Something tells me the Celtics were paying attention as the Spurs dismantled the Cavaliers in last year’s NBA Finals. Boston bodied up LeBron James, crowded the lane, and forced James to make plays on the perimeter. The results spoke for themselves on Tuesday night, as James hit 2-of-18 field goals and committed 10 turnovers, and Boston won an ugly Game 1, 76-72.

James and Boston’s Paul Pierce were assigned to guard one another, and their added defensive work showed in both of their stat lines. Pierce connected on 2-of-14 field goals in scoring four points and committing six turnovers. The only superstar to do his usual work was forward Kevin Garnett, who was a matchup nightmare for Cleveland and finished with 28 points and eight rebounds. Ray Allen was held scoreless and attempted just four shots in 37 minutes. Read more »

There are lessons to be learned from this postseason, where the Denver Nuggets and Toronto Raptors were the first teams sent packing on Monday night. Individual players like Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard are putting a stamp on their team’s success better than they have at any points in their careers.

Homecourt has again been a storyline, but for different reasons in each series. It has been cause for huge momentum swings in the Boston-Atlanta, Washington-Cleveland and Phoenix-San Antonio series, but been stripped away by the Lakers, Magic and Hornets. Read more »