Its April vacation this week, and there's nothing going on. You know what that means? I think the time is right for my first ever Simmons-style running diary. And what better topic area could I write about than the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat facing off in Game 2 of their first round series? Here goes nothing!
8:06 p.m. We're coming to you live from the Boston Sports Fan's basement! The Celtics and Heat are just about to get things underway. Glen Davis is in the starting lineup for the suspended Kevin Garnett, which is certainly better than seeing that out of shape slob Sheed in there. I still can't believe KG threw that elbow. He's got to be smarter than that. It better not cost the C's game 2.
8:08 Pierce pulls up and hits a three for the first basket of the game. I have a feeling he's in for a big game tonight after Quentin Richardson's comments about how Pierce is an "actress" (which were pretty accurate, but that's neither here nor there).
8:10 RONDO PULLS UP FOR A THREE AT THE SHOT CLOCK BUZZER AND NAILS IT! I LOVE THIS GUY! WHY AM I TYPING IN ALL CAPS ALREADY?
8:13 Rondo hits Perk with a beautiful fast break lob pass for an easy layup. I dare you to find a better point guard on the break not named Steve Nash than Rondo. Go on. I dare you. Timeout Miami, as Boston has jumped out to an 11-4 lead.
8:17 Jermaine O'Neal's corpse has swatted Glen Davis 4 times already. Fantastic. If the Celts lose tonight, I'm blaming Garnett.
8:23 Sheed comes in and immediately bricks an 18 footer, quite possibly the most predictable outcome to a shot of these playoffs. Then Miami takes the long rebound and turns it into a fast break 3 by Richardson. I swear, whenever Wallace comes into the game whatever lead the Celtics have evaporates within 2 minutes. Every time.
8:29 Pierce with an awkward running jump hook thing for two. He has 7 points here early. Then down on the other end after a Miami basket Rasheed is called for a technical. I hate this guy. Why is he still allowed to play? Why couldn't the Celtics have signed Jamal Crawford or Anthony Parker? And to think we still have to watch two more seasons of this. I feel sick. 23-20 Celtics.
8:33 The first quarter ends with the score tied at 23. Wade quietly has put up 8 points. Early trends: The Celtics are looking a little lethargic on their rotations, as Richardson and Chalmers have been left wide open on multiple occasions; Ray Allen needs to shoot; Jermaine O'Neal must have taken caffeine pills before the game because he's all over the place with 5 blocks. And Sheed continues to be useless.
8:38 Sheed posts up and scores. Why he insists on ignoring his killer post game and just sits at the three point line clanking threes off the back of the rim remains a mystery to me.
8:46 Ray takes his first shot of the game...and swishes a three. The Celtics need to get him more involved here, unless they want Pierce and Rondo carrying the offense tonight. I'm not so sure I want that. Celtics lead 31-29.
8:52 Miami turns the ball over for the 3rd straight possession, and they haven't scored in the last four minutes of game time. Baby Davis lays it up and in (he seems to have recovered from
Jermaine O'Neal repeatedly smacking the ball back at his face earlier) Celtics lead by 6.
8:54 Davis swishes a little jumper and its a 12-0 Boston run! Clark Kellogg just called him the "Ticket Stub". I like the sound of that. Then after a missed shot by Wade, Ray Allen nets another 3. The lead is now 11. It's becoming more and more obvious that nobody on the Heat can score other than Wade.
8:59 Shuttlesworth cuts to the rim, blows by Chalmers (who I've decided has to be one of the worst starting point guards in the league) and lays it in for an easy 2. Its a 19-0 run for Boston, and a shell shocked Eric Spoelstra calls a timeout. The Ticket Stub has 10 points and 6 rebounds and finally looks like the Glen Davis from the second half of last year.
9:04 Miami is 12/37 from the field so far in the first half, make it 13/37 as Michael Beasley drains a jumper to end the 21-0 run. The Celtics are in the drivers seat now as they lead 46-31. Although, the way that the Celtics have held onto leads this year means that this game is far from over.
9:08 Wade bricks a three, he's 5/9 for 10 points, but really hasn't been that effective. The Celtics are throwing the kitchen sink at him, and it's working. I mean, c'mon, would you be scared of Wade kicking it out to the likes of Mario Chalmers or Carlos Arroyo? I didn't think so. And that's why D-Wade is leaving after this year unless Miami brings in someone else.
9:10 The teams head into the locker room with Boston leading 49-33. Glen "The Ticket Stub" Davis leads all scorers with 14 points. Davis has also added 6 boards. Meanwhile Rasheed Wallace has been in the game for 7 minutes. His +/- is -11. NEGATIVE FREAKING ELEVEN! And the Celtics have a 16 point lead! He's so sensationally bad I'm speechless. Also, the Celtics out rebounded Miami 29-15. I don't think I realized how bad the Heat were until this game. With the exception of Wade, the rest of the team is shooting 9/32 (23%). Right now Bulls and Knicks fans are salivating. There's no way that Wade stays in Miami after the season. Also, whatever Jermaine O'Neal took before the game must have worn off. He's 1/8 from the field and has gone back to being a zombie with shot knees.
9:27 Quick side note: Charles Barkley might just be the funniest man alive.
9:32 And we're underway here in the second half. Clark Kellogg just said that Dwayne Wade's 9 shot attempts were not enough. And while I agree with him, it's not Wade's fault that nobody on the team can hit uncontested jumpers.
9:36 Davis is fouled on a transition layup. He's 9-10 from the line tonight. I don't think I can emphasize enough how great he's been (and how awful Rasheed has been)
9:39 And now Davis drains a 20 footer. Big Baby has 17 points. Kevin Garnett who? Timeout Miami, with the score 56-37.
9:41 I absolutely love those NBA Playoffs commercials where they play little sound clips from press conferences to a beat (that's my focus focus focus). Pretty awesome stuff.
9:44 Ray Allen drains back to back treyballs, and it's 62-37! Another timeout by Miami! Allen has 16 points on 6-8 shooting. The Celtics' championship defense looks like it's back, although I can't decide whether the C's are playing that good defense or if Miami just sucks. Probably a combination of both.
9:51 Boston is on a 18-0 run, and they now lead by 32. I still cant believe how well Glen Davis is playing (he's posting a 21 point and 7 'bound night). Ray Ray has picked up the slack and is 5/6 from downtown with 19 points.
9:54 Make that 6/7.
9:58 Wade hits a three to give him 18 points on the night. He's the only Heat player in double figures. Hear that? That's the sound of Wade selling his house in Miami after the game.
10:00 I wish I could put a price tag on Erik Spoelstra's face right now, but I can't. There really are some things that money can't buy.
10:02 Allen hits ANOTHER shot from deep. He's 7/8 and I'm pretty sure he's made 6 in a row, but I lost count. I think it's safe to say he's in the discussion for greatest shooter of all time. He has 17 points in the 3rd quarter alone.
10:04 Wade slams home a putback off a rebound to make it 84-59. He's heating up, but it's way too little, way too late. In other news, the Red Sox are losing (again) 6-4 at home to Texas. Apparently they have allowed 8 walks and 9 steals. I will now light myself on fire.
10:10 The buzzer sounds and at the end of three quarters, the Celtics have a 26 point lead. I think it's safe to say that this one's juuuust about wrapped up. Of course, whenever I say things like that I jinx the team, so I'm going to keep my mouth shut until this one's really over. Rondo has only 5 points, but he also has 11 assists and 6 rebounds, and has controlled the tempo of the game.
10:14 Darnell McDonald smokes one over the monster and the Red Sox have tied the game at 6! Now I have just one question. Who the hell is Darnell McDonald?
10:17 RONDO FOR THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He has 8 points now. No, I don't know why I'm so excited.
10:21 TNT is showing the Suns-Blazers game (I don't blame them), so I've been forced to switch to ComcastSportsNet. It's Tommy Heinsohn time!
10:23 Erik Spoelstra still looks dazed and confused, like someone just took a crap in a brown paper bag, lit the bag on fire, and left it on his front doorstep.
10:24 Sheed lets a routine pass slip right through his fingers, then Tony Allen stole the pass in transition, then missed a wide open layup. Ladies and gentlemen, my two least favorite Celtics players!
10:27 All the Celtics starters are out now, which means its time for Nate Robinson and Michael Finley to close this one out. Gotta love them NBA blowouts. Celtics lead this one 99-66 with 5:52 left to go.
10:30 Surprising stat of the night: Kendrick Perkins has a game high +/- rating of +43. That's a pretty impressive number. (In case you were wondering, plus/minus is my favorite non-traditional basketball stat). Also, the Celtics have out rebounded Miami 46-24.
10:32 SHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED........misses the three (his +/- is still -11). Beasley hits a three to join Chalmers and Wade as the only Heat players in double figures. Wade has more points (29) than Chalmers and Beasley combined.
10:41 The final horn sounds, with the final score being Celtics 106, Heat 77. Apparently Boston heard my mini-rant at the end of the first quarter, as they closed out on the shooters (Miami shot only 38 %) and Ray Allen shot the ball, and shot it well (25 points on 9/13 shooting, including 7/9 from beyond the arc). Glen Davis filled in nicely for KG, providing 23 points and 8 rebounds, as well as countless high energy plays.
So what does this dominating win mean for the Celtics? Nothing, other than giving them a 2-0 series lead and some confidence heading to Miami. That being said, I wouldn't be surprised if the Celtics come out flat in Game 3. Then again, I wouldn't be surprised if they won handily in Game 3. I honestly couldn't tell you anything about what's going to happen in the next game (other than Rasheed Wallace will suck, you can be sure of that one). This season has just been too unpredictable. But one thing is for sure: If the Celtics can bring this kind of defensive intensity and energy like they have in the first two games in this series to the rest of the postseason, then they they can beat anyone this year. Even Cleveland.
(Oh and the Red Sox won 7-6 on a walk-off hit by that Darnell McDonald guy. Things are looking up.)
8:06 p.m. We're coming to you live from the Boston Sports Fan's basement! The Celtics and Heat are just about to get things underway. Glen Davis is in the starting lineup for the suspended Kevin Garnett, which is certainly better than seeing that out of shape slob Sheed in there. I still can't believe KG threw that elbow. He's got to be smarter than that. It better not cost the C's game 2.
8:08 Pierce pulls up and hits a three for the first basket of the game. I have a feeling he's in for a big game tonight after Quentin Richardson's comments about how Pierce is an "actress" (which were pretty accurate, but that's neither here nor there).
8:10 RONDO PULLS UP FOR A THREE AT THE SHOT CLOCK BUZZER AND NAILS IT! I LOVE THIS GUY! WHY AM I TYPING IN ALL CAPS ALREADY?
8:13 Rondo hits Perk with a beautiful fast break lob pass for an easy layup. I dare you to find a better point guard on the break not named Steve Nash than Rondo. Go on. I dare you. Timeout Miami, as Boston has jumped out to an 11-4 lead.
8:17 Jermaine O'Neal's corpse has swatted Glen Davis 4 times already. Fantastic. If the Celts lose tonight, I'm blaming Garnett.
8:23 Sheed comes in and immediately bricks an 18 footer, quite possibly the most predictable outcome to a shot of these playoffs. Then Miami takes the long rebound and turns it into a fast break 3 by Richardson. I swear, whenever Wallace comes into the game whatever lead the Celtics have evaporates within 2 minutes. Every time.
8:29 Pierce with an awkward running jump hook thing for two. He has 7 points here early. Then down on the other end after a Miami basket Rasheed is called for a technical. I hate this guy. Why is he still allowed to play? Why couldn't the Celtics have signed Jamal Crawford or Anthony Parker? And to think we still have to watch two more seasons of this. I feel sick. 23-20 Celtics.
8:33 The first quarter ends with the score tied at 23. Wade quietly has put up 8 points. Early trends: The Celtics are looking a little lethargic on their rotations, as Richardson and Chalmers have been left wide open on multiple occasions; Ray Allen needs to shoot; Jermaine O'Neal must have taken caffeine pills before the game because he's all over the place with 5 blocks. And Sheed continues to be useless.
8:38 Sheed posts up and scores. Why he insists on ignoring his killer post game and just sits at the three point line clanking threes off the back of the rim remains a mystery to me.
8:46 Ray takes his first shot of the game...and swishes a three. The Celtics need to get him more involved here, unless they want Pierce and Rondo carrying the offense tonight. I'm not so sure I want that. Celtics lead 31-29.
8:52 Miami turns the ball over for the 3rd straight possession, and they haven't scored in the last four minutes of game time. Baby Davis lays it up and in (he seems to have recovered from
Jermaine O'Neal repeatedly smacking the ball back at his face earlier) Celtics lead by 6.
8:54 Davis swishes a little jumper and its a 12-0 Boston run! Clark Kellogg just called him the "Ticket Stub". I like the sound of that. Then after a missed shot by Wade, Ray Allen nets another 3. The lead is now 11. It's becoming more and more obvious that nobody on the Heat can score other than Wade.
8:59 Shuttlesworth cuts to the rim, blows by Chalmers (who I've decided has to be one of the worst starting point guards in the league) and lays it in for an easy 2. Its a 19-0 run for Boston, and a shell shocked Eric Spoelstra calls a timeout. The Ticket Stub has 10 points and 6 rebounds and finally looks like the Glen Davis from the second half of last year.
9:04 Miami is 12/37 from the field so far in the first half, make it 13/37 as Michael Beasley drains a jumper to end the 21-0 run. The Celtics are in the drivers seat now as they lead 46-31. Although, the way that the Celtics have held onto leads this year means that this game is far from over.
9:08 Wade bricks a three, he's 5/9 for 10 points, but really hasn't been that effective. The Celtics are throwing the kitchen sink at him, and it's working. I mean, c'mon, would you be scared of Wade kicking it out to the likes of Mario Chalmers or Carlos Arroyo? I didn't think so. And that's why D-Wade is leaving after this year unless Miami brings in someone else.
9:10 The teams head into the locker room with Boston leading 49-33. Glen "The Ticket Stub" Davis leads all scorers with 14 points. Davis has also added 6 boards. Meanwhile Rasheed Wallace has been in the game for 7 minutes. His +/- is -11. NEGATIVE FREAKING ELEVEN! And the Celtics have a 16 point lead! He's so sensationally bad I'm speechless. Also, the Celtics out rebounded Miami 29-15. I don't think I realized how bad the Heat were until this game. With the exception of Wade, the rest of the team is shooting 9/32 (23%). Right now Bulls and Knicks fans are salivating. There's no way that Wade stays in Miami after the season. Also, whatever Jermaine O'Neal took before the game must have worn off. He's 1/8 from the field and has gone back to being a zombie with shot knees.
9:27 Quick side note: Charles Barkley might just be the funniest man alive.
9:32 And we're underway here in the second half. Clark Kellogg just said that Dwayne Wade's 9 shot attempts were not enough. And while I agree with him, it's not Wade's fault that nobody on the team can hit uncontested jumpers.
9:36 Davis is fouled on a transition layup. He's 9-10 from the line tonight. I don't think I can emphasize enough how great he's been (and how awful Rasheed has been)
9:39 And now Davis drains a 20 footer. Big Baby has 17 points. Kevin Garnett who? Timeout Miami, with the score 56-37.
9:41 I absolutely love those NBA Playoffs commercials where they play little sound clips from press conferences to a beat (that's my focus focus focus). Pretty awesome stuff.
9:44 Ray Allen drains back to back treyballs, and it's 62-37! Another timeout by Miami! Allen has 16 points on 6-8 shooting. The Celtics' championship defense looks like it's back, although I can't decide whether the C's are playing that good defense or if Miami just sucks. Probably a combination of both.
9:51 Boston is on a 18-0 run, and they now lead by 32. I still cant believe how well Glen Davis is playing (he's posting a 21 point and 7 'bound night). Ray Ray has picked up the slack and is 5/6 from downtown with 19 points.
9:54 Make that 6/7.
9:58 Wade hits a three to give him 18 points on the night. He's the only Heat player in double figures. Hear that? That's the sound of Wade selling his house in Miami after the game.
10:00 I wish I could put a price tag on Erik Spoelstra's face right now, but I can't. There really are some things that money can't buy.
10:02 Allen hits ANOTHER shot from deep. He's 7/8 and I'm pretty sure he's made 6 in a row, but I lost count. I think it's safe to say he's in the discussion for greatest shooter of all time. He has 17 points in the 3rd quarter alone.
10:04 Wade slams home a putback off a rebound to make it 84-59. He's heating up, but it's way too little, way too late. In other news, the Red Sox are losing (again) 6-4 at home to Texas. Apparently they have allowed 8 walks and 9 steals. I will now light myself on fire.
10:10 The buzzer sounds and at the end of three quarters, the Celtics have a 26 point lead. I think it's safe to say that this one's juuuust about wrapped up. Of course, whenever I say things like that I jinx the team, so I'm going to keep my mouth shut until this one's really over. Rondo has only 5 points, but he also has 11 assists and 6 rebounds, and has controlled the tempo of the game.
10:14 Darnell McDonald smokes one over the monster and the Red Sox have tied the game at 6! Now I have just one question. Who the hell is Darnell McDonald?
10:17 RONDO FOR THREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He has 8 points now. No, I don't know why I'm so excited.
10:21 TNT is showing the Suns-Blazers game (I don't blame them), so I've been forced to switch to ComcastSportsNet. It's Tommy Heinsohn time!
10:23 Erik Spoelstra still looks dazed and confused, like someone just took a crap in a brown paper bag, lit the bag on fire, and left it on his front doorstep.
10:24 Sheed lets a routine pass slip right through his fingers, then Tony Allen stole the pass in transition, then missed a wide open layup. Ladies and gentlemen, my two least favorite Celtics players!
10:27 All the Celtics starters are out now, which means its time for Nate Robinson and Michael Finley to close this one out. Gotta love them NBA blowouts. Celtics lead this one 99-66 with 5:52 left to go.
10:30 Surprising stat of the night: Kendrick Perkins has a game high +/- rating of +43. That's a pretty impressive number. (In case you were wondering, plus/minus is my favorite non-traditional basketball stat). Also, the Celtics have out rebounded Miami 46-24.
10:32 SHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED........misses the three (his +/- is still -11). Beasley hits a three to join Chalmers and Wade as the only Heat players in double figures. Wade has more points (29) than Chalmers and Beasley combined.
10:41 The final horn sounds, with the final score being Celtics 106, Heat 77. Apparently Boston heard my mini-rant at the end of the first quarter, as they closed out on the shooters (Miami shot only 38 %) and Ray Allen shot the ball, and shot it well (25 points on 9/13 shooting, including 7/9 from beyond the arc). Glen Davis filled in nicely for KG, providing 23 points and 8 rebounds, as well as countless high energy plays.
So what does this dominating win mean for the Celtics? Nothing, other than giving them a 2-0 series lead and some confidence heading to Miami. That being said, I wouldn't be surprised if the Celtics come out flat in Game 3. Then again, I wouldn't be surprised if they won handily in Game 3. I honestly couldn't tell you anything about what's going to happen in the next game (other than Rasheed Wallace will suck, you can be sure of that one). This season has just been too unpredictable. But one thing is for sure: If the Celtics can bring this kind of defensive intensity and energy like they have in the first two games in this series to the rest of the postseason, then they they can beat anyone this year. Even Cleveland.
(Oh and the Red Sox won 7-6 on a walk-off hit by that Darnell McDonald guy. Things are looking up.)
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