NBA Playoff Preview - Boston vs. Cleveland

Posted: Mon May 5 2:26 PM

***** NBA Playoff Preview - Boston vs. Cleveland ***** From The Sports Network By Warren Blatt, NBA Editor

Boston Celtics: 1st Seed, East (66-16)

Cleveland Cavaliers: 4th Seed, East (45-37)

(Sports Network) - The top-seeded Boston Celtics and fourth-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers square off in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals.

This is the fourth time these teams have met in the postseason. Boston defeated the Cavaliers in six games, 4-2, in the 1976 East finals, and in four contests, 3-1, in the first round of the 1985 playoffs. Cleveland knocked out the Celtics in seven games in the 1992 East semis.

Boston has made it to the East semis for the first time since 2003. That year, the Celtics were swept by the New Jersey Nets, 4-0. The last time the Celtics won in this round was in 2002 when they knocked out Detroit in five, 4-1, before losing to the Nets in the East finals, 4-2.

The Celtics survived a scare in the opening round, as they knocked out the eighth-seeded Atlanta Hawks in seven games. The home team won every game in the series. Boston won its four contests by an average of 25.3 points.

In Game 7 against Atlanta, Paul Pierce scored 22 points and pulled down eight rebounds as Boston routed the Hawks, 99-65, at TD Banknorth Garden. Defensive Player of the Year Kevin Garnett added 18 points and 11 rebounds in the victory.

Pierce averaged 18.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.7 assists in the quarterfinals, while Garnett led the team in scoring (21.0 ppg) and rebounding (8.9 rpg). All-Star guard Ray Allen contributed 16.1 points and shot 40 percent (18-for-45) from beyond the arc.

Twenty-two-year-old point guard Rajon Rondo had a solid showing in his first NBA playoff action. The Kentucky product averaged 11.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and a team-best 7.3 assists per game versus Atlanta.

Doc Rivers finished his fourth season as the general for the Celtics, and has led Boston to the postseason for the second time. The Celtics fell in seven games in the 2005 first round to the Pacers. Rivers is coaching in his fifth postseason, as he also guided the Magic to the playoffs three times during his tenure in Orlando. He owns a 12-17 record in the playoffs.

The Cavaliers, who are the defending Eastern Conference champions, are 3-2 all-time in the semifinals. They defeated the Washington Bullets in 1976, Boston in 1992 and New Jersey in 2007. Cleveland lost in the semis to Chicago in 1993 and Detroit in 2006.

Superstar LeBron James had a huge opening round, as the Cavaliers knocked the fifth-seeded Washington Wizards out of the playoffs, 4-2, for the third straight year. James led the team in scoring (29.8 ppg), rebounds (9.5 rpg) and assists (7.7 apg) in the six games against the Wizards. The All-Star forward shot 48.3 percent from the floor, including 29 percent from beyond the arc.

Center Zydrunas Ilgauskas posted 14.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game versus Washington, while Daniel Gibson, Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West were effective from the perimeter and made big shots at crucial times.

The sharp-shooting Gibson registered 11.8 points per contest and shot an impressive 50 percent (15-for-30) from beyond the arc, while Szczerbiak netted 11.8 and West averaged 10.2 points and 5.0 assists in the first round.

Head coach Mike Brown, who completed his third campaign on the Cleveland bench, continues to do a great job for the Cavaliers. Brown, who earned a championship ring as an assistant with San Antonio in 2003, is 23-16 in the postseason.

During the regular season, the Celtics and Cavaliers split four contests. Both teams won a pair of games on their homecourt.

STARTING FRONTCOURT:

How will Boston stop James? Pierce will try not to exhaust himself defensively against Cleveland's superstar forward. Garnett will provide help, as he will be able to leave Ben Wallace, who averaged just 3.2 points against Washington and is in no way an offensive threat. The Celtics will try and force LeBron to beat them from the outside.

Ilgauskas is also a tough matchup for Boston. Center Kendrick Perkins and Garnett will take turns guarding Cleveland's man in the middle. The 6-10 Perkins, who averaged 7.6 points and 6.4 rebounds against the Hawks, will have to be physical and always have a body on the 7-3 Ilgauskas.

Garnett and Pierce have to bring their best all-around games against James and the Cavaliers. Defensively, Garnett will have to be all over the court. Both teams will have to adjust throughout the series. LeBron's playoff heroics and ability to win a game by himself make this matchup a draw.

EDGE: EVEN

STARTING BACKCOURT:

Allen has to have a more consistent and productive series in the semifinals. He didn't find his rhythm from the outside against the Hawks, and it hurt the Celtics in round one. Rondo should be able to do well against West, as long as he stays under control and plays within himself.

The Cavaliers hope Szczerbiak and West drain their outside shots. If this pair is effective from the perimeter it will open up the lanes for James. Cleveland has to give LeBron help on the offensive end, and its guards will need to do their part. Szczerbiak and West are both former Celtics, and should play with a chip on their shoulders in this series.

Boston has the edge here. The 32-year-old Allen will be able to find his shot against Cleveland, while Rondo's athleticism will be beneficial against the Cavs. Expect a big series from Allen.

EDGE: CELTICS EDGE: CELTICS

BENCH:

Thirty-eight-year-old point guard Sam Cassell, who has won two rings during his career, did not play very well against the Hawks and will look to pick up his production in the semis. Forward Leon Powe averaged 6.7 points and 3.4 rebounds in round one for the Celtics, while swingman James Posey provided strong defensive play and contributed on the offensive end of the court as well.

Rookie Glen Davis, veteran P.J. Brown, Tony Allen and Eddie House give Rivers more depth on the bench. The 38-year-old P.J. Brown, who signed with the Celtics during the season, should see more minutes against the Cavs than he did versus Atlanta, as he will be able to guard Ilgauskas and provide help in the paint.

Gibson is instant offense off the bench for Cleveland, while Joe Smith and Anderson Varejao, who averaged 5.8 rebounds per game against Washington, will backup Ilgauskas and Wallace. Reserve guard Devin Brown can score and will be in the Cavaliers' rotation.

Boston has more depth, but the Cavaliers' bench will have more of an impact on the series. Quality gets the nod over quantity.

EDGE: CAVALIERS

PREDICTION:

The Celtics had a great regular season and earned home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. This was the deciding factor against the Hawks, and will once again play a major part for them in this round.

James will get his points, rebounds and assists against the Celtics. He will put the Cavaliers on his back and get them to the brink of their second straight East finals. However, this time Cleveland will fall short.

Allen, Garnett and Pierce lead the Celtics to their first Eastern Conference finals since 2002.

CELTICS IN SEVEN