Celtics-Cavs: Back to Boston for Not-So-Lucky Number Seven

The Celtics have the best regular season record, the best record on the road (including a sweep of the Texas triangle) and three superstar veteran players along with an excellent supporting cast.

That makes them a shoe-in for the Finals—right?

The Celts started off the 2008 playoffs against the eighth-seeded Atlanta Hawks, the youngest team and the team with the worst record to make the playoffs. They handled Atlanta with ease at home, but the young Hawks defended their home court and pushed the series to seven games.

Round two for the Celtics matched them against LeBron James and the Cavaliers. Different results? Not so much. Its a remake of round one, where the team with the best road record in the NBA is unable to win away from Boston. Game seven is in Boston on Sunday.

So what is that is causing the high and mighty Celtics to stumble? These guys were supposed to dominate the playoffs and win that championship! A team of veterans isn't supposed to be rattled by a road game.

To me, it looks like a group of desperate, aging superstars who had a great team in the regular season, but aren't fit for the postseason. Maybe there is a reason that none of the "Big Three" have won a championship. The Celtics have proven to be the biggest underachievers of this post-season.

The chemistry seems to be gone from the team, and the aging superstars are going to need all the chemistry they can get to stop LeBron and company in Game Seven.

Here are the major differences between the Hawks and the Cavaliers, and why Boston may have a much harder time in this game seven.

1. Joe Johnson is a great player, but he is no LeBron James. A team like the Celtics can shut down a Joe Johnson, but can King James be stopped?
   
   
2. The Hawks are an extremely young team, and are easily rattled by the pressure of game seven in a hostile environment.  I don't see the Cavs having that problem, especially after strong battles and close losses for Cleveland in the two of the three games in Boston.
   
   
3. The Cavs match up well against the Celtics, and the role players may cause some problems. Cleveland has an assortment of big men to match up against KG, in addition to the fact that Boston doesn't have a proven center. LeBron James tires out Pierce on the defensive end, and Szczerbiak does Ray Allen. Atlanta didn't have those advantages.
   
   
4. Cleveland has Boston on its heels. All the pressures and expectations that the Celtics have put on themselves seem to be catching up to them. Atlanta played Boston tough, but they never really had them on their heels like Cleveland does.
   
   

The "Big Three" may have a legitimate shot next year, as they come to know each other better, but it seems like they've come to the end of their line. Even if they beat Cleveland, they still have the Pistons and then most likely the Lakers waiting to play them.

So all I can say is, better luck next year ,Celtics.