BOSTON’S VETERAN LEADERS ENTER NBA FINALS READY TO LEAVE LEGACY, SILENCE SKEPTICS
1. EXPERTS PREDICTIONS
Since the end of round one, it seems the Celtics have been every experts favorite pick to lose.
In round two, according to ESPN’s brightest, the Celtics didn’t stand a chance against LeBron James and the mighty Cavaliers. In fact, 10 of 10 “experts” picked the Cavs to take the series, with just two of those studious journalists taking a risk, saying the
Celtics would extend the series to seven games.
James was too physical, created too many mismatches, and with the Cavaliers sporting the most dominant record at home during the regular season, Boston couldn’t possibly expect to make it out of Cleveland with a win. Yet the Celtics did, going on the road to beat the Cavs by 18 points in game two and by a devastating 32 in game five — winning the series in six.
In the Eastern Conference Finals, eight of 10 ESPN experts picked the Orlando Magic to take the Celtics down. Prior to the series’ start, SportsCenter highlighted a matchup to look out for — Magic forward Rashard Lewis against Celtics forward Kevin Garnett. According to the leader in sports, the younger, more athletic Lewis looked ready to silence a recently hot Garnett and posed a serious offensive-threat to the C’s.
Anything is possible, right?
Over six games, though, Garnett outscored Lewis by 2.1 points per game, outrebounded Lewis by 2.2 boards per game and even had more assists than the former Seattle Supersonic — despite the fact that Lewis spent nearly four more minutes on the floor per contest.
Six of 10 ESPN experts take the Lakers in the NBA Finals. Take the Celtics.
2. CLUTCH DEFENSE
When the Boston wants to, it can lock opponents down like a church youth group. The Celtics have allowed just 91.4 points per game in the 2010 postseason, a number good enough for second-best in the league.
While the C’s have had their slip-ups in the past two rounds, allowing a 124-point game against the Cavs and a 113-point performance from the Magic — when it matters, the Celtics pull through.
In the final three games of its series against the Cavaliers, the Celtics allowed just 86.6 points per game and more importantly, limited LeBron James to just 21.3 points per match. When the Cavs went up 2-1 after three games, Boston followed with a game in which they held James to 3-of-14 shooting, allowing just six points from the league MVP away from the free-throw line.
In game six of its series against the Magic, when Boston had to win, those Magic not named Dwight Howard were held to just 36.3 percent shooting from the field.
Kobe Bryant and the Lakers will undoubtedly open it up against the Celtics several times during the finals. But when the clock is winding down and the Celtics need to, it’s hard to imagine Boston won’t employ that lock-down defense once again.
3. RAJON RONDO
A version of this article appeared in the Jun 3 issue of the Collegiate Times.
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