NBA pundits have been forecasting doom and gloom for the Celtic hoopsters since before the KG trade was made official. Those predictions proven false, the pundits have now turned their attention to the playoffs, where the Cleveland Cavaliers appear to be a lock for the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference playoff seedings.
We all know who is first. This would mean that the Celtics and the Cavs would meet in round 2 if both teams won their first round match-ups.
Recent scuttlebutt is that the 2008 playoffs will be the 1986 playoffs all over again, with LeBron "going MJ" on the Celtics. It's hard to know what this means, since the Celtics defeated the Bulls 3-0 in the first round of the 1986 playoffs. Yes, Jordan scored 63 points in game two, but by the third game, he had run out of gas and was outscored by Danny Ainge, 20-19.
It will be different with LeBron, the pundits counter, because LeBron has already taken his team to the Finals. Michael Jordan was just getting started in 1986.
All of this makes for good copy.
But let's get real.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are eight games over five hundred. They've lost four of their last six, and five of their last ten. Last night they lost to the Chicago Bulls. Now King James is complaining of back spasms.
Pending a first-round date with either Toronto, Washington, or Philadelphia, the more interesting question would seem to be whether the Cavs will even make it to the second round?
It's certainly not a lock. But teams need some kind of chemistry and momentum heading into the playoffs, and health doesn't hurt either. I don't see the Cavs just turning it on like a light switch.
I'm not predicting first-round defeat for LeBron.
At the same time, it certainly wouldn't surprise me.
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