Photo: AP/Charles Krupa

As the Cavaliers anxiously await their opponent in the Eastern Conference Finals, I feel that it is important to look at the pros and cons of playing the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic. The Cavaliers had some of their most fierce battles against these teams this year, and each team poses matchup issues that the Cavaliers will have to address and adjust to throughout a seven-game series. At the same time, the Cavaliers have the upper hand on each of these teams in certain categories as well. Here's my slant on the potential matchups.

CAVALIERS vs. BOSTON CELTICS

Season Series: Tied 2-2

Game 1 @BOS: L 90-85 - In the first game of the season, the Cavaliers stayed in the locker room while the Celtics received their rings. The Cavaliers looked like a team still getting to know each other as they turned the ball over 21 times. But, Boston made 16 turnovers of their own, and the outcome was not decided until the final minute of the game. In an eerie flashback to the Eastern Conference Semifinals, LeBron James drove to the hoop with contact but did not get the call and missed the shot. He then missed two free throws in the waning seconds as well to give the Celtics a 5-point win on opening night.

Game 2 @CLE: W 98-83 - The Cavaliers turned the tables on the Celtics at The Q. LeBron James was an MVP on both ends of the floor as he scored 38 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, and dished out 6 assists, but he also held Paul Pierce to 11 points. They did all of this without Zydrunas Ilgauskas as Anderson Varejao got the start at center. The Celtics resorted to hacking Ben Wallace in the fourth quarter and Ben responded by hitting 5-of-10 before exiting. Mo Williams responded to the free throw makes by throwing his arms in the air and encouraging the crowd to a standing ovation for Ben. It was the first time that Mo showed outward leadership and emotion in a wine and gold uniform.

Game 3 @BOS: L 105-94 - Without Kevin Garnett, the rest of the Boston big men stepped up in a big way as Leon Powe, Kendrick Perkins, and Glen Davis all played a big role in dismantling the Cavaliers in the paint. Powe finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds, Perkins posted 10 points and 8 boards, and Davis had 10 points and 2 boards before being ejected for a flagrant foul on Anderson Varejao. Ray Allen, LeBron James, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas all received technicals for the aftermath that ensued. Mo led the Cavaliers with 26 points. Ben Wallace did not play for the Cavaliers, but Joe Smith in his first game as a Cavalier scored 7 points and cleaned 5 boards.

Game 4 @CLE: W 107-76 - The Cavaliers Rickroll'd Boston in Quicken Loans Arena as LeBron James and Mo Williams sung and danced to the Rick Astley hit "Never Gonna Give You Up". Anderson Varejao received a crotch shot courtesy of Ray Allen after Varejao threw Allen to the ground on a rebound. LBJ had 29 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists in the winning effort. Pierce was the leading scorer for Boston with 14 points.

Individual Stats:

Cavaliers

LeBron James - 27.5 PTS, 6 RBS, 6 AST
Mo Williams - 16 PTS, 3.3 RBS, 2.8 AST
Zydrunas Ilgauskas - 12.7 PTS, 7.3 RBS (3 games)
Anderson Varejao - 11 PTS, 7.8 RBS
Daniel Gibson - 8.5 PTS, 2.8 AST
Delonte West - 8 PTS, 3 RBS, 4 AST
Joe Smith - 7 PTS, 6.5 RBS (2 games)
Ben Wallace - 3.7 PTS, 3 RBS (3 games)
Wally Szczerbiak - 3.3 PTS, 1.5 RBS
Sasha Pavlovic - 2.3 PTS

Celtics

Paul Pierce - 20.3 PTS, 3.5 RBS, 4 AST
Kevin Garnett - 14.5 PTS, 10.5 RBS (2 games)
Leon Powe - 13.7 PTS, 5.3 RBS (3 games)
Ray Allen - 10.8 PTS, 4 RBS, 2.3 AST
Tony Allen - 9 PTS, 3 RBS (2 games)
Kendrick Perkins - 8.3 PTS, 5.8 RBS
Mikki Moore - 8 PTS, 2.5 RBS (2 games)
Rajon Rondo - 7.5 PTS, 3.8 RBS, 8.8 AST
Glen Davis - 6.5 PTS, 3.3 RBS
Eddie House - 5.5 PTS
Stephon Marbury - 3.5 PTS, 3.5 AST (2 games)
Brian Scalabrine - 0 PTS, 1 RBS (1 game)

Notes:
-Delonte West's numbers were very subpar against his former team (8 PTS, 3 RBS, 4 AST).
-Anderson Varejao had 4 solid games against the Celtics, two of them in relief of Ben Wallace and Zydrunas Ilgauskas in the starting lineup. Andy averaged 11 PTS and 7.8 RBS in the four games.
-Daniel Gibson had two of his better games of the year against Boston with 10 and 15 points in the home games.
-Leon Powe, Tony Allen, and Mikki Moore were the only Celtics who scored more against the Cavaliers than they averaged the entire season. That means the entire starting five was held below their scoring average against the Cavaliers.
-From my perspective, the Cavaliers have the upper hand here. They are nowhere near the same team they were in that first game where they lost by just five in Boston. They won quite convincingly in their two games at The Q. They were in a bad stretch when they lost the third game. Their effort wasn't there, and they let Davis, Powe, and Perkins beat them up down low. The Cavaliers are healthy, the Celtics are without KG and Powe, and the Celtics haven't won in Cleveland since the Big Three was assembled in Beantown. The Celtics, however, have a never-say-die attitude and they always seem to come up with timely plays and shots. Big Baby is playing very well right now too.

CAVALIERS vs. ORLANDO MAGIC

Season Series: Orlando 2-1

Game 1 @ORL: L 99-88 - The Cavaliers played well in the first half, taking a one-point lead into the break. But, a third quarter surge by the Magic found the Cavaliers trailing by seven at the end of three. The Magic then extended the lead to almost 20 points before the Cavaliers made a late rally. The Magic attempted 31 three pointers, making 11 of them. Orlando's Big Four of Howard, Turkoglu, Lewis, and Nelson combined for 78 points. LeBron led the Cavaliers with 24, and other than Wally Szczerbiak's 14 points, there wasn't much else for Cleveland.

Game 2 @CLE: W 97-93 - These two titans matched up this time on Cleveland's turf. The three pointers weren't falling as frequently for the Magic who shot 10-of-28 from downtown. The Cavaliers employed the startegy of taking away Dwight Howard and forcing the Orlando guards to make shots. The strategy worked as Howard finished with just 13 points while grabbing 15 boards and blocking 6 shots. LeBron dropped 43 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists on the Magic, and he was not about to let his guys lose this one. A key play was when official Jack Nies called Dwight Howard for offensive three seconds in the final minute. Stan Van Gundy, who just loves to hear himself talk like any Van Gundy apparently, was upset with the call after the game.

Game 3 @ORL: L 116-87 - The Cavaliers were playing their third game in four days and a back-to-back after dropping one to the Washington Wizards the night before. The Magic just couldn't miss on this night, and they blew the Cavaliers off the court. Orlando shot a whopping 54 percent, and they led by 41 points at one point in the third quarter. Cleveland meanwhile shot just 37 percent as LeBron's 26 points were about all that was going on for the Cavaliers; no one else scored more than 10 points. Rashard Lewis led the Magic with 22, but it was a team effort for them in the blowout.

Individual Stats:

Cavaliers

LeBron James - 30.7 PTS, 9.7 RBS, 7 AST
Mo Williams - 14.3 PTS, 2.3 RBS, 2.7 AST
Anderson Varejao - 9.3 PTS, 6.3 RBS
Zydrunas Ilgauskas - 9 PTS, 9 RBS (2 games)
Delonte West - 6.5 PTS, 2.5 RBS, 0.5 AST (2 games)
Wally Szczerbiak - 6.3 PTS, 2 RBS
Daniel Gibson - 6 PTS, 2 AST (2 games)
Sasha Pavlovic - 3.3 PTS, 2.3 RBS, 1.3 AST
Ben Wallace - 2 PTS, 3 RBS (1 game)
Joe Smith - 2 PTS, 3.5 RBS (2 games)

Magic

Dwight Howard - 18.3 PTS, 14.7 RBS, 3.7 BLK
Jameer Nelson - 18 PTS, 3 RBS, 3 AST (1 game)
Rafer Alston - 17 PTS, 3 RBS, 7 AST (2 games)
Hedo Turkoglu - 16 PTS, 7 RBS, 5 AST
Rashard Lewis - 15.7 PTS, 4.3 RBS, 2.7 AST
Courtney Lee - 12.3 PTS, 3 RBS, 1.3 AST
Anthony Johnson - 7.3 PTS
Mickael Pietrus - 6 PTS, 4.7 RBS, 2.7 AST
Tony Battie - 4 PTS, 3 RBS
J.J. Redick - 4 PTS, 2 RBS, 3 AST (1 game)
Marcin Gortat - 3.5 PTS, 5 RBS (2 games)

Notes:
-It's a little unsettling to see that LeBron is the only one who averaged 15+ PTS against the Magic in the 3 games. If the Cavaliers have a chance against the Magic, they need better production out of Mo Williams, Delonte West, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas.
-Delonte in particular struggled in the 2 games he played in. Just 6.5 PTS and half an assist are not Delonte type numbers. A big reason for the struggling figures from him and Mo is that Dwight Howard blocked almost 4 shots a game, and the Cavaliers got tentative in attacking the basket.
-The Cavaliers haven't seen much of J.J. Redick, but he has been starting in place of Courtney Lee since Lee broke his sinus courtesy of Superman.
-If the Magic actually committed to getting Dwight Howard the ball in the post consistently, the Cavaliers could have serious issues. But, as it is, the Magic like to run up and down and jack up 30 three pointers a game. If they continue that, the Cavaliers can close out and contest their shots. A key for the Cavaliers is keeping Rafer Alston and Hedo Turkoglu from driving to the basket.
-In the first game, the Cavaliers were in it until the Magic went on a big run. They did that without West and Ilgauskas. In game two, the Cavaliers employed the strategy that I want to see them use if these two square off next round. Double Dwight Howard in the post and force someone else to beat you on the perimeter with a hand in their face. The Cavaliers have the type of swarming defense to be able to have that type of coverage.
-If the Cavaliers do play Orlando, they will need their full complement of big men. That means Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Anderson Varejao, Joe Smith, Ben Wallace, Wally Szczerbiak, and, yes, Darnell Jackson will need to keep Howard in front of them and send him to the line when he gets to deep in the paint. Howard is just a 59 percent foul shooter, and there's a reason why they don't go to him late in the game.
-Homecourt is big in this series, but Orlando is more equipped to steal a game in Cleveland than Boston is. That's because of their three point streakiness. At the same time, because of that reliance on the trey ball, they are more likely to get beat at home than Boston as well.

Whether it's Boston or Orlando, the Cavaliers will have their first true test in the next round. They will need to defend the paint much better, run the offense and distribute, and they must get significant production from Mo Williams and Delonte West especially in addition to LeBron. If they do that, there's no reason they cannot dispatch either one of these teams in six games.

Boston leads the series 3-2, and Game 6 is tonight in Orlando's Amway Arena.

ONE GOAL!

Kirk

Comments (4)

Name

Email

Website

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (registered users only)

Add Comment