05-06-2008, 11:08 AM
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#1 (permalink)
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BRILLIANT!
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: My Own World - You're All Living In It
Age: 22
Posts: 16,873
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Celtics Make Pressure Point
Quote:
WALTHAM - The Celtics [team stats] are well aware of what LeBron James can do when given the chance. Across the NBA, there are chalk outlines of those who have sought to guard the Cleveland colossus.
Even with arguably the best defense in the league, the Celts know they will take their share of hits from James, who averaged 32.3 points against them in the regular season. Fairly powerless, like others, to stop him when he has the ball, it’s expected the Celtics will try to stop the ball before he gets it.
The Cavaliers had a couple of big turnover games in their first-round win against Washington, and the Celts will try to promote the same by applying defense in the backcourt. It won’t be Rick Pitino stuff, but with Rajon Rondo [stats] out front, it is hoped it will at least decrease the time LeBron has to work in the scoring zone.
That was a main topic of discussion at the Celtics’ only full pre-series practice yesterday.
“That’s Rajon’s job every game,” Paul Pierce [stats] said, “so I expect us to definitely go ahead and do that against their ballhandlers, because I feel like we have an advantage there. To be able to pick up their guards and turn them, take them out of their offense, that’s going to be big for us. If we can get them out of their offense to where they have no choice but to just throw the ball to LeBron and everybody space out, hey . . .
“If we can keep them out of continuity where they’re moving the ball and finding their perimeter scorers, we give ourselves a great chance.”
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http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/b...&position=also
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“The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotion, spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who have never tasted victory or defeat.”
Bleeding purple & gold...
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