Cavs vs Celticsblog vs Lakers vs Triangles

(Well, tomorrow is the day: Cavs-Celtics. As such, I’ve reconnected with my old nemesis, Jeff from Celticsblog, for a back-and-forth Q&A.

You can check out my answers to his queries about the Cavs here.

And you surely want to, because that’s the only place to get the next part of Prelude to a LeBron James. So read on, because I finally get Jeff to admit secrets about PP’s weight problem.)

1) It’s likely I’ll boycott and abandon my team if they ever play like they did against Washington again. That was vintage “2006 I Don’t Feel Like It Tonight But Will Have Good Stats So Everyone Will Blame My Teammates LeBron”. I’ve noticed the Celtics tripped up a bit as well, and wear green clothes when they’re doing their basketball playing.

Do you think maybe it’s just some kind of January in the NBA Syndrome, or are there major problems that need to be fixed with your team?

Never abandon your team man. Part of the fun of being a fan is riding out the lows so you enjoy the highs that much more. I wouldn’t have enjoyed last year if I didn’t stick with the team the last 10 years before that.

Soapbox aside, yeah I think the Celtics have a number of issues. Mostly it is lack of commitment to the kind of defense that got them the title last year. They can blame that largely on fatigue and lack of focus. You might be onto something with the January Syndrome because Pierce mentioned the lull between Christmas and the All Star break where teams lose focus. I expect the Cavs and Celtics to get it back in gear as the season progresses.

2) I want to settle this once and for all – Paul Pierce is chubby.

This is not to take away from his talent – he’s a great player. Still, one can’t help but wonder if he’s always given his all in terms of health and fitness. He seems to like chicken fingers with ranch dressing to me. You know much more about him than I do – has he maximized his talent over the course of his career, or has PP underachieved, despite his resume? (You could insert “Shaq” for “Paul Pierce” if this were “Sunsblog”.)

You know what, he is chubby, but he’s getting more and more fit. Early in his career, nobody noticed because next to Antoine, he was the thin one. For the last three years he has claimed to be in “the best shape of his life” in training camp. And you know what? He might have been right each time.

As he gets older, he’s understanding that he needs to take better care of his body to get through the season. That said, he’s never relied on athleticism so I don’t think he’s missed out on too much by not being in super-great shape. He’s always been a master of spacing, angles, change of pace, and of course that upfake-lean-into-the-defender move that gets him to the line every time.

3) I’ve developed a sport called Triangle Basketball Attack Game, wherein there are three hoops on a massive triangular court, and three full five man squads. You can imagine the rest – it’s kinda like full-triangle-court 21. Lakers vs Cavs vs Celtics. Who wins and why? Sorry if your head exploded reading this question. (Add’l: could Triangle Basketball Attack Game save All-Star Weekend? I’m pretty sure I would watch that.)

The Celtics would win because Tom Thibodeau would figure out a way to defend the two other ends of the court the best and it is always, always, always about defense. Oddly enough, I’ve thought of something like this in the past too, but what I’ve always wondered is how to negotiate the corners where the 3 courts meet. Or would the court just be one big triangle with squared or rounded corners (like a Yield sign)?

Thanks Jeff – I’ll check in after the game. Also, I’m going to work on a court schematic for the triagular court this weekend, because I’m honestly curious.

Oh, and any of you BOS fans – email me a nice statement about LeBron, and I’ll give you a code for $4 off my book.