Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
“It’s the playoffs, man,” KG said, still not raising his voice. “Whatever’s not important goes out the window. I think everybody starts to focus in a little more. It’s all about winning. Through the course of the year, different things emerge to the top of the team and things sweep in, and there’s trades and chemistry and there’s different dimensions that can crack a team or damage a team. “
When it comes down to playoffs, all of that is settled and it’s almost like it’s fresh and new.”
Garnett was asked if the playoffs are the reward for getting through the arduous regular season.
“The reward is the trophy,” he said. “Let’s not kid ourselves.”
Herald: KG plays it cool, serves it hot
Why is this kicking off the Dump? Because I love that quote.
"The reward is the trophy... Let's not kid ourselves"
It gets me pumped.
So do things like Charles Barkley on national TV saying "If I had any guts at all, I'd say Cleveland will sweep 'em." Join the club, ChuckWagon. But I'm telling you, it's not going to be that easy. Don't believe the media hype.
On Page 2, Doc compares LeBron to Magic.
“He’s a bullet passer,” Rivers said on Thursday, two days before Game 1. “He’s the only guy I know of like Magic. The ’steam’ bullet passes. He throws cross-court passes that are 100 miles an hour and it’s tough to react to.
“We showed the guys that on film and if you’re not down in your stance and you’re standing straight up on the weakside and he makes that pass, there’s no way you’re going to get out to that shooter.”
Rivers tried his best to get his team ready but admitted it’s next to impossible.
“We worked on that [Thursday] and there’s nobody on our team that can throw that pass so the work didn’t look as good. We kept getting out to the shooter and I said, ‘Yeah, we’re throwing softballs.’ “
He’s a great passer. In some ways, I think he wants to pass sometimes.”
LeBron might be a douche that believes his own hype (see how I continued the theme there?) but he's a ridiculous talent. A once in a generation type of player. And his passing is probably the most dangerous aspect of it.
So much of defending LeBron and his passing is preparation and anticipation. You have to find tendencies. You have to find a way to cut off his path to the hoop and then you have to know that Cavs offense so intimately, that your starting to move towards those shooters almost before LeBron is making the pass.
And this is why a playoff series is so different than the regular season. If this thing goes 7, the Celtics will send two weeks focusing on nothing but the Cleveland Cavaliers. In the regular season, they would be focusing on what... 7 or 8 different teams over that same span?
So when you hear the playoffs are different, that's a huge reason why. You have a TON more time to prepare and break the opponent down. Coaching staffs earn their money in the playoffs. Spotting that one tendency in film can be the difference in a tight series.
That's how intricate it gets. And that's they type of preparation the C's need to slow LeBron down and turn him into little more than a jump shooter. If they can do that, then they'll have a better chance.
The rest of the links:
Herald: Dethrone King James | Elbow Theory | With LeBron, numbers create answers | Celts/Cavs matchups | LeBron: "We're not going to back down from nobody" | Globe: Hurt LeBron still one of the best | ESPN Boston: Celtics face uncertain future | Doc not a fan of round 2 schedule | PTI: 5 good minutes with Doc | CSNNE: C's go from Top Dog to Underdog | Souza: Pierce vs. James a money matchup | WEEI: LeBron's elbow funny business to Celts | Is it Marquis' time? | Time is now for the Celtics | The Celtics as underdogs | The Varejao factor | Celtics Blog: 10 little keys to this series | Celtics Hub: An eye on free agency | What happens when Cavs go small | NBA Musings: Craig Sagers suits | CSL: So what if Cleveland is better?