Celtics set to duel with King James, Bruins manage to avoid Sid the Kid

Saturday the Celtics head to Cleveland to take on LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.  Unlike our first round matchup, against Dwayne Wade and 4 scrubs from the local YMCA, King James has a solid supporting cast around him, with several players actually presenting matchup problems for the Celtics.  Two guys, in particular, have been a thorn in the green team's side over the past two seasons, and have caused me to lose somewhere between 10-15 years of my life from chronic stress on the heart.  The first is Andy Varejao, the Cavaliers "energy guy", if you will.  He rebounds, takes charges, can hit the open jumper, and typically flops around like a fish out of water.  He is, without question, the most annoying player in the NBA, unless of course, he is on your team, at which point he becomes a certain fan favorite.  This guy has absolutely killed the Celtics on the glass, especially when we have failed to put a body on him.  It's going to be up to guys like Glen "Big Baby" Davis to neutralize the effects of Varejao, or we have absolutely no chance in this series.  The next guy is Mo Williams.  The Cavs point guard, who has actually made the all-star team thanks to his ability to hit open 3-pointers, and playing alongside the best player in the world.  That's the thing about the Cavs...all LeBron's teammates have to do is make their open shots.  James draws so much attention that, often times, 3 or even 4 defenders will collapse on him, leaving his teammates wide-open for uncontested shots.  Williams, to his credit, is a very good outside shooter, and certainly has the ability to pile on the points in short time span, ultimately igniting the crowd, and often breaking the opposing team's will.  Rondo will have a difficult assignment trying to stay within the team's defensive scheme, while not leaving Williams alone behind the 3-point arc.  It is going to be crucial for the Celtics to take one of the first two games on the road.  Not an easy task, but something they are defintitely capable of.  It's also going to be important to get out to a quick start, which will take the crowd out of the game.  If not, this building can be a very difficult place to play, and the Cavs do a nice job of feeding off their energy.

The Bruins

With all of the bandwagon jumping, towel waving hoopla surrounding the Bruins, I feel it's my duty to bring everyone back down to earth a little bit here.  First, every B's fan should be counting their blessings that their team has been granted, without question, the easiest road to the conference finals in league history.  In round 1, the Bruins faced the weakest #3 seed in the history of organized sports, period.  That Buffalo team stunk, and without their top scorer, Thomas Vanek, they were downright atrocious.  Next, the Bruins will face the #7 seed, Philadelphia Flyers, who ultimately limped into the postseason thanks to a shootout win on the last day of the season.  The Flyers are now without several of their front line players, another gift from the hockey gods, who are seemingly shining down on the Bruins after 30 some-odd years of the team laying turds in the playoffs.  Now, I realize that I'm being a little harsh, but I'm tired of people giving the Celtics crap for underachiveing during the regular season, while giving the Bruins a pass for stinking out the TD garden for over 90% of their season.  If I recall, the Bruins were picked by many to reach the Stanley Cup Finals, and proceeded to take those lofty expectations right to the bottom of the standings, and nearly out of playoff contention.  And who could forget about that no-show performance during the five minutes after Marc Savard nearly get his head taken off?  Have a couple of wins, against a bad team, erased all of this?  If so, fine, but get the hell off the Celtics case, especially you Michael Felger.  You, have done nothing but bash the Celtics over the last month for "flipping the switch" before the playoffs, while wearing your Bruins pajamas, and waving your yellow towel shamelessly.  And how convenient it is for you to forget the fact that you were barred from the Garden for ten years for call their owner a cheap fraud.  What?  Do you think this guy cares about this team now?  No, he cares about the bottom-line, and I still stand by the fact that this team won't win a thing until he's gone.  Have fun buying tickets, and giving your money to that penny-pinching jerk.  And while your sitting in the stands, try not to be blinded by the green and white banners that are littered all over that building.  The Celtics hang World Championship banners, while the B's hang banners for winning the divivion, hah, and we still have more.  Just remember, the Celtics own that building, just like they owned the one they knocked down almost 14 years ago, that's fact, not opinion.  Congrats to the Bruins for avoiding Sidney Crosby and the Penguins, and the embarrassment of getting hosed at the same time.  Playing a 7 seed to get to the Conference Finals is an utter mockery.  At least the Celtics will have to play a real team to get to their respective conference championship.