Well it's finally over. The Celtics are your 2008 NBA Champions. When the game started I just knew that they were going to close this one out. There weren't any terrible calls that changed the game, there were some heated moments, but all in all a great game for the Celtics as all of them did their thing. Things I noticed:
Ray Allen - Jesus!!!! He really woke up. I think that move that he put on Vujacic at the end of Game 4 stayed in Sasha's mind, because Ray was getting away from him off screens and buried a NBA record 7 threes in the game. Those surgically repaired ankles never looked so good. Even after getting hit in the eye early in the 1st, he handled his business with 26 points.
Paul Pierce - Had a decent game, nothing spectacular from a points standpoint, but he was definitely a factor. He was actually ordinary during this game,......but I think he should definitely get the MVP. 17 and 10 on 4 of 13 shooting.
Kevin Garnett - I was having an argument with one of my guys where he was saying that KG is overrated and nothing but a high priced role player. I do recommend that his employer drug test him, but if that's all KG is, I'll take him. A guy that brings it every night and brought a Championship to Boston. His game 6 stats, 26 points, 14boards, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block. I could use that on my team from a role player. He brought the intensity from the get go and the Celtics followed. Bill Russell told him, to keep playing and it'll happen,....how right he was,....#17 in the rafters. Nothing like watching the Big 3 run around like kids and KG screaming 'top of the world, top of the world' and talking to his mom over live TV.
Celtics Role players and Bench - Wow, they showed up. Everyone played well. Rondo with a Finals record for steals (he should have it even if they don't credit him with it). Perk gave it all he had, Posey played well, Powe, PJ Brown, Eddie House, Big Baby, Tony Allen,...everyone played a role in this one. Solid is all I can say.
Doc Rivers - Finally got one. All I have to say is that Doc got a Gatorade cooler emptied on him on a basketball court. I'm glad to see him get it and he out coached a HOFamer in Phil Jackson.
This is great. Ray Allen gets a ring, Paul Pierce gets a ring (and MVP), KG gets a ring, PJ Brown gets a ring. I'm good. This shows you that the hard work and faith can be rewarded if you just trust each other.
On the flip side:
Lamar Odom - Show me that heart and hustle and that you showed in the waning minutes of the game (when you're down 30) all game long and maybe you aren't in a sad locker room tonight. I've always liked Odom and no one can deny that he doesn't have the skill set, but he punked out at the end of this game by wanting to get pissed and wanting to instigate the Celtics.
Pau Gasol - You're kidding me right? I mean you have Paul Pierce guarding you in the post and you don't take it to the hole with authority? Don't know what to say. I guess Odom is the scarecrow, but who are you? 2 offensive rebounds for the entire game? You shoot 29% in the first half and get NONE?
Kobe - (muttering to himself) These bast****. They played like trash and I tried to lead them, but they won't follow. Part of me feels sorry for Kobe, because I know he WANTED to win, but he ran in to a a defensive TEAM. Kobe didn't show me the Jordan in him, because I doubt Mike would have let anyone beat them by 39. All of those MJ/Kobe comparisons should be put to bed after this outing. I bet you Kobe did try to hit someone in the locker room last night though.
Lakers Bench - Where were you? Luke Walton? Farmar? Turiaf? Vujacic? Forrest Gump? Andrew Bynum was sitting behind the bench smiling because he was like, they gotta pay me big money because we need a physical presence. Yeah!!!! Back up the truck baby.
Well it's all over. Nothing left to do but to close the doors at the Garden as the last person leaves for the night. Party in Boston for the next week.
Showing posts with label NBA 2008 Playoffs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NBA 2008 Playoffs. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Friday, June 13, 2008
3 Down, 1 To Go
All I can say is wow. My night started at the barbershop talking trash about the Lakers/Celtics series. The majority of the barbershop, although they are Chicago biased, had picked the Lakers because, well, Kobe. I have stated here on a few occasions that Kobe is the best player on the planet and I won't backtrack on that one. With that said, I've always felt that the Celtics were too good a team to lose this series. So, I got to talking (for those that know me, that is easy) and I made a bet with one of the barbers for a little bit of money. I told them how Odom has already checked out of this series and that he is done. We all know that Gasol is soft, yet he's a good big man with lots of skills. (Side note on Odom: I remember this guy at Rhode Island and how good he was. I mean he is 6'10" and has all the skills that a guard has. I thought that he was going to help turn the Clippers around and make them good, but I was wrong. I actually have his autograph from the night he got drafted. I've always thought he had the skills to dominate, but not the desire to do that.) So the game started at 8pm (CST).
The beginning of the game was terrible for the Celtics. All we heard was Odom's name being talked about as he had 13 points in the first quarter. The score was getting nasty (well it was already nasty) and the barbershop was all over me. I told them just wait, it's not over until the time on the clock is 0.0. T wanted to bet me how many times Mark Jackson would say 'Mama, there goes that man' about Odom (I declined). The Celtics found ways to miss shots, and then when they pulled Rondo and put in House, I thought here we go. House started missing wide open 3's. If he's not hitting those, he's useless. After I got my haircut, T (the barber I made a bet with) asked me if I wanted to leave my money with him now because it was the 2nd quarter and things looked bleak. So, I went into my coach speak with the 'You're a loser if you give up now. The game isn't over until the 0.0 on the clock. It's not over'. T told me it was basically over.
I turned the TV on in the truck and had the game on as it got to the 3rd quarter. What I saw was amazing. The Celtics seemed to just come out like gang busters and played D. The Lakers got tight and by the end of the 3rd, it was a 2 point game. Mrs. Inquisitive Mind was sleeping by this time but I was yelling and screaming on the inside for the Celtics. The 4th quarter turned even worse for the Lakers when Eddie House hit the shot to put the Celtics ahead for the first time and was caught by ABC running down the court screaming, 'I'm a d*** shooter, that's all day'. The Lakers couldn't seem to do anything right. Then KG hits an 8 footer over Gasol with a flash to a guy in the crowd (behind the basket) with that 'oh s***' look on his face. In the end, the Lakers lost this game and the Staples center looked like a funeral.
The other things I saw:
1) Lamar Odom - Can be great at times, but that 'mental toughness' is the question. Dude had 13 points in the 1st quarter and 19 for the game. Talk about pulling a David Copperfield on his team. A guy this talented shouldn't have to be egged on to perform.
2) Kobe - played a great 1st half, and didn't even score a bucket. He was getting everyone else the ball and they were producing. It's easy to shoot the rock when the you're up 10 or 15 or 24. The rest of the Lakers let Kobe down. When it was crunch time in the 3rd and 4th, those shots weren't falling for the Lakers.
3) The Lakers Bench - Where did you go? Why was Fisher on the bench when they need his veteran presence? I was listening to Bill Walton on the radio the other day and he was talking about how proud he was that Luke was in the Finals with a chance to win it all. I guess that's about all Luke is going to give his father because he hasn't done a thing for the Lakers in the Finals.
4) Paul Pierce - c'mon man, we didn't need another Willis Red moment so I am glad you got up after falling on a Lakers fast break. Other than that, it looked like Pierce and Kobe changed jerseys at halftime, because Pierce got in Kobe's grill and locked him down. I can say that I've thought Pierce is an adequate defender but he showed me something last night.
5) KG - Let them keep talking about how you don't want the ball in the stretch and how you're not clutch. Play that D young man, play that D. KG has proven that he can do it all. No he may not get you 37 or 40 in a game, but he's going to get you 20 - 25, 10 boards, and some assists, blocks, and steals. He led this team on the defensive end last night to get a 3 - 1 series advantage.
6) Doc - Now this one is almost amazing. Doc seems to be making all the right moves with his team and out coaching the Zen Master. If that's not worth a mention, I don't know what is.
7) Ray Allen - Did someone wake him up? I mean Ray has been the only constant for the Celtics in each game in the Finals. This looked like the Ray of old. You can tell he doesn't have the explosiveness that he had before but he does have his skills. He can still shoot and last night when he waived off KG on a pick to take Vujacic to the hole (with the lefty lay), that showed me that Ray is back. I remember earlier in the year when the Big 3 were doing an interview and the question was asked, the game is on the line which of you takes the final shot? Answers: Ray Allen - 'The open man', KG - 'Ray Allen', Paul Pierce - 'Ray Allen'. Maybe they knew something we didn't.
Hopefully the Celtics can close out on Father's Day, but I'm thinking that Kobe drops 50 that Sunday and the Celtics win in Boston. My original prognostication was Celtics in 7. I feel comfortable with that. Happy Father's Day to all the fathers and I'm off to get on the phone. You didn't think I was going to let the guys at the barbershop off the hook that easily, did you?
The beginning of the game was terrible for the Celtics. All we heard was Odom's name being talked about as he had 13 points in the first quarter. The score was getting nasty (well it was already nasty) and the barbershop was all over me. I told them just wait, it's not over until the time on the clock is 0.0. T wanted to bet me how many times Mark Jackson would say 'Mama, there goes that man' about Odom (I declined). The Celtics found ways to miss shots, and then when they pulled Rondo and put in House, I thought here we go. House started missing wide open 3's. If he's not hitting those, he's useless. After I got my haircut, T (the barber I made a bet with) asked me if I wanted to leave my money with him now because it was the 2nd quarter and things looked bleak. So, I went into my coach speak with the 'You're a loser if you give up now. The game isn't over until the 0.0 on the clock. It's not over'. T told me it was basically over.
I turned the TV on in the truck and had the game on as it got to the 3rd quarter. What I saw was amazing. The Celtics seemed to just come out like gang busters and played D. The Lakers got tight and by the end of the 3rd, it was a 2 point game. Mrs. Inquisitive Mind was sleeping by this time but I was yelling and screaming on the inside for the Celtics. The 4th quarter turned even worse for the Lakers when Eddie House hit the shot to put the Celtics ahead for the first time and was caught by ABC running down the court screaming, 'I'm a d*** shooter, that's all day'. The Lakers couldn't seem to do anything right. Then KG hits an 8 footer over Gasol with a flash to a guy in the crowd (behind the basket) with that 'oh s***' look on his face. In the end, the Lakers lost this game and the Staples center looked like a funeral.
The other things I saw:
1) Lamar Odom - Can be great at times, but that 'mental toughness' is the question. Dude had 13 points in the 1st quarter and 19 for the game. Talk about pulling a David Copperfield on his team. A guy this talented shouldn't have to be egged on to perform.
2) Kobe - played a great 1st half, and didn't even score a bucket. He was getting everyone else the ball and they were producing. It's easy to shoot the rock when the you're up 10 or 15 or 24. The rest of the Lakers let Kobe down. When it was crunch time in the 3rd and 4th, those shots weren't falling for the Lakers.
3) The Lakers Bench - Where did you go? Why was Fisher on the bench when they need his veteran presence? I was listening to Bill Walton on the radio the other day and he was talking about how proud he was that Luke was in the Finals with a chance to win it all. I guess that's about all Luke is going to give his father because he hasn't done a thing for the Lakers in the Finals.
4) Paul Pierce - c'mon man, we didn't need another Willis Red moment so I am glad you got up after falling on a Lakers fast break. Other than that, it looked like Pierce and Kobe changed jerseys at halftime, because Pierce got in Kobe's grill and locked him down. I can say that I've thought Pierce is an adequate defender but he showed me something last night.
5) KG - Let them keep talking about how you don't want the ball in the stretch and how you're not clutch. Play that D young man, play that D. KG has proven that he can do it all. No he may not get you 37 or 40 in a game, but he's going to get you 20 - 25, 10 boards, and some assists, blocks, and steals. He led this team on the defensive end last night to get a 3 - 1 series advantage.
6) Doc - Now this one is almost amazing. Doc seems to be making all the right moves with his team and out coaching the Zen Master. If that's not worth a mention, I don't know what is.
7) Ray Allen - Did someone wake him up? I mean Ray has been the only constant for the Celtics in each game in the Finals. This looked like the Ray of old. You can tell he doesn't have the explosiveness that he had before but he does have his skills. He can still shoot and last night when he waived off KG on a pick to take Vujacic to the hole (with the lefty lay), that showed me that Ray is back. I remember earlier in the year when the Big 3 were doing an interview and the question was asked, the game is on the line which of you takes the final shot? Answers: Ray Allen - 'The open man', KG - 'Ray Allen', Paul Pierce - 'Ray Allen'. Maybe they knew something we didn't.
Hopefully the Celtics can close out on Father's Day, but I'm thinking that Kobe drops 50 that Sunday and the Celtics win in Boston. My original prognostication was Celtics in 7. I feel comfortable with that. Happy Father's Day to all the fathers and I'm off to get on the phone. You didn't think I was going to let the guys at the barbershop off the hook that easily, did you?
Thursday, June 05, 2008
1 Down, 3 to Go
That noise you heard was every Boston fan dropping their drink/hot dog/chowder after Paul Pierce went down in the 3rd quarter. With his Willis Reed like entrance from the locker room to the floor in the 3rd, he helped the Celtics surprise the Lakers.
So now we have gone through Game 1. What happened, many of you might ask. Well, the Celtics played some pretty good defense in the 2nd half of the game. Garnett came out and carried the team in the 1st half, but the Celtics allowed the Lakers to shoot 51% (I think) in the 1st half. You're not going to win games like that.
Kobe - He played badly, but part of that the Celtics helped him play badly. He tried to get his teammates involved early (like he has been doing in the playoffs) and he tried to pick his spots, but the Celtics made him hit tough shots. They didn't let Kobe get into the lane and break down their defense. The few times that he was able to get to the middle, he had to pass the ball out for a 3 or a deep jumper.
KG - Talk about showing up. It looked as though KG was able to focus his intensity and score. I am upset with the Celtics a little because he was on, and they stopped going to him. I mean KG was really stroking the ball, but Doc didn't call his number more often. You're supposed to dance with the girl you brung, and they went away. In the 2nd half, either he was tired or his nerves got to him. You could tell because he started short arming his shots and at one point missed 9 in a row. Doc, when KG is hot like this, ride him,.......
Ray Allen - I love it,.....Kobe still gets Ray excited to play. Ray came out and played well. Hit his shots, put the ball on the floor to create for other people, just wonderful. I'm almost going to say that Ray can play some point to extend his career. Now he did dribble the ball off his foot on a 3 on 2 fast break and Odom ended up taking it the other way, but I liked Ray's energy.
Perkins - That was ugly. I mean real ugly. 1 point, and 4 fouls. I picked Perk as the player that can help the Celtics turn this series in their favor. He's got to get in there and rebound and get some put backs. His fouls were silly fouls, reaching in on Gasol when he already has his back to the basket, don't go for the steal,...play Gasol straight up. He got a dunk blocked, but again,...maybe the sprained ankle will slow him down a little and let him play the game. Perk is still my pick to do damage against the Lakers.
Celtics Bench - They showed up. First Cassell off the bench lighting it up, then Leon Powe showed up and hustled and made some plays, then you have the old vet, PJ Brown. PJ didn't fill the stat sheet but his hustle and some of the plays he made were critical to the Celtics winning.
Paul Pierce - 'Willis Reed'. It's gotta feel special to go down and then come back and hit those two back to back 3's. The building was crazy when he did that. He gave his team a lift and he didn't look like his knee was hurting him that bad. The big question is, what happens tonight when he gets home and that knee tightens up? Will he be ready for Sunday? I might even be crazy, but even with a hampered Pierce, I see them winning this all in 7 games.
Go Celtics!!!!!!
So now we have gone through Game 1. What happened, many of you might ask. Well, the Celtics played some pretty good defense in the 2nd half of the game. Garnett came out and carried the team in the 1st half, but the Celtics allowed the Lakers to shoot 51% (I think) in the 1st half. You're not going to win games like that.
Kobe - He played badly, but part of that the Celtics helped him play badly. He tried to get his teammates involved early (like he has been doing in the playoffs) and he tried to pick his spots, but the Celtics made him hit tough shots. They didn't let Kobe get into the lane and break down their defense. The few times that he was able to get to the middle, he had to pass the ball out for a 3 or a deep jumper.
KG - Talk about showing up. It looked as though KG was able to focus his intensity and score. I am upset with the Celtics a little because he was on, and they stopped going to him. I mean KG was really stroking the ball, but Doc didn't call his number more often. You're supposed to dance with the girl you brung, and they went away. In the 2nd half, either he was tired or his nerves got to him. You could tell because he started short arming his shots and at one point missed 9 in a row. Doc, when KG is hot like this, ride him,.......
Ray Allen - I love it,.....Kobe still gets Ray excited to play. Ray came out and played well. Hit his shots, put the ball on the floor to create for other people, just wonderful. I'm almost going to say that Ray can play some point to extend his career. Now he did dribble the ball off his foot on a 3 on 2 fast break and Odom ended up taking it the other way, but I liked Ray's energy.
Perkins - That was ugly. I mean real ugly. 1 point, and 4 fouls. I picked Perk as the player that can help the Celtics turn this series in their favor. He's got to get in there and rebound and get some put backs. His fouls were silly fouls, reaching in on Gasol when he already has his back to the basket, don't go for the steal,...play Gasol straight up. He got a dunk blocked, but again,...maybe the sprained ankle will slow him down a little and let him play the game. Perk is still my pick to do damage against the Lakers.
Celtics Bench - They showed up. First Cassell off the bench lighting it up, then Leon Powe showed up and hustled and made some plays, then you have the old vet, PJ Brown. PJ didn't fill the stat sheet but his hustle and some of the plays he made were critical to the Celtics winning.
Paul Pierce - 'Willis Reed'. It's gotta feel special to go down and then come back and hit those two back to back 3's. The building was crazy when he did that. He gave his team a lift and he didn't look like his knee was hurting him that bad. The big question is, what happens tonight when he gets home and that knee tightens up? Will he be ready for Sunday? I might even be crazy, but even with a hampered Pierce, I see them winning this all in 7 games.
Go Celtics!!!!!!
Monday, June 02, 2008
How we got here
Ok, the NBA Finals start on Thursday night and it’s going to be a wild one. With everything that has happened for both teams over the past year, you gotta expect that the fireworks are going to continue. You have the Lakers and the Celtics for the title and several other interesting subplots:
KG’s career - Will he ever win one? Can he be clutch when it really matters? Can he lead a team to the promised land?
Kobe’s career - Is he the closest thing to MJ? Can he will his team to the title by being THE man?
Paul Pierce’s career – Can he finally become a Celtic that wins a title and not the Celtic with the most playoffs wins without a title?
Phil Jackson – Does he get the championship that puts him past Red Auerbach, while beating Red’s old team?
A few months ago you had Kobe going on blast to every media outlet available about him wanting to be traded and how it made no sense to keep a young Bynum when they could have gotten Jason Kidd in a trade with NJ. You had the Celtics who tanked in order to win the Greg Oden sweepstakes (see how that went), but during the offseason Danny Ainge made some deals to pull in Ray Allen and KG (a coup at best). With the Lakers, Kobe decided to shut up (thank goodness) for a while and just play basketball. While ever other GM in the business sat around and salivated about how they could put a package together to get Kobe, Mitch Kupchak was sitting around with rosary beads, some magic fairy dust, and about 12 rabbits feet (sorry PETA). We thought that he would have jumped out of a window when Bynum went down with a knee injury, but somewhere in Memphis we heard a heart break. Jerry West, decided that in his last few months of working with the Grizz that he’d give the franchise that he helped create (on the court and off) one last assist. The Grizz gave up Pau Gasol (the face of the franchise) for Kwame Brown (nothing bad left to say), Javaris Crittendon (who in my estimation will end up being a decent guard), and basically a ham sandwich, a bag of chips (not the cheap ones), and a soda. Wasn’t it really awkward during the presentation of the West Conference Championship that West was presenting the trophy to the Lakers? The Lakers should have been presenting the trophy to West with a check attached to it. He’s the reason that they were able to pull this off (yes the players played, but man, what an assist). The whole time West was speaking, Kobe was grinning like a little kid that found out the secret to getting ice cream or something.
The Celtics on the other hand, pieced together their current team with an assist from ‘within’ also. Again, every other GM in the NBA cringed as they saw the package that Minny took for KG. Yes, Boston gave up Al Jefferson (a decent big who can score in the West), Gerald Green (if basketball was just all dunking), Theo Ratliff (who was on Detroit's playoff roster), Ryan Gomes (go ahead and look him up to see who he is), Sebastian Telfair (his claim to fame is being Marbury’s cousin) and some picks, but you have to look at that deal and imagine the conversation that occurred:
Ainge: (on the phone with McHale)…Kevin, I’m trying to win man. I’ve got Paul Pierce, I took a shaky Ray Allen from Seattle, and now I need a big to finish out the team,….
McHale: Win? Man, I’m just trying to make our team interesting during the winter, there’s nothing else to do here in Minny, but when the summer comes I don’t want to have to work anymore. Don’t tell anyone that,…..
Ainge: We have to win here, it’s the Celtics for gosh sakes. Don’t you remember all of the good times we had here during our heyday? What about KG? Is he available? You guys haven’t done much with his talent yet?
McHale: Yeah, he’s available, but right now, everyone wants him. But I need to somehow keep this team in mediocrity, yet still keep my job. Well, I’m not worrying about the job so much, I have pictures on people here. What kind of deal were you thinking about? And don’t think about including Paul Pierce in a deal, he’s too good.
There you have it, the background that provides us with the Lakers vs. Celtics for the NBA Championship. May the best team win (Go Celtics).
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
NBA 2008 Playoffs
Well, today it's about sports.
Kobe gets his first MVP today, which is long over due. I'm not a Kobe apologist, but he is the bet player in the game. With that said, he also has a good 'team' around him. With Bynum, Gasol, Odom, Fisher, Farmar, Turiaf, Vujacic, Radmonovic, Walton, and the rest of the guys, they have a great chance of creating their own mini-dynasty.
New Orleans has the other guy that should have been MVP. Chris Paul is playing out of his mind. The way that he is destroying the Spurs, and I say 'he' because he runs that show and has the ball in his hands the majority of the time. He makes the game easier for the rest of his team. Peja doesn't resemble the choker that he was when he played in Sactown, and everyone really knows their roles. You have to give the head coach some credit too for allowing his PG to play the game and not pull an 'Avery' on Chris Paul.
Is Detroit for real, or are they going to fall a sleep at the wheel again in this series. They are clearly the better team, when motivated, and they should be Orlando, but will they? Chauncey looks like he's gaining his nickname, 'Mr. Bigshot', and Rasheed is on board. Rasheed will probably go down as one of the most underrated big men in the game. The guy can score from anywhere on the floor and he is the Joe Dumars to Mike Jordan for most big men in the league, meaning he's a defensive presence.
I'm rooting for the Celtics because I want to see KG win a ring, but at the same time, this 7 game series with the Hawks was in fact scary. They have to find a way to stop an athletic big guard/forward since they draw the LeBrons in the 2nd round of the playoffs. This ought to be a very interesting series.
Kobe gets his first MVP today, which is long over due. I'm not a Kobe apologist, but he is the bet player in the game. With that said, he also has a good 'team' around him. With Bynum, Gasol, Odom, Fisher, Farmar, Turiaf, Vujacic, Radmonovic, Walton, and the rest of the guys, they have a great chance of creating their own mini-dynasty.
New Orleans has the other guy that should have been MVP. Chris Paul is playing out of his mind. The way that he is destroying the Spurs, and I say 'he' because he runs that show and has the ball in his hands the majority of the time. He makes the game easier for the rest of his team. Peja doesn't resemble the choker that he was when he played in Sactown, and everyone really knows their roles. You have to give the head coach some credit too for allowing his PG to play the game and not pull an 'Avery' on Chris Paul.
Is Detroit for real, or are they going to fall a sleep at the wheel again in this series. They are clearly the better team, when motivated, and they should be Orlando, but will they? Chauncey looks like he's gaining his nickname, 'Mr. Bigshot', and Rasheed is on board. Rasheed will probably go down as one of the most underrated big men in the game. The guy can score from anywhere on the floor and he is the Joe Dumars to Mike Jordan for most big men in the league, meaning he's a defensive presence.
I'm rooting for the Celtics because I want to see KG win a ring, but at the same time, this 7 game series with the Hawks was in fact scary. They have to find a way to stop an athletic big guard/forward since they draw the LeBrons in the 2nd round of the playoffs. This ought to be a very interesting series.
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