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.
CT 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
James Posey (G/F) / Eddie House (G) / Tony Allen (G) / Glen Davis (C)
BOSTON BENCH
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Leon Powe (F)
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Scot Pollard (C)
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Brian Scalabrine (F)
INACTIVE LIST
Gabe Pruitt (G)
PG Larry Hughes
ESPN's Scouting Report
Hughes found a new niche last season when he took over as the Cavs' starting point guard. This is strictly a ceremonial title, as LeBron James does most of the team's ballhandling, but it allowed the Cavs to play a huge backcourt of the 6-5 Hughes and the 6-7 Sasha Pavlovic and cemented what was already a strong defensive squad.
While Hughes isn't the offensive player he was in Washington, he's been better on defense. He stopped all the gambling that defined his Wizards tenure and become a much more consistent defender, with his quickness allowing him to keep up with most point guards. His foot injury was a major reason Tony Parker shredded Cleveland's defense so easily in the Finals.
Offensively, Hughes is a natural slasher but also likes to shoot jumpers from the right elbow while going to his right. Shot selection has always been an issue for him, especially regarding his wobbly jumper, and despite getting fewer attempts in Cleveland he hasn't become more accurate.
He's also started using a slow, deliberate shot fake on his jumper which acts as something of an idiot test for defenders. There's no reason to bite on the fake because getting Hughes to shoot a long J is a victory for the defense, but guys fell for it all season.
SG Ira Newble
ESPN's Scouting Report
Newble is a limited offensive player because he can't handle the ball and doesn't have a great first step. That has mostly confined him to spot-up jumpers from the corners, and it's a shot that has deserted him the past couple seasons. A tough defender in his prime, he's become a step slow at age 32 but still does well in strength matchups against bigger wings.
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.
CT 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
Daniel Gibson (G) / Dwayne Jones (C) / Damon Jones (G) / Devin Brown (G-F)
CLEVELAND BENCH
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Donyell Marshall (F)
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Eric Snow (G)
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Cedric Simmons (C)
INACTIVE LIST
Anderson Varejao (G) | Status Alert: After injuring his ankle versus the Lakers, Varejao is expected to be out until the All-Star break.
Sasha Pavlovic (G/F) | Status Alert: Pavlovic is expected to miss a month more after spraining his foot a few weeks back.
Shannon Brown (G)
BREAKDOWN OF LINEUPS AND BENCHES
PG
Larry Hughes vs. Rajon Rondo
Rondo was thought to be the weak link of this lineup but has responded with a breakout season as he doing just want the Celtics want: handle the ball well and play defense. While Hughes has had a complete turnaround, playing a lot better on the offensive end and shooting at a high percentage while still maintaining his defense.
Advantage: EVEN
SG
Ira Newble vs. Ray Allen
This is really no contest. If Allen doesn't drop 20 on Newble, he should be shot in the leg. Newble doesn't have the quickness that Allen possesses but he does have the strength and length that should help him against a shooter like Allen.
Advantage:
SF
LeBron James vs. Paul Pierce
LeBron will be at a little disadvantage with his ankle but he's lucky that the Cavs have hit a patch of games with a lot of rest in between them. Still he shouldn't have a problem against Pierce with him having a big advantage in the quickness department although Pierce might have more strength/bulk.
Advantage:
PF
Drew Gooden vs. Kevin Garnett
Kevin has been a beast on both ends this season and has been a big reason why the Celtics are why they are at where they are. He's bringing intensity on the defensive end and giving them a nice #1 option on the offensive end. While Gooden isn't too good of a defender, he did a decent job versus Garnett near the beginning of the season and went blow for blow against him.
Advantage:
CT
Zydrunas Ilgauskas vs. Kendrick
Z has been hot of late and been doing a great job on the offensive end hitting a lot of his shots with consistency and at a high percentage. He'll be going up against a high-energy, very physical Perkins who isn't the same player he was at the beginning of the season as he's developed a lot.
Advantage:
Benches
Clevaland Bench vs. Boston Bench
The Cavs bench is really struggling without Varejao to give them that energy, Marshall isn't into the shape that we need him to be in and we don't have a legit big coming off the bench that can give us some nice minutes. Damon, Boobie and Devin have played well but we need either Dwayne or Cedric to step up.
The bench of the Celtics was expected to be a weakness of the team but the bench of Posey, House, Allen and Big Baby has really rounded into shape to be a good one offensively and has been solid all year round even with recent productions from Leon Powe with Garnett out. Their defense off the bench has been sub-par and if they don't shoot well, they won't do well.
Advantage:
SMOOTH'S KEY POINTS & PREDICTION
The Celtics perimeter play is the reason why they are so good. If you can limit what House, Pierce, Allen and Posey can get, you will make them a slashing team which they really aren't. Their shooting sets up everything they do.
With Varejao out, Marshall not yet ready to contribute and not having a legit big man, our bench will need to respond in a big way against the best team in the league with a good offense.
We can't get lazy on the court versus a team like Boston; we need to come out fired up and carry that throughout the whole game and play with a high energy and effort level if we want to get the win.
