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

[wuck]

The Boston Globe sent a reporter to Cleveland to watch Wednesday's game against Milwaukee. Not a typical move for a local paper but their readers are also really looking forward to the game. Complimentary piece, treating the Cavs as their main competition.

Can't wait. Now, crush them.

The King has a court
In search of supremacy, Cavaliers appear loaded

By Marc J. Spears
Globe Staff / March 6, 2009

CLEVELAND - "Champions aren't made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them - a desire, a dream, a vision." - Muhammad Ali

That quote is on a wall the Cavaliers pass every time they walk from their locker room to the Quicken Loans Arena floor. LeBron James believes his team already had the elements to win a title. But with the addition of veteran forward-center Joe Smith yesterday, James also believes his Cavaliers have the talent to overcome the defending champion Celtics - and everyone else.

"We are in pretty good shape now," James said. "I think the potential that we have from the rest of the regular season and the playoffs is really high. It doesn't change our goal. Our goal is to win an NBA championship. But I think Joe helps that even more."

"Coming from him, the franchise, that's a pretty big statement," Smith said. "I feel good about it. He understands what I bring to the table."

The Celtics and Cavaliers are the marquee teams in the Eastern Conference. East-leading Cleveland (48-12) will make its final regular-season appearance tonight at TD Banknorth Garden.

The Celtics (48-14), however, will be without Kevin Garnett (knee), Brian Scalabrine (concussion), and Tony Allen (finger), while the Cavaliers will be without Ben Wallace (broken leg). The Celtics also are trying to integrate two new players in guard Stephon Marbury and forward-center Mikki Moore.

"More than likely, I will be out there," said Smith, who didn't practice yesterday.

Because of injuries and transition, tonight's showdown won't be a true indication of what a potential postseason matchup could offer. But the game has playoff seeding and home-court implications, and James expects a heated contest. The Cavaliers are 0-7 in Boston since Garnett and Ray Allen joined the Celtics in 2007.

"It's going to still be competitive," James said. "This is a very good team in a very good place that we are playing in. We got to be ready. Just because they don't have KG doesn't mean they still aren't a very good team, which they really are."

Building a winner

A season ago, the Cavaliers integrated Delonte West, sharpshooter Wally Szczerbiak, and Smith after acquiring them in midseason trades. But they lost to the Celtics in a seven-game, second-round playoff series.

Smith was shipped to Oklahoma City Aug. 13 in a three-team deal that brought point guard Mo Williams to Cleveland. West is now the Cavaliers' starting shooting guard, and Szczerbiak is a shooting weapon off the bench. The hot-scoring and smooth-passing Williams has complemented James offensively, developing into an All-Star this season.

And the Cavaliers now have healthy depth at the guard spots with Daniel Gibson and Tarence Kinsey. "[General manager] Danny Ferry and [coach] Mike Brown have built a heck of a team," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "They got great players to build around LeBron. Great, tough players. The thing I like about what they've done is all the guys are tough guys.

"Delonte is as tough a guy as I've ever coached in my life. Mo Williams is a tough guard. They match what LeBron is with shooting and skill, and their bigs are all skilled."

The Cavaliers have offensively skilled 7-foot-3-inch center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, a rebounding and defensive specialist in the injured Wallace, and a hustling reserve forward in Anderson Varejao. Missing, however, was experience and scoring at the forward position off the bench. The Cavaliers couldn't depend on rookies J.J. Hickson and Darnell Jackson. So even before Wallace was knocked out for 4-6 weeks with a fractured right fibula he suffered at Houston Feb. 26, Ferry knew he needed to add the "right fit" in the post. After Oklahoma City bought Smith out of his contract Sunday, the Cavaliers pounced.

"Being able to add Joe was great," Ferry said. "I don't know that it was necessarily a must because I think we have a group of good players. But when you're able to add a player of his caliber and his professionalism into a group with the experience that he has, it definitely can't hurt us.

"It makes us even better. And the depth we have makes us even stronger."

Not your average Joe

Smith, 33, averaged 8.1 points and 5 rebounds in 27 games for Cleveland last season and has played in 39 career playoff games. The 6-10, 225-pounder averaged 6.6 points and 4.6 rebounds in 19.2 minutes in 36 games for the Thunder this season, but has not played since Feb. 10. While there are some new offensive sets for Smith to learn, he is familiar with Cleveland's system. The 13-year veteran also played with Williams in Milwaukee and is known for his professionalism and leadership ability.

"It's a great thing for us, especially with Ben being out for a while now," Ilgauskas said. "It gives us another big into the rotation. It cuts down on minutes for me, probably, which will be good."

"I know what [Smith] brings," Williams said. "I know where his spots are. It's not a situation where I need to learn where he wants to be on the court. Us having chemistry already will bring out the best from him."

The Celtics were interested in Smith and Moore. With Moore becoming available first, the Celtics aggressively pursued him and signed him Feb. 24. Boston's swift move was prudent because Smith planned to go to the Cavaliers all along once he became a free agent.

"We couldn't wait," Rivers said. "We didn't know what was going to happen. We liked both guys and we wanted one. That was our whole goal. They both can stretch the floor. Joe has more experience in big games. I'm sure that will come into play at some point, but Mikki will gain that by playing with us."

On paper, the Cavaliers appear to be better than a season ago. But only time will tell if the Cavaliers fulfill "a desire, a dream, a vision" to not only overcome the Celtics, but eventually become NBA champions for the first time.

"We want to continue to get better every day and take each game like it's our last," James said. "I'm a confident guy and I expect that from our guys every time we go out and play. These are the best pieces that we've had. But it all depends on momentum, how well you finish down the stretch, and if you can stay healthy."

SOURCE

 

[Sasha03]

Great pictures all, I had some fun watching them, tonight CAVS will beat them cELTIC ****s!

 

[Lebron45]

Lebron's hatred vs the celtics is bigger than kobe we will win

 

[Green Lantern]

This may be one of 82 games but this is one we need to stomp them in their own place and send them a serious wakeup call...
MB I hope you have your team as loose as possible...
I heard Smith say that loss to the Celtics didn't sit well with him...GOOD!

 

[Jc.16]

Ahahaha these images are amazing nothing better then a good anti boston thread GO CAVS!!!

 

[The George]

i can barely sit here at work thinking about this game

I am ready.... I can only imagine the team...


this is awesome....this would be a HUGE win tonight...especially since Boston has a tough one with Orlando up next

 

[Typhoon]

Tonight is gonna be the best night evah!

 

[dekethecreep]

Oh boy gonna be a great game tonight,i can feel it!

 

[ThaDruggist]

Man if we are this pumped for the game, I can only imagine how the players feel. This is the first thing i did this morning. I'm off from work so I just woke up to some realcavsfans and its gettin me pumped man. We NEED this win not only for a nice cushion in the standings but also as a statement. I know its only regular season but a win in Boston would be huge. I read no team has won on the road since 07 I believe. Tonight is as good a time as ever to end that streak


lets get it

 

[Amherstcavsfan]

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I do not want to beat this team.

I want to destroy them. I want to take their Celtic mascot and set him ablaze. I want to see KG get dropkicked by Ben Wallace on the side lines with Ben yelling at the top of his lungs "PUSSY BITCH!" I want to see Delonte West sex up all their women to death. I want to see Paul Pierce piss and moan, then LeBron stick his foot so far up his ass that he'll have athlete's foot in his ass for a month.

Most of all, I want to watch the Celtics fans cry as we beat them within an inch of their life, then, when they have that little glimmer of hope...

**** Boston.

 

[_amon _ones]

For once, the Boston media is not so homeristic about their team's chances. In fact, this article is well written and is completely right. The Celts have their backs against the wall here. The Cavs aren't in a must win game, but they can make a huge statement. This game should be epic.

In the NBA, championships are won in June, not in March. And yet, as the Celtics move toward a formal defense of their 17th world title, one cannot help but wonder if they have reached a crossroads.

Cleveland tonight.

Orlando on Sunday.

Which way will they go?

The Eastern Conference standings being what they are, we all understand the magnitude of tonight’s game against the Cavs. Home court advantage is probably at stake. The Celtics already trail Cleveland by two games in the loss column with 20 games to play, and a defeat tonight seemingly would give the Cavs a huge advantage in any tiebreaker implemented at the end of the season. Though the teams have a game remaining April 12 in Cleveland -- that’s Game 80 of the scheduled 82 -- Cleveland is a sterling 27-1 at home this year and beat the Celts, 98-83, in Boston’s only visit this season to Quicken Loans Arena.

With or without Kevin Garnett, the Celtics need to hold serve here.

Especially when one considers their recent road history against the Cavs.

For starters, the Celtics have not won at Cleveland in six tries during the Garnett era. In the last four trips there -- three of them in last year’s Eastern Conference semifinal series -- the Celtics have lost by scores of 108-84, 88-77, 74-69, as well as the aforementioned 98-83. Add up the numbers and what you get is the scoring average of a dreadful 78.3 points per game in those affairs, the kind of Q rating that qualifies as an F on most any scale.

Get the picture?

While Cleveland has been unable to win at the TD Banknorth Garden over the same stretch of time -- the Cavs are 0-7 in Boston in regular- and postseason since the beginning of last season -- the pressure is actually on the home team tonight. Should Celtics lose to the Cavs tonight -- and presuming Cleveland also wins at home April 12 -- Boston will need to make up four games in the remaining 18 to earn home court advantage throughout the Eastern Conference playoffs.

If you think that is going to happen, you have as warped a sense of self as Lucky, the deposed leprechaun.

In the short term, the problem is that the Celtics will play this game without Garnett, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year who once again was starting to look like the most valuable defensive force in the league. Particularly against a Cleveland team that has held opponents to a league-low 90.3 points per game, Garnett will be missed. In the nine games Garnett has missed this season, the Celtics have allowed precisely 99.2 points per game; in the 53 games Garnett has played, the Celtics have allowed an average of 91.5.

And so, if you’re looking for a way to measure what Garnett brings to the table defensively on a nightly basis, it translates into about 7.7 points per contest. And oh, by the way, the Celtics’ average margin of victory this year is 9.1. Think about all of this the next time someone suggests that Garnett does not "take over" games in crunch time.

As for Sunday’s home game against Orlando, we all would be advised to remember the Magic. At the moment, in the loss column, the Celtics (14 defeats) are as close to Orlando (16) as they are to Cleveland (12). Should the Celtics suffer defeats to both the Cavaliers and Magic this weekend, there is the chance the Celtics will finish third in the Eastern Conference. That means Boston could lose home court advantage as early as the second round, a daunting prospect no matter how much the Celtics improved on the road throughout the course of last postseason.

Admittedly, a great deal has changed since last week, let alone last spring. The Celtics added Stephon Marbury and Mikki Moore, and the Cavs just picked up Joe Smith. Orlando hoped to mitigate the loss of point guard Jameer Nelson by picking up Rafer Alston from the enigmatic Houston Rockets. On some level, each of the three elite teams in the Eastern Conference have been undergoing some sort of molecular restructuring, all with the singular purpose of defeating the other two in May.

Last year, for what it’s worth, the Celtics picked up their play considerably down the stretch, winning 16 of their final 20 games and 11 of their final 12 after going 50-12 in their first 62. At the moment, this club is two games off that pace at 48-14. As it turns out, those two games are currently the difference with regard to potential home court advantage against a hungry and improved Cavaliers team whom the Celtics are almost certain to face in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Two games.

And so as the Celtics prepare for meetings with the Cavs and Magic this weekend, maybe it is worth remembering that a mere two games can make all the difference in the world.

Source

 

[VicDiMoneJr]

Anyone know if there's a Cleveland fans bar in Boston where I could catch the Cavs/Heat game tomorrow?

 

[wuck]

The folks who run the main Celtics blog are equal parts trepidation, anticipation, "we're the underdog", and "let's get this game started already". (SOURCE)

Hope the Cavs are ready and take advantage.

Breakdowns have been a lot of our problem," Kendrick Perkins [stats] said. "But ‘Ticket' anchors our defense. He brings that intensity that makes us so good. When you're missing the defensive player of the year from last year, that takes a lot of work from everyone else to make up the difference."

Added Rajon Rondo [stats]: "We can't overhelp. Delonte (West) and Mo Williams are both great scorers, too. We can't just overload on LeBron and think that is going to take care of the problem."
​

I'm not a big fan of making excuses, especially before the game even begins. However, I can't help but give the Cavs the edge in this one.

Yes, the Celtics will be properly motivated for home court and perhaps to get back at the Cavs for the last game. But without KG, how much of a chance do we have against LeBron? If the Nets and Pistons can top 100 points on us, are we really going to shut down the Cavs?

Maybe the key is setting my expectations low. If we lose, well... nobody would be overly shocked by that. If we win it would be a fantastic surprise.

Same Ol' Stories
by Jeff Clark on Mar 6, 2009 9:39 AM EST

I can't wait for the game tonight. Not just because it will be a great matchup of two elite teams. Not just because I get to watch my favorite team. Mostly because I need new material. :chuckles:

Here's a list of the topics I'm tired of talking about.

Starbury - Enough said. No really, enough already.
Mikki vs. Joe - Honestly, if our fate hangs in the balance of who we picked up between these too, I'd be worried either way.
(etc.)

If things go well tonight, I'll have some happy thoughts for tomorrow. If not, then we've got some hand wringing to do.

 

[Sock]

"come on Lebron, shoot less commercial and more free throws"

The girl from the Bachelor Party 2

 

[Bill Walton.]

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