• Changing RCF's index page, please click on "Forums" to access the forums.

Game 61 | Cavs @ Celtics | March 6th, 2009 | 8:00PM (ET)

Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Eddie House humping Big Ben's leg

medium_hackabenmd.jpg
 
Speaking of House, he and Starbury apparently do not like each other. I was reading another forum, and a poster asked why they were not freinds, and why they didn't like each other. I didn't really read the responses, but wouldn't it be amazing if they got in some scuffles and ruined the Celtics. Maybe Starbury and House can get traded to the Lakers in the off season.
 
Axelrod32 said:
anyone else find it hilarious that Marbury has a tattoo on his head, of a defunct company that sold $15 basketball shoes?

marbury-starbury_kMzwV_5965.jpg
Click to expand...

He should have it redone to look like a Celtics logo, a soon to be defunct basketball franchise. Might as well keep with the theme.
 
Boston Game Tomorrow

Any Cavs fans gonna be at the game tomorrow...got my tickets and I'm ready to boo Starbury's @$$!!!
 
The folks at NBA.COM wrote up a pretty detailed review for tomorrow's game and published it a day early. Everyone's getting excited.

Go Cavs.

Cavs-Celtics matchup could have playoff implications

By Rob Peterson and John Schuhmann, NBA.com
Posted Mar 5 2009 6:58PM

BOSTON -- Friday's matchup between the Celtics and Cavaliers (8 p.m. ET, ESPN) could go a long way in determining who hosts a Game 7 between the two in the postseason.

With each team having 48 wins (the Cavs have two fewer losses with 12) and the season series tied at 1-1, a victory would give the triumphant team a leg up in the race for the East's best record. Including last year's seven-game Eastern Conference semifinals series, neither team has won in the other's building since the Cavs took a 107-104 decision at TD Banknorth Garden on Jan. 3, 2007.

Boston's task at holding off the hard-charging Cavs is all the more daunting considering Kevin Garnett has been out the last six games and could be out another week with a right knee strain. The Celtics have had trouble with bigger teams such as the Cavs and the Lakers this season. Despite signing forward/center Mikki Moore on Feb. 24, the defending champs are thin in the post without the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.

The Celtics are 4-2 in their last six games without Garnett and 7-2 overall this season. Cleveland has won nine of its last 10 games.

A Look at the Numbers

Cleveland Cavaliers: 48-12 (21-11 on the road), First in East
Pace: 90.8 possessions/game (17th)
Offense: 112.1 points scored per 100 possessions (3rd)
Defense: 101.3 points allowed per 100 possessions (2nd)

Boston Celtics: 48-14 (25-2 at home), Second in East
Pace: 90.8 possessions/game (17th)
Offense: 111.1 points scored per 100 possessions (5th)
Defense: 101.2 points allowed per 100 possessions (1st)
​

Six Questions

1. How much do the Celtics miss Garnett? And how much will they miss him against Cleveland?

While they are 7-2 without Garnett in the lineup this year, the Celtics rely more on their offense to win games when KG is sidelined. The Celtics have averaged 6.6 more points per game without Garnett, but they give up an average of 7.7 more per game. Paul Pierce doesn't want to find out if the Celtics can continue to outscore people until Garnett returns.

"When you don't have one of your go-to guys, the Defensive Player of the Year, we've just got to find other ways, like we have," Pierce said. "Cleveland right now is playing extremely good basketball. They're on top of the Eastern Conference. So, we got our work cut out for us.

"Just trying to hold down LeBron in itself is work, let alone the guys around him, the guys around him that are playing very well. Delonte West has come back like he hasn't lost a step. Of course, Mo Williams is an All-Star and he's playing like it. So, we've got to bring our 'A' game.

2. Is LeBron doing it by himself?

Although he had 38 points in their last meeting, and is quite capable of replicating the feat, James has been getting significant contributions from his teammates as of late. In the Cavs' exhilarating 107-100 win in Miami on Monday, Mo Williams scored 30 points, dished seven assists and grabbed seven boards. Williams is second on the team behind James in scoring and assists and earned his first All-Star nod this season.

Delonte West has also played well in his return from a broken wrist and has given the already stalwart Cavs defense another boost with his ballhawking ways on the perimeter. West has 18 steals in his last four games, including a career-high eight against Milwaukee on Wednesday.

3. What impact have Moore and Marbury had on the Celtics so far?

Marbury and Moore so far have seen about the same amount of floor time in their scant time with the Celtics, but Boston's need for a backup point guard was slightly more important than another big body in the post. Also, neither has had much practice time, making their integration into the Celtics' schemes on both ends of the floor a work in progress.

"I'm about 80 percent, 85 percent [integrated]," Moore admitted after the Celtics defeated the Nets in New Jersey on Wednesday. "I've got to learn the defensive calls. I know the basic setup on defense and offense, but I've just got to learn how to call them out.

"That's the big thing for them. It's the communication part. The hustle part is there. My timing is not all the way there. My jump shot is not all the way there, but I feel good out there with them."

4. How quickly will Joe Smith work his way into the Cavs' rotation?

Smith, who averaged 21.5 minutes per game in 27 games for the Cavs last season, should see pretty much the same amount of playing time with Cleveland in this go-round. Smith, who was averaging 19.2 minutes per game with the Oklahoma City Thunder before being bought out, shouldn't have a problem fitting into the Cavs rotation right away, especially with Ben Wallace on the shelf with a broken right fibula.

Smith is familiar with the Cavaliers' defensive system and should work well within the offense, setting plenty of high-side pick-and-rolls for James, Williams and West.

5. Without KG, how do the Celtics keep LeBron from attacking the rim?

It's here the Celtics face the old superstar conundrum: do the Celtics let James get his and shut down the other Cavs? Or do the Celtics focus on James and make the other Cavs beat them? As we noted above, James had 38 in Cleveland's win in January, but was held to 22 on Oct. 28, the night the Celtics received their championship rings. That game was a typical opening night contest somewhat sloppy and disjointed as the teams combined to shoot .436 from the field.

Then again, James has been so good at getting his points and setting up his teammates (he's had 11 games where he's dished 10-plus assists), it's no wonder he's a leading candidate to win his first NBA Most Valuable Player award.

6. How important is this game to these teams?

While it's obviously important to both teams, if Boston loses, they would lose more than just a game. They would be at a severe disadvantage in the race for home-court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Cavs would have a 2-1 season-series lead with the last game being in Cleveland on April 12 (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC), where the Cavs, at 27-1, are threatening to tie the Celtics' NBA single-season home record of 40-1 set in 1986.
Click to expand...

SOURCE
 
Re: Boston Game Tomorrow

Man it'd be neat if RCF made game threads...
 
Re: Boston Game Tomorrow

Of all people to boo on the Celtics, I'd put Marbury near the bottom of the list.

Garnett, Pierce, Perkins would be the top 3 (order can be debated).
 
Awesome job man. Loved the Celtic's pictures LOL.

and one thing i notice when i look at our bench compared to theirs..... >>>>>>>>>>>
 
Considering the Celtics PA guy is second only to Miami's in overall annoyingness, I'm hoping the Cavs play well enough for me to keep my temper. Otherwise you will all witness Paul Pierce getting hit with a blunt projectile. :chuckles:
 
Obviously this is a huge game for both...but it's monumental for the Celtics.

Lose and they're staring at a 3 game deficit in the loss column. In this current climate, that's like a 6 game deficit. Damn near insurmountable. Further, they would then need to win at the Q in April to win the tiebreaker.

Win and they're only down one game in the loss column and a virtual tie overall (Cavs would remain mere percentage points ahead). Further, for all intents and purposes they would lock up the tiebreaker, as the Cavs would be 4 games back against the Eastern Conference opponents (secondary tiebreaker if we split the season series). Rest assured, if we were able to make up a 4 game deficit against Eastern Conference opponents before the end of the season...we wouldn't even need the tiebreaker in the first place...

It's almost like a 3 game swing.
 
Re: Boston Game Tomorrow

You need to cheer for Starbury to get his ego up. Tell him he should get Rondo's minutes, that he's the real star and everyone should be showering him with love. That's like giving cigarettes to a guy with lung cancer:) He'll be talking to the media in no time about how he should be starting and he's the real star between he and Rondo. You couldn't kill the chemistry any faster than that.

I myself would boo Garnett and call him out for being a fugazi biatch and asking him if they're are any little Europeans he wants to try and intimidate. Ask him if he wants to mess with Sasha because as hood as most of these cats over here think they are, they probably ain't seen shit like some of those war torn countries in Eastern Europe. Sasha would punk his ass.

Garnette is only injured because of an accident while shaving his pussy.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Rubber Rim Job Podcast Video

Episode 3-13: "Backup Bash Brothers"

Rubber Rim Job Podcast Spotify

Episode 3:11: "Clipping Bucks."
Top