Give the people what they want.
And this is the series nearly everyone wanted.
Old school big three vs. new school big three. LeBron James against the Celtics again — but this time he has new friends with him for backup. Tradition rich New England vs. modern and stylish Miami.
Celtics vs. Heat.
A seven-game series nearly as anticipated as the NBA finals (certainly by television executives, at least). This series felt destined from the moment these two teams faced off on opening day. The Heat’s path to legitimacy has always seemed to run through Boston.
Now is when we find out if Miami can live up to the hype. Or if Boston’s veterans and defense are still too tough. We find out if the Celtics can execute at the end of games better than Miami, or if the ridiculous athleticism of the Heat will prove to be too much.
It’s a series of fun matchups — Chris Bosh vs. Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce vs. LeBron, Dwyane Wade and Ray Allen, Joel Anthony vs. Big Baby… okay, not so much the last one. But across the board the matchups are fascinating.
This is a series that is going to be about defense — two of the top five defenses in the NBA. Boston owns the paint and brings help early, Miami relies on athleticism on the wing to pressure the ball handler, they trap and disrupt. These two teams regular season affairs were largely low-scoring, half court, grind-it-out games that looked like playoff basketball even though the playoffs were a distant dream at the time.
But in a lot of ways this series will be about the Celtics ability to exploit their mismatches. Can Rajon Rondo rip up Mike Bibby? Can the Celtics bench extend leads? Will Shaquille O’Neal play and if he does how much does he have to really give?
Usually in the NBA teams have to struggle a little in the playoffs to advance, they need to learn how to win together before a title can be theirs. This Boston team — with its veteran when they got together — was the exception to the rule. They won out of the gate (and taught the Lakers hard lessons about winning together, something L.A. clearly took to heart).
It feels like Boston could teach Miami that same lesson. But it will not be simple. Wade has learned that lesson — he has a ring, too — and will steady the ship. LeBron is hungry and still the best player in the game. Bosh is just happy to be out of the first round, so he doesn’t fit with the others. But you get the idea.
This is what basketball is about. A clash of athleticism and style, a battle of systems and guys who just destroy defensive systems with their skill.
This is what we’ve all been waiting for. We get what we want, which means the winner of this series is the fans.
