Kelly Clarkson. Celtics. Sails. Inpatients.

That new Kelly Clarkson song “My life Would Suck Without You” is a pretty good pop single.

When I was at Spring Training it kept coming on.

The Patriots signed everyone over the age of 30. Joey Galloway. Fred Taylor. I’m sure they’re working on Jason Taylor as I write this.

Heard a story the other night that distrubed me.  I don’t live here anymore. And I don’t watch the news. I used to watch it more and read it more when it wasn’t all so horrible. But this story an old friend told me about last week. A lady fell on the escalator at Government Center. Her scarf got caught in it and it strangled her to death. People just walking by as if nothing happened. A guy and his sons topped to help but couldn’t pull the scarf out. They ran up to a bunch of people and asked for a knife of nail clippers, anything sharp to cut the scarf with. no one helped. They went to a nearby police officer and he didn’t help. They watched helplessly as the lady died.

I’m not going to pretend that this is symbolic of all human interaction and that the modern world is a cold dark place. Ultimately this is a tragic accident that people didn’t understand the gravity of (police officer included). I’m sure it all unfolded within a couple of minutes.

The clumsiness of life is what scares me the most. We’re all nothing but giant pieces of meat walking around and talking. One bad fall or false step is all it takes.

I flew JetBlue for the first time. I know I’m about 4 years behind the curve. I’m booking my first Virgin America flight to San Francisco for 2013.

How refreshing a nice airline is.

I don’t hate airports. Some people do. People who smoke probably. People who are impatient. I think you can get a lot done in an airport. Provided what you have to get done is not all that important.

Providence is nice. I’m trying to make peace with my homeland. It’s different though. Hills everywhere. Good practice for when I finally move to San Francisco. This was foretold by a fortune teller. She also said I would be married at 23 and that I would marry a girl with the initials ‘LS’. Nothing doing on those fronts.

An old friend from college got engaged this weekend though. A different friend got engaged last weekend. I’m going to the wedding of a couple I set up this Summer. I’ve officially entered the point in my life where there will be a wedding a year to go to for 7-10 years. I suspect it happens to everyone. Then you reach a drought where your friends are all married and your extended family is too young or old and things slow down a bit.

I love weddings though. Even though I’m not getting married anytime soon at all, a wedding is always a great time.

Barrack Obama inadvertently offended the mentally handicapped. Or is it ‘different-mentally-enabled’? I never know. You know what I am sick of though? The whole “He shouldn’t be doing an NCAA bracket/on Leno..etc.” That’s just stupid bullshit. George W. Bush was on vacation about 200 days a year. I’m fine with the President taking a half hour to make an NCAA bracket or going on a talk show to try to sell a new policy that will greatly impact the country. It’s the fireside chat in a new medium.

Yeah, he’s a celebrity. That’s what a President is.

Tonight the Celtics look to exact revenge on the LA Clippers. This Celtics team should be getting things together about now. They should be better. If they didn’t turn the ball over so much they’d probably be the best team in the NBA (even with the injuries). But what are you gonna do? Rajon Rondo really is growing up. He’s exciting. I’ll have to remember that hard in 5 years when Paul Pierce and KG and Ray are all retired…

To Love And Feel No Love (To Be A Fan).

It’s a funny thing being a sports fan. 

Every time I try to quantify it or measure why it matters or why I care, I really have a hard time putting it into words.

What does your local team winning a championship mean really, at the end of the day?

When I was a kid I thought that it always meant that the team that won was the best city in the country somehow. That in some way, when the Blue Jays won the World Series back to back when I was young, Toronto was actually a better city than anywhere in America. 

From the outside, I had a lot of envy for the successful cities. 

I hated Dallas. I hated the Cowboys because of how great they were, but more-so because of how arrogant they seemed (and their fans seemed). 

Dallas winning Superbowl after Superbowl only served to further the notion that where I was living was one of the worst places in the country. The Patriots were horrible at best, the Red Sox were one year of futility after another, the Bruins were always good but could never get it done and the Celtics just always seemed like a team that’s glory days were over when I was just a baby. 

“You should have seen them when Larry was playing.” my Dad would always say. 

To put it into perspective, the day Larry Bird announced his retirement, my family was on vacation at a log cabin in New Hampshire. I had wandered into the woods and my Mom was ready to kill me when I came back an hour or so later. Because I was like 7 or 8. When I came back inside, my Dad was listening to the radio. He told me Larry Bird was retired. I had no idea what that really meant. 

I know it might seem like an odd time to reflect on this. The Boston Red Sox are in the ALCS. The Patriots rebounded big against the 49ers. The Bruins might even be strong this season. And the Celtics are coming off their first Championship in two decades.

For me, this is like living a dream.

But a lot of things happen when your city starts winning championships.

It is way harder to get tickets, for starters.

Even if you can still get tickets, the prices go way up. 

Everyone in all of those other cities starts hating your teams. Some of them (the ones who still haven’t figured out as I did as a kid, that winning a championship does not make your city more important or better somehow) hate your city.

But the worst, by far, is that something that was once so personally your own becomes a commodity for everyone.

It is sort of like when your favorite band that you have been following and listening to for 5 years all of the sudden has a crossover hit on the radio. They aren’t yours anymore. They aren’t some secret that only you know about.

Secrets aside, something you spent so much time invested in and so much time thinking about and talking about (and writing about) is instantly accessible by everyone. They don’t have to work to find the band. They don’t get to see them grow gradually. They weren’t there when they were playing to 15 people at TT The Bears or The Met Cafe. 

But now, because they are so clearly not your own anymore, you can’t even see them without going to some arena (where you pay 18 times as much to see something that was yours before that hit single).

Some people get bitter.

I’ve cared about sports my whole life.

Even when I was 16-18 and thought I wasn’t allowed to care about sports and music at the same time (for some reason…) I couldn’t resist watching the Red Sox or Patriots or Celtics. I actively tried not to care that much. But I couldn’t just stop being myself. 

The question is, why do we care?

In Boston right now, there’s nothing unique about being a sports fan. Everyone is a Boston sports fan. Even people who wouldn’t have been caught dead watching a Red Sox game 6 years ago. But I don’t watch sports to be unique.

Being a sports fan is expensive. You are constantly spending money to go to games, for cable (I really probably would not have cable if not for the Celtics, Red Sox, Patriots, Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations, HGTV, Food Network, Bruins and ESPN [in that order]) to buy merchandise…etc. 

Buying tickets is never a problem to me. I go to games with my girlfriend or sister or best friends. Really, it isn’t that much more expensive than going to a movie or going out to dinner ($10 Celtics tickets are cheaper in both cases, and also way more fun). 

Cable is nice.

And the merchandise trap is something I generally avoid. Or anyway did a great job avoiding until the 2007-2008 Celtics season.

There was something about that team that changed me as a fan. It wasn’t that they were winning. I’ve experienced a lot of winning teams over the last 8 years. It was something else. 

Maybe it was redemption. Maybe it was that (unlike the Red Sox) I could remember the exact day everything changed for the Celtics. I could remember where I was and what I was doing and all of the nightmares that followed (Reggie Lewis’ death, years of futility, Rick Pitino, Antoine Walker). 

Something about seeing my team. A team that I was raised on. A team I was brought up to love, finally get better or at least have a serious chance, made me feel different.

When I bought a Rondo shirt at the first game I went to in 2007, I felt great about it. I would wear it on game days and it made me feel happy. Just wearing a stupid shirt. I bought more Celtics shirts as I went to more games and I always wore one on a game day all season long. I’m not exaggerating. Just wearing the Celtics colors made me happier. Listening to “Roc Boys” or “Ayo Technology” (two songs the Celtics played during warm-ups at the Garden all season) in the gym gave me more energy and made me run faster and work harder. Knowing I had the pleasure to watch them (on TV or in person) helped me get through even the toughest winter days. 

I tried to explain it in my season ending column after the parade in June. I don’t know if I did.

I love the Celtics. I love this core of players. I love the way they play. I love the way they act together. I love that I am living through some new “good old days” because there was a while, most of my life, that I never thought I would. 

But for all of the love I have for the Boston Celtics, they don’t even know I exist. I don’t say that to be dramatic. It is just a simple fact. I am just a credit card number on some gate receipts to them. 

That is all that fans are to their teams really.

We watch, we buy, we digest, we discuss and we get nothing tangible in return.

It is the most beautiful and horrible unrequited love there is.

How can you love something that doesn’t love you back?

Maybe this is a question better suited for a priest, a rabbi and a philosophy professor but I think I get it now.

Maybe they don’t know who I am, but when I think about them, it can make me feel happier. I can think about some great moments and smile. If I’m having a terrible day at work, I can look at the calendar and say ‘at least the Celtics are on tonight’. They are always there. They were a part of my Grandfather’s life and are a part of my Father’s life and will be a part of my kid’s lives one day as well. They inform the way we meet and interact with the people around us. They link us to complete strangers. They give us something to talk about when there is nothing to talk about.

Being a fan means that you believe in something. Something that can lift you up and something that can crush you. But just like anything else, there is always another chance, another opportunity in the future.

The simplest way to explain why I love sports is that it always gives me something to look forward to.

Like most people, I think I want to believe in something. And believing in the Celtics means a lot. 

Tonight was their first pre-season game. Towards the end of the first half rookie Bill Walker got an alley oop dunk that was outstanding. two possessions later, he followed it by dunking in traffic. On the bench, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo and everyone else went crazy as if it were a playoff game.

It gives me hope. Some people get to do what they love for a living and sometimes we’re lucky enough to watch them or see them or listen to them or hear about them.

Maybe you think I’m just a crazy obsessive fan or that I’m oversimplifying something that is very complex or that I’m making something that is very simple out to be this big important thing…the thing about believing and loving anything is that it is personal. No matter who else loves it or who else has loved it, the way you feel about it and the way it affects and informs you is uniquely your own. 

One of my co-workers told me she was moving to the North End a couple months back and I told her “I wish I lived in the North End. I’d be closer to the Celtics there.” This was probably in August, so she gave me a puzzled look and laughed a little.

For whatever reason it makes me happier that this team exists. They won’t be this great forever but that is like everything else in life. I will enjoy this and never take it for granted for a second. 

It doesn’t matter that they don’t know me or that we don’t have a direct relationship or communication.

I believe in them. I appreciate everything they do. And as a result, even when they lose and I’m disappointed, it is a passing feeling. Because there is always another opportunity in the future. And sometimes just knowing that is enough to carry you through the hard times.

Brett Favre Starts “Competing” For QB Job With The Packers

What’s more offensive to you, annoying old quarterbacks that can’t make up their minds or stupid organizations that think you’re a moron?

Brett Favre will be “competing” with Aaron Rodgers for the starting quarterback job in Green Bay.

That is roughly the equivalent to me competing with Rajon Rondo for the starting point guard job for the Boston Celtics.

“Roberts isn’t that good…plus we won a title with Rondo…and Rondo is faster…he makes better plays…he can set a screen and a pick and roll…he had better hands…ummm…I’m just come out and say it, Rondo is ALL AROUND BETTER AT EVERYTHING…Let the competition begin.”

It’s a shame too because I am absolutely LETHAL beyond the arc…

See how stupid this bullshit is?

This is why I try my hardest not to cover it.

The whole thing makes me hate Brett Favre and hope that when he gets the starting job, he throws like 14 TDs and 27 INTs and is forced to retire again.

Bill Simmons had a great line on his podcast last week he said something to the effect of “I was watching ‘There’s Something About Mary’ the other night and you know when Brett Favre shows up at the end? I sort of expected him to waffle on and on about whether or not he REALLY likes Mary.”

Celtics Win, NBA Season Ends, York Misses Basketball Already, KG Goes Crazy, Big Baby Shirtless, Scalabrine Talks Some Trash, I love 2008.

 

It’s over.

 

The Boston Celtics have done what a lot of experts said they couldn’t or wouldn’t, what I thought they probably would and what they haven’t done in 22 years. Win an NBA Championship.

I feel like they all must have read my game 6 preview…otherwise how do you explain Big Baby getting some minutes, Rondo playing like he has superhuman speed and agility, Paul Pierce staying focused and STILL getting 20 points even though his shots weren’t falling for an entire half, Kevin Garnett hitting seemingly every shot he took, Ray Allen setting a record for 3′s in a Finals game and the Celtics absolutely dismantling the LA Lakers?

Oh…right…This is EXACTLY the team they were ALL SEASON LONG.

Let it also be known that we saw exactly 0 series upsets in these NBA Finals. The team with the better record won every single series. The Finals were no different.

Let is ALSO be known that if you had to rank the top 5 teams in the NBA for 2007-08, they would HAVE to be:

1) Boston Celtics

2) Detroit Pistons

3) LA Lakers

4) San Antonio Spurs

5) New Orleans Hornets

I suspect we might start hearing a whole lot less about the (L)Eastern Conference being shitty come 08-09. Particularly if The Heat stay healthy, Beasley is as good as advertised, the Magic make improvements, the Bulls get stronger, the Cavs get SOMEONE else, The Hawks play defense and the Raptors get better. Granted these are a lot of “ifs”.

But this isn’t about the Eastern Conference. This is about the Celtics.

One team that won it all because of team unity and chemistry and amazing defense.

 

 

 

 

Paul Pierce has cemented his place in Celtics history. Pierce essentially carried the Celtics through the playoffs when Ray Allen and KG were struggling. He was The Captain and The Truth. I think in Boston we have felt for years that Pierce has never really received the respect that he has deserved. He is a complete player. He is a leader. He can take over a game when they need him to.

 

Paul Pierce will finally get some of the love that goes along with not only being a champion, but being one of the best.

Before the 2008 Finals most people would never have considered Pierce to be one of the top 25 players in the NBA. Right now? I don’t know how you could NOT put him in the top 25.

In the Playoffs this season (the best 16 teams) there were only a few guys who showed signs of being able to carry their team through tough times. LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Manu, Joe Johnson (who LOOKED like one of the best guys in the NBA in the Atlanta/Boston series). I’m having trouble thinking of anyone else who single handedly carried their team through any portion of the Finals or who just completely took over multiple games. Please let me know if I missed anyone.

Anyway, if you argue that the absolute best players in the NBA make it to the Playoffs (a slippery slope that is essentially what GOT Pierce ignored or forgotten about for so long), Pierce would HAVE TO be the alpha dog of that list this season (Chris Paul would be 2nd only because he didn’t end up winning it all).

I’m not trying to argue that Paul Pierce is the best player in the league. However, if you want to talk about the top 25 in the league based on their performances, Pierce now HAS TO be in that discussion.

Let’s just remember that Mr. T Mobile himself, Dwayne Wade, got that respect from corporations and the NBA how? Oh yeah, by CARRYING the Heat to a championship. It’s been disappointing how injured he has been lately too, because he is one guy I really respect and enjoy watching.

Maybe next season Charles Barkley can be harassing Paul Pierce is all I’m saying…

“GET ME THEM SOCKS!”

 

 

 

 

You know who I never want to hear “he’s not good enough in the clutch” about again?

 

Yeah, he’s holding the trophy above with young Greg Oden.

(Oh…that’s Bill Russell? Could have fooled me.)

Kevin Garnett was INSANE in the post-game interview. The guy was clearly still in 30,000th gear and honestly had the look of someone who was exhausted in every way possible, who had not slept in weeks and who was emotionally overjoyed. He even told Michelle she looked good! (everyone knows that’s Doc’s job. Also, on a Michele Tafoya related rant, ever notice how Paul Pierce calls her “baby” after every interview? It is hilarious. It sort of makes me wonder if they all talk about her in the locker room after games. I can just imagine them being like “Did you see Michele tonight? She looked fine. Yeah, I’d totally hit that.” etc. )

Kevin Garnett was breathing fire and spitting venom in game 6 (just as I predicted and hoped he would). He was making hard fall aways look easy, he was making jumpers over Pau Gasol’s ugly head look like he was wide open. That shot he took in the second quarter after he got fouled, the line drive off the glass? Amazing).

 

 

 

Doc Rivers proved EVERYONE wrong.

 

He might have made some mistakes; he might have made some strange instinctive decisions. But there is no doubt in my mind at all that Doc Rivers wanted nothing more than to win it all and the fact that he is so loved by his team just shows that there is definitely a lot more to him than meets the eye in some situations.

You can play the “well, the Celtics have 3 probable Hall of Famers, Doc didn’t need to do all that much to get them to perform” card. Fine. If you want to play it that way, that’s fine.

But what Doc DID do was:

1) Stick with a Sophomore Point Guard who EVERYBODY had questions about last season that sometimes looks like he IS the future of the Celtics.

2) Keep the respect of ALL his players even while not keeping a consistent rotation or guaranteeing any set amount of playing time for anyone. Try to imagine Stephon Marbury or Vince Carter or Shawn Marion playing on a team like that. What’s that? You can’t? Simply due to the horrific egos? Really? Oh. Ok. Cool.

3) Doc sold EVERYONE on the ubuntu concept. And it was beautiful to watch. This was a team that did EVERYTHING right even when they were doing things horribly wrong.

4) Develop the younger players by playing them when they were hot. Big Baby carried the Celtics through a regular season win in Detroit. Leon Powe carried the Celtics through a series of wins while KG was injured. There were ALWAYS young guys stepping up (even Gabe Pruitt got a little playing time at the end of the season).

Doc Rivers seems like a brilliant player manager (similar to Terry Francona) because he protects his young players and lets them develop and he lets his proven veterans be who they are. I really think that this type of balance, regardless of everything else, can result in great things.

And Paul Pierce with the Gatorade? Priceless. Even though The Truth has a sponsorship deal with POWERade. And speaking of POWERade, there has NEVER been a situation where one of your spokesmen getting a DUI (and generally being an asshole) has resulted in GOOD FORTUNE for a company. Before the playoffs began there were ads for POWERade all over Boston with Shawn Merriman, Ryan Howard and Carmello Anthony. After CMel got arrested? He was dropped from the ads, they changed the POWERade liquid color from blue to yellow and photo shopped Paul Pierce in CMel’s place. Bang, PERFECT! Also, why would you choose Carmello Anthony to begin with? The guy just seems like a giant asshole. I’ve never spent any time conversing with him, but I get a really bad impression based on what I’ve seen. He seems like he’s striving to be this generation’s Stephon Marbury, a guy who has a shitload of talent but cares more about himself than his team or doing what it takes to win or maybe he cares about both of those things but his ego and personality get in the way. That is why I say he should go to the Knicks. He can put up a double double every night, never have to worry about going to the playoffs and he won’t have to be a cancer to any team that is actually trying to improve.

End tangent.

 

 

 

 

On Wednesday, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett were on Letterman together. I think this was kind of a great idea (having two members of the Celtics as opposed to any single member) and they both did a really nice job. Ray Allen just comes off as the nicest guy in the world. I don’t know how you could possibly NOT like him as a person.

 

Me? I’ve always loved Ray Allen. Even when Bill Simmons was shitting on Danny Ainge last Summer when the Celts acquired him in exchange for their first rounder and some parts (Delonte, Wally – that ended up playing AGAINST the Celtics on Cleveland in the playoffs…it was a strange season…) because he (and not JUST him, but almost EVERYONE in the sports media) thought that Ray Ray was all done before the season even started.

They were wrong.

Ray Allen is just amazing. He’s a natural shooter. He can drive to the basket (just ask Sasha RayAllen’sBitch) and he has excellent ball handling skills.

Additionally, by all accounts, Ray Allen IS a great guy. he always conducts himself professionally. He is a sharp dresser. He is a surprisingly good actor and he can ball.

I loved Ray Allen when he was in Milwaukee, I loved him in Seattle (especially when he said that Kobe was a selfish bastard) and I was very excited when I heard he was coming to Boston. I think even without KG, the Celtics would have definitely been a playoff team with Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Al Jefferson. They probably would not have gotten past the second round with that lineup, but who knows (and while we’re talking about Al Jefferson, there is a guy who might be destined to play amazingly for years and be on a bad team. Maybe McHale can trade him back to the Celtics for Sam Cassell straight up…?) 

 

 

 

 

The parade was…Well, look at the pictures.

 

Leon Powe got a great reaction. Big Baby had his shirt off. Everybody had a cigar. It was incredible.

When Ray Allen came by, everybody was chanting “Shut-tles-worth!”.

Doc looked as happy as a father on the day of his son’s wedding.

It’s amazing how things can change so quickly. And yes, this was a trade-era championship. Yes, the Celtics did bring in all stars and yes, them winning a championship had A LOT to do with re-building in the off season.

But so what?

The Celtics had to move a lot of young guys with a lot of potential to get to this point. Danny Ainge still  had to make some swift free agent acquisitions even after the new three had come together. And furthermore, you can have all the stars in the world on your roster (look at the Karl Malone Lakers) but if they don’t click, if it doesn’t come together and if they aren’t all on the same page, you still aren’t going to win a championship (ahem, 2000′s Yankees).

Furthermore, the reason why these trades were so risky is that this team is clearly a time-sensitive team.

Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce will almost definitely all be retired by 2015 (if not 2014, 13, 12 or 11) and in addition, its not like guys in the NBA are age-proof. You get older. Your body cannot do a lot of the things it used to. They all have a couple years of prime basketball left (maybe 4 for Pierce, 2 for Ray and 3 for KG). If they didn’t win soon, they probably never would.

And another great side effect of having three legitimate All Stars on one team is that it makes EVERYONE around them not only play better as a player but also act better as a teammate.

Rajon Rondo was a big question mark coming into this season. After game 6 of the Finals? He looked like he could be quickly becoming one of the top 10 point guards in the NBA (qualifier: he still needs to improve his jumper and get some more range shooting, drive to the basket more fearlessly to get easy buckets and/or to draw fouls [imagine if Rondo got to the line 10 times a game? Paul Pierce needs to teach him how to tactfully take a soft hit and make it look like he got shanked] and improve his awareness [sometimes he throws it away or misses an open man]. But with all of that said, Rondo steals like Rickey Henderson, Rebounds like he’s 6’10″ and runs like he’s Chad Johnson. He’s got a lot of potential and I don’t think hanging out with three future Hall of Famers is going to make him any worse.

Big Baby was rookie. And even though he would make some mistakes, its clear that he has a lot of intensity, the determination to become a better player (the guy has lost like 60 lbs. since college) and the fearlessness of a proven veteran (even if he doesn’t always have the skill  of one).

Leon Powe is the same age as me. He looks like he’s in his 30′s. He’s fearless. He works hard. And he has a presence that let’s you know there ARE nights when he can carry the team (OFF THE BENCH MIND YOU!).

Tony Allen is kind of a fifty-fifty guy. He’s sometimes a great defender. Sometimes a liability on offense. Sometimes amazing. Sometimes not so good. If he can develop some consistency, he could be a solid bench option.

Kendrick Perkins…He is a legit big man. He pushes and shoves, rebounds like a beast and even hits the occasional spot up shot that seems  surprising even though it shouldn’t be. The guy can play Center.

And outside of the young guys, the veterans they brought in, Posey, House, PJ Brown, even Scott Pollard at the beginning of the season, all played quality basketball.

Posey MUST BE RE-SIGNED. The Celtics need that toughness. There is no better sub for Paul Pierce in the NBA. James Posey just imposes his will on guys defensively AND can shoot and aside from those two great elements, he’s just a bastard on the court. The guy will shove anyone after a whistle or play for that extra second. He’d the type of guy I would HATE if he were playing against my team, but on my team, he’s one of my favorites.

Eddie House should also be re-signed. He is a lights out shooter who stepped up big in certain crunch-time situations for the Celtics all year long. Remember that game in Charlotte the day after Thanksgiving where he somehow tipped and stole an inbound pass, got it to Ray Allen and Ray Ray hit the game winner with nothing left on the clock? Yeah. That’s what Eddie can do. He might not be the best ball handler, but he is a solid defender and always an offensive threat on the court.

Sam Cassell should probably not be resigned. He’s well past the wrong side of 30 and even though he hit a few nice shots for the Celtics, nothing was life-altering enough to make me think that they couldn’t live without him. However, I will give Sam credit for a few things, first, the guy is a three time champion, he always plays hard (even if it isn’t always great play) and he is never afraid to take big shots (even when he misses). The greatest thing about having Sam on the Celtics this season was definitely that he was on the bench with the guys to keep them intense and tell them how to play championship basketball. The guy is a natural coach. He seems to be someone who, even if he didn’t contribute so much on the court this post-season, he can definitely (and DID definitely) help any team on the bench. For these reasons, I think that the Celtics should shrewdly offer him an assistant coaching job for next season. Don’t let him go on bad terms. Give him a chance to continue to help the team in a great capacity. He clearly gets people pumped up and he LOVES to talk. I wouldn’t want to lose that element. Maybe Sam will decide that going out with a ring would be the perfect book-end to coming in with a ring (which he did in Houston in 1964…I mean…).

I don’t expect PJ Brown to play another season. Even though he did save the Celtics from the Cavs. He was more than they could have asked for in the playoffs. I think that PJ should probably ride off into the sunset with his championship ring (but if he wants to come back, shit, I’d take him!).

Scott Pollard is probably gone.

Brian Scalabrine doesn’t seem to be part of the long-term plan. But I will say that Scal had the funniest post-game interview following game 6. He really does seem like a good guy. If he goes I will certainly miss chanting “SCAL-A-BRIN-E” at the end of games to convince Doc to let him play a couple of minutes (which he did. Doc always gives the fans what they want when the Celtics are up by double digits and it is late in the fourth in the regular season).

 

 

 

After the parade I was a little let down. 

 

Another season of NBA basketball has ended.

And even though I have never in my life been able to watch and comprehend a Celtics team playing as well as this one did and I wanted them to win it all, part of me hope this season would never end.

Don’t get me wrong, a major part of me wanted to be able to go to sleep before 1:00 a.m. every night during the Playoffs (David Stern is a giant piece of garbage. By the way, during the Larry O’Brien trophy presentation when everyone was booing him [rightfully so] he said ‘oh, you’re saying Truth’, I would have tried to start a “No-One-Likes-You” chant, the only thing I fault the Game 6 crowd for NOT doing).

THIS is an exciting league again…and I’m not just saying that because the team I root for won it all.

Next year:

The Portland Trailblazers SHOULD be a force. That is a team of young, big, talented, hungry guys. Brandon Roy is just plain exciting. Greg Oden could be amazing. They should be something really special.

The New Orleans Hornets WILL BE even better. If that team makes any type of off season pick ups, they can improve. Chris Paul is just a phenom.

The Suns and Mavs will adjust somewhat and we’ll get to see if they start to get old or if start to grow. The Suns are the single team this season that absolutely embarrassed the Celtics (February 22nd). Both teams still have some really talented guys.

The Golden State drama will play out and we’ll see what happens. I love Baron Davis and I hope he sticks with them.

The Heat and Bulls could both be exponentially better next season. Both teams were NOT expected to be complete non-factors in 2007-08. I think both will rebound and would not be surprised to see both of them in the playoffs next year.

The Wizards were the only team that consistently flustered the Celtics and we will wait and see what happens with Gilbert Arenas, but they have some really good players.

The 76ers will continue to grow. Andre Igudola looks like someone who could be something special.

The Hawks made a nice run at the Celtics. If they get their act together, they could be a solid team all year. They have a lot of talent.

The Pistons are probably going to make some kind of deal. But if they retain the core of players they have (most of it) they’ll be in really good shape again. Did I ever mention that Rodney Stuckey is going to be HUGE?

The Magic have Dwight Howard. That guy is a monster. And they have Ron Jeremy coaching. What could go wrong?

The Lakers will probably win 60 games next season if Kobe returns and stays healthy along with a healthy Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them in the Finals again next season.

The Spurs are still the Spurs. Until Tim Duncan retires, they will be the Spurs. Even when Tim Duncan retires, they’ll still have a great point guard and Manu (who is somehow amazing almost all of the time).

The Raptors will attempt to sign every foreign-born free agent on the market.

The Sonics will hopefully stay in Seattle where they belong. And Kevin Durant will hopefully continue to improve and be one of the most exciting young players in the league.

Next season, I predict that the Celtics have the best record in the East, The Lakers have the best record in the west, the Timberwolves, Grizzlies, Kings, Bucks, Sonics and Knicks finish near the bottom and viewership improves substantially (but not because of ANYTHING David Stern does).

It is an exciting time for the NBA.

The best TEAM won this year.

And now I have to watch baseball for four months.

 

 

 

 

 

The NBA Finals Are Making Me Want To Puke (Game 6 Preview)

According to awesome sources Ray and Perk will both be playing tonight.

Here is my best case scenario for Kendrick Perkins:

Perkins plays 40 minutes of hard basketball, picks up 4 to 5 hard fouls, scores between 10 and 16 points and notches 15 rebounds. His toughness and general beastliness puts Pau Gasol in a terrible position as Perk is more physical, tougher, stronger and bigger. Having Perkins on the court also frees up KG to pick up only  a few fouls and play the low post to perfection.

Here is my worst case scenario for Kendrick Perkins:

Perkins plays 6 minutes of hard basketball and grabs a couple of rebounds before realizing he really isn’t strong enough to play the rest of the game. On his way out of the game he punches Kobe Bryant in the face, elbows Pau Gasol in the jaw and throws Sasha Vujacic into the upper deck (preferably section 308 where the fans will seek redemption on behalf of that guy who got beat up at the Staples Center last week). Because Perk is ejected after the melee, Doc Decides to go physical and stay BIG so he uses Glen Big Baby Davis to spell Leon Powe and PJ Brown down low.

Either way, it will be interesting.

But I’m getting all pumped up and ready to go. I’m ready to start jumping up and down like Eddie House before a tip off.

I’ve had an upset stomach all day. Anxious. Nervous. And now my adrenaline is going apeshit just from thinking about the game.

I don’t think I was ready for game 5 in this way. Tonight I am ready.

And I hope KG is ready too.

The Celtics just need to constantly play hard tonight. Nobody standing around. Nobody not going for a rebound. Nobody taking a single possession off. Nobody missing an open lay up. Nobody passing up an easy shot. Nobody being afraid to drive to the basket (ESPECIALLY YOU RONDO!!! JUST TAKE THAT SHIT IN! SLAM DUNK IT ON PAU GASOL’S UGLY FUCKING HEAD!!!!). Nobody slow getting into position. Nobody missing free throws. Nobody making unnecessary fouls. Nobody falling asleep in the event the Celtics take the lead.

Tonight needs to be the same way the Celtics played all season. Tonight they need to play like they did against Phoenix on March 26th. Never let up. In the fourth quarter, spread the ball and drain the shots. Make the Lakers lose their desire to win. Make them lose their desire to play. Make them lose their desire to live.

EVERYONE NEEDS TO COME UP BIG TONIGHT.

I expect nothing less than a superb game from Pierce, KG, Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins, James Posey, Eddie House, Sam Cassell, PJ Brown, Tony Allen, Leon Powe and Glen Big Baby Davis. I don’t care if they have a superb game getting guys fired up on the sidelines or getting the fans fired up in the stands or knocking down Lakers and shots on the court.

Tonight they need to breathe fire and spit venom.

Tonight they need to mean it.

Tonight they need to play like its the last game of their lives.

 

Game 5 of the NBA Finals. Paul Pierce Is Outstanding but Dick Bavetta Should Be In Prison NOT REFING THE NBA FINALS!

Ok. The Celtics and Lakers had the same number of free throws total. Great.

That was only because LA was over the limit in the third quarter and Boston took about 10 on non-shooting fouls.

The Celtics couldn’t get a whistle to save their lives. The culmination of which was Kobe Bryant hacking Paul Pierce in the arm and ribs and “stealing” the ball for a permanent momentumchanging slam dunk. Right. If you watch the replay Kobe “I rape women and get away with it” Bryant had all Pierce and no ball. The commentators were apparently instructed not to mention how suspiciously horrible the officiating was (Van Gundy said “you might argue that was a foul” VAN GUNDY WOULD HAVE SHIT HIS PANTS AND GOTTEN A TECHNICAL  IF HE WAS THE CELTICS COACH).

I have had an up and down opinion about David Stern. He’s done some horrible things lately and I will always hate him from this season forward. The man should resign. He has no business running the NBA. its clear that the NBA should NOT have an antitrust exemption based on the Donaghy allegations (no matter how much he’s grasping at straws and looking for a way out of prison).

But why, in the midst of an FBI investiagtion, would you have Dick Fucking Bavetta officiate a game in the NBA Finals?

(note that I called him Dick FUCKING Bavetta, I encourage you and your friends to do the same).

Even if the officials weren’ttrying to swing the game in LA’s favor last night and they just missed some easy calls (which can happen, obviously), it still looks ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE to have Dick Bavetta refing that game. You’re just giving Celtics fans like me a reason to think that ALL of the allegations are true and even more so, making even more people question the integrity of the league (a discussion Bombs, Blade, Kyley and I had DURING the game…that shit should not have to happen during the NBA Finals) and whenever a questionable call is made (or an easy call is missed) it looks like Dick Bavetta was instructed to stretch it out to 6 or 7 games (which was apparently the protocol in previous seasons).

Now obviously, Kevin Garnett did not play well last night (he hasn’t really played exceptionally well in Los Angeles in this series) and missed two crucial free throws that he normally would make.

Ray Allen did not have a big night. The word is that he is tending to a personal family matter and if so I certainly wish him all the best and can understand how difficult it would be to focus as much on a game in that situation.

Leon Powe looked flat and lacked intensity completely in his start (all though is fairness to Leon, he did only play 6 minutes or so).

Rajon Rondo is still shying away from easy baskets for passes. It is infuriating and makes me want to throw my TV out a window.

Paul Pierce, even with his 38 points, had a few costly turnovers (all though to be fair, one of them was him getting mauled by Kobe Bryant. But I guess since he isn’t guilt of mauling people off the court, why would they call him for it on the court?).

And the Celtics defense decided that they didn’t feel like playing in the first quarter and/or Doc Rovers and Tom Thibodeau watched The Simpsons last night and decided that they were going to try Homer’s strategy in the episode “The Homer They Fall”in where he’s a boxer (trained by Kid Moe) in which he let’s his boxcar residing opponents punch him until they get tired and then softly pushes them over. It didn’t work.

The Celtics need to come out breathing fire on Tuesday. The series needs to be wrapped up. And they should be triple aggressive on offense because if the score is even remotely close in the 4th quarter, I’m sure Tim Donaghy will make a special appearanceas a guest referee along with Vince McMahon and Pete Rose.

Let’s finish this up.

NBA Finals Game 4 Preview

Will Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce come to my apartment for the game tonight? Probably not. But if they don’t I hope they AT LEAST make an appearance on the court at the Staples Center.

Game 3 was brutal. It was ugly, ugly basketball. The Lakers looked just slightly less disoriented than the Celtics and that’s why they won. Rajon Rondo sprained his ankle, KG and Paul Pierce were barely alive, Kendrick Perkins was a complete non-factor and still it came down to the wire.

Pau Gasol was whiter than usual on Tuesday.

Was it the contrast of his skin and the yellow jerseys? Maybe. But I prefer to think that he was strung out on heroin.

Hopefully Pau will look strung out again, Lamar Odom will continue to choke (URI SHOULD HAVE WON IT ALL THAT YEAR LAMAR! I STILL BLAME YOU!!!!) and Kobe Bryant will get elbowed in the neck by Sam Cassell (killing two birds with one stone).

I know it will be physical. I know it will be hard. I’m pretty sure that the Celtics will come out with momentum.

But the pieces need to fall into place.

I expect big things from Rondo, House, Leon Powe and I have a feeling Glen Big Baby Davis will even show up tonight (for no good reason…but sometimes Doc just gets lucky).

Paul Pierce should probably drop about 60 tonight to make up for Tuesday.

In The NBA Finals.

The Celtics did something special tonight. 

Yes, they beat the Pistons in 6 games (twice on the road!), yes, they are headed to the NBA Finals for the first time in over 20 years, yes, they are playing against the LA Lakers, yes, they went from being in the basement of the NBA to going to the finals in one season and yes, it will be the first finals appearance for most of the team (including Paul Pierce, KG and Ray Allen). 

All great.

But the best thing they did on May 30th was prove that they can still grow and that there is still time.

The entire playoffs have made journalists and sports fans all over the world wonder “what is wrong with the Celtics” and yes, they technically never trailed in any series, but it took them 7 games to euthanize an athletic but overachieving Atlanta Hawks team, another 7 games to finish off the Cleveland Lebron’s (in a series a lot of Boston assumed would be the end) and now, against their greatest opposition of the playoffs they manage to win not one but two games on the road, clinch the series on the road and come from behind a 10 point deficit? 

If you would have told me the Boston Celtics could have beaten the Pistons in six games, twice on the road and come from behind to clinch on the road anytime after game six of the Atlanta series, I would have told you you were crazy.

Coming into the playoffs I had nothing but the utmost confidence in this Celtics team. They had role players, they had veterans they had guys who could step up on any given night and for he most part Doc Rivers kept it simple and keeping it simple carried them through a 66 win season.

But something happened around game 3 in round 1…

The Celtics got the fear.

The “win or go home” fear that they had not played against all season. The “win or go home” fear that Pierce, Ray and KG had never experienced together before (and Rondo had NEVER experienced). The “win or go home” fear that seemed to make something so perfect in the regular season seem like an aberration or a mirage.

Suddenly guys were turning the ball over for no good reason or looking to constantly make an extra pass rather than taking a shot. The defense looked weak. The bench wasn’t performing to their potential. Doc started making bizarre substitutions, Ray Allen got ice cold, Sam Cassell rolled over and died and every game felt like 9 hours (as opposed to the 4 hours they actually are).

Atlanta was a struggle where the Celtics played horribly on the road for 3 games. in game 2 they gave up big leads and when the crowd got into it Ray Allen got that look of mortification that means a team is going to lose unless someone steps up big time…and there were no takers.

Cleveland continued the pattern of making the Celts look piss poor on the road by forcing mistakes, playing defense and making people afraid. Until game 6 in Cleveland.

I knew game 6 was a turning point as I was watching it. The Celtics got the lead early int he game and they played with intensity and didn’t seem to give up. They didn’t decide to lose, they decided to play until the final buzzer.

In the end,t hey lost, there was a horrible horrible horrible foul called against Paul Pierce that essentially blew the game for them, but I was confident in a game 7 victory in that series because it was the first time all playoffs that a team pushed hard against the Celtics and they fought back.

I even texted my buddy Sean a famous line from “White Men Can’t Jump” after the game; “Sometimes when you win, you actually lose and sometimes when you lose you actually win and sometimes when you win or lose you actually tie and sometimes when you tie you actually win or lose”. 

It was true of that game. The Celtics lost game 6 in Cleveland, but the unity was getting stronger. The team looked ready to fight. Like Lebron’s amazing play had awoken them from the late season doldrums.

Against Detroit, they lost a tough one at home. I was in the fourth row that night miserable as hell and trying to figure out some way that they could pull out the series against the Pistons. All though a lot of the Celtics fans had left early or were clearing out by the time the game ended, I stayed behind and watched them walk off. KG looked like someone had just broken his heart. And I heard someone yell “Its OK Kevin, you’ll kill them in Detroit”. 

As much as I tried to sell myself on that, I had trouble. Saturday night rolled around and I had convinced myself the Celtics could make it a close game if they came out with intensity. And did they ever.

Game 4 of the series was kind of confusing. It was the type of home game most teams usually have in the playoffs where they get up early, discourage the away team, get the crowd into it and destroy them. Except even in game 4, the Celtics had chances to steal it that just didn’t pan out. They got down, the crowd was in it, the Pistons were working hard and Mike Breen was ready to give McNugget the Eastern Conference trophy. Yet, the Celtics still fought back to a degree. They didn’t win…but they didn’t just roll over and die like they did int heir first 5 games on the road in the playoffs.

Game 5 the Celtics held on and won. Sure,t hey could have played better, yes, the Pistons defense disrupted their flow and lead to some awful looks and even worse turnovers. But Ray Allen was back, arm sock and all, and the Celtics stuck it out.

Tonight I had a feeling. I knew they could put the Pistons away. Even when they were down 10, I said to Kyley “they still have one great run left and Paul Pierce will explode”. Hell, I predicted it on the blog earlier in the day.

The Celtics fought back from behind, on the road, with KG in foul trouble. No, it wasn’t perfect (ahem, Rondo…PLEASE JUST TAKE A SHOT ON THE FASTBREAK!!! WHAT WAS SHEED GONNA DO? FOUL YOU AND GET FOULED OUT?!?!?!), but they found a way to win.

They are growing in the Playoffs.

The Lakers may be tough but the Celtics are still growing.

And I don’t think a week off and some time to prepare will do them any harm.

Lakers In The Finals/Game 6 preview

The Lakers are in the NBA Finals.

I guess I’m as happy as I could be about it. Clearly Kobe Bryant is entertaining. Pau Gasol is tall and scores effectively. Lamar Odom went to URI. So…there’s that.

I would be lying if I said I didn’t think the NBA wanted a Celtics vs. Lakers finals (just like most of the rest of the world outside Detroit and San Antonio). I’m no conspiracy theorist…but something tells me that would get ratings like no NBA Finals has in years…

So part 1 has been completed. Tonight the C’s look to wrap it up in Detroit.

I am more optimistic about tonight’s game than I have been about any of the other road games the Celtics have played this season. For two reasons:

1) The Celtics got the W on Wednesday, but found a way to almost blow it. Hopefully their almost blowing it big time is motivation enough for them to go all out tonight and play like they want to win and not get discouraged when things start to go Detroit’s way and they don’t get breaks.

2) The NBA wants a Celtics vs. Lakers finals and I don’t have any doubts that that is the way the game will be called. Even if you take that away, Rasheed Wallace’s profane rant against officiating isn’t going to get him ANY breaks tonight either way. And don’t be surprised if the Pistons get ahead big, that Sheed gets T’d up and misses game 7. I’m calling it right now.

Additionally, motivations and secret motives aside, Paul Pierce is due for a giant game, Rajon Rondo is due to put some points up (if he stops taking half-assed floaters and starts either a) driving to the basket aggressively (he’s so small and fragile-looking he’s BOUND to get calls) or b) Stops passing up open shots because he’s too nervous) and The Celtics bench is dying to be active. maybe tonight Doc will play Leon Powe. I feel like he hasn’t had a substantial chance at playing time in so long, he might explode and go on one of those 7 rebounds 6 points in 4 minutes things he does.

My good frined Bombs is of the belief that the Celtics and Pistons are the two best all around teams in the NBA. Its hard to argue with that if you look at both offensive and defensive totals for the season. However, the Lakers pose an extreme threat for having multiple offensive weapons and being highly athletic. The Celtics don’t always fair well against athletic teams (ahem, Atlanta). But who knows.

The important thing is that they don’t turn it over for no reason, that people stop over-passing and throwing it away, that they continue to play defense, that they take high percentage shots and that they drive to the basket and get Detroit in foul trouble (McNugget looked horrible in foul trouble and even worse on the bench on Wednesday).

I’m predicting a 104-97 Celtics win tonight. Paul Pierce with 35, Ray Allen with 21, Rondo with 13, KG with 19.

This will come back to haunt me….