Hello, Cavalier fans! And welcome back to the NBA Playoffs! It’s AC – checking in from The Q before tipoff.
You can already feel the energy outside the arena, inside the arena. Pretty much around the entire city. I can’t wait to get this thing rolling.
It’s pretty amazing how it always seems like we have to deal with the Celtics in the postseason, regardless of what the situation is. And now that the Celtics are back in the playoffs, they’re going to be much tougher next season. So it looks like it’s going to be a continuing situation. It’ll be a little weird without Paul Pierce, but it’ll still be interesting to see how it all unfolds. But I think we’re ready for it today.
What concerns me about this particular Celtics team is their attitude. They feel confident now; they feel like they can win. And the coach has done a great job of getting them all in the right frame of mind. They understand who they are, which is very important. And they understand where they’re trying to go.
And on the floor, their perimeter players are the main concern. We have pretty good perimeter guys, also. And I believe we have a size advantage. And I feel the key – which is a little weird to say – is going to be how we handle Isaiah Thomas. Because he’s the catalyst for their team, even though he’s coming off the bench. If we can keep him under control, and keep him from going crazy, I think we’ll be alright.
I always talk about the “yellow brick road” – the path to the Finals. The Cavaliers have guys who’ve been down the yellow brick road and bring a ton of experience. And that’ll be huge. Because the young guys – Kevin, Kyrie, Tristan – these guys haven’t been in this situation before.
So when the young guys get to a negative situation – (positive situations take care of themselves) – but, say, we get to a negative situation – say we lose a game on our home court – the vets will know what attitude to bring in the next game on the opponent’s court and how tough-minded you have to be.
And it’ll be critical to get that early in the playoffs – because if you get past this round, you might have to face Chicago – and those guys are mentally tough.
When I made my first playoff appearance, I had some serious butterflies. It took me about a quarter, maybe a half to slow down – because I was so anxious and so ready.
I was prepared, I knew my opponent, I knew the plays. I was almost too prepared – because I just felt that good about it. But you have to slow down and play like you did in the regular season. You can’t let the moment get to you. And it did take me a while to slow down.
And, to me, that’s why it’s so important to open up on the home floor. Because you get that adrenaline flow from the home crowd and that will get you going – it’ll get you going much better and it’ll also slow you down a little bit. The crowd embraces you. In contrast, on the road, you have to dig deep and find your own motivation. But here, you don’t have to worry about it. These fans at The Q will be off the charts.
Handling Boston’s bench will be a big key for us in the series. Again, their perimeter and their bench – that’s the key to the whole thing. If we handle both of those situations, we shouldn’t have any problems.
It’s important to get them on their heels as soon as we can and get them chasing us. Because then they’ll bring Thomas in quicker, and to me, the more you give him extended playing time, the efficiency level goes down a little bit.
And it’s not just a physical thing; it’s a mental thing. Because you’re playing the same team all the time – they know your plays, you know their plays. So now the human element becomes a big part of it: how you execute the plays, how well they defend, is this guy too slow getting over here, is this guy too fast, how this guy sets a pick.
All the little nuances come into play, because you’re human, as opposed to just being an X’s and O’s situation. And that’s why I love the playoffs. Everyone is physically gifted at this level. Now, who has the mental advantage?