The Celtics are LEGIT contenders and are capable......

Bradley will most likely be matched up against Wade, but, I remember Lee getting bullied by Wade in the post last season.

 

No way a KG/Bass frontline gets Boston past Miami. Melo and Sullinger are rookies and Green is coming off a bad injury (and more of a comboforward). So neither of those three will be able to fill in the hole that Bass leaves on the defensive end. The backcourt looks alright, but they need somebody else besides KG in the frontcourt.

 

Miami's not stacked at the center position either. Spoelstra said he was going to give more minutes at the 5 to Bosh specifically to match up with Garnett at the 5 when they play this year.

 

I love being the underdogs. My boys are ready for the challenge.

 

It's gonna be close. Last year it was 7 games.

Sure Bosh was hurt.

But for the Celtics, Ray Allen was hurt, Paul Pierce was hurt, Avery Bradley was out, Jeff Green was out, Chris Wilcox was out (for depth reasons important).

 

If you're playing the injury card, then D Wade was hurt and he's more valuable than any of the players you just named.

 

A couple inches? Lee isn't that tall and Wade isn't that short. Wade is around 6'4 and Lee is about the same. Its not like Wade is 6'3 and Lee is 6'7

 

The Celtics did got a lot better now that Allen left. A combo of Lee and Terry is way better than Allen. Ray Allen just isn't the same player he once was. Now because of his age, he's been reduced to a spot up shooter. He has great difficulty creating his own shot and his defense isn't there anymore.

Meanwhile, Jason Terry and Lee can knock down the 3s and Terry can create his own shot and be a killer in the 4th for the Celtics while Lee can be a big defensive threat next to Rondo in the back court. Plus Courtney Lee is more than capable of scoring also. Ray Allen leaving the Celtics may seem painful at first but its a blessing in disguise.Plus Ray Allen is injury prone now because of his age. He's not going to do much for the Celtics anymore but just an overpaid future hall of fame and a spot up shooter now. Lee and Terry will make the Celtics and their fans forget about Ray Allen quick.

Ray Allen is just butthurt because he got his starting position taken away by a young player. Its better for the Celtics anyway because by keeping Allen would create some problems down the line. With Allen gone, the Celtics got better and a little younger now with Lee and Terry. But the problem is, KG and Pierce both are not getting any younger so it all depends on whether both of those guys can stay healthy for the entire season.

BTW, with Fab Melo, I think he will be a big time bust. I know he's not a lottery pick but with all the hype around him, which isn't that much anyway, he will most likely not be close to the little hype that he got. He will probably be an average rebounder and shot blocker and a journeyman down the road.

 

Agree. D Wade is very injury prone. But even while he's injured, he's more capable of being a bigger impact than all of those players. He can still score big numbers, play great defense, and able to finish games with the best of them. D Wade still play like the 2nd best SG in the entire league while being hurt.

Sometimes it doesn't matter how many games they missed during the regular season, its how much they impact the games when they are on the court and D Wade impacts the game way more than most of the players in the league. IMO, D Wade impacts the game while injured, more than a healthy Carmelo Anthony. That just how good he is.

I know the Heat won the championship last year while riding on Lebron's back, but D Wade is still a big major factor. The thought of him playing that well through the finals and able to keep up the intensity at a high level with that painful knee injury he was suffering through, its just amazing.

 

No point of debating. Finals will be Lakers and Heat. Stern won't let the Celtics sniff out of the second round.

 

D Wade was healthier than Pierce or Allen. Or Bradley, Green and Wilcox who weren't playing at all.

 

Good team, nice depth, but the Heat are going to be so tough to beat.

 

It really depends how impactful Sullinger and Melo are. Still don't see them beating the Heat, but they might be able to beat the Bulls (even if Rose is healthy). In a way, they kind of remind me of the Pacers. Good, not great- and very deep.

 

more like
Rondo
Bradley
Pierce
Bass
KG

Pierce is insanely underrated as a defender if you'd rather play Lee at 3 over Pierce.
And I'd have to see Fab Melo defend before calling him a great defender. Will block shots, but will he do anything else?

 

it wasn't an injury

 

I can't really agree to this statement, outside of the PG position the Heat win nearly every match up there is.

Rondo > Chalmers
Lee < Wade (Allen possibly backing him up or starting)
Pierce < James
Bass (coin flip) Lewis
KG (depends on health of KG) Bosh

You have 3 players in their respective primes vs 2 over the hill franchise players and Rando. Unless the Heat get hampered with injuries or the Celtics play amazingly well on both sides of the floor, Heat have a great chance against them.

 

So what, Wade would've had a much bigger impact if he was healthy than any of those players.

 

Bosh was also injured. Wade and Bosh have more impact than all those players combined.

 

wait, was Wade injured during the Celtics series? I don't recall the details anymore. I just remember him murdering my Pacers a week before that.
i guess a bum knee is a bum knee. but i wonder how much of it was the knee and how much the Celtics D.