NBA : Who will win Boston Celtics or the Miami Heat?
The Boston Celtics, defending Eastern Conference champions, are scheduled to play against the Miami Heat on 26th of October 2010; as if the Heat’s newly formed trio was not enough of a juncture.
This year was tough for the Boston Celtics as they lost the playoffs to the Los Angeles Lakers in the last 5 minutes followed by their star player Kevin Garnett getting injured and Paul Pierce’s contract ending. The Celtics fans feared deeply that the team was on the verge of breaking but who thought the tables would turn once again.
Kevin Garnett reportedly had a successful knee surgery and plans on returning to the court soon while Paul Pierce extended his contract and the biggest news ever since the Miami Heat trio was formed is, Shaquille O’Neal announced on the Celtics official website that he is ecstatic to join the team.
The question is whether the aging team will be able to match up against the All-Star trio from the Miami Heat; Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh?
Age seems to be the main factor that every critic seems to be pointing out, with Garnett 34 years old, Paul Peirce 32, Ray Allen 35 and the new addition to the roster Shaquille O’Neal who is 38 years old. Experts say critics do not realize the fact that these four veteran studs have been in the league long enough to know how to deal with young rising stars.
However there are some who still believe that the Celtics veterans cannot keep up with the freshly built team of Miami Heat. Critics say it will be difficult to contain Wade and his swift moves for the Celtics particularly around the perimeter. Basketball specialists say the Celtics might face a hard time but if they stick to their key philosophy of trapping players and crowding the ball-handlers they can very well give the Heat a tough time.
This was the same strategy that took the Celtics to the playoffs this year, and they came very close to winning the championship. Nevertheless, Los Angeles players still kept a good average, but seemed quite frustrated with the harsh defence.
On the other hand Garnett does not seem to be deteriorating, while Allen is not getting any younger either, Rajon Rondo is the youngest and the most explosive player left on the roster but he will not be able to handle the trio all alone.
Contrary to what it seems like, the Boston Celtics do have a few advantages over the Heat, if Shaquille is given enough time on the court he can certainly dominate Heats star center Zydrunas Ilgauskas. The Lithuanian player came to the NBA in 1996 but since then has just been a silent weapon for the Cleveland Cavaliers, while Shaquille has been dominating throughout his career, instilling fear into his opponents.
Boston also acquired a sharp-shooter not long ago, Rajon Pierre Rondo. The 24 year old point guard can really turn the game around. In the last couple of years he has proved to be quite an athlete. Experts believe Rondo with Kevin can really score some buckets. He stands at only 6’1” and has the ability to go around the court really fast. Rondo is likely to be guarded by either Dwyane who will give him a hard-time but Rondo is mature enough to deal with such pressure tactics.
Sports Analysts believe Boston has a strong chemistry amongst the players and their experience will play a big advantage for them which was quite evident in this year’s playoffs.
It is extremely hard to determine which team is better or who will win the upcoming star studded match, as Boston Celtics have the top-notch veteran players in their roster and Miami Heat consists of three of the youngest and most feared players in the NBA.
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