Does the newly-crowned Big Four have enough to take down Lebron James?

Bob Ryan, Boston Globe – “It’s not going to be 2008 all over again. The old guys are even older, and the basic dynamics have changed. “Ubuntu’’ was then. What’s now is a nice, solid, veteran-oriented team quarterbacked by an unpredictable, mercurial point guard who is difficult to prepare for because there really is no way of knowing what he’s going to do — ever. Last night, Rajon Rondoed his way to a 16-point, 8-rebound, 12-assist stat line. He announced himself to the Heat on the game’s first possession when he took Dwyane Wade to the hoop for a running hook, and he really never stopped creating problems for the visitors. ‘He plays in another gear,’ sighed Spoelstra. ‘He’s much quicker than most point guards, and when he gets to the postseason, he has yet another gear. He’s got toughness and big-time confidence, which some people think borders on cockiness. People call them the Big Three. I don’t know why they don’t call them the Big Four.’”

Gary Washburn, Boston Globe – “The Celtics wanted the third seed. They wanted to delay the possibility of playing Cleveland for as long as possible, even if it meant facing Dwight Howard and the Magic. Since then, the Celtics have been injected with a surge of confidence and good health. They spent the past week beating up on the Miami Heat, making shorter work of Dwyane Wade and the Disappointments than expected. Boston is playing as well as it has all season and is a far more efficient team than the one that barely held on to beat the Cavaliers at TD Garden April 4. Facing Miami may have greatly helped the Celtics prepare for the Cavaliers more than playing the Bucks. The Celtics spent five games trying to contain Wade, who averaged 33.2 points per game. They chased him. Doubled him. And stood helpless at times when he twisted to the basket. The Celtics faced a megastar for 240 minutes and that would at least serve as an appetizer for LeBron James, who averaged 36.5 points in four games against the Celtics this season, his most against any Eastern Conference team. So there is no better time — especially with three days off — to take on Iron Man and his sidekicks. [...] ‘If you want to win it you got to play them all anyway at some point,’ Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. ‘So, you know, why not now? We’re there, we’ll be waiting; we’ll be ready. And I’m sure they will be.’”

Rich Levine, CSNNE – “The road through the next series will be more treacherous in every single way. It will be more dangerous and taxing than anything they’ve experienced all season. But at no point all year have the Celtics appeared more ready for the ride. Just how they always said it would be.”

Mike Petraglia, WEEI – “Glen Davis was speaking for the Celtics when he characterized the match-up with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers starting this Saturday at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland in the opener of the Eastern Conference semifinal series. ‘It’s going to be tougher, we know that,’ Davis said. ‘We’ve got to go there and grind it out. We go to them first. We just have to make sure we go there with the mentality of attack first. It’s just like in every kingdom, sometimes you’ve got to go to the fight, you’ve got to bring it to them, attack their fortress and bust down their wall with a wooden tree and go attack it. That’s how it is.’”

Chris Forsberg, ESPNBoston – “‘I don’t know what this feels like,’ admitted Rivers. ‘I’m not used to this. I just know it’s nice to get a day off tomorrow, because we need one… But it is nice to take care of business and that was great. Only I was a little disappointed in us [letting a 21-point lead slip to three at] the end of the third and fourth [quarters], because I thought it was our focus. We can’t do that. It’s very dangerous. We got away with it tonight.’ [...] ‘The last two years we’ve gone to Game 7 in the first round and it can wear on you,” said Allen. “This first round we were tested defensively. Offensively, I thought we were solid and consistent throughout, for the most part. Throughout the series, of course, we hit adversity, but I’m glad that we did take care of business in five. Yeah, we would have loved to do it in four down in their building, but just to have the resiliency bouncing back tonight from the Game 4 loss down there. It will only be a struggle from here on in.’ [...] ‘It feels good that we were finally able to close out a team earlier,’ said Pierce. ‘We wish we could have done it in four, but maybe we needed a little bump in the road to kind of wake us up. [Now the Celtics] get a couple days of rest before we move on to the next round, so I am glad with the way we played throughout the series. I thought we really saw the sense of urgency throughout the whole series and I am happy with the win.’ Added Garnett: ‘Rest is always good. Any time you get a chance to rest knick-knack injuries, it’s always a good thing.’”

Chris Sheridan, ESPN – “Well, they’re good. This series against Miami showed it. But Cleveland is better than good, and Boston will need to be great — something the Celtics haven’t been on a long-term consistent basis since their championship season two years ago. One thing’s for sure: It’ll be great to see them try. The Celtics know they are the underdogs, and rightfully so, and the challenge will be to raise their collective level to a height good enough to beat the NBA’s best team. Two and a half weeks from now, we’ll know whether they were up to the task.”

Peter May, ESPN – “And, finally, what reason can either of you give us to think that, based upon what we’ve all seen, the Celtics will make it out of the first round, let alone make any kind of respectable run? Well, we got the answer — and it sure wasn’t based on anything we’ve seen in months. The Celtics were a .500 team over the final 54 games of the exhibition, er, regular season and it was fair to wonder what team was going to show up when the playoffs started. Would we get the one that lost to the Nets, Wizards, Grizzlies and Sixers at home? Or would we get the one that the players promised was certain to arrive, a committed, driven, experienced group understanding what was at stake and playing with the appropriate sense of urgency? Ainge and Rivers let the players do the talking. They talked the talk, for sure. Just ask Quentin Richardson. But they also walked the walk.”

Mark Murphy, Boston Herald – “‘Veteran team, well-coached, and they make you pay,’ said Miami coach Erik Spoelstra. ‘There are so many guys that can make plays, and more importantly that are unselfish. They did a terrific job of just executing. It just seemed that we were chasing them one step too late. They understand what the moment is. They’ve had injuries. Everybody discounts that, and that’s a big part of the NBA season.’”

Michael Wallace, Miami Herald – “‘Our effort was there,’ coach Erik Spoelstra said. ‘It just seemed like we were chasing them one step too late. This game was kind of a microcosm of our season. Unfortunately, there are no moral victories when you get sent home.’ Allen had 24 points, Pierce got 21, Rondo added 16 points and 12 assists and Garnett scored 14 as Boston overwhelmed Miami with offensive balance and a swarming defense. ‘There’s only so much you can do against a great defense like that,’ said Wade, who averaged 33.2 points and shot 56.3 percent in the series. ‘I understand what this team is giving me and what it isn’t giving me.’”

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe – “‘You got to know a player like Wade is not going to just completely give up,’ said Pierce. ‘He is going to try to take the game over. When we went up 18, I thought that was a perfect chance to really put this game away. I said at halftime, ‘Come on guys, one more step,’ a little more sense of urgency, and then we pushed the lead and then we just didn’t step on them like we wanted to, but that is something that we can learn from.’ Allen’s 20 second-half points came despite spending much of his energy trying to make Wade miserable. He spent the series guarding the star, and when the Celtics face the Cavaliers, Pierce will be the one who draws the short stick in the form of LeBron James. ‘In the playoffs, it’s all about matchups,’ Allen said. Then he joked, ‘I was in the hot seat. I think Paul will get it now in the second round.’”

Jessica Camerato, WEEI – “But on Tuesday, Richardson shared a different opinion after the Heat’s elimination in Game 5. ‘Paul’s a great NBA player,’ he told WEEI.com. ‘That’s the only opinion that really matters, his NBA game. He’s a good NBA player.’ Even though Richardson referred to Pierce as “an actress” in Game 1, he said he never knocked his talent. That’s something that, in spite of their differences on the court, Richardson cannot deny. ‘I’ve always respected his game, never not,’ he said. ‘I mean, he’s an All-Star, he’s a Finals MVP, he has his accolades, and he well deserves them. I take my hat off to him as a basketball player. Nothing will change that.’”

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Related posts:

1. Morning Walkthrough: Allen, Davis carry their weight
2. Morning Walkthrough: Let the biggest bully win
3. Morning Walkthrough: Losing KG changes a whole lot
4. Morning Walkthrough: Sense of urgency not the same
5. Morning Walkthrough: C’s ready to play sans Garnett

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