The Miami Heat has home court advantage in this series but the Celtics beat them 3 out of 4 games this year and they aren’t scared to play on the road.  This could be an epic series and here’s how I see the matchups:

POINT GUARD:  Mike Bibby started in the first playoff series against the Sixers but he’s on thin ice.  He played in 5 games (all starts) in the series against the Sixers and he averaged 19.8 minutes, 3.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.  Bibby only shot 6 of 28 (21.4%) from three-point range in the first round of the playoffs.  Mario Chalmers will likely see a lot of P.T. in this series.

Rajon Rondo is going to cause big matchup problems for the Heat.  He played in 4 games (all starts) against the Knicks in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 42.0 minutes, 19.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 12.0 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  Rondo is too physical for the point guards of the Heat.

EDGE:  HUGE FOR CELTICS

SHOOTING GUARD:  Dwyane Wade is the best player on the Miami Heat, because he’s not scared to take a big shot.  He played in 5 games (all starts) against the Sixers and he averaged 38.0 minutes, 22.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.o blocked shots per game.  D-Wade has a history of stepping up when pushed, so I look for him to have a good series against the Celtics.

Ray Allen is the ice man for the Celtics.  He hit an amazing 17 of 26 (65.4%) shots from three point range against the Knicks as he appears locked in.  Allen played in 4 games (all starts) against the Knicks and he averaged 40.0 minutes, 22.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game.  Allen will likely have to work harder for points against the Heat, but he will get his fair share.

EDGE:  HEAT

SMALL FORWARD:  Last season, LeBron James mysteriously hurt his elbow against the Celtics in the playoffs, but the many MRIs he had showed no problems.  I think the Celtics are in James’ head and it certainly doesn’t help that Delonte West (very, very good friends with LeBron’s mom) will be coming off the bench for Boston.  James played in 5 games (all starts) against the 76ers in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 42.2 minutes, 24.2 points, 10.6 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game.  The Heat can’t win this series without James playing big….which I think he won’t.  When the pressure really gets amped up, James has disappeared in his NBA career.

Paul Pierce is Mr. Clutch for the Celtics.  He also plays very well usually against LeBron James.  Pierce played in 4 games (all starts) against the Knicks and he averaged 39.0 minutes, 22.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game.  Pierce is also red hot from three point range as he hit 10 of 20 shots (50%) from three point range against the Knicks.

EDGE:  EVEN

POWER FORWARD:  Chris Bosh played well in the first two games and the last game against the Sixers.  In the Game #3 and #4 he relapsed into the soft player he has been most of the year.  Bosh needs to step up in this series, because it’s going to be very physical under the basket.  Bosh played in 5 games (all starts) against the Sixers in the first round of the playoffs and he averaged 19.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 1.0 steal and 1.2 blocked shots per game.  Bosh, like James, has never been much of a clutch player in the playoffs.

Kevin Garnett looked outstanding in the first round of the playoffs as he clearly outplayed Amare Stoudemire.  Garnett played in 4 games (all starts) against the Knicks and he averaged 34.0 minutes, 15.5 points, 11.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game.  Garnett is going to likely be pushing Bosh around in this series and I look for him to levy some hard fouls on LeBron James and D-Wade if they come into his neighborhood in the paint.

EDGE:  CELTICS

CENTER:  Zydrunas Ilgauskas has been starting at center, but not playing a whole lot.  I look for that to continue in this series.  Ilgauskas played in 5 games (all starts) against the Sixers and he averaged 13.4 minutes, 5.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game.  It’s going to be rough under the basket in this series, so I expect that Joel Anthony will place more than Big Z in this series.

Jermaine O’Neal has been amping up the D during the playoffs.  He also would probably like to stick it to the Heat, who didn’t want him back this year.  O’Neal played in 4 games (all starts) against the Knicks and he averaged 23.0 minutes, 5.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 2.5 blocked shots per game. 

EDGE:  EVEN

BENCH:  Point guard Mario Chalmers might have a big role in this series for the Heat as Mike Bibby is likely going to get abused by Rajon Rondo.  Chalmers played in 5 games (0 starts) against the Sixers and he averaged 24.6 minutes, 7.4 points, 1.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game.  Joel Anthony will probably get the most P.T. at center for the Heat  in this series as it’s going to be very physical in the paint.  Anthony played in 5 games (0 starts) against the Sixers and he averaged 31.0 minutes, 3.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 0.2 assists and 1.4 blocked shots per game.  SG/SF James Jones will be the long range assassin for the Heat in this series.  He played in 5 games (0 starts) against the Sixers and he averaged 24.4 minutes, 7.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. 

Forward Glen “Big Baby” Davis is one of the best backup bigs in the NBA and he’s going to get a lot of work in this series.  Davis played in 4 games (0 starts) against the Knicks and he averaged 24.8 minutes, 6.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.0 assist.  I think Davis is going to top those numbers in this series.  Forward Jeff Green will also likely get his fair share of P.T. in this series.  Green played in 4 games (0 starts) against the Knicks and he averaged 16.8 minutes, 6.0 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.  PG/SG Delonte West will be the Celtics’ #3 guard in this series and he will likely have LeBron’s mothers full attention from court side.  West played in 4 games (0 starts) against the Knicks and he averaged 13.5 minutes, 2.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game.  Center Nenad Krstic will also likely see a small bump in P.T.  Krstic played in 4 games (0 starts) against the Knicks and he averaged 5.8 minutes, 1.0 point, 2.0 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.

EDGE:  SLIGHT FOR CELTICS

COACHING:  Erik Spoelstra looks like he finally has the faith of the Heat players as he led them to a 4-1 series win over the Sixers.  He is still a little wet behind the ears as far as coaching in the playoffs as his career record is now 8-9 (47.1%). 

Doc Rivers is one of the best big game coaches in the NBA today.  He led his team to a sweep of the Knicks in the first round of the playoffs.  Rivers is now 45-30 (60%) for the Celtics in the playoffs  during his career there.

EDGE:  CELTICS

PREDICTION:  LeBron James and Chris Bosh are two of the least clutch players in the NBA, while the Celtics are loaded with clutch players.  I like the Celtics to beat the Heat in 6 games.

Starting power forward Kevin Garnett really looked solid against the Knicks in the first round of the playoffs.  Garnett played in 4 games (all starts) against the Knicks and he averaged 34.0 minutes, 15.5 points, 11.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game.  With the likely opponent in Round #2 of the playoffs being the Miami Heat, K.G. becomes even more important.  Garnett will need to push around Chris Bosh (which he will), while defending the basket to help stop drives by LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.  I think he will rise to that challenge and have a huge series against the Heat (if that’s who they wind up playing next).

The Boston Celtics outrebounded the Knicks 53-42 today and they held them to 34.1% shooting from the floor which explains the nice road win.  Kevin Garnett led the way for the Celtics today with 26 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 2 blocked shots.  Rajon Rondo also had a very solid game with 21 points, 5 rebounds and 12 assists today.  Glen Davis (14 points), Ray Allen (14 points) and Paul Pierce (13 points) also pitched in for the Celtics today.  The Celtics finished off the Knicks by sweeping them in 4 games.  They will now rest up until the Heat-Sixers series is over.

The Celtics outscored the Knicks 86-63 in the first three quarters before calling off the dogs.  The Celtics shot 50.6% from the floor and they outrebounded the Knicks 43-33 last night which helps explain the rather easy win.  Paul Pierce (38 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 steals) and Ray Allen (32 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals) were on fire for the Celtics last night.  Rajon Rondo pitched in with a triple-double as he had 15 points, 11 rebounds, 20 assists and 2 steals.  The Celtics are now up 3-0 on the Knicks and they will try to close them out in the next game.

Starting point guard Rajon Rondo has been pushing around the Knicks’ point guards at both ends of the basketball court.  Rondo has played in 2 games (both starts) for the Celtics so far in this series and he is averaging 42.5 minutes, 20.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  Rondo is only shooting 4 of 9 (44.4%) from the free throw line, which has been poison to him his entire career but it has’t stopped him from playing aggressive.  Toney Douglas is absolutely no match for Rondo, so the Knicks need Chauncey Billups back if they want any chance of making a series against the Celtics.

The Celtics were outrebounded 53-37 last night but they held the Knicks to 35.6% shooting from the floor which was a big key to this win.  Rajon Rondo led the way for the Celtics last night with 30 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals.  Paul Pierce (20 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocked shots) and Ray Allen (18 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals) also had solid games for the Celtics last night.  Kevin Garnett pitched in with 12 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot last night.  The Celtics are now up 2-0 in this series.

The Celtics got pushed to the brink by the Knicks last night before Ray Allen came to the rescue and hit a dagger three pointer with less than 10 seconds left in the game.  It also helped out that the Celtics outrebounded the Knicks 44-34 last night.  Ray Allen led the way for the Celtics last night with 24 points, 6 rebounds and 1 assist.  He was also 3 for 5 shooting from three point range in this game.  Paul Pierce played very solid D as Carmelo Anthony only shot 5 of 18 from the floor.  He also played a solid offense game too with 18 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal last night.  Kevin Garnett (15 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals) and Jermaine O’Neal (10 points, 4 rebounds and 4 blocked shots) also pitched in with solid games for the Celtics last night.  The Celtics are up 1-0 in this series but it isn’t going to be easy to put the Knicks away.

This should be an interesting series as it pits the Knicks’ Big Three against the Celtics very deep and talented roster.  This should be a very interesting series, especially if some of the role players on the Knicks can step up.  Here is a look at the matchups in this series:

POINT GUARD:  Chauncey Billups is one of the best “money players” when the games start to get big.  He played in 21 games (all starts) for the Knicks this year and he averaged 31.6 minutes, 17.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game.  Billups will have to work to get his shots off as Rajon Rondo is going to be right in his grill.

Rajon Rondo is not a great shooter but he’s a great passer who plays outstanding defense.  Rondo played in 68 games (all starts) for the Celtics this year and he averaged 37.2 minutes, 10.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, 11.2 assists and 2.3 steals per game.  I think Rondo is really going to pester Billups in this series.

EDGE:  CELTICS

SHOOTING GUARD:  Landry Fields is a big shooting guard who likes to take his game inside when he can, but he’s also a good shooter.  Fields played in 82 games (81 starts) for the Knicks this year and he averaged 31.0 minutes, 9.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.  His most important job in this series is going to be playing solid D against Ray Allen.

Ray Allen has hit the most three point shots in NBA history and he’s going to be firing away in this series.  Allen played in 80 games (all starts) for the Celtics this year and he averaged 36.1 minutes, 16.5 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.  I think Allen will get his points in this series.

EDGE:  CELTICS

SMALL FORWARD:  Carmelo Anthony came just as advertised when the Knicks dealt for him.  He played in 27 games (all starts) for the Knicks this year and he averaged 36.2 minutes, 26.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.  Anthony could go bonkers in this series but he’s going to have to work hard at the defensive end of the court too or Paul Pierce will also go off.

Paul Pierce is the go-t0 player on the Celtics, but he isn’t a selfish gunner.  Pierce played in 80 games (all starts) for the Celtics last year and he averaged 34.7 minutes, 18.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  Pierce seems to take his game to a new level in the playoffs, so this should be fascinating to watch.

EDGE:  SLIGHT FOR KNICKS

POWER FORWARD:  Amare Stoudemire is going to have to play big in this series as it’s going to be very physical under the basket.  Stoudemire played in 78 games (all starts) for the Knicks this year and he averaged 36.8 minutes, 25.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.9 blocked shots per game. 

Kevin Garnett still has a lot of gas left in the tank.  He played in 71 games (all starts) for the Celtics this year and he averaged 31.3 minutes, 14.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game.  Garnett will be the Celtics’ enforcer in this series and he loves that role.

EDGE:  SLIGHT FOR KNICKS

CENTER:  The Knicks are leaning towards starting Shelden Williams against his old team.  Williams played in 17 games (6 starts) for the Knicks this year and he averaged 11.6 minutes, 3.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game.  His main jobs will be to rebound and play defense in this series.

Jermaine O’Neal will likely get the call at center for the Celtics in this series.  O’Neal has played in 24 games (10 starts) for the Celtics this year and he averaged 18.0 minutes, 5.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 1.3 blocked shots per game.  O’Neal has had a good NBA career so maybe he’ll step up in the playoffs.

EDGE:  CELTICS

BENCH:  SG/PG Toney Douglas has been the first guy off the bench for the Knicks this year.  He played in 81 games (9 starts) for the Knicks this year and he averaged 24.3 minutes, 10.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.1 steals per game.  Center Ronny Turiaf will likely be playing around half of the game in this series.  He played in 64 games (21 starts) for the Knicks this year and he averaged 17.8 minutes, 4.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.1 blocked shots per game.  PF Shawne Williams played in 64 games (11 starts) for the Knicks this year and he averaged 20.7 minutes, 7.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.  He could get his share of minutes if Amare Stoudemire needs a break.  SF Bill Walker will give Carmelo Anthony a break when he needs one.  Walker played in 61 games (1 start) for the Knicks last year and he averaged 12.9 minutes, 4.9 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.  PF/C Jared Jeffries might be needed for defensive purposes at some point in this series.  He played in 24 games (9 starts) for the Knicks this year and he averaged 19.3 minutes, 2.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.0 assist and 1.0 steal per game.  PG Anthony Carter isn’t likely to get a lot of P.T. in this series.  Carter played in 19 games (0 starts) for the Knicks this season and he averaged 16.3 minutes, 4.4 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.

It will be interesting to see who is on the active roster for the Celtics in this series as they are more than 12 deep.  PF Glen “Big Baby” Davis will get a lot of P.T. in this series.  He played in 78 games (13 starts) for the Celtics this year and he averaged 29.5 minutes, 11.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  SF/PF Jeff Green will also likely get in on the action in this series.  Green played in 26 games (2 starts) for the Celtics this year and he averaged 23.5 minutes, 9.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game.  C Nenad Krstic will likely have a big role in this series for the Celtics.  He played in 24 games (20 starts) for the Celtics this year and he averaged 23.0 minutes, 9.1 points, 5.3 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.  C Shaquille O’Neal is looking like a go in this series but I don’t expect him to play a lot.  Shaq played in 37 games (36 starts) for the Celtics this year and he averaged 20.3 minutes, 9.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 1.1 blocked shots per game.  SG/PG Delonte West might be a little gimpy but he’s also going to try to give it a go for the Celtics.   West played in 24 games (2 starts) for the Celtics this year and he averaged 18.9 minutes, 5.6 points, 1.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.  The next four guys are iffy as to whether they will make the roster for this series or not.  SG Von Wafer played well at the very end of the year.  He played in 58 games (2 starts) for the Celtics this year and he averaged 9.5 minutes, 3.2 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.  PF Troy Murphy didn’t show much after the Celtics signed him.  Murphy played in 17 games (0 starts) for the Celtics this year and he averaged 10.5 minutes, 2.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.  PG Carlos Arroyo played in 15 games (1 start) for the Celtics and he averaged 12.7 minutes, 2.4 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.  Sasha Pavlovic played in 17 games (0 starts) for the Celtics and he averaged 8.8 minutes, 1.8 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game.

EDGE:  CELTICS

COACHING:  Mike D’Antoni is a solid basketball coach.  He is 370-315 (54%) during the regular season and he is 26-25 (51%) in the post-season over his career.  D’Antoni slowed down the offense when Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups arrived in N.Y. and he might try to amp up the pace in this series.

Doc Rivers is also a really good coach.  He is 507-406 (55.5%) during the regular season and he is 46-40 (53.5%) during the post-season.  He has also won a NBA Title with these Celtics and he took the Lakers to 7 games in the NBA Finals last year.

EDGE:  CELTICS

PREDICTION:  The Celtics are the better team in this series and I think it’s really going to show as they will where out the “Big Three” on the Knicks.  I like the Celtics in five games.

20-year old SG/PG Avery Bradley was sitting at the end of the Celtics’ bench most of the 2010-11 season, but not last night.  With the Celtics locked into the #3 seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs, they gave him a chance to play.  Bradley played 27 minutes for the Celtics last night and he finished up with 20 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.  For the season, Bradley played in 31 games (0 starts) in which he averaged 5.2 minutes, 1.7 points, 0.5 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game.  He only shot 34.3% from the floor and 50% from the free throw line, but it’s hard to judge him because he was rarely on the floor.  Last night reminded the Celtics of the player they drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft last June.

The Celtics’ back-ups shot 56.5% from the floor last night and that was the reason for the nice home win.  Rookie guard Avery Bradley led the way for the Celtics last night with 20 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in 27 minutes on the floor.  Sasha Pavlovic (19 points, 2 rebounds and 1 steal) and Glen Davis (17 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal) also had solid games for the Celtics last night.  Jeff Green (14 points), Von Wafer (14 points) and Nenad Krstic (13 points) also pitched in for the Celtics last night.  The Celtics finish the 2010-11 regular season with a 56-26 record.