In his brief work this season, Hansen has shown flashes of brilliance digestibility, which is more than you could say for Tavarez, who’s pitched admirably in the past but seemed to be throwing batting practice of late. Hansen had ESPN’s Steve Philips and Orel Hershiser drooling on each other during last week’s Detroit series, when his off-speed pitches were snapping across “multiple planes,” a phrase Hershiser mentioned at least 13 times in one inning. Discussed much less was Hansen’s ordeal with sleep apnea, which apparently caused him to snore, toss and turn, and look perpetually stoned. According to reports, that condition has now been rectified, although Hansen still looks like someone who’d bogart the spleef (like he did as Pickford in “Dazed and Confused”). Whether he can bogart big situations remains to be seen.

When Hansen arrived on the scene in late 2005, he endured his fits and starts. His “stuff” was an exciting mix of electricity and unbridled potential. Then came 2006 and 38 games of unbridled badness, with a 6.63 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP. Personally, he engendered zero confidence, and even appeared to have been a bust (first-round draft pick out of St. John’s in 2005). He spent last year in Pawtucket, didn’t “grace” the team on its way to the 2007 World Series, and seemed headed for a career at Triple A. But then came word of his apnea, the corrective procedure, and this whole thing about “multiple planes.”

So, is Craig Hansen ready? Is he finally ready to pitch big-boy innings for a first-place team? I’ve seen him pitch two innings this year, so I can’t say for sure. Then again, he’s only pitched 2-plus innings in total, so can Francona and Farrell say either? All we know for certain is that Julian Tavarez will not be pitching in crunch situations anymore. And of that I will say, “All right, all right…”

Cam Martin is a Sox fan who lives in Yankee country (Fairfield County, CT). He also covers baseball for Bugs&Cranks. E-mail: cdavidmartin@yahoo.com

Sorry for my rant folks, but after watching games all weekend and seeing a virtual fireworks display of kindling in every contest, I had to say something.

The impending return of Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Chad Tracy (knee) next week poses a serious threat to the playing time of my main fantasy squeeze in Arizona third baseman Mark Reynolds. Over his last 10 games, Reynolds has hit a horrifying .189 with no home runs, three RBIs, four runs scored, one stolen base and 14 whiffs in 37 at-bats. On the season, his once elite OPS has plummeted to the depths of obscurity with a sickening .731 mark and his .225 average against left-handed hurlers is simply nauseating. In addition, he has hit a ghastly .232 with 37 strikeouts against right-handed pitchers and sports a .150 batting average away from the home confines of Chase Field. However, his propensity for consistent streakiness is a fluent trait for the 6-foot-1, 220-pound masher, so jumping ship two months into the season shouldn’t be an option yet. However, the growing health of Tracy is worrisome in regards to fantasy, simply due to the fact that they play the same position and that Tracy cranks a career .308 average off right-handers. Tracy has hit a paltry career .222 of southpaws, so Reynolds’ competition should only come when right-handers are on the mound, which unfortunately is a common occurrence. Also, Tracy has four years of experience under his belt and sports a career .288 average. Personally, I don’t think the Diamondbacks will pull the plug on Reynolds right away, but keeping a guy that’s hitting .230 with his last home run coming April 25 in the lineup is borderline insane. Monitor the situation closely.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been waiting for Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Alex Rios to dominate for a few years now, and I’m still waiting. Over his last 10 games, the 6-foot-5, 215-pound bluebird has hit .222 with one home run, one RBI, four runs scored, two stolen bases and 15 strikeouts in 45 at-bats. He seems to be impatient and terribly distracted at the plate. Plus, his current OPS (.774) is not even close to the mid-.800 numbers that he posted over his last two campaigns. In addition, with 37 strikeouts in 143 at-bats this season, he’s on a torrid pace to notch nearly 150 by the end of the year, something isn’t right. Also, he’s hitting .200 against left-handed pitching, which is 86 points lower than his career mark against southpaws (.286). Historically over his career, April (.309) and May (.304) are two of his best hitting months. This season he hit .306 in April, which is fine, but is now hitting an inexcusable .222 in May. My take is this, either he has some sort of hidden injury, or he’s trying way too hard to crank balls through the Rogers Centre roof into the Toronto skyline. Sooner or later, he will get spoken to, and the situation will get fixed. So until then, start him with confidence, and don’t forget he still steals a decent amount of bases, which is supported by four consecutive seasons with 14 or more swipes.

Keep a very close eye on Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Daniel Cabrera. On the season, the 6-foot-9, 269-pound flamethrower is 3-1 with 34 strikeouts, 24 walks, a 3.54 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP in 53 1/3 innings of work. In addition, he has limited opposing hackers to a staunch .206 batting average. I feel that “D-Cab” has finally turned the corner in his rollercoaster career. Most of his bumps have been due to his horrendous control, which he’s still trying to harness, but he does appear to be fine-tuning it pretty well. Over his last five starts, he has gone 3-1 with 23 strikeouts, 12 walks, a 2.45 ERA and a 0.98 WHIP in 36 2/3 innings. Cabrera has been the center of sleeper conversations since his first MLB pitch in 2004, and he’s still only a soon-to-be 27-year-old developing pitcher. I highly recommend Cabrera, because if this streak of quality starts is a hint that the best is yet to come, it’s time to hook a trailer up to him and enjoy the ride. He has the stuff to be one of the best pitchers in the game.

Rob McCarthy has played fantasy sports since the days of tediously transferring his daily points from the Boston Herald to a tattered notepad every morning.  He has been featured on Yahoo! Sports, FOX Sports and currently scribes for KFFL.com.  In addition, Rob is an avid fan of all Boston sports.

Underneath my own findings, our old friend Adam Cole-Kelly chimes in with some discoveries of his own. Turns out Ben Wallace’s dizzy spell and “inner ear infection” was actually caused by a chip ACK had placed in Wallace’s ear to relay his inner thoughts. Luckily said chip was contagious and it spread to all the other players granting him unprecedented access to their thoughts through the first three games of the series.

Rich Levine (Celtics fan):

Cleveland Cavaliers

Wally Szczerbiak: I have been shooting the lights out baby! I can’t wait to get home and watch how great I looked doing it on SportsCenter. You know, sometimes the shots just… ooh, look! I can kind of see my own reflection in that window. I look sharp.

Delonte West: The thing about Game 3 was, I wonder how long it would take me to ride my bike to that Popeye’s chicken we used to eat at back at St. Joe’s? Lemme call Jameer and see if he remembers how to get there. (Talking into his TV remote) Hey, yo, Jameer! Do you remember what I called you for?

Lebron James: (Driving home from the game) Damn, that other car is getting a little close (Arms flail off steering wheel…Swerve!) Foul!! That’s a foul! You see, my Hummer’s so big, fast and strong that if I don’t overreact every time some comes close to me, they’ll never find them at fault if we get in an accident. Man, I’m really proud of myself.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas: They say this Lebron is the king, but if I keep playing as this, then why not Z? Yes, King Zydrunas. PS: Is this what I sound like? I’m not sure I’VE ever even heard myself speak.

Ben Wallace: Let them think that dizziness is the cause of all my woe. I’ll never admit that I’m playing through the most severe afro sprain of my 11-year career. Luckily, Al of Al’s Barber Shop in Cleveland is the Dr. James Andrews of the afro sprain. He’s got my fro corn-rowed down so tight it feels like I’m playing with the ‘do of a 25-year old.

Daniel Gibson: It’s official. I’m Eddie House! Pencil me in for 10 points and 1.5 assists a game for the rest of my career-unless Lebron and I break up, in which case the points will probably drop down to eight.

Joe Smith: What beautiful contrast that the man with the most mediocre name in NBA history might end up having the most mediocre career in league history! If Mom, had just name me Jeaux Smith it would have been good for at least another five points and three rebounds a game.

Anderson Varejao: The first three games of this series confirmed on one thing for me. I’m either the most underrated player in the league, or the most underrated player I the league. There is no in between.

Boston Celtics

Rajon Rondo: Man, this ain’t Atlanta. Guys are actually challenging me when I penetrate and they’re so big that I can’t even get a decent look. I need to start stroking my J before Cassell takes all my run-although that would leave me more time for roller-skating.

Ray Allen: Does this regular season feel ridiculously long to anyone else? I’ll tell you what: The playoffs cannot start fast enough. Someone please let me know when they do.

Paul Pierce: Yeah, I’ve had my struggles but do you realize that my shooting percentage (12 for 35-34%) is the same as my jersey number? Not that easy to do. Try and match me, PJ Brown.

Kevin Garnett: What a relief to know that if we fall short this season, Bill Russell is willing to “share” one of his eleven, 30-year old championship rings with me.

Phew! And to think I’ve been stressing all this time about retiring without a ring…

Kendrick Perkins: OK. Every time I get the ball, I bring it down to my ankles. It might be the most predictable move in all of basketball. So here’s what I’m gonna do. Next time I get an offensive rebound, I’ll just… bring it down to my ankles! They’ll never expect it.

James Posey: Something’s not right. Rondo gets a hug, he struggles. Paul gets a hug, he struggles. Perk and Ray? Hug, hug, struggle, struggle. I don’t get ANY hugs, and have been the most consistent player on the entire team this series. Could it be that… nah, I just love giving hugs too much.

Sam Cassell: I have been strug-eh-ling these last two games (4-18 form the field)! There’s no way I’m putting on SportsCenter tonight. You know, sometimes the shots just… AHHHH… I can kind of see my own reflection in that window.

PJ Brown: Paul Pierce can brag all he wants about his field goal percentage matching his jersey number, Try having your team average your age in points for an enire series!-Boston is averaging 83 points a contest through the first three games.

Leon Powe: I thought it was a compliment when Ben Wallace told me that I reminded him of himself when he was younger. Only now am I realizing he was referring to back when he was 16 years old.
Adam Cole-Kelly (Cavs fan):

Lebron James: The King isn’t worried that the King hasn’t shot the basketball the way the King knows that the King is capable of. If anything the King is proud of the way the King has allowed the King’s teammates to get more involved and boost their confidence- because the confidence of the The King’s teammates is most definitely more of an issue than the confidence of the King is. It’s only a matter of time before the King really gets it going and when that happens, all the King is saying is: look out. Now the King needs to go roll some real dice with Damon Jones so that when we pretend to do it at the end of the player intros next game our routine is even more on point.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas: I love to shoot Z basketball! Get it? Seriously though, what is deal with the announcers? How many times they can say I used to be point guard? So what? I also used to have private part shorter than French baguette, but then I turn 10. No, but thank you Celtics, you make me look like hall of famer!

Wally Szczerbiak: I can’t believe ABC aired that clip of me talking about Lebron without my product in during game 3. At least I can take some solace in the rediscovery of my shot- none too soon either. Lord knows without my jumper I’m what a baseball scout might refer to as a zero tool player. More like a Szczero tool player! Oh man, Big Z’s gonna love that joke.

Ben Wallace: If the other team is resorting to a Hack-A-Ben strategy it’s obvious shooting foul shots isn’t my strong suit. Everybody understands that. So there’s no need to go posting graphics on tv showing how I have the worst FT percentage of all time. That’s just cold. Letting everybody see that Chris Dudley had a sweeter stroke than I do? Makes me mad enough to drop a double-double every game from here on out.

Delonte West: When I hit that game winner vs. the Wizards I told everybody it’s hands down mans down, but nobody wants to listen. After I hit blackjack on the C’s the other day I guess I have to come up with a new line to warn these guys. It’s kinda like the first day of school, but instead of layin’ your clothes out, they’re late on their close outs and I’m undressing the D.(West that is) Yup, that all made perfect sense.

Joe Smith: I don’t know what to be more thankful for: all the open looks I’m getting, or the Celtics decision to stop getting KG the ball where he can abuse me in the post. Either way, it sure is nice to be back in the comforts of ho— I shouldn’t jinx it. Last 5 times I’ve used the h-word I’ve been traded by the end of the week.

Anderson Varejo- First they introduce me as a starter and I don’t even start, then I take a mid-range jumper and actually make it and then I hurt my knee in a collision when I’m not even trying to flop. The only way game 4 could be any crazier than game 3 would be if I didn’t wear my ridiculous wig.

Daniel Gibson- Ever since Wally started knocking down 3’s, I feel like we don’t need another good-looking, long-range specialist who carefully manicures his hair anymore. But if I start to feel too badly I have to remember, happiness is only a smile into a mirror away. Besides, I prefer to save my heroics for later in the series.

Kevin Garnett- Mother fu*%er! I can’t believe it’s been two mutha fu*%in’ minutes since I last mouthed mother fu%*er on national TV.

Paul Pierce- At least Lebron hasn’t embarrassed me at all when I’ve been guarding him, cause he sure punked me when he ripped the ball out of my hands like I was a child. I knew dude was strong, but damn!

Ray Allen- Who knew you could age so rapidly in one postseason? I’m making P.J. look spry.

Rajon Rondo- If I applied for a loan to build another house, is it possible Lebron would reject that too?

Kendrick Perkins- I think I’ve proven that I have range just like Ilgauskus’ -only mine is in inches instead of feet. Give me a good look from 18″, you might as well just ring it up.

James Posey- Lebron’s been choking enough on his own, I probably didn’t need to lend a helping hand. I wonder if anybody has noticed that I pretty much haven’t missed a shot this entire series.

Sam Cassell- I swear to god, if Zydrunas puts his canoe sized foot on my pretty little head, one more time, it’s gonna get ugly. And if anybody thinks one 0-fer game is gonna faze me, I got some daggers waiting for them.

Leon Powe- What else do I have to do to get some more of Kendrick’s minutes? If I wasn’t so humble I’d challenge anybody to point out a weakness in my game.

P.J. Brown- What’s this Quickens Loans Arena mumbo-jumbo. Whatever happened to the good old days battling at Richfield Coliseum against World B. Free, Phil Hubbard and that load in the middle, what was his name Mel Turpin?

Mike - I know it took a while to knock off Atlanta, but, why is it so easy for the press and broadcasters (not you or Tommy!), to
jump off the bandwagon of a team that has been so successful all year. Kevin Garnett is taking it on the chin from alot of these guys, and it just doesn’t seem fair. Nor does it seem right that PP has had such bad press also. I guess I take it personally when someone attacks the team they way they have this last week. Written by a die hard, long time
Celtic fan who watched Tommy play!!

Mike: Positive news unfortunately doesn’t sell newspapers or increase talk show ratings. Hopefully fans like yourself will have the last laugh.

_______________________________________

Scott Tomassetti
Rajon vs. Delonte

Back in seattle I can remember that Delonte kind of got the better of Rajon. How do you think that match up will go this series?
Personally, I think Rajon has grown so much since then that he might overwhelm delonte with his D. Delonte still needs to stay close to Delonte to keep him honest at the 3 pt line.

Mike: I’ve always felt that Delonte could be a contributing player on a good team. He showed that last nite and in his time with the Cavs. That said, I like Rondo to ultimately get the edge in the series. Rajon just does more things and has superior quickness.

_______________________________________

Mike Ryan
Blackstone, MA

Mike,
I remember the days when Tommy used to always say, “I Love Walter.”
He seems to love Leon Powe so much, maybe he should start a “I Love Lean.”
Just a suggestion.

Mike: Think that’s coming next season.

_______________________________________

Kellen Moran
Gloucester, MA

Danny Ainge said on WEEI the other day that the best defense for Lebron is to make him shoot, even if he does get hot, not matter what? Do you think it is a wise plan to allow him to shoot all day whether it goes in or not, and keep him from getting to the basket? Thanks Mike!

Mike: Lebron scoring lots of points does not equate with Cavalier wins. It’s the big rebound and assist nights that do. I agree with Danny.

_______________________________________

Jonah Briggs
Westford

What is Leon Powe’s ultimate potential? Obviously you and Tommy are in love with him, for good reason, but could he ever be more than a hard-working, tough minded rebounder scorer off the bench? Is he a starter in this league? Thanks Mike! I love Tommy’s nickname of “The Garbageman” for Leon.

Mike: Ultimately Leon could be another Charles Oakley - Anthony Mason type. They both had long and productive careers.

And who sponsors Red Sox shortstop Julio Lugo? Yankee fans, of course.

Hey, you have to give them props. I checked Lugo’s page last week (while researching players who run like their butt’s on fire) and whoever runs this iYankees blog had written something like, “Have to love a Sox player whose on-base percentage is under .300.”

Touche. Can I suggest a future entry? “Somehow played shortstop on back-to-back World Series winners.”

Lo and behold, Lugo’s not the only Sox player who’s sponsored by fans from an opposing team. Think you can guess the other guys? Here are the sponsor pages and tributes for the key members of the 2008 Red Sox. Personally, my favorites are the sponsors for Youkilis, Casey and Lopez.

Varitek
FenwayFanatics.com
Home to Boston Red Sox baseball fans everywhere…
only the third player since 1923 to receive the
honor of being named captain of the Red Sox.

Youkilis
Brian Barreira, Massachusetts elder law attorney

Pedroia
Outincenterfield.com
Dustin rocketed through the ‘07 season with spectacular
offense and amazing defense. Congratulations to him on
winning 2007 Rookie of the Year. GO SOX!

Lowell
FenwayFanatics.com
Home to Boston Red Sox baseball fans everywhere…
congratulations to our 2007 World Series MVP -
we look forward to seeing you at third base for Boston next season!

Ramirez
An Anonymous Supporter
Ann’s favorite player… and it’s not always easy

Crisp
FenwayFanatics.com
Home to Boston Red Sox baseball fans everywhere…
a healthy 2007 should give Red Sox fans a better idea of
why he was brought to Boston.

Drew
LosAngelesDodgersOnline.com*
Los Angeles Dodgers information as well as Steve Sax bio,
Bobby Bragan. We have the most up to date news on the Los Angeles Dodgers,
Gagne Surgery , more Dodgers news.
* Web master might be in jail

Ortiz
Elisha Bunkley, David and Nathan Grunbeck
From Lake Attitash in Amesbury to the City by the Bay, We love our Papi!

Ellsbury
Sittingstill.net
Kelly’s Sox photos and silly captions too. Can’t wait to see Jacoby’s
long and exciting Boston career. And thanks for the free taco!

Casey
Midwest Glass Fabricators, Inc. (MWGF.com)
Your source for custom tempered flat glass and metal.
Laura’s favorite player of all-time. “Her other boyfriend”

Lowrie
Sittingstill.net
We’ve been waiting for you, Jed! So glad to see you in Boston!

Cash
ClassicCarSeats.com*
Purchase custom car seats, Spors Car seats and Recaro Seats.
Learn about the newest American Idol David Archuleta
David Archuleta tickets for all his shows.
* Classic cars and David Archuleta, two interests that go hand-in-hand…

Moss
Boston Red Sox Fan 6

Lester
MVN.com/mlb-redsox/
He beat cancer. He beat the Rox for the World Series. What’s next… Hall of Fame?

Dice-K
SonsofSamHorn.com
2006: World Baseball Classic Champ 2007: World Series Champ Keep em comin, DiceK!

Buchholz
Aceticket.com/boston-red-sox-tickets/
Ace is the source for Red Sox tickets and all MLB Tickets including
Mets Tickets and Yankees Tickets.

Wakefield
Evan Brunell, Fire Brand of the American League
I am proud to sponsor Tim Wakefield. Tim takes the ball when asked,
is a great leader, and honors the Boston Red Sox uniform everytime
he pulls it on. Member of the 2004 & 2007 World Series Champion Boston Red Sox.

Beckett
NoMaas.org*
MLB VP of Playing the Game the Right Way.
* a sort of Yankee fan site, committed to Kevin Maas’s memory

Papelbon
Sittingstill.net
Kelly’s Sox photos and silly captions too. Hail to the closer!

Delcarmen
Fans of the 28 teams not named Red Sox (or Yanks)
Congratulations, Boston. You couldn’t win a title,
so you bought one - just like the Yanks.
Open the wallet for Curt, Keith, and Johnny - end 86 years of frustration.
175M reasons never to whine about NYY.

Okajima
mkp1151
Red Sox-World Series Champions 2004 and 2007 — Repeat in 2008!!

Aardsma
13th Owl and Section F*
* Must be a Rice University connection.

Lopez
PaperbackNovel.com
Talk about being overshadowed! Gets confused with Javy Lopez,
and now because of Gagne, is the fourth man out of the pen,
despite effective pitching. Come to NY Javier!
You can take Kyle Farnsworth’s locker!

Tavarez
UpontheMonster.com
A website and message board for Red Sox fans run by Red Sox fans.
Good luck to Julian and all the WS Champs in 2008!

Timlin
RedSoxChick.com
Congratulations on coming back to Boston for your 18th season in MLB!

Hansen
Sittingstill.net
Kelly’s Sox photos and silly captions too.
C’mon, Craig–make 2008 the year it all comes together for you!

I know that Danny has made some unpopular moves in the past, especially when he traded forward Antoine Walker and guard Tony Delk to the Dallas Mavericks for center Raef LaFrentz, guard Jiri Welsch and forward Chris Mills during his inaugural 2003 campaign. But if you look back at it, he did what he needed to do; the combo of Walker and forward Paul Pierce was done, extinguished and downright tiresome. He also made a draft day trade in 2003 to get center Kendrick Perkins and point guard Marcus Banks from the Memphis Grizzlies.

In 2003, the trade of forwards Eric Williams and Kedrick Brown and center Tony Battie to the Cleveland Cavaliers for center Chris Mihm, guard Ricky Davis and salary dump Michael Stewart was deemed a fairly brilliant move. Davis at the time was a true scorer and still is, just not for us.

In 2004, he drafted forward Al Jefferson and guards Tony Allen and Delonte West.  He eventually traded for Gary Payton, and then used Payton in the reacquisition of Antoine in 2005.

In 2005, he grabbed Gerald Green and Ryan Gomes in the draft. Can you see the pieces building?

In 2006, he traded Davis, Banks, forward Justin Reed, center Mark Blount and two future second-round picks to the Minnesota Timberwolves for guard Wally Szczerbiak, center Michael Olowokandi and Dwayne Jones.  In the draft, he traded guard Dan Dickau, LaFrentz and the draft rights to Randy Foye to the Portland Trail Blazers for guard Sebastian Telfair, center Theo Ratliff and a 2008 second-round pick. He then traded a future first-round pick to the Phoenix Suns for the drafts rights to Rajon Rondo. Then traded a future second-round pick to the Denver Nuggets for the draft rights to forward Leon Powe.

In 2007, he traded West, Wally and the fifth overall pick (Jeff Green) to the Seattle Supersonics for guard Ray Allen and the 35th overall pick (Glen “Big Baby” Davis). He then traded Telfair, Gerald Green, Gomes, Jefferson, Ratliff, two first-round picks and cash for uber forward Kevin Garnett. Then he made the midseason signings of forward P.J. Brown and guard Sam Cassell to fortify an already strong roster.

Listen, Doc and Danny know what it takes to win. Once Danny had the pieces in place, the C’s started to win. I don’t know what this season will bring, hopefully a championship of course. But look at what is in front of you right now. This franchise was in such turmoil that it took Danny five years to rebuild. He signed Doc, he knew Doc could coach, now as we approach Game 3 against the Cavs in the second-round of the 2008 playoffs; Doc has devised a specific rotation that is absolutely capable of dismantling anyone. But there are still doubters, which is more than fine.

Take a look of what you have on the floor. You have a starting lineup that is capable of monumental things. Ainge signed players like forward James Posey, guard Eddie House, Cassell and Brown to play complimentary and productive roles. I would like to see House a bit more, but whatever it takes to win, Danny and Doc will do. Danny has surrounded the “Big Three” and Doc with players that can win, and have in the past.

Doc is using guys that fit specific roles. For instance, if there is a low-post, 6-foot-7 banger grabbing boards and sinking hook shots all night. Doc will throw in Big Baby, P.J. and “Perk.” A rotation that will attack the player and throw three different looks at him, then the next night, Davis and Brown may not even see the floor.

What I’m getting at here is that Danny and Doc must be trusted. They got the Celtics this far, so why wouldn’t we? Trust these guys folks, look at the 16 banners flowing in the in-house breeze and think positive. Don’t question these guys, winning is a culture in this town, and the Celtics know this. They will give it their all, so just sit back and enjoy, but most of all, just trust.

Cleveland has left Rondo open on the perimeter to take jump shots, but Rondo has not taken the bait. West does a better job staying front of Rondo, but when West has to work around a pick he can get swallowed up by a bigger defender. At times Rondo will get in the air without a plan and it can lead to a turnover, but it is important that Doc let him be aggressive, because when the offense breaks down Rondo can create an opportunity about as well as anyone not named Kevin Garnett. It also makes an opponents defense pay more attention to him. West can be a good player, but he excels at secondary skills and is inconsistent with primary skills. West has done nothing against Boston in first two games, hitting a shot would be nice but there are too many possessions where West is just handing the ball off to Lebron and watching.

Advantage Heading into the Series - Rondo
Playoffs - Rondo

Allen/Szczerbiak

The Cleveland sound bites after Game 1 really focused on stopping Ray Allen. The approach worked the first six quarters of the series, but it is a huge mistake if the Cavaliers coaching staff thinks that by stopping Allen they will win four out of seven games with this approach. Doc Rivers has run plays for Allen out of time outs and the Cavaliers defense has given Szczerbiak help on both sides of the screens and Allen has passed on these shots when contested, Ray should be credited with not forcing more shots just to get himself going. Szczerbiak will look to post undersized defenders like Allen and he is actually really good at this but the Celtics send help too quickly for Szczerbiak to be isolated with Allen for a long enough of a time to set this up. In this series Szczerbiak won’t shoot it unless he has the basketball, he is also only grabbing over 1rpg. Szczerbiak is a better defender than you would think and an overall better player than he has shown in Cleveland but the offense can be so bad at times, Wally looks like he is trying to get himself going with some questionable shots.

Advantage Heading into the Series - Allen
Playoffs - Allen

Pierce/James

During the regular season Pierce shot only 37% vs. the Cavaliers, now 33% in the playoffs, it is directly related to defending Lebron. Pierce was in foul trouble in Game 1 and looked tired in the 4th quarter. James defends off of Pierce and does a poor job of anticipating defensively, he will go for up fakes and that is really the only way to attack him. When Pierce will get in post position towards James he doesn’t want to go at him like he does with other players, physically it is a mismatch for Pierce. Pierce is usually stronger than most players defending him, not the case with James. James has had two of the worst games of his career at the worst time. James is never in rhythm, rarely attacks and just seems confused on what to do against the Celtics. Pierce plays off of him and tries to send him away from the paint where as Posey plays right up on him and knows if he gets beat that he has help from behind. James attempted 4.8 3PA during the regular season compared to 7.3 3PA versus the Celtics (Second highest against any team in the league) so clearly James has had trouble in the paint against the Celtics. Cleveland has tried to help with screens but so many of them are too far away from the basket to be effective. James is 1/18 outside the paint, this will not continue.

Advantage - James
Playoffs - Push

Garnett/Wallace

Whether it is Wallace, Joe Smith or Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Cleveland really has no shot at stopping Garnett. Garnett is much more comfortable going at or over Wallace than he was in the first round attacking Josh Smith in Atlanta. Wallace is not even close to the level of athleticism he showed in Detroit, he can’t stay in front of KG, and when Wallace sets screens he is useless because no defender is going to follow him. The more touches Wallace gets the better for Boston. One would think that Cleveland coach Mike Brown may play Wallace less, because it allows Garnett to float on defense.

Advantage - Garnett
Playoffs - Garnett

Perkins/Ilgauskas

Perkins has done a nice job against Ilgauskas, extending his defensive pressure to the three point line and chasing James around screens. Ilgauskas has been the only dependable offense for Cleveland, but Z has been more efficient as a face up shooter through the first two games than as a post threat. If you can get Ilgauskas to move his feet in the post he can get into trouble. Perkins job has been to watch James, bother Ilgauskas jumpers and try to get what he can amongst the trees for rebounds. Cleveland really crashes the defensive boards.

Advantage - Ilgauskas
Playoffs - Ilgauskas

So yeah, our nice overpaid backup, I mean starting shortstop Julio Lugo stinks like a college student’s shower towel. This is the same guy that’s taking playing time away from Jed Lowrie, the same guy that has 10 errors as of May 9 and the same chap that needs to be demoted to Pawtucket’s equipment room.

Does anyone reading this agree that the signings of outfielder J.D. Drew and Lugo were two of the worst free-agent acquisitions that you can remember on this team? I know we win, I know that the front office knows how to construct a team through the draft, but they have no clue how to sign guys. I mean, Matt Clement anyone? We still could have starting pitcher Derek Lowe for that money. Oh, just so you know, over his three full seasons with the Dodgers, Lowe has recorded a combined 3.70 ERA in 639 1/3 innings of work.

In the Detroit series, designated hitter David Ortiz was 7-for-18 (.389) with two long balls, four RBIs and two runs scored. When all is said and done this season, I think “Big Papi” will finish with a .305 batting average, 28 home runs, 115 RBIs and 105 runs scored. Yes, another solid season from the 32-year-old masher.

First baseman Kevin Youkilis was 6-for-17 (.353) with four home runs, seven RBIs and five runs scored against Detroit. Youkilis is clearly in his prime, and at the tender age of 29, appears to truly be a legit offensive force. Congratulations “Youk”!

Another bat that was hot was Mike Lowell’s. In the series, Lowell was 8-for-19 (.421) with two home runs, five RBIs and six runs scored. He appears to be fully recovered from his thumb injury.

On the mound, starting pitcher Tim Wakefield pitched an absolute gem for his fourth victory. In eight innings of work, he conceded two hits, allowed no runs, struck out six and didn’t walk a batter. His stuff was dancing and weaving like Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor on “Dancing with the Stars.” Let’s see if it can carry over into his next few starts.

Starting pitcher Josh Beckett turned in a brilliant six-hit, seven-inning outing while allowing one earned run. He also whiffed eight and walked none. He brought his record to 4-2 on the season with a 3.70 ERA.

The Sox have a nice little three-game weekend series with the Minnesota Twins starting tonight at 8:10 p.m. Viva la Lowrie!

Enjoy, and go C’s!

Rich Levine:

I suck at pool. But luckily for me, most of friends suck as well. Most of our games consist of drunken miscues, table scratches, the random behind the back attempt and someone, at some point, spilling their beverage onto the felt. It goes on forever until one of us accidentally knocks in the eight ball, putting myself, my opponent, the game, and anyone unlucky enough to be waiting for a table and watching the game out of their collective misery. Ladies and Gentleman, Game 1 of the Celtics-Cavs series.

Lucky for us, and by us I mean the Celtics, the Cavs knocked in the eight ball Tuesday night and we can all have a drunken laugh about it. That is, until tonight. The Cavs win tonight and home court is gone; momentum is gone; the $100 I just bet on the Celtics is gone. The outcome of tonight’s game will shape the series far more than Game 1 did. It’s a contest the C’s NEED to win.

Why the Celtics will win:

Simply stated, they’re the better team, with better players, better chemistry, fewer weaknesses and, just maybe, a better coach—although in this scenario, choosing the better coach is like choosing between the Bill Engvall Show and Tyler Perry’s House of Payne.

Even though Lebron played far below anything we can expect to see for the rest of this series, the rest of the Cavs pretty much played around or at their capabilities—aside from maybe Delonte, who didn’t seem to be all there. Maybe he’s in the middle of an outbreak?

Lebron will be back in full force, but so will the other .6666 repeating of the Celtics PGA Tour. Expect King James to explode (I wouldn’t be surprised if a 40-13-12 night was in order), but the combined explosions of Pierce and Allen will make up for it, and the Celtics will win. However, it will not make up for the fact that I just used the phrase “the combined explosions of Pierce and Allen.”

Why the Cavs will win:

Lebron is one of two guys in the league—Mamba being the other—who can win a game by himself, and if there was ever the motivation to do so, Game 2 is it. And when you consider how dominant Big Z was in Game 1—with Lebron being almost a non-factor—it’s terrifying to think how deadly he might be when Lebron is…well, Lebron.

The Celtics need to make a choice. Bring Kendrick to the middle to stop James (while leaving Z open) or stay true and leave the lane exposed. But there’s a problem with this strategy: When Lebron gets into the zone, it doesn’t matter how many people are in the middle; he’s going to score either way. If that happens, the C’s get killed on both ends and probably lose the game.

The only other scenario where the C’s lose plays out like this: Rondo fouls Boobie Gibson on a three-point attempt in the first quarter leading Doc to surmise that “the kid just isn’t ready for playoff hoops.” He goes with Sam Cassell for the remaining 41 minutes and Boston loses by 27. I wish I could say this is unrealistic.

Adam Cole-Kelly:

It’s okay to melt when you get pressed if you’re a delicious chicken fajita panini. In fact, it’s ideal. Sadly, the Cleveland Cavs are no chicken fajita panini, and when they melted upon getting pressed in Game 1, it was neither okay, ideal nor delicious.

The differences between my lunch and my favorite professional basketball team have always amazed me. Now I’ll attempt to amaze you, the reader, by explaining in separate paragraphs why the Cavs will win Game 2 tonight and then conversely, why the Celtics will. (Please don’t attempt segues with that degree of difficulty at home.)

Why the Cavs will win:

Lebron was so bad in Game 1 that Michael Jackson re-released a remake of his 1987 album yesterday entitled it “Lebron” and in one day it’s already gone Diamond (that’s way better than platinum, it’s 10 million copies- it’s a real record industry term, no joke, look it up. Greenday’s Dookie went Diamond I think.) Even if Lebron had merely had an off night, not his worst game ever, the Cavs would have won. Imagine if he had played respectably well, or even had a “good” game. Are you imagining it? Well who has the 1-0 series lead now?

Now I realize that Paul Pierce and Ray Allen have the potential to combine for more than 4 points, but KG had a monster game. And while he definitely has an advantage regardless of who’s guarding him, I don’t think he’ll have outputs of that magnitude consistently throughout the series. And hopefully next time the game is on the line Ben Wallace won’t double Ray Allen on the perimeter to leave a lights out KG alone for a jumper he’s proven capable of hitting. But Lebron will bounce back and it’s not as if anybody else had a huge game offensively for the Cavs. Z hit some shots, but that’s pretty standard. Cavs win and head back home thinking about how they should be up 2-0.

Why the Celts will win:

You know Lebron hasn’t stopped thinking about how he needs to step up. He’s going to be pressing, the crowd is going to be all over him, and if he starts slowly, as he’s prone to do anyway, because he likes to get teammates involved early, let the overthinking and issue-forcing begin. Doc Rivers will decide to continue playing Rajon Rondo after he dissects the Cavs offense all first-half long this game and Pierce and Ray Allen both hit multiple field goals. When the Celts jump out to a sizable lead the Cavs are unable to shake the feeling that they blew their chance for a road win Tuesday night and we head back to Cleveland with our backs firmly pressed against the ground (we’re outside in this metaphor so there are no walls per se)

Why Big Baby is a ridiculous nickname

How impatient were his parents to settle on a nickname? He’s delivered, the doctor says “whoa! that’s a big baby.” His parents are like “Big Baby! I like it! Done! That’s his nickname.” What’s the rush Mr. and Mrs. Davis? Infants don’t need nicknames. I will give them credit though for so quickly identifying the error in their ways re: the name Glenn. Has a dude named Glenn ever been even remotely cool? Beck? Nope. Astro first basemen Davis? Kind of. I’m out of examples.

Go Cavs. Just kidding, I really want the Celtics to win.

(Some portions of Cole-Kelly’s final statement may have been edited to reflect reality.)