen is a subpar defender who is undersized for the position and no longer moves well laterally. His effort level is also seriously lacking -- he'll make some incredibly halfhearted plays, especially in transition defense. While his lethargy was less transparently obvious in 2006-07 than it had been a year earlier, he's still an easy mark for opposing scorers.

SF Paul Pierce

ESPN's Scouting Report

Pierce is a deadly scorer because he can fill it up in such a variety of ways. His 3-point shot has to be respected, and he's strong shooting pull-up 2-pointers off the dribble as well, especially going left. But he also can score inside despite not having the most blazing of first steps. Instead, he utilizes quick spins to suddenly put his defender at a disadvantage and leans in to draw fouls.

Pierce is also a very effective in the post, where he might play more often this year now that Jefferson is gone. He murders defenders who try to front him in the post, walling them off and then scoring once the ball is reversed.

Historically, Pierce has been a good defender, but he hasn't seemed as motivated the past two seasons as he's watched the team around him crumble. One presumes he'll dial things back up this season now that Boston is expected to contend. He's not a brilliant one-on-one defender, but he can hold his own and is a more active help defender than many other stars. He's also an above-average rebounder.

PF Kevin Garnett

ESPN's Scouting Report

Garnett is an elite talent because of his tremendous variety of skills. Though a 7-footer, he's comfortable handling the ball on the perimeter and is one of the best passing big men in the game. Additionally, he has range out to 20 feet on his jumper and thus is deadly on pick-and-pop plays.

Garnett doesn't like to post up close to the basket, where his skinny frame takes a lot of pounding, but he'll set up shot about 15 feet away on the left side, usually to work himself into position for a turnaround. He loves to use a "Dream Shake" move after a couple of dribbles -- in truth, he tends to change pivot feet when he does this but rarely gets called for it -- and can get his jumper off against anyone. However, because he takes so many jumpers he doesn't get to the line as much as other stars.

Defensively, Garnett is an elite player who competes as hard as anyone on the league. His lack of muscle limits his usefulness against big post players, but he's a force coming from the weak side. He's at his best in zones, where he can play the top and terrorize smaller ball handlers but still has the dexterity to get back to the boards for the rebound. Best of all, he does all this without fouling -- Garnett had the third fewest fouls per minute among power forwards last season.

Perhaps the one flaw in his defensive game comes when he guards perimeter players -- he tends to play them too closely instead of playing off and allowing his length to deter the shot. If he were less aggressive out there, fewer players would go by him.

C Kendrick Perkins

ESPN's Scouting Report

Perkins stayed in the lineup primarily because of his post defense. A bruising, physical defender with a warrior mentality, he makes up for a lack of height at the center position because of his wide body and intensity. Surprisingly, he also ranked 14th among centers in blocks per minute. However, a relatively high foul rate tends to limit his minutes, and slow feet hurt his pick-and-roll defense.

Offensively, he's a below-the-rim guy who has trouble finishing at the basket. His shooting range doesn't go much beyond five feet, as he can make short-range hook shots but nothing beyond. He's not a ballhandler either, and with the Celtics' additions this season they'll likely spend the year playing keepaway from him.

BOSTON ROTATION

Eddie House (PG) / Tony Allen (SG) / James Posey (SF) / Brian Scalabrine (PF) / Scot Pollard (C)

BOSTON BENCH
>> Gabe Pruitt (PG)
>> Leon Powe (PF)
>> Brandon Wallace (PF)
>> Glen Davis (C)

INJURY REPORT
Tony Allen (G) | Status Alert: Questionable for Nov. 27 at Cleveland with a thigh injury.

Cleveland Cavaliers

PG Daniel Gibson

ESPN's Scouting Report

At 6-2 with decent athleticism, Gibson should have the size to be able to get to the basket more than he does -- something he showed at least briefly in the Detroit series. The threat of his shot could become an especially potent weapon, as he's a deadly outside shooter who should be able to open up driving lanes with a pump fake.

Gibson isn't a natural point guard by any stretch, but on this team that isn't a problem -- LeBron James and Larry Hughes do most of the ballhandling anyway. However, he'll have to cut down on the turnovers (a common rookie problem) in coming seasons.

Defensively, Gibson seems to do better against bigger point guards, especially in the playoffs. He seemed to have a much easier time defending bigger points like Chauncey Billups and Jason Kidd than he did chasing around Tony Parker.

SG Sasha Pavlovic

ESPN's Scouting Report

An athletic 6-7 forward, Pavlovic can defend both wing positions and is a good finisher in transition. Defense is his best asset, as the Cavs used him as their primary stopper against high-scoring wings and he was a big factor in their fourth-rated defense.

While Pavlovic is a good leaper, he doesn't get many open-court chances because he's such a poor ballhandler, and his inability to handle also limits his ability to take slower players off the dribble in the halfcourt. He's developed a niche by cultivating his skill at shooting 3s from the wing, and since he doesn't turn 24 until early November his game has a chance to progress further from here.

SF LeBron James

ESPN's Scouting Report

One reason James often ends up trying to make a heroic shot at the end of the clock is because there is so little going on up until that point. James tends to be far too methodical when attacking defenses, often waiting several seconds to read the defense before he attacks. That tends to bring the offense to a halt and makes it easier for help defenders to collapse on him. His habit of retreating when double-teamed on the pick-and-roll only exacerbates this problem.

This is particularly noticeable when James tries to post up. Despite his imposing physique, James rarely attacks opponents on the blocks and isn't terribly effective when he does. All he does is wait for the double-team instead of making a quick move, neutralizing what should be his best tool.

Of course, other players would kill for such problems. James is an amazingly good ball handler for his size, acting as the Cavs' de facto point guard and ranking 12th among small forwards in assist ratio. He's almost impossible to stop once he gets some momentum toward the basket and, though a streaky shooter, can get his shot off over anyone. James is also a devastating finisher in transition, making it unfortunate the Cavs can't find a guard to help push the tempo more often.

Defensively, James does a poor job fighting through screens but the rest of his game has become pretty solid. He's still better at playing passing lanes than he is at making help-side plays or taking charges, and he rarely guards the opponent's top scorer. On the other hand, nobody seems particularly anxious to attack him, and he's virtually impossible to post up against.

PF Drew Gooden

ESPN's Scouting Report

Gooden's best asset isn't his scoring, but his rebounding. Despite a slender build, Gooden is a force on the glass because of his quick hops and a nose for the ball. Gooden had the sixth-best rebound rate among power forwards last season, and that was completely consistent with what he'd done the previous two campaigns.

Gooden can be a frustrating player because of his concentration lapses. He'll lose track of his man or forget a play and go the wrong way. He cemented this impression at the end of Game 5 of the Cleveland-Detroit series, when the Cavs had a four-point lead in the final seconds and you could see LeBron James screaming at Gooden during a timeout to stay on the floor. The first thing Gooden did? Take a flying leap at Rasheed Wallace while he was shooting a 3-pointer -- even though the only way Detroit could tie was by being fouled on a triple.

People tend to focus on Gooden's mental lapses, but he also makes a lot of positive plays at the defensive end. Gooden is very quick for his size and his ability to switch out on guards on screens or rotate off his man is one of the reasons the Cavs were the league's fourth-best defense last season. He's not as good in post defense, where his lack of strength becomes a factor, and he's a poor shot-blocker, but overall he's a solid defensive player.

C Zydrunas Ilgauskas

ESPN's Scouting Report

Though the Cavs go to him less often these days, the 7-3 Ilgauskas is still a weapon in the post. He's become increasingly reliant on a sweeping one-handed hook shot going to his right, although he also has a nice touch on turnarounds going to either side.

Ilgauskas is also very dangerous on the offensive boards, where despite a lack of elevation he has an almost Rodman-like knack for tipping the ball multiple times before either possessing it or tipping it in. Along with his height, that same ability makes him very good on jump balls.

Defensively, Ilgauskas has the size to be an effective deterrent around the basket, but struggles when he is pulled farther from the basket. Teams try to attack him in screen-and-roll plays, where he struggles to help on the guard and still get back to his man. For that reason, Anderson Varejao often finished games in the middle instead of Ilgauskas.

CLEVELAND ROTATION

Eric Snow (PG) / Damon Jones (G) / Ira Newble (SF) / Devin Brown (G-F) / Dwayne Jones (F-C)

CLEVELAND BENCH
>> Cedric Simmons (F-C)
>> Shannon Brown (G)
>> Demetris Nichols (G)

INJURY REPORT
Larry Hughes (G) | Status Alert: Out until at least mid-December with a bone bruise.

Cedric Simmons | Status Alert: Questionable for Nov. 27 vs. Boston with an ankle injury.

Donyell Marshall (F) | Status Alert: Out until at least late January with a right wrist injury.

Anderson Varejao (F) | Status Alert: Out until ??? with severe brain cramps.

AccuScore Prediction
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=============================================
CHIEF'S PREDICTION
CAVS - 106
Celtics - 103
=============================================
​

 

[James]

Maybe this cleveland team will be able to close it out in 4....quaters that is. :chuckles:

 

[cdt]

Maybe this cleveland team will be able to close it out in 4....quaters that is. :chuckles:

What the hells a quater?

 

[chiefwahoo]

Maybe this cleveland team will be able to close it out in 4....quaters that is. :chuckles:

The Tribe did close it out in 4 (3-1)... unfortunately for us it was a 7-game series not a 5-game series.

 

[James]

What the hells a quater?

the interweb grammer police got me again.

let me try one more time....

lets see if a cleveland team can beat a Boston team in 4 something?

 

[chiefwahoo]

lets see if a cleveland team can beat a Boston team in 4 something?

We did end Bird's career in '92:

http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CLE/1992_games.html

East Conf Semis

Gm Date Tm Opp W/L Score Series
+--+----------+---+----+---+-------+-------------+
1 1992-05-02 CLE BOS W 101-76 CLE leads 1-0
2 1992-05-04 CLE BOS L 98-104 Tied 1-1
3 1992-05-08 CLE @BOS L 107-110 BOS leads 2-1
4 1992-05-10 CLE @BOS W 114-112 Tied 2-2
5 1992-05-13 CLE BOS W 114-98 CLE leads 3-2
6 1992-05-15 CLE @BOS L 91-122 Tied 3-3
7 1992-05-17 CLE BOS W 122-104 CLE wins 4-3
+--+----------+---+----+---+-------+-------------+

 

[crazedcav333]

And let the record show...

 

[James]

omgz. you ended his years AFTER he was the player he once was, he missed 4 out of 7 of those games as well. and stop crying, this was clearly meant as a joke and some of you are taking this a little to seriously.

 

[johnny]

AV always used to always get under KG's skin. I can't see Drew or Z defending him effectively. I hope I'm wrong but I don't think we can defend this team at all. Rondo could be the Celtic's leading scorer in this game. I think Hughes would be useful in this game to defend Rondo and Ray Ray.

I say LBJ goes for 50+ and a Cavs win.

 

[PIP]

Boston people trying to speak passable english..(Everybody in Boston should be checked for their green card)

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[James]

im not from Boston, people dont speak like that from Rhode Island

and nice little racial slur in there with the green card, at least we didnt belong to Mexico.

 

[cdt]

im not from Boston, people dont speak like that from Rhode Island

and nice little racial slur in there with the green card, at least we didnt belong to Mexico.

They can't pronounce the A's the same way, the caviar gets logged in the esophagus and then they vomit all over their knitted sweaters.

 

[PIP]

Whoa, someone got extremely offensive...:chuckles:

Cam down and quit actin' so rahtahded

 

[Karma]

I for one am looking forward to Ira defending Garnett.

 

[cavincali]

the interweb grammer police got me again.

let me try one more time....

lets see if a cleveland team can beat a Boston team in 4 something?

ok HYPOCRITE dont throw rocks if you live in a glass house.