NBA Eastern Conference: Round 2 Preview and Picks
By LARRY JOSEPHSON
Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (-450 to win series)
Let’s get one thing straight about LeBron James: There is nothing wrong with his right elbow.
At least that’s the opinion of the Boston Celtics, who are preparing to deal with a full-bore version of James when the teams square off in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinal series Saturday afternoon.
If James is milking the elbow ailment – and tests earlier this week showed no damage – for effect, he will have to go some to match Boston’s own drama queen, Paul Pierce.
To this day Phil Jackson talks about the 2008 Finals when Pierce seemingly had every bone in his body broken, then returned a few minutes later and hit two 3-pointers on the way to a Boston victory.
Of far more importance to the Celtics than James’s elbow is how to contain everyone else in a Cleveland uniform. The Cavs are a markedly better team than the one that lost in seven games to Boston in the 2008 Eastern Conference semifinals. They are better at the point, better inside and have just enough talent to make the Celtics uncomfortable when they double - and triple -team James.
Nothing much can be gleaned from the teams’ play in the first round. Boston turned aside the Heat in five games, the series extended that long only by Dwayne Wade’s career game in Miami in Game 4. The Cavs had one hiccup in their matchup with the Bulls, but Chicago’s spirited play probably only sharpened Cleveland for the Boston battle.
Cleveland seems to have inherent advantages – an in-his-prime James against a long-in-the-tooth Pierce at small forward and Shaq/Ilgauskas over Kendrick Perkins at center are among the mismatches.
But the Celtics feel that while Kevin Garnett is still not the KG of 2008, his wounded knee is getting better by the centimeter and he can make life miserable at times for Antawn Jamison. And the Celtics like the point guard battle, gladly sacrificing a little offense and loving what a motivated Rajon Rondo can do defensively to Mo Williams while distributing the ball.
As for the numbers, betjamaica.com has installed the Cavs as a hefty -450 to win the series, with the Celtics offered at +350. Cleveland is 1-to-2 to win the East and 7/5 to win the NBA title, while Boston backers can get 17/2 and 15/1 odds.
There are no secrets with the Cavaliers. They will run off turnovers but are comfy in a halfcourt set in which every possession runs through James. When the shot clock runs down James becomes a bowling ball, driving the lane, forcing contact and defying officials to call charges that might sit the game’s most electric player on the bench and invite phone calls from the league’s front office (Note here: If you don’t think superstar calls exist in the NBA, you have no business watching or wagering).
Boston’s season has been compared to watching how sausages are made. Garnett’s slow progress in returning from knee problems, Pierce’s aging, Rasheed Wallace’s lack of effort and assorted other stops and starts made the Celts a work in progress. After a 25-3 start Boston was a .500 team for the rest of the regular season. The fact is, no one knows really what to expect from these guys.
Prediction: Cleveland in five games