Q&A Session: Lucas Shapiro – The Celtics’ NBA Final Preview

Well, this is kinda late. Sorry.

Yes, the Boston Celtics. We all know them. They’re not as championship-hyped this year. But, hey, they proved everyone wrong. After winning against the Heat, the Cavs and the Magic, they’ve made a bold statement to the league and us, the fans. Remember the 2nd-half of the season? They were playing horrid. Finishing 4th in the Eastern Conference standings. Albeit, they still have that experience inside their team. And obviously, the Playoffs is a different scenario now. They’ve woke up and they’re now much more energized than ever before. Now, their against their all-time rival, the Los Angeles Lakers.

I brought in my good friend, Lucas Shapiro, who actually is my 1st boss in the NBA blogosphere. Anyway, he’s best-known for his works in Bleacher Report as a Featured Columnist and in Dimemag.com as an Intern. He is also Real Sports Net’s Director of Content in the NBA area.

The Q’s are in Orange while L-Shap’ anwsers are in Celtic green.

Way before the Playoffs started, Celtics weren’t even in talks being in the NBA Finals. How does it feel seeing your Celtics be back in the limelight after a 1-year absence and proving those analysts and haters wrong?

I’m happy for them. I definitely did not see this coming. I thought they were going to be gone in the first round since they were not playing hard at the end of the season. I guess the new trend of taking the second half of the season off has worked for them.

This team is completely different from the NBA’s regular season. With your guys getting rejuvenated and all, have you even expected them to wake up?

I thought they wouldn’t wake up. I was watching how poorly Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett were playing and I thought they didn’t have a chance this year.

What are Boston’s keys to win these series?

Their main problem is rebounding. They are not the tallest team, so their key is to box out. That means everyone too, not just the big man. Everyone needs to crash the boards, force L.A to only take one shot on each possession. If they can do that, they can win the series.

When the season started, we saw a different Rajon Rondo. He garnered an All-Star performace in Dallas early in the year. Not only that, he also lead the league in steals; earning him a spot in the All-NBA Defensive team. Now, the Celtics main concern is him being limited. How does this affect the team’s play and how do the Celtics bounce back from this?

I always knew Rajon Rondo was going to be a great player ever since the beginning of the 2008 season. The lack of a consistent three-point shot can be a problem only if Ray Allen and Paul Pierce are missing shots. We saw Allen and Pierce go 0-6 from the three-pointer in Game 1 and that is one of the reasons why Rondo was less effective.

The Celtics are renowned for players, who contribute unexpectedly. Players like Glen Davis (HEAT series), ‘Sheed (CAVS series) and Nate Robinson (MAGIC series) headline the list. Now, which specific Celtic is gonna breakout and be the X-Factor in the team’s quest for Championship #18?

I really think that Tony Allen is the key to the series. It was mentioned on Dimemag.com recently and I completely agree. The Lakers don’t pay attention to the Celtics role players and Allen is the type of guy who can pick up the tempo and expose the Lakers’ lack of speed.

I’ve read your article on Bleacher Report about the 2010 NBA Finals. And I saw you picked the Celtics in 6. Why is that? Just to let the readers know.

(I actually picked the Celtics in 7) I think the Celtics have better chemistry and toughness. Everyone is talking about how the Lakers became tough. I don’t really believe it. They won one game! Call me biased but I think it takes more than one game to show your true colors.

I think that’s about everything, man. Anything else to say?

I’d say check my stuff out at Bleacher Report and Dimemag.com (*Click the links).You have a great site Mark and I’ll be sure to check it out. Keep up the great work.

Thanks! I really appreciate the time you gave us. Don’t give up on writing, Lucas. You’re bound for ESPN or any supreme Sports network out there in a few years.

PHOTO CREDITS:

Brian Babineau/NBAE/Getty Images

Elsa/Getty Images

Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images

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Comments are much appreciated. Please leave them down low.

Follow Mark On Twitter (@InOutNBAMacGelo)

Shoot me an email at cualocsin12@gmail.com

HHC Talks to NBA Players: Ronny Turiaf

First of all, we would like to announce that, one of our favorite players, Ronny Turiaf, is now on Twitter. So, anyone who applauds his energetic play on the court, follow him. This guy loves to entertain his followers. A month ago, he kindly followed me and we even made a little chit-chat about the recent happenings in the NBA.

As of March 25, he’s already come up with 907 tweets. Way back then, he asked some of his followers about getting verified in Twitter, and he also made a contest, in which the winner, who gives him the most followers will win a signed jersey by Ronny, himself. I, who also is a fan, also joined, but I have struggled to the other competitors. I might not win that jersey, but I call it already a milestone of having Ronny Turiaf as one of my followers. It appears that for every mention he gets, he always replies. Now, that’s a 100% reply rating. Hoops Head Central is glad to give him a shoutout. Keep doing what you do, Ronny, because we love it.

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Here was our conversation about a month ago on Twitter:

Mark Locsin: Spurs win Game 3! Oh yeah, we have the lead in the series.

Ronny Turiaf: great series right there!!!!!!!

Mark Locsin: I see! Great pick, Ronny. Where do you think will the Spurs end their season? Semi’s? Conference Finals? NBA Finals?

Ronny Turiaf: tough to say….. conference finals… at least

Mark Locsin: Good pick there, so you’re saying they can’t get past the Lakers?

Ronny Turiaf: not at all. i just dont know this playoffs are so intense and crazy anything can happen. you know.. but lakers are so tough

Mark Locsin: Since you’re saying Lakers are tough, do you even miss being a Laker?

Ronny Turiaf: of course. but more so the friendship with my old teammates those guys were like my brothers. but business is business

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Click the links down low:

Follow Ronny Turiaf on Twitter: @MadininaRonny21

Follow Mark Locsin on Twitter: @InOutNBAMacGelo

Don’t forget to comment down low.

NBA Playoff Recap 5/19: Lakers seize 2-0 lead over Suns.

GAME TWO

3rd-seed Phoenix Suns vs. 1st-seed Los Angeles Lakers

(112-124)

After losing Game 1 to the Lakers, the Phoenix Suns had their minds set to win Game 2. A win could boost their momentum plus they could head home more light-headed. The Lakers on the other hand are trying to win their 8th-straight playoff win and grab a commanding 2-0 series lead. Let’s see what happened during the course of the game.

The 1st Quarter saw the Suns turn the ball over alot. And when I say alot, I mean 7 times in the 1st Quarter alone. The Lakers were pretty much using it to their advantage. Ron Artest always had open-looks throughout the 1st. Ron Artest scored 10 of his 18 points in the 1st Quarter, which includes a three at the buzzer. Kobe Bryant scored 9 in that Quarter with 6 assists. The Suns looked for Amar’e throughout the 1st; he ended with 8 points.The Lakers won the starting quarter with a 34-22 lead.

The 2nd Quarter featured the Suns’ bench. Their bench was scorching hot. Everyone made it a priority to contribute. The Suns’ Jared Dudley was pretty much the main catalyst for his team’s bench; scoring 15 points, shooting a perfect 5/5 behind-the-arc and snatching 3 steals. Anyways, this bench made an unexpected 11-0 run. The Lakers would then put their starters back. The effect would quickly come in as the Laker starters would stretch the lead to 11 after 2 Quarters.

The Suns’ Jason Richardson scored 12 points in the 3rd alone, finishing with 27 points. Meanwhile Grant Hill scored 14 during the 3rd, despite being cold during the 1st 2 Quarters. Hill would later end up with 23 points. Both of them combine for 26 points of the Phoenix Suns’ 34 3rd Quarter points. After the 3rd Quarter, The Suns see themsleves tied with the Lakers.

Now, the 4th Quarter begins. The Suns put their productive bench in while the Laker starters played much of the 4th’s duration. The Suns lost due to the fact that they’re undersized. Not only that, but also because of their lack of defense. In the end, Kobe Bryant, who played facilitator in the game, scored some key buckets to finish off the Phoenix Suns. The Black Mamba scored 21 points and had a career-playoff-high 13 assists. Pau Gasol ended with 29 points while hauling in 9 rebounds. The Phoenix Suns’ captain Steve Nash finished with 11 points with 15 assists. Amar’e Stoudemire scored 18 points and some 6 rebounds.

Even though the Suns lost, Planet Orange still ain’t giving up. Why? Here’s some fact. At some point of the game, the Lakers lead by 16. Then the Suns showed some life. Tying the game at 90 apiece after 3 Quarters. This is still a long series, we still don’t know what else is gonna happen, but hey, we’ll keep you updated here in HHC. Game 3 is on Sunsday, errr, Sunday.

PHOTO CREDITS:

1) Harry How/Getty Images

2) Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Follow Mark on Twitter:

@InOutNBAMacGelo

NBA Playoff Recap: May 11th, 2010

4th-seed Boston Celtics vs. 1st-seed Cleveland Cavaliers (120-88)

(Boston leads 3-2)

The Cavs went into this game seeking a 3-2 lead in the series. And, so were the Celtics. Many eyebrows were raised during Game 4 due to issues concerning the Cavs‘ play, with headlines striking the Internet like “LeBron James should guard Rajon Rondo.” and “Shaq should play more minutes.” Ironically, the Cavs didn’t manage to give answers for the news during Game 5. Shaq played 26 minutes, but ended with 21 points as the Cavs leading scorer. If he could’ve played more minutes the game would’ve been close. LeBron James was able to defend Rondo for some part in the game, but it was Mo Williams defending him mostly in the game.

Early on, the Cavs looked for Shaq down the post, where he scored 7 early points. His presence down low took him to the free throw line too, converting 3/3 free throws. Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who has received a couple of DNP-CD‘s, played back-up for Shaq.

Celtics again played magnificent defense, they were able to make the Cavs force shots with the shot clock expiring. Their offense was perkulating too. The Big Three lead the way, scoring 64 of their team’s 120. The Celtics ended the 2nd-half with a 50-44 lead.

The 3rd quarter belonged to the Boston Celtics. They outscored the Cavaliers 30-19 in the 3rd quarter alone. It started with Ray Allen threes that lead to Rajon Rondo drives. Speaking of Ray Allen, he finished with 25 points. Rajon Rondo ended with 16 points and 7 assists. Kevin Garnett also hoisted some jumpers too. The 3rd quarter would end in the favor of the Celtics with a 80-63.

The Cavs lost all hope in the 4th Quarter. Again, they were dominated by the Celtics with a 40:25 point ratio. Cavs hope to even the series and avoid elimination while the Celtics look to close them out on Thursday.

PHOTO CREDITS:

1) Gregory Shamus/NBAE via Getty Images

2) Gregory Shamus/NBAE via Getty Images

3) Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

Follow Mark on Twitter:

@InOutNBAMacGelo

NBA Playoff Recap: May 10th, 2010

Yes, two teams taste the Conference Finals and two teams earn an unpleasant downfall..

1st-seed Los Angeles Lakers vs. 5th-seed Utah Jazz (111-96)

Lakers played Game 4 with a purpose. The Lakers, which Deron Williams dubbed as a championship-team, ended the 1st half with a 17-point lead. The Jazz made the game much more interesting cutting the lead to 5 during the 3rd with Carlos Boozer‘s lay-up. The reigning champions would play some excellent ball and would finally close-out the Jazz in the 2nd-round.

With this win, the Lakers clinch another appearance in the Western Conference Finals, their 3rd-straight. The Lakers were lead by Pau Gasol, who had 33 points and 14  rebounds. Kobe Bryant ended with 32 points. Utah Jazz Forward Carlos Boozer went cold, he shot 4/11 from the field, ending with 10 points and 14 rebounds. The Los Angeles Lakers now earn a 6-day rest. They meet the Phoenix Suns in the Conference Finals.

2nd-seed Orlando Magic vs. 3rd-seed Atlanta Hawks (98-84)

For the 4th-time in this series, the Magic blowout the Hawks. The Magic started tremendously ending the 1st Quarter with a 34-23 lead. And the Magic would continue from there. They shot 55.4% as a team. Vince Carter lead the way with 22 points and Jameer Nelson would add 16 points and 9 assists. Dwight Howard had 13 points while grabbing 8 rebounds and swatting away 4 shots. Atlanta Hawks Forward Josh Smith scored 16 points and grabbed 8 rebounds. Jamal Crawford lead all the Hawks in scoring with 18 points. The Magic are now enjoying another early rest as they await who there next competitor will be, the Boston Celtics or The Cleveland Cavaliers.

PHOTO CREDITS:

1) Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images

2) Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

3) Scott Cunningham/NBAE/Getty Images

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Tim Lacson

NBA Playoff Recap: May 9th, 2010

1st-seed Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 4th-seed Boston Celtics (87-97)

Well, the Cavs had a lot of momentum after taking home-court advantage back in Game 3. But, a point guard from Kentucky would change all of that. More details of that later. The Celtics were a little bit sloppy at first, but energy and some transition plays helped them out. The Cavs had significant help from no other than LeBron James, who finished 22 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists. Shaq, another factor for the Cavs, had 17 points in the game. The other Cavaliers weren’t really producing at their level, shooting a mere 36%. Rajon Rondo scored 19 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists to end the 1st half. He would later end with 29 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists. (I’m not lying on the 18 rebounds. And he’s a featherweight – 170 pounds.)

2nd-half story, the Cavs made up for their 1st-half plays by coming back with a 27-20 point ratio during the 3rd, reducing the lead to two. The Celtics and the Cavs swapped runs during the 4th. Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett both scored 18 points. Paul Pierce still plays cold, shooting 3/8 from the field, ending with 9 points. In the end, the story is still Rondo. Celtics tie the series at 2 games apiece. If Rondo keeps this up, the Celtics should’nt worry about their future. Go Celtics!

3rd-seed Phoenix Suns vs. 7th-seed San Antonio Spurs (107-101)

The Spurs find themselves on a not too common “Do or Die” situation with the Phoenix Suns. Tony Parker has finally started for the Spurs in Game 4 and became productive during the 1st half. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker were going down low at the paint, combining for a 10/14 during the 2nd quarter. The Suns‘ bench on the other hand, made some key threes and timely buckets to cut the Spurs lead. Channing Frye, Goran Dragic and Jared Dudley to name a few.

Steve Nash rocking the “Cyclopse” look.

And as always, this series is physical. So, the Suns‘ Steve Nash (pictured) receives an elbow from the Spurs‘ Tim Duncan. He went back to the locker room and acquired 6 stitches before returning to the game. Speaking of Tim Duncan, he finished with 17 points and 8 rebounds. Manu Ginobili scored 15 points but he made up for it with 5 steals. Despite the injury, Steve Nash would still score on floaters and would pass to Amar’e Stoudemire for some key jumpers. But, the Spurs still never gave up. George Hill gets the hoop plus the harm for a 4-point play that would cut the lead to 2. The Spurs would need to foul now. They find Grant Hill, unfortunately for the Spurs, he would make both free throws. Manu Ginobili misses a three at the other end, and the Suns taste the sweetest revenge against the Spurs.

PHOTO CREDITS:

1) Elsa/Getty Images

2) Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images

3) Ronald Martinez/NBAE/Getty Images

4) D. Clarke Evans/NBAE/Getty Images

Follow Mark on Twitter:

@InOutNBAMacGelo

NBA Playoff Recap: May 7th, 2010

1st-seed Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 4th-seed Boston Celtics (95-124)

(Cleveland leads series 2-1)

If you’re a Cavalier fan then this is what you have been hoping for. The Cavs started well, all because of LeBron James. He was draining so many jump shots in the 1st Quarter that the cylinder looked like an ocean. For the C’s? Let’s just say that they looked dead the whole game. They didn’t even manage to grasp a single lead in the contest.

LeBron James might have controlled the game with his 38 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists. But, he had help too. Antawn Jamison had a 20-12 performance, which leads me say that this is his “Best Game of the Series”. Other than that, 6 players were in double figures for the Cavs, now that’s a balanced attack, these are the rest of the 3 starters, which is Shaq, Anthony Parker and Mo Williams. Delonte West was the only bench player, who was in double digits. From start to finish, the Cavs controlled each aspect in the game.

Rajon Rondo scored 18 and 8 assists. Kevin Garnett had 19 to lead the Celtics while Paul Pierce and Ray Allen combined for 18 points. After this game, the Celtics’ Paul Pierce said it was their Defense that paved the way for their Game 3 loss. Adjustments are expected to be made for Game 4.

3rd-seed Phoenix Suns vs. 7th-seed San Antonio Spurs (110-96)

(Phoenix leads series 3-0)

The Spurs went off to a great start. At one point, they seized an 18-point lead. During the 2nd Quarter, the Suns managed to make a 19:5 run to cut the lead to 6 after the 1st half. And then the 3rd Quarter started. Manu Ginobili and Steve Nash seemed to swapped basket for another. Manu ended with a Spurs‘ team-high of 27 points, and some 6 dimes. Steve Nash, on the other hand, scored 16 points while grabbing 8 rebounds and add 6 assists too.

But then Phoenix Suns‘ Head Coach Alvin Gentry deployed the Goran Dragic experiment, which turn’t out to be a success. He would score 23 points in the 4th Quarter alone, he finished with 26 points in the game. Amar’e Stoudemire had an off-night with 7 points. Jason Richardson scored 21 and Grant Hill added 18. Tim Duncan finished with 15 and Tony Parker with 10. As the game went to a finished, it all would  go down to Dragic‘s excellent play, as the Suns win Game 3.

My Spurs are DEAD. I guess we’re done for the Playoffs now.

PHOTO CREDITS:

1) Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images

2) Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images

3) D. Clarke Evans/NBAE via Getty Images

4) Chris Covatta/NBAE/Getty Images

Follow Mark on Twitter:

@InOutNBAMacGelo

NBA Playoff Recap: May 6th, 2010

3rd-seed Atlanta Hawks vs. 2nd-seed Orlando Magic (98-112)

The 1st Quarter belonged to the Orlando Magic, as Dwight Howard, who ended the night with 29 points, 17 rebounds and a block, played significant. The Magic had a 5-point lead after time expired in the 1st. But, it will all change during the 2nd Qtr, as the Hawks went to Al Horford, who scored 14 of his 24 points in the 2nd Quarter. Jamal Crawford played well in the 2nd Quarter; He later ended with 23 points. The Hawks finished the 2nd Quarter with a 30:17 point ratio. Joe Johnson was quiet during the game, but he surprisingly scored 19 points, 7 came from the FT line.

The 2nd half continued in Magicland. And the Magic will not stop playing GREAT. Vince Carter lead all scorers during the 2nd half with 20 points, despite being cold in the 1st half. Jameer Nelson, also a main contributor during the game ended with a 20-point performance, which includes the buzzer-beating floater bank shot. (What a Word!)

In the end, the Magic went on a tear from a long-distance, and would put the Hawks away on another blowout. Series now shifts to the ATL. Go Magic!

The Magic now have a 2-0 lead in the Conference Semifinals.

PHOTO CREDITS:

Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images

Follow Mark on Twitter:

@InOutNBAMacGelo

NBA Playoff Recap: May 5th, 2010

7th-seed San Antonio Spurs vs. 3rd-seed Phoenix Suns (102-110)

The Bear and the Widowed Wife fighting over a loose-ball.

The San Antonio Spurs started pretty well on both defense and offense. They had fast hands, they avoided fouling, and they were making shots. The Spurs ended the opening-quarter with 30-21 lead over the Suns. During the 2nd Quarter, the Suns had significant help from their second-unit. Jared Dudley, Channing Frye and Goran Dragic to name a few. The Suns shocked the Spurs in the 2nd, as they tied the score to 41 apiece.

During the 2nd half, Channing Frye went HOT. He shot 5/6 3-pointers. But, Tim Duncan had a decent night, he scored 29 points while grabbing 10 rebounds. Tony Parker, who I think should’ve started the game, ended up with 20 points and 7 assists. Manu Ginobili struggled from the field, shooting 2/8 from close and 2/5 from far, but he dished out 11 assists to be the leading passer in the game.

But the Phoenix Suns won’t give-up. They gave it all they got to have a 2-0 series lead during the 4th-Qtr. At the end, Amar’e Stoudemire scored 23 points and taking 11 rebounds with the help of Steve Nash and Jason Richardson, who scored 19 points apiece. Add 6 assists for Steve Nash. And Grant Hill also gave some help to his team with a score of 18 points.

Phoenix gains a 2-0 series lead , dammit! I say Spurs are winning the series.

PHOTO CREDITS:

Barry Gosage/NBAE via Getty Images

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Tim Lacson

NBA Playoff Recap: May 4th, 2010

3rd-seed Atlanta Hawks vs. 2nd-seed Orlando Magic (71-114)

The Atlanta Hawks and the Orlando Magic were a match during the 1st Quarter, but in the 2nd the Hawks got a bit rusty as Dwight Howard started his “Superman Night” during the 2nd. He scored 21 points, grabbing 12 rebounds, and swatting 5 shots. Vince Carter added 20 points and 3 assist. The Atlanta Hawks‘ Josh Smith scored 14 points to lead his team while Zaza Pachulia scored 12 points. The Hawks shot very cold in the game. In the end, the Magic were able to finish with a 46 point-victory in the series-opener. We hope this series gets more interesting in the next few games. We would like to give CONDOLENCES to the HAWKS.

5th-seed Utah Jazz vs. 1st-seed Los Angeles Lakers (103-111)

A Game 2 for the Los Angeles Lakers, they played great from start to finish. Kobe Bryant scored 30 points and had 8 assists and Pau Gasol had 22 points while grabbing 15 rebounds. If it wasn’t for Utah Jazz Forward Paul Millsap, the Jazz would not be this close to the lead. Paul scored 26 points and snatching 11 rebounds, 8 of which were offensive boards. Carlos Boozer and CJ Miles had 20 points apiece. There is something I have to point out, it is the rebounding ratio. The Lakers grabbed 58 rebounds to the Utah Jazz‘s 40 rebounds. Lakers win big time. Game 3 is on Saturday.

1 game tomorrow, readers.

PHOTO CREDITS: 1) Doug Benc via Getty Images

2) Andrew D. Bernstein /NBAE via Getty Images

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Tim Lacson