As we learned in the Golden State / Dallas upset in the playoffs, matchups are critical in the NBA. Trading Hassell changed the defensive complexion of team. Regardless of starting lineups, which Timberwolf players have the best chance to contain Pierce, Allen and Garnett?

If teams can shut down one member of the three-headed monster, can the rest of the Celtics' roster pick up the slack? Perhaps a gimmick defense would be effective. With a strong defensive/rebounding effort, can the young and athletic T-pups run more \"mature\" teams off the floor?

I think Pierce might be the most difficult player to shut down offensively. Who is up to the challenge? Perhaps Gomes could establish himself in such a matchup. Of course, no one on the Minnesota team has the combination of length, strength and skill as the Big Ticket. Who in the NBA has had the best success guarding Kevin?

Underdog wrote:
Hey Underdog... great post and welcome to the board! Good to have you.

You pose a good question. On the surface it doesn't appear that we'll really have too many solutions for Boston's big three. I don't think we really have the luxury of picking and choosing players to guard each of the three. Most likely we'll just match up against them with the same positions. Big Al has guarded KG in the past, so I assume he will guard KG again. Ricky Davis will most likely guard Ray Allen, I would guess. And that leaves Gomes to guard PP. Gomes is a smart and above average defender. Plus, he's big (6'8\" and 250 lbs), so I think he could do an adequate job. I'm not saying we'll shut them down by any means, however.

Underdog wrote:
Wow. Good post Underdog. Howl for that one, welcome!

I agree with CW's post as those are most likely candidates to guard each Celtics star in man defense. The Wolves' help side defense and rotation will have to be stellar if we want to have a real shot against the Celts as the offensive abilities of the big three are tough to defend with only one guy. Hopefully Rondo is off on his jumper!

Mad Dog = KG Stopper
Ricky Dazzle = Watching Ray Allen shoot over his outstreched arm
Gomez Adams = Knock PP to the deck when he tries to drive on him

Perhaps the T-Pups have an advantage in understanding and countering KG's tendencies. To defend KG, who on the Minnesota roster would be best at impersonating All-Defensive Team members Tayshaun Prince, Marcus Camby, Ben Wallace or Tim Duncan? With some experience under his belt, would the long arms and strength of Chris Richard make him a first-class stopper? Here is a quote from Rick Alonzo of the Pioneer Press:

\"Richard, a 6-foot-9 bruiser, will be a valuable piece for a team that needs depth in the post with Mark Madsen injured. Jefferson said Richard plays the way he looks - tough. 'He's a monster. Keep working, and the sky's the limit for him.' McHale, the team's vice president of basketball operations, said of Richard: 'I like a lot of the stuff he does. He's a big banger. He's got good feet for a big guy. He likes to put his body on you. He's got a 7-foot, 4-inch wingspan, so he's really long. He plays bigger than what he is.'\"

Underdog wrote:

That's not a bad idea. Not sure if Richard is quick enough to guard Garnett, but it might not be bad to switch between him and Big Al for defensive duties. I believe Richard had the largest (or second largest) wingspan of anyone at the Pre-Draft combine/tryouts.

I forgot the mad dog was injured. He was the definate KG stopper, that was why we signed him wasn't it?

Ryan wrote:

Hahahahahaha something like that!

Ricky vs. Allen is actually a very intruiging matchup. If Dazzle is motivated he could match up well with Allen on any given night. He is overmatched, but it'd be fun to watch.

I'd love to watch Brewer try to guard Pierce. Brewer is thinner than Tayshaun, Pierce will post him like Shaq on Rasho.

KG probably won't even do much against us, especially not in the preseason. We all know how excited KG gets. He might start throwing his shots at the basket and being over amped, resulting in an off night.