Between the 3 potential opponents that we could play in the first round, I would have to say playing Miami would be my first choice, closely followed by Chicago and then Boston a distant 3rd.
Now, I must admit I don't watch any of these teams like I watch the Knicks, but living in Boston area I do get to see more of the Celtics than the other two, and I know how they step they're game up come playoff time and they would be the last team I wanna play round 1. Pierce is as clutch as they come, he can shoot, drive, pass and rebound, plus he is a very good defender. KG brings the intensity on D and can do some damage in the low post, especially against a team like us. Ray is the best 3pt shooter to ever live and is also very clutch with the game on the line, not to mention he is a b*tch to guard without the ball with all the running around through picks and what not. Rondo is an all around great player, someone I would LOVE to run the point for us as he plays D, creates turnovers, is a freat rebounder for a pg, sets up his teammates with great passing ability and can breakdown Defenses with his driving ability, all despite having an inconsistent jump shot. Throw in role players like a Shaq (who when healthy can give a team like us problems and is still a force down low), Jeff Green, Delonte West, Kristic, Troy Murphy, etc. and they will be a tough out for anyone.
Atleast with Miami we match up a little better inside as they don't have great bigs. Any team that starts Eric Dampier is not deep at the 5, Illgauskus is ok but could be a liabilty against a team that can run like us, and Bosh is more of a jump shooter than someone that's going to hurt you in the paint. They still have LeBron and D-Wade so they will always have a chance to win any game they play due to their talent to take over a game by themselves, but in a 7 game series we could pull of a few wins, even possibly forcing a game 7 then with Melo who knows how that turns out.
Chicage is definatley tough on D as Tibedeau (sp?) Has brought the mentality and toughness needed to be a top defensive team. Noah and Boozer down low will cause problems against our small lineups and undersized bigs, plus with the MVP running point it would be a tough series. The one thing I like though is if we get hot on O at the right time then we could pull an upset as Chicago is obviously not known for their O like they are for their D, and with someone like Melo who can take over a game we would atleast have a decent chance at forcing a game 7. Just my opinions.....
