{"id":411740,"date":"2011-04-30T19:25:22","date_gmt":"2011-04-30T19:25:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ghanamma.net\/2011\/04\/30\/james-set-for-another-chance-vs-celtics-ap\/"},"modified":"2011-04-30T19:25:22","modified_gmt":"2011-04-30T19:25:22","slug":"james-set-for-another-chance-vs-celtics-ap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2011\/04\/30\/james-set-for-another-chance-vs-celtics-ap\/","title":{"rendered":"James set for another chance vs. Celtics (AP)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

MIAMI (AP)\u2014LeBron James<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> planned to spend a large part of Saturday studying film, looking for any edge that the Miami Heat<\/a> may use against the Boston Celtics<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Film from this season, that is.<\/p>\n

No need to watch the Celtics inflicting past playoff wounds on him. Those remain fresh\u2014and time has not yet healed them.<\/p>\n

The inability to beat Boston is one of the biggest reasons why James is now wearing a Miami Heat uniform. He\u2019ll get a third attempt to top the Celtics in a postseason series starting Sunday when the teams collide in Game 1 of what may easily become an epic Eastern Conference semifinal.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is personal,\u201d James said Saturday as the Heat finished practice. \u201cIt is. Absolutely right. You don\u2019t want to keeping getting beat by the same team, the same team keep sending you home to plan a vacation. So it is personal.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Celtics expected him to say nothing less.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would be personal for me,\u201d Boston forward Paul Pierce<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> said. \u201cI\u2019m sure he\u2019s going to take it personal and you\u2019ve got to expect his best.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unwittingly or not, the Celtics played a huge role in setting up an offseason unlike any other in NBA history. Boston gave James a big push toward Miami for a strength-in-numbers approach with the Heat that wasn\u2019t possible during the two-time MVP\u2019s stint with the Cavaliers.<\/p>\n

Collectively, James, Dwyane Wade<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> and Chris Bosh<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> figure to rate a better chance, and that theory is about to get put to the real test. They left a combined $51 million on the bargaining table last summer, and victory in this best-of-seven series may make that money seem exceptionally well-spent.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think you\u2019ve got two really good teams, two teams with a lot of will, two teams with a lot of pride,\u201d Celtics general manager Danny Ainge said. \u201cAnd I think it\u2019s going to be a great series.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Celtics have 17 NBA championship banners, and there\u2019s at least that many story lines for this matchup.<\/p>\n

Boston\u2019s Shaquille O\u2019Neal<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> wants to come back from injury for this series, as does Udonis Haslem<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> for Miami. The Heat know they need to find ways of getting Wade going against the Celtics, which didn\u2019t happen in the regular season. Boston wants to exploit what it figures to be a significant edge at point guard with Rajon Rondo<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> over the duo of Mike Bibby<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> and Mario Chalmers<\/a>(notes)<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

And there\u2019s that small matter of the teams just plain not liking one another.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlayoffs is a new season,\u201d Boston forward Kevin Garnett<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> said. \u201cNew situations, new scenarios. So everything we\u2019ve done up to this point is just history.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Miami\u2019s case, the history is not good.<\/p>\n

Not only did Boston oust both Wade (in the first round) and James (in the second round) from last year\u2019s playoffs, but the Celtics have won 18 of their last 21 meetings overall against Miami\u2014even after the Heat rolled to a 100-77 win at home on April 10, the lone time they knocked off the defending East kings in four matchups this season.<\/p>\n

The dominance has extended into the playoffs, too.<\/p>\n

Of the 15 players on Miami\u2019s roster, nine have been ousted from past postseasons by the Celtics, with James and Zydrunas Ilgauskas<\/a>(notes)<\/a><\/span> enduring that fate in both 2008 and 2010 with the Cavaliers. Only one player\u2014James Jones<\/a>(notes)<\/a>,<\/span> a reserve with Indiana in 2005\u2014knows how it feels to beat the NBA\u2019s all-time championship leaders in a playoff series.<\/p>\n

\u201cI look forward to the challenge,\u201d Wade said. \u201cI know I haven\u2019t played well against this team. That\u2019s no secret.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Boston\u2019s eyes, Miami\u2019s hopes may not be pinned on Wade or James. The Celtics say the key may be Bosh.<\/p>\n

Sometimes the forgotten man in the series of megadeals that reshaped the Heat last summer, Bosh had three double-doubles in five games against Philadelphia in the opening round. When he gets to at least 10 points and 10 rebounds, the Heat win at a 77 percent clip (24-7).<\/p>\n

\u201cLeBron and Wade are LeBron and Wade,\u201d Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. \u201cThey\u2019re going to be great. They were great before the series, they\u2019ll be great during it and they\u2019ll be great after and this summer when you\u2019re talking about it, you\u2019ll say \u2018LeBron and Wade are great players.\u2019 That\u2019s not going to change. But when Bosh plays great, then their team is great. And so, he\u2019s a key guy for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Boston hasn\u2019t played for a week since sweeping the New York Knicks<\/a> out of the first round, and the Heat had slow starts in all five games of their series against Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve prepared a long time for this,\u201d Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. \u201cIt\u2019s time to toss the ball up in the air.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

See the original article here:
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