The Morning Walkthrough is a set of links to Boston Celtics articles throughout the internet, designed to get your day started the right way.

A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE – “‘I know at times we make it look easy; it’s not,’ said Kevin Garnett, who had 9 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. ‘[The Cavs'] true strength is playing together. They don’t have that one or two, go-to guys. They do play well together. They do play hard.’ And it is that latter point about playing hard that the Celtics have to be on guard about this season. The C’s have just two games under their belt, so there’s no need to panic or be overly concerned. But Wednesday’s loss was the second game in as many nights that the C’s had a commanding lead that was significantly cut into in the fourth quarter. Blaming the fact that it was a back-to-back for the Celtics and the season opener for Cleveland is too easy of an excuse. The Celtics believe they are a championship-caliber team that can beat any team, anywhere, regardless of the circumstances. Losses like the one they suffered on Wednesday, at the very least, gives reason to pause. ‘It’s more the mental-toughness part,’ Rivers said. ‘We got a lead, and you could see us relax.’”

Pat McManamon, NBA FanHouse – “‘I think we’re the most popular team in Cleveland right now,’ Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. ‘Beating Miami and losing to the Cavs.’ … Rivers was having none of the back-to-back-following-an-emotional win excuse. He merely said the Cavs were up to the challenge and his team was not. O’Neal and the rest of his teammates admitted they did not match the effort given by the Cavs. ’That’s got to be our signature,’ said Gibson, who saw an 0 for 8 shooting start turn into a 16-point finish. ‘You have to understand,’ said Boston’s Paul Pierce, ‘this team is hungry. Everybody is against them and everybody is writing them off.’”

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald – “For failing to bring the requisite energy and focus against a team that will struggle to be mediocre this season, the Celtics are now a .500 team. The Celts turned the ball over 19 times and gave up 16 second-chance points in absorbing a 95-87 loss to the Cavaliers. ‘I didn’t like the way we played a lot of the game, honestly,’ Rivers said. ‘I thought we were very loose on defense, very loose on offense. You know, the turnovers again. Nineteen turnovers (after 20 in the season opener). They’re killing us. They’re absolutely killing us. And we got away from the post game. I thought we established the post early on, and I thought we got away from it. Just too much one-on-one dribbling. We’re a better team than that. It was a mental-toughness game for us to try to match their energy.’”

Gary Washburn, Boston Globe – “In a play that capped the Celtics’ collapse, Anthony Parker caught an inbounds pass, pivoted, dribbled, and released a shot, all in one second according to the clock operator. He drained a 3-pointer for an 89-84 lead. ’That was the longest second in NBA history,’ said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. ‘Somebody didn’t push that button quick enough.’ Said Ray Allen: ‘I just assumed the horn was going to go off.’ The Celtics were done after that. They missed open shots. They couldn’t make an entry pass. Their frustration mounted. Afterward, the Celtics realized they had been burned by their own delusions of grandeur. They took a team minus its franchise player lightly, and the same exaggerated self-opinion that plagued them last season against lesser teams returned. ‘You have to play four quarters,’ Allen said. ‘It’s opening night for them. I just think we took them too lightly. We didn’t continue to execute and do the things we’re capable of doing for the entirety of the game. A call doesn’t go our way and then the game was tight and ended up going in their favor.’”

A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE – “The shooting numbers for Jermaine O’Neal, in a word, suck. The shooting woes he experienced with the Miami Heat in the playoffs last season have apparently followed him to Boston. O’Neal has missed four of his five shots from the field with the Celtics this season. Yes, it’s a small sample of shot attempts to work from, obviously. But it’s a sample size that reflects to a large degree how O’Neal shot the ball prior to signing with the Celtics. The six-time All-Star is coming off a season in which he shot a career-best 52.9 percent from the field. However, O’Neal’s hot-hand cooled off considerably in the playoffs when he shot just 20.5 percent from the field.”

Gary Washburn, Boston Globe – “Referee Bob Delaney whistled Nate Robinson for a technical when he kneed Ryan Hollins in the groin area on a drive to the basket with the Celtics leading, 77-76, with 8:32 left. O’Neal was then whistled for an additional technical for arguing the call. Television replays showed that Robinson, who is 5 feet 9 inches, tried to clear space to convert a layup against the 7-foot Hollins. After the game, Robinson claimed the contact was accidental. ‘Bob said I made an overt act,’ O’Neal said. ‘But I was just trying to explain why Nate kicked [Hollins]. I’ve gotta go and get my Bob Delaney jersey when I get home. I am going to go and order that.’ Daniel Gibson hit both technical free throws for a 78-77 lead, Antawn Jamison followed with a runner, and Cleveland would never relinquish the momentum. ‘I don’t really know what the rule is. I didn’t have an angry voice, I didn’t have an angry face or a loud voice,’ O’Neal said. ‘I was just explaining, but who knows?’”

Paul Flannery, WEEI – “The lift seems back in his legs and his defense is returning to previous levels. Where Garnett still needs to make his mark is on offense. There were opportunities for him to go to work on the block against the Cavs, just as there were throughout the playoffs, but he remained mostly on the perimeter. Still, that part of his game will come in time. If the Celtics can continue to get double-digit rebounding games from Garnett consistently, they will be more than happy with the 2010-11 version.”

Got a tip? An article you think should be included? Send an email to jayking@celticstown.com or hit me up on Twitter @CelticsTown.

The season is approaching (but not quickly enough), so that means it’s NBA preview time. Starting with the league’s worst team and working our way to the top, we’ll preview one team per day.

Mo Williams has Mo' problems this year.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Last year’s record: 61-21
Head Coach: Byron Scott
Projected Starters: Mo Williams, Anthony Parker, Jamario Moon, Antawn Jamison, Anderson Varejao

Outlook:

My cousin played basketball at Boston University a few years ago, and opposing fan bases had a great chant whenever they played his team. “Sucks to B.U.! Sucks to B.U.!” Get it? Well, that chant applies to all Cleveland fans. It really, beyond belief, sucks to B.U.

Suckers.

X-Factor:

I’ve got a real “Decision” to make here. I could choose Leon Powe, who averaged a whopping 4.0 points and 3.0 rebounds last year but should be better after a season of recovery; Mo Williams, who barely decided not to retire (how admirable of him!) after Lebron James bolted, but should now be the team’s star; Daniel Gibson, who stands to see more playing time in the post-Lebron stage; Jamario Moon, who could be the starting small forward by default; Antawn Jamison, who loves compiling impressive stats on bad teams; or Anderson Varejao, who should have started last year but had to wait for Shaq to depart. Whoever I pick, I doubt it will bring comfort to Cavs fans. Lebron James is not walking through that door.

Biggest Question Mark:

It sounds almost cruel to say it, but who will be the Cavs’ starting small forward: Joey Graham or Jamario Moon? Either way, they’re in great hands.

Just kidding.

Most important newcomer:

Ramon Sessions. I’ll be honest, though: he didn’t have very much competition, and I don’t know how he’ll fit in with Mo Williams. The other most important newcomer? Joey Graham. Let’s just say Joey probably won’t completely fill the shoes of his predecessor.

Key loss:

Duh. Lebron. Who did you think I was going to say, Sebastian Telfair?

Most compelling storyline:

Dan Gilbert’s comical guarantee. “I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE.” Clock’s ticking, Dan. I’ve got a feeling you’ll be proven a liar.

Player to watch:

J.J. Hickson. The one Cavalier to truly get excited about, Hickson’s the player the Cavs refused to part with in a potential trade for Amare Stoudemire. Hickson’s also the player who has never averaged more than 8.5 points or 4.9 rebounds per game and posted only 3.5 ppg and 0.8 ppg in last year’s playoffs. Is he ready to take the keys to the franchise? Nope. But, at least for now, Byron Scott doesn’t really have a choice. God knows Mo Williams and Antawn Jamison can’t lead a team to the promised land.

Descriptive movie quote:

“You know, in the ten years that I coached, I never met anybody who wanted to win as badly as I did. I’d do anything I had to do to increase my advantage. Anybody who tried to block the pursuit of that advantage, I’d just push ‘em out of the way. Didn’t matter who they were, or what they were doing. But that was then. You have special talent, a gift. Not the school’s, not the townspeople, not the team’s, not Myra Fleener’s, not mine. It’s yours, to do with what you choose. Because that’s what I believe, I can tell you this: I don’t care if you play on the team or not.” – Norman Dale, Hoosiers

I’m pretty sure that Norman Dale line isn’t what Byron Scott said to Lebron James. But you can imagine what it would have been like if it was.

Projected record: 27-55. In his letter to fans after The Decision, Dan Gilbert wrote, “Tomorrow is a new and much brighter day.” Too bad tomorrow, tomorrow, is always a day away.

The smile of a cold-blooded killer.

Add Magic Johnson to the list of former superstars who are disgusted that Lebron James and Dwyane Wade decided to team up. (Bloomberg News)

Johnson, who won five National Basketball Association championships with the Los Angeles Lakers, joins fellow hall of famer Michael Jordan in saying they would focus more on beating their rivals than joining them.

“We didn’t think about it cause that’s not what we were about,” said Johnson, whose Michigan State squad beat Bird’s Indiana State team in the 1979 National Collegiate Athletic Association championship. “From college, I was trying to figure out how to beat Larry Bird.”

It’s easy to say ”that’s not what we were about” when you were drafted onto a team that already featured Kareem Abdul-Jabaar and Jamaal “Silk” Wilkes and would soon add James Worthy. But if Johnson had toiled for seven championship-less years and Antawn Jamison was the best player he’d ever played with, his attitude certainly might have changed.

Look, it’s admirable to stay with one team for an entire career. It really is. But Magic was drafted into an absolutely perfect situation. He never had to think about joining another star because he already played with one. And Jordan wasn’t drafted into a perfect situation but had Pippen as his running mate. And a damn solid supporting cast around the two. And they got better every year. (Don’t think Jordan’s supporting cast was that good? They won 55 games the season he was out. If Lebron’s cast wins that many next year, I’ll french kiss Rick Kamla.) Bird, too, had a great situation in Boston. There was never any need to leave. There was never any need to think about joining forces with another star.

While we’re on the subject, let’s take it to Kobe. Everyone thinks he wanted to do it on his own, that he would never join another star. But remember when things weren’t going so well in LA? Back when Kobe demanded a trade? He wasn’t asking to get traded to a mediocre team, people. He wanted to get traded somewhere he could win. Before Pau Gasol fell into his lap, even Kobe had come to the realization he couldn’t do it alone.

So say what you want about Lebron not wanting to win by himself, but just remember this: If Magic Johnson was really THAT competitive he would have asked for Kareem to be traded away. If Michael Jordan was really THAT competitive he would have had Scottie Pippen shipped off. If Larry Bird was really THAT competitive he would have wanted to beat McHale to a pulp rather than win rings with him.

It’s not Lebron’s fault his supporting cast in Cleveland wasn’t enough. (And yes, despite winning more than 60 games in the regular season, that supporting cast was weak. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; if the Cavs had won a title, Antawn Jamison would have been the worst second-fiddle to ever win a ring.) Lebron’s been the league’s best player for at least two years and now he wants to win championship rings in addition to MVPs. So criticize him for taking the easy way out if you want. But just remember, you never know what all those other stars would have done had they been in Lebron’s situation.

P.S. – Tell Charles Barkley he should never speak on this subject. Because he can say stars shouldn’t leave home until he’s blue in the face, but when push came to shove Barkley tried to hop on Hakeem’s back and get piggy-backed to a ring.

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Let’s face it, Lebron thought rings would come easy.

In 2007, he exploded against the Pistons and found himself in the NBA Finals against the Spurs. He knew he had no supporting cast as he lost to the Spurs 4-0. Getting to the Finals that year was the worse thing that ever happened to him. I believe he really thought, “if I could get that far with no supporting cast, just think how far I would get if Cleveland got me help. ”

Does LeBron want to be a business man, or a basketball player?

Well guess what? Cleveland did get him help!

While it’s easy to sit back now after the Cavs have been eliminated in each of the three years since their title run and say they never got him help, you must think about this: Cleveland put together a team that was good enough to win 66 and 62 games the last two seasons– a league-best both years. Then, suddenly, they crap out in the play-offs and it’s everyone’s fault but Lebron’s. We used to blame the best player for losing, but now we cover for him.

I seem to remember the Celtics putting together a great team around Paul Peirce in 2008. That team won 66 games– the same as Lebron’s team in 2009. That Celtic team looked awful at times in the playoffs, as did Lebron’s teams of 2009 and 2010. In 2008, when the Celtics looked like they wouldn’t get past round two (by the way, against Cleveland) Paul Pierce turned into the best player on the planet and refused to let his team lose. He also went on to win the Finals MVP that year.

This past season the Celtics were done; they had only won 50 games and had no chance facing Cleveland in round 2, especially with Lebron and company having home court advantage. Some experts picked Cleveland in 5. Then the Celtic defense made Lebron look like a D-League player at times. It was so bad we heard excuses ranging from his sore elbow to his mother having affairs with teammates. Hate to bring that up about his mom, but that’s how ugly it got on the floor for Lebron. The Celtics won in 6, including a Game 5 win in Cleveland by 32 points. He was so awful in that game that if his mother suited up for that game it may have been closer.

Now all of a sudden, he has no chance to win in Cleveland because of their roster? Give me a break ,Lebron, you took the easy way out. Instead of teaming up with D-Wade and Bosh, why don’t you do what Kobe did last summer and work on a post up game?

I watched you time after time try to drive on a Celtics defense that had three or four guys waiting for you in the paint. I’ve seen you turn it over or force bad jump shots in a way that was awful for the league MVP. At 6’8″, I can’t believe you didn’t try posting up once the entire series. Man, Lebron, it’s simple: Post up Pierce– you have the size advantage over him or any other small forward in the league. Back him down! Shoot over the top of him, or wait for the double team to come and find the open man. It could be your greatest strength, but for some reason you won’t do it, or won’t practice it. Could it be that maybe you’re not good enough for that yet?

The truth is, Lebron James hasn’t improved his game much since the 2007 Finals. Has anyone seen anything new from him since then? A jump hook, a turn around?? Besides maybe getting bigger and stronger, what’s different in his game?? What has he learned to do better? I don’t mean numbers wise, I mean a move or something. What as he added to his repertoire? Does he even have a repertoire???

Does Lebron think just because he got the Finals in 2007 he must be good enough to get there every year, but he needs some help? I think he does believe that. Look, I’m no fool…I know Cleveland didn’t have the greatest team of all-time, or even the decade for that matter. But let’s be real, he had enough talent around him to beat Orlando last year and an older Celtics team this year. He didn’t get it done. Plain and simple, he didn’t get back to the Finals and that’s on him. Not Jamison or Williams…it’s on the KING!!

Dwyane Wade gets a little help in Miami

So, instead of going back home this summer and thinking of nothing but the gym and a new move or a new shot, he paraded around deciding where to go.  Lebron ended up being the HELP Dwayne Wade needed to win his 2nd ring. Wade had a decent team once, and he rose to the occasion and made Shaq his helper and he won that ring. Now he has Lebron and Bosh as his helpers for the next three years or more.

As a Celtics fan, Lebron beating the Celtics never worried me.I knew that wasn’t happening as long as our big three were here, even at age 40!!! What worries me is now D-Wade has a good SUPPORTING cast!!  Lebron is not going out in the world and making his own legacy. As far as I’m concerned, his legacy ended in Cleveland. Seven seasons, one empty trip to the finals. Very Good Player!! Good addition for Miami along with Bosh. A few more pieces and D-Wade has a good shot at another title.

One final note, did anyone see how well and hard D-Wade played against Boston in the playoffs?

If Cleveland had Wade instead of Lebron, don’t you think they would have been far more difficult to defeat?

I can’t even begin to describe how much I’ve hated Tony Allen for years. I’ve wanted to strangle Doc Rivers for subbing him into games, then strangle Tony for how he played once he got subbed in. There wasn’t a three-point shooter Allen wouldn’t foul, nor an opponent to whom he wouldn’t turn the ball over.

Suddenly, he’s reformed. And this dunk on Antawn Jamison was special. Jamison has now had his first taste of Tony Allen’s ass.

Games 1-5, explained in one photo.

Some notes about Game Six:

For Boston

• Do what you’re doing – It sounds simple, but it isn’t.  The Celtics need to keep moving the ball, being aggressive off the bounce, and giving Lebron tranquilizers before each game.  Stay committed to the glass, defensive rotations and making the extra pass.  Feed KG in the post, run with Rondo in transition.  If the Celtics keep playing the way they are, they’ll be tough to beat.

For Cleveland

• Lebron might play point guard – Mike Brown says the Cavs are pondering lineup changes, and Lebron at point guard could be the answer.  I’m not sure how the Celtics should feel about that.  If Lebron’s in a backcourt with Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon, who the hell is Rondo going to defend?  I guess it would be Parker, but that’s a big disadvantage for Rondo.  Then again, if the Cavs start to run their offense through Parker in the post that’s probably not a bad thing for Boston.  So my “expert’s” verdict?  I have no fucking idea how that switch would work out.
• Jamison at small forward? – The other switch Brown might make is to play Antawn Jamison at small forward. The Celtics should be fine with this: if Brown puts Hickson in at power forward, KG still has a mismatch.  If Brown goes with Varejao, the Cavs put their weakest offensive lineup on the floor. 
• What I would do if I were Brown – Put Lebron at power forward.  Go small. If Lebron’s at power forward, who the hell is Garnett going to defend?  The Cavs are the best team in the NBA — the Celtics should have to adjust to them, not the other way around. 

Prediction: Lebron destroys the C’s from the start, but Boston weathers the storm.  Cleveland’s supporting task just doesn’t seem to be enough to handle Boston, suddenly clicking on all cylinders.