James Posey and Eddie House Say They Want To Stay In Boston.

“Let’s buy a house in Arlington! Yeah!!”

There were a few really important things the Celtics needed to do this offseason.

1) Get some rest. 107 games is a lot. There were some surgeries and MRIs to get done. Relax. Get a 4 hour massage or two. Go to some Vegas fights. You know, have fun. But get some rest.

2) Resign James Posey and (to a lesser extent but still important) Eddie House.

I’ve gone on and on and on about how much James Poesy adds. Eddie House adds a lot too. The only concern with him is his shaky ball handling. But House was a defensive presence this season as well. Remember the November 24th game where he stole the inbound pass from the Bobcats, kicked it out to Ray Allen and Ray Ray nailed the game winner with no time left? Yeah. That was thanks to House.

Anyway, last night at the premiere screening of the DVD of the season Posey said his number one team would be the Celtics.

Danny, I know you read the blogs. I KNOW Doc reads the blogs. Listen Danny, DO NOT SCREW POSEY! Just resign him for a little extra, throw in an extra year. Whatever. Get that shit done. He is the centerpiece of a successful Celtics bench. The Defensive leader when KG and Pierce are off the court.

GET IT DONE.

Also, I’m miffed that I wasn’t invited to the premiere. Do you know how important I am to this team!?!?!

Wouldn’t it be great if sports fans everywhere had an attitude like that. Like overnight we all decided that our teams actually NEEDED us and demanded absurd things from them?

Typical Conversation:

“So Flip Saunders really blew the Milwaukee game even after I told him to take Tayshaun Prince Out.”

“I know. What did you do?”

“I walked over to him and said ‘I’M LEAVING AND NOT WATCHING YOUR TEAM FOR 6 DAYS!’”

“Wow. Strong words.”

“And you know something, he STILL hasn’t apologized.”

“Asshole.”

“I know.”

etc. etc. etc.

James Posey needs to come back. Eddie House probably just wants to play ANYWHERE for longer than a season. He’s like a College Kid still, moving EVERY YEAR. Can you imagine living like 12 years straight and moving once a year throughout that time period? Insane. His son is basically a military kid.

Get it done Danny. Get it done today!!!

 

Papelbon Loves The Taste Of Foot.

 

Morrisey Plays For The Red Sox?

Let’s pretend for a second that the All Star Game actually means anything to anyone who plays it, that players stay in the same league their whole careers, that the “leagues” in Major League Baseball are actually two different leagues and not just one big one, let’s pretend Papelbon is having an amazing year and Mariano Rivera is not having a good year. Ok. Let’s pretend all of those things.

Under those circumstances, than yeah, what Papelbon said about deserving to close the All Star Game is completely valid.

But let’s look at their stats this season:

Papelbon – 40.2 IP, 32 Hits, 16 Runs, 11 Earned Runs, 51 K, 7 BB, 3-3, 28 Saves, 4 BLSV, 0.96 WHIP, 2.43 ERA

Rivera – 42.1 IP, 23 Hits, 5 Runs, 5 Earned Runs, 4 BB, 50 K, 4-3, 23 Saves, 0 BLSV, 0.64 WHIP, 1.06 ERA

I’m no Yankees sympathizer or anything, but clearly Papelbon is having a good season as a closer while Rivera is having a possibly Cy Young caliber season as a closer. 0.64 WHIP? Unheard of. The guy is pitching out of his mind. I’m not sure if it will hold up for the next 70 games, but he’s been on fire this year.

And Papelbon needs to learn how to be more of a Ray Allen and less of a Curt Schilling.

That’s all I have to say about that.

Big Baby Davis Enjoys an Early Morning Refreshment. Wears No Shirt To The Parade.

If Kevin Garnett was the heart of the 2007-08 Celtics, Paul Pierce was the captain and Ray Allen was a stoic leader with quiet dignity, then surely Glen Big Baby Davis was the goofy younger brother of the team.

Glen Davis excites Boston fans. He’s big, he does crazy shit, he’s intense.

And sometimes he shows up to the victory parade drunk and shirtless. And that’s why we love him. “Hand me that Aquafina!!”

 

Thanks to my sister for the pictures. I was too busy trying not to knock some guys off of mailboxes to take any myself.

 

I really hope Big Baby comes back and stays with the C’s long term.

This team just needs someone to be big and do crazy shit. I mean, Danny Ainge throwing up gang signs will suffice off the court. But on the court, Big Baby needs to be that guy.

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.

 

 

 

 

 

Champions

There was no better team and no team more deserving.

I love all these guys. 

It has truly been an honor and a privilege to watch each and every one of them play together all year.

Let’s hope they keep it all together for 2008-09. 

Paul Pierce will finally get the national recognition he deserves.

Kevin Garnett is finally a champion.

Ray Allen is just generally one of my favorite athletes ever.

I could not be happier for any team.

How many weeks until Kobe requests a trade???

I love these guys.

 

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 Earth Shattering Jesus Shuttlesworth Kobe Bryant Is Turd International Lakers Fail Cry Jack Cry!

I’m sorry that my title is a long nonsensical run-on sentence but I woke up this morning in a glass cage of emotion.

Last night was the type of game that comes along only a few times in a lifetime for your team…maybe a few times in a lifetime period.

The Celtics looked pathetic in the first quarter. A bunch of my Friends came over to watch the game and my friend Bombs was so enraged that some of them took up a count of how many times he said “give me a f-ing break!!!”. He was over 30 before halftime.

To top it all off, Rondo looked even less confident than usual (probably due to his ankle issue) and Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett weren’t at my apartment but they also weren’t really at the Staples Center, so I was a little upset.

Also, Mike Breen pulled out the “This one will be a good old fashioned blow out!” card around 7 minutes into the first quarter. I feel like there should be some laws to sports broadcasting on national television:

1) Don’t ever say anything that will both enrage the fans of one team and make you look completely moronic at the same time (I know, the Celtics were down 20 in the first. Fine. But it is the NBA FINALS! Its not like the Lakers got a 20 point lead on The Miami Heat in the first quarter. Then it might be all right to say ‘this might be a blowout’. Butseriously? I mean, I didn’t think the Celtics were wining that game, but I KNEW they would NEVER allow ANY TEAM to beat them by more than 15. Not the way they’ve been playing the last couple of rounds anyway).

2) NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER compare someone to Dr. J, MJ, Kareem, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson…etc. during a game (OR AFTER A GAME FOR THAT MATTER) while they are still young and playing. Its easy to judge Kareem’s place in history because he is retired and has completed a full body of work. Ditto for everyone else I named. But come on! I love Leon Powe just as much (if not a lot more) than the next guy. But he doesn’t look like Dr. J. Ever.

3) Do not be afraid to show some emotion every once in a while. That Ray Allen lay up….that could have been a call for the ages. He broke free and nailed a game winning layup. And they had nothing to say about it.

4) Don’t keep saying “THE CELTICS ARE ON THE VERGE OF THE GREATEST COMEBACK IN NBA FINALS HISTORY!”. That would be like saying “JON LESTER IS ON THE VERGE OF A NO HITTER”. EVERYONE CAN TELL WITHOUT YOU SAYING IT! If you want to show a little flash along the bottom of the screen, fine. But its just annoying otherwise. And Terribly bad luck. I blame the 2003 Red Sox collapse entirely on Joe Buck.

Anyway, the game looked horrible. Things were uncomfortable, I didn’t even have a seat on the couch (in my own apartment!) and the Celtics got outscored 35-14 in the first 12 minutes.

And then things started to come together.

In the second half the Lakers only scored 33 points (how you hold a team to less points AT HOME in the final 24 minutes of a game than you gave up in the first 12 minutes is beyond me). The Celtics went wild. Doc Rivers seemed to know exactly what to do the whole way (7 minute Sam Cassell stint in the first half notwithstanding).

Leon Powe played 7 minutes and notched 5 rebounds and 3 points.

The Celtics were an incredible 7-7 from the paint in the third quarter. Shot selection got them back into the game.

And then somehow defensive execution went way up.

Do you ever feel like Kendrick Perkins is either incredibly good (10% of the time) or incredibly unproductive (as in, commits too many fouls and doesn’t move well enough in the post to put up points like he should)?

When the Celtics went small, I knew they had a small chance.

Eddie House is an emotional player. James Posey is an emotional player. Those two guys have been playing side by side all season long. You can’t tell me that the Lakers have a “deeper bench” as I read from so many ESPN columnists last week. The Celtics easily have the deepest bench int he NBA. They get quality performances out of almost everybody on a consistent basis (Sam Cassell’s dead body aside).

And the way Ray Allen played at the end of the game?

First of all, that lay up where he switched hands and shot it on the way down? Absurd. And when he took Sasha Vujacic one on one to effectively end the game? Ray Allen and the Arm Sock have become Jesus Shuttlesworth. That arm sock is like a fountain of youth or something. He hasn’t played like this most of the season  the way he’s taking it to the hole and makingguys look bad. Unbelievable. The way Ray Allen carried the Celtics at the end of the game…it erases any negative things you’ve ever thought about Ray Allen int he clutch. He threw a spear through Kobe Bryant’s heart.

This Celtics team is unstoppable. They truly want it. They love and respect one another and they play like they have been together far longer than a mere 106 games (shit, 47 and 44 games for PJ Brown and Sam Cassell, whom I think does a great job cheering on the guys and getting them pumped up on the bench).

Kobe Bryant WILL LOSE either game 5 or 6 for his team because he is the antithesis of the Boston Celtics. In the words of the Get Up Kids “one star player doesn’t save the team”. Kobe WILL take somewhere between 30 and 50 shots in one of the next two games as soon as he gets pissed at his teammates and decides that they suck. And when he does that, the Celtics will see right through him and shut him down hard. Even if he scores 70 points, the Celtics will win the game 95-85.  Mark my words. He’s too selfish not to be the Achilles heel of this Lakers team.

During the last six minutes of the game, I kept reminding everyone to knock on the floor whenever Mike Breen tried to jinx the Celtics. We didn’t get up and celebrate or say ANYTHING until after the final buzzer. And when it went off we all stood up and hugged just like the Celtics.

This is a team that I feel absolutely privileged to root for. I have never felt so close to any of the Boston sports teams I’ve followed my entire life. They get it. They aren’t assholes. They aren’t me-first-crybabies (even when it might be understandable for them to be, ahem, the Cassell instead of Eddie House situation). They aren’t soft guys who are afraid of doing things the hard way. They aren’t guys who mentally check out when they go down big. They aren’t arrogant pricks who think they’ve already won.

This whole season has been about one thing. This Celtics team plays and conducts itself exactly the way that you are taught to act when you’re growing up. They share, they don’t hold grudges, they care for one another, they help each other out, they want what’s best for everyone not just themselves, they can take constructive criticism, they stand up for one another and they don’t give up when things aren’t going their way.

And they’re closer now than a lot of people thought they would ever be.

Greatest Comeback In NBA Finals History.

I can’t write much now. 

But Ray Allen, how he played in the 4th quarter completely reverses any negative thing anyone has said about him all playoffs. He was a murderer. He ripped Kobe Bryant’s heart out and made Sasha Vujacic (or however the shit you spell it) eat it.

Full review tomorrow.

But this is only the second time in my life that one of my teams has done something that even I can’t believe. The Celtics are insane.

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.