Boston's “Big 3” (power forward Kevin Garnett, shooting guard Paul Pierce & point guard Ray Allen) will destroy the Hawks who haven't been to the playoffs for the past 9 seasons. Pierce averages around 20 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists & 2 steals, Garnett averages around 19 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal & 1 block and Allen averages around 17 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists & 1 steal. That's only the “Big 3”. There's also backup point guards Sam Cassell (11 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal), Rajon Rondo (11 points 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals) and center Kendrick Perkins (7 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block). Boston is a team on a mission. Before KG arrived, Boston was one of the worst teams in the NBA because they lacked a big strong inside presence. Garnett brings that and superb leadership skills. Boston (66-16) enters the postseason on a 4-game winning streak and winning 9 out of their last 10 games.
Atlanta also has several good players, specifically shooting guard Joe Johnson (22 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal), small forwards Josh Smith (17 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal) & Marvin Williams (15 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal), point guard Mike Bibby (14 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal), shooting guard Josh Childress (12 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal) and power forward Al Horford (10 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block). Atlanta stumbles into the playoffs having lost 3 in a row and are only 5-5 in their last 10 games.
Ultimate Edge:
Boston: The Celtics are more battle-tested than the Hawks and the Celtics have simply been more productive than the Hawks this season. If we take a look at the records, Boston is 66-16 with battle-tested veterans while Atlanta got into the playoffs because of the weakness of the Eastern Conference. The Eastern Conference is so weak that two teams with losing records (Atlanta: 37-45 & Philadelphia 76ers: 40-42) and one team with a 0.500 record (Toronto Raptors: 41-41) are in the playoffs. Prediction: Boston wins this series 4-0.
Latest Game:
Beat the Atlanta Hawks 104-81 for quite an easy victory and a 1-0 series lead as expected behind shooting guard Ray Allen (18 points), power forward Kevin Garnett (16 points, 10 rebounds), shooting guard Paul Pierce (16 points), point guard Rajon Rondo (15 points, 9 assists), power forward Leon Powe (10 points) and backup point guard Sam Cassell (10 points). Every starter and bench player who played significant minutes made at least 40% of their shots. The Hawks (0-1) were led by power forward Al Horford (20 points,, shooting guard Joe Johnson (19 points), but he was only 7-22 from the field and shooting guard Josh Childress (10 points). Another factor was probably fatigue for the Hawks as 2 of their starters played more than 40 minutes (Johnson played 41 minutes and Horford played for 40 minutes). None of Boston's starters, on the other hand, played more than 35 minutes. 10 rebounds)
DETROIT VS. PHILADELPHIA
Once again, this is a mismatch. Detroit is battle-tested while Philadelphia hasn't done much since AI was traded to Denver in 2005. The Pistons did well even after losing defensive whiz Ben Wallace to Chicago. Leading the way for the Pistons will be point guard Chauncey Billups (17 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal), shooting guard Richard (“Rip”) Hamilton (17 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal), small forward Tayshaun Prince (13 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal), power forward Rasheed Wallace (13 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 block) and Antonio McDeyss (9 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block). Detroit enters the playoffs having won the Central Division title, 8 out of their last 10 games and 4 in a row.
Philadelphia, like Atlanta has been in a playoff drought. Actually, they've been declining ever since “The Answer” (Allen Iverson) went to Denver. The Sixers are led by small forward Andre Iguodala (20 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals), shooting guard Willie Green (12 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal), shooting guard Lou Williams (12 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal) and center Samuel Dalembert (11 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 2 blocks). Philadelphia stumbles into the playoffs having lost 7 of their last 10 games and 4 in a row.
Ultimate Edge:
Detroit: The Pistons have made the playoffs for 4 or 5 years in a row now, despite losing Ben Wallace after the 2005-2006 season whereas the Sixers have been in limbo since Allen Iverson left in 2005. This series should be more competitive than Boston against Atlanta, but we should still see a blowout. Prediction: Detroit wins this series 4-1.
