Now What King James?

The Cleveland Cavaliers greatly underestimated the Boston Celtics because of the average basketball they played the second half of the season. The Celtics were a team that was mistaken for being too old and not talented enough. When in reality the team was just injured, incorporating new players, and lacked rhythm/chemistry. I knew this team would revive itself in the postseason and now with a healthy KG who knows how far this team could go. In my Welcome Back post,I described the unfair public perception of the Celtics, and spoke of their strong playoff performance to come.

When the Cavaliers realized that they had committed a grave miscalculation of their opponent they wilted under the pressure. When the going got tough and Lebron James could not dominate, they simply gave up on their season. Leborn tore off his Cavs jersey as soon as he was in the tunnel to the locker room, but not before he hugged and talked to many of the Celtics. Last year Lebron was heavily criticized for his premature exit from the handshaking/hugging ritual that normally takes place at the conclusion of a playoff series. He walked off the court without congratulating the Magic after his team's Conference Finals defeat. This time Lebron leaves the postseason a round earlier and must face the "now what" that lies in front of him. We have most likely seen Lebron James's final game as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

It was proven once again that to win in the playoffs you need a true team and not a one man squad. As stated in my Go For the Jugular posting: "Lebron James was voted to his second consecutive MVP award this year, but I believe his role on the team is ultimately detrimental in the long run". A one man team never wins in the sport of basketball and the Celtics re-taught this lesson. A collective unit of team players and leaders will always beat out a one man superstar driven team. If Lebron wants to win his elusive championship he will need to become part of a team that plays as one.

Kenny Smith on TNT's Inside the NBA said it best after the game 5 victory: "The Celtics are like a leaky wall. Every time you plug up one hole another one leaks, and another one leaks..." He was ingeniously referring to the fact that you can slow Rajon Rondo, but then Ray Allen lands some cold blooded threes. You can double KG, but then Pierce drives to the basket or hits a clutch jumper. The Cavs learned this the hard way and in the end were no match for this true team.

I predicted the Celtics would win in five games over Miami. I said that the Celtics would beat the Cavs in six games, but how far can my prophecies go? What makes the Orlando Series so tough to predict is the fact that it is such an even match up. Rondo and Jameer Nelson are both all star point guards, Paul Pierce and Vince Carter are essentially the same player (wash), and Rashard Lewis VS. (former teammate) Ray Allen is another wash. The match up gets more interesting when you look at the Perkins/Garnett/Wallace VS. Dwight Howard battle to ensue. Also, each team has an effective bench which will help provide for another great series of playoff basketball.

Last year the Celtics took the Magic to a game seven with KG unable to play due to a knee injury. This time around we will not only have KG, but a healthy one who is playing top form basketball right now. This does bode well for Boston, but what does not bode well is that Orlando will be well rested and will not make the mistake of underestimating this team. The prediction on this upcoming series is going to take deeper analysis and thought, but will be given before the series begins.