Thank You Celtics

Five years ago, in the summer of 2007, the Boston Celtics were mired in the worst stretch in their franchise history. Not only had they gone 21 years without a championship banner, but they had also had one of the worst seasons any Celtics team had ever endured. After desperately tanking the 2006-2007 season in order to have a shot at one of two potentially franchise altering players (Greg Oden and Kevin Durant), the Celtics entered the lottery with the second best chance to win the #1 overall pick. For a team that had missed out on the best power forward ever exactly 10 years earlier despite having the best odds, many Celtics fans figured this time around would be retribution for having Tim Duncan slip from their grasp. Naturally, they ended up with the #5 overall pick (or as it's better known, the moment where I almost became a 13 year old alcoholic). Just another unlucky moment in a long string of unlucky moments that started with the death of Len Bias two days after he was drafted in 1986. At the time, I was devastated. Even though I was only in middle school I understood the gravity of the situation. The fifth pick meant no Oden or Durant. It meant that Paul Pierce would likely be traded. It meant that the Celtics were looking at another 10 seasons of mediocrity.

Except things didn't turn out that way.

You see, after the Celtics lost the lottery in 2007, they decided to accelerate the process of building a championship contender rather than starting from scratch again. You all know the story by now: The C's dealt for Ray Allen, the greatest three-point shooter of all time, then swung a massive blockbuster trade for perennial All-Star and former MVP forward Kevin Garnett, forming a Hall of Fame trio with Paul Pierce reminiscent of legendary Celtics teams featuring the names Bird, Parish and McHale. The New Big Three swept us off our feet, simultaneously changing the culture of the Celtics from a consistent loser to a organization where winning was the only thing that mattered while posting the second best regular season record in Celtics history en route to raising a 17th championship banner with a victory over the hated Los Angeles Lakers that summer. In one whirlwind season, the Celtics went from rebuilding for another decade to champions. In effect, Garnett, Pierce, and Allen saved basketball in Boston.

From there, the Celtics battled through bad breaks (Garnett injuring his knee in 2009, Perkins injuring HIS knee in the 2010 Finals, Rondo's elbow bending in half the wrong way in 2011, the multitude of injuries in 2012) to have a highly successful five year run. One championship, two Finals appearances, three trips to the conference finals, and innumerable memories, some of which I've had the fortune to experience firsthand. Through it all, one thing remained constant: These guys cared. And that's what made it such a special experience. When they won, you felt elated because you knew how much pain and effort and work that this team put in day out. When they came up short, you felt the biting venom of defeat with them for those same reasons. By this season, we had become so familiar with them that we knew when Paul Pierce was going to take an irrational shot that had no business going through the net, and yet we weren't surprised when it (almost inevitably) did. We watched Ray Allen weave in in out of screens so much that we had a better idea of where he was going than most defenders did. We saw so many moments where Kevin Garnett raised the intensity level to new heights that we didn't understand why other teams never could quite seem to match it. This Celtics team became part of us.

Last night, as the Celtics were in the final stages of losing Game 7 to Miami, I had a strange epiphany. Most of the time the Celtics losing Game 7 of a series in which they led 3-2 and had a chance to close out their opponents at home (and subsequently no-showed at said game when I was in attendance) would send me into a deep depression for weeks where I would disappear from society, grow a beard, and start drinking milk on the sidewalk during hot summer days. But the amazing thing is, I wasn't sad, at least not for the conventional reason of "My team lost a huge game that would have gotten them to their respective sport's championship round." I was able to come to grips pretty quickly with the fact that the Celtics older legs finally ran out of gas and LeBron James is really good at basketball. Instead, I was sad because that was the last time that the Celtics' New Big Three would compete for a championship. It was the last chance for three players who forever changed the fortunes of the franchise to go to the NBA Finals together. Ray Allen's post-game press conference said it all.(Hold on, I'm in a glass case of emotion. And yes, that's two Anchorman references in one paragraph. Don't act like you're not impressed.) This was it, their last stand, their swan song, and even though they couldn't put away the Heat, they still showed the heart of a champion.

Considering all they've already done, that was more than enough for me.

Thank you Celtics.

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's a Running Diary of Game 1?

Miami. Boston. Eastern Conference Finals. Possible last playoff series for the Big 3. Am I going to try and do running diaries of every game? Yes. Will it be excruciating when Miami wins this series in 5 and I've decided to chronicle every moment? Yes. The things I do during summer vacation. Anyways, to the game! Let's get this show on the road.

8:30 It's game time! But not really, because God forbid anything starts on time.

8:35 I leave the room for two minutes and in that time my dad has come in, changed the channel, and fallen asleep forcing me to extract the remote from his grasp Mission Impossible style. Fortunately the game hasn't started yet and I haven't missed anything.

8:41 LeBron scores the first basket. Not a great start, but it's too early for me to begin hitting the alcohol.

8:43 Ray Allen airballs a leaner then doesn't get back on defense leading to a layup on the other end for Wade. Looking crippled as ever I see.

8:48 Nice dime by Rondo to KG for a bucket to tie the score at 5. With Bosh out Garnett is going to have a huge size advantage in this series over Miami's big men, and if he doesn't take advantage it will be a clean sweep for the Heat.

8:51 10-5 Miami at the midway point of the first quarter. The Celtics are shooting 18% from the field so far. Something tells me that's not going to cut it.

8:55 Allen bricks a wide open three. If I had a dollar for every time I've seen that this postseason, I wouldn't be eating worms at baseball practice for $30. But that's another story for another time.

9:01 I know the Celtics' game is slowing it down and grinding it out and Miami is the team that likes to play up tempo and get out in transition, but part of me wonders if it would be better if the C's made a concerted effort to get on the break and get some easier buckets instead of trying to win every game 78-75.

9:02 Mike Breen just brought up how Tommy Heinsohn compared Greg Steimsma during a broadcast early in the season. I thought all tapes of that had comment had been destroyed by the ghost of Red Auerbach.

9:06 Miami leads 21-11 after one quarter of play. Boston looking a little (understatement alert!) sluggish to start, shooting only 25% for the quarter. Meanwhile LeBron has 13 points on 6/9 shooting. So far the Heat are getting to the rim at will and getting a lot of easy looks at the rim.

9:11 The Heat have gone EXTREMELY small here to start the 2nd quarter, with Chalmers, Wade, Miller, James, and Haslem. Garnett has to cover Mike Miller, and he promptly drains a three over the Big Ticket to make the score 24-14. Yikes.

9:14 Another three for Miller. Time out Celtics. This game is going to a dark, dark place.

9:18 ESPN just cut to a highlight package of last night's Spurs-Thunder game which consisted of a layup by Parker, a layup by Ginobili, and a wide open three pointer by Stephen Jackson. Honestly, it's not going to matter who wins the Eastern Conference this year, nobody is beating the Spurs right now. They are locked in.

9:21 DOOLING WITH A THREE! EVERYBODY FLEX! GET EXCITED!

9:27 Rondo flies in for an offensive rebound and putback and then KG gets called for a bogus technical because David Stern has apparently decided the fix is in.

9:29 After Rondo hits an elbow jumper Lebron hits a little hook over Pierce. This could be a huge postseason legacy-wise for James assuming he can lead the Heat to a title. More on that later.

9:33: Both teams are trading buckets right now. Give the Celtics credit, they're hanging in there, even though the Heat have managed to keep them at arms length.

9:34 Mike Miller fouls Ray Allen on a three pointer, followed by Allen promptly missing 2 of 3 from the line. He's 3/7 shooting free throws tonight. I didn't even know that was possible.

9:35 Another bogus technical, this time on Doc. I guess the referees thought the game was getting a little too close. Fortunately Mario Chalmers missed the foul shot and and Mike Miller reverted back to form with a traveling so no harm was done. 2:58 left in the half, Heat by 5.

9:43 Lucasfilm totally used a mold of Joel Anthony's head for the crystal skulls in the fourth Indiana Jones movie.

9:45 Rondo picks his way through the defense and flicks a pass out to Pierce for an easy three pointer. Boston only trailing by 2 now.

9:47 Miami up 48-46 at the half. Impressions so far: Boston stepped it up big time after an exceptionally shitty first half. They could very well steal this game. Hopefully they go to KG more. He's had his way down low and in the mid-range so far. Also, LeBron James is very good at basketball (He has 17/4/3) which brings me to my LeBron rant that I promised you earlier.

From a legacy standpoint, this has the chance to be an absolutely massive postseason for the 3 time MVP. If the dominoes fall his way, LeBron will have beaten his biggest rival from his draft class and his foil since high school (Carmelo Anthony)in Round 1, led the Heat (banged up without Chris Bosh) out of a 2-1 hole against a very game Pacers team (including a ridiculous 40/18/9 in a vital Game 4) in Round 2, beaten Boston (the team that has been a seemingly constant obstacle for James the last 4 seasons) and their future Hall of Fame small forward Paul Pierce, who also happens to be the 2nd best player at that position over the last decade in the Eastern Conference Finals, AND then in the Finals he and his team will have either beaten Oklahoma City and defeated his greatest challenger to his MVP trophy (Durant) or beaten the most consistently great team of the last 15 years during what may be their best season ever in the Spurs. As of right now if the Heat win the Finals that would be the scenario. It also would mean we'd be tortured by ESPN's typical LeBron overkill for the next 12 months but that's besides the point.

10:03 The officials reviewed a made basket by Joel Anthony and rightly decided that it was still on his finger tips as the shot clock expired, so we'll begin the second half tied at 46.

10:06 At halftime I said the Celtics should go to Garnett more in the second half. He promptly missed his first two shots of the half and missed them badly. The lesson, as always, is that I am an idiot.

10:10 Rondo misses another layup and Battier nails a three. I love Rondo and everything he does for the Celtics, but he can be so frustrating sometimes.

10:13 Timeout Celtics after back to back easy layups by James and Wade. 9-2 run by Miami, they lead by 7. Celtics can't win with consecutive defensive lapses like that.

10:20 A third ridiculous technical (Rondo this time). I'm speechless.

10:22 Rondo does his patented ball fake layup move which shakes Shane "Past His Prime" Battier but then gets annihilated by a killer weak side block from LeBron "Very Much In His Prime" James. I think I might cry.

10:28 Pierce gets destroyed on his way to the hoop. No call. Somebody get Donaghy on the phone, see if he knows anything about this.

10:32 Miami ends the quarter on a 10-3 run to take control of this one 72-61. LeBron has 27 points and 8 boards. I am feeling physically ill.

10:38 Dooling takes a three and misses it horribly. The Avery Bradley injury is looming larger and larger with each passing minute that A. Ray Allen is hobbling around being a defensive liability and shooting line drives at the rim and B. Keyon Dooling is getting anything resembling significant playing time.

10:44 The Celtics are back down to about 35% shooting. That might have been passable against Philadelphia, but the Sixers, unlike the Heat, suck a bag of dicks.

10:49 Finally the Celtics switch to a zone, or as it's better known, the defense that gives Miami fits every time it's utilized. Of course right as I type that Wade crosses over, splits the zone, steps back and kisses an incredible 15 footer off the glass. 82-67 Miami.

10:55 Bad news for the Celtics: LeBron and Wade have decided to take over on both sides of the ball. This comeback is looking less and less likely.

10:58 Jeff Van Gundy hit the nail on the head. Far too many offensive boards for the Heat, who are a small team to begin with. Nobody on the Celtics boxes out, and I hate to sound like a dude who belongs on Social Security, but if you don't box out and get bodies on bodies and protect the defensive glass, it puts a ton of strain on your defense.

11:05 Marquis Daniels is in the game in the fourth quarter. Doc has given up on this one.

11:07 Final horn sounds, Miami takes Game 1 93-79. LeBron with 31/13, KG with 23/10, and Ray Allen went 1-7 from the field.

Final thoughts:
I saw a lot of tweets and Facebook statuses complaining about the referees. While the three technical fouls were, for lack of a better term, straight up retarded, it wasn't the refs who shot 39.5% from the field, 52.4% from the line and got outrebounded by 15. Chalk it up to tired legs from the quick turnaround between Game 7 of the Philly series and Game 1 of this series if you want, but the fact of the matter is the Celtics need to play better if they want to even think about winning a game in this Conference Finals, let alone the entire series. Miami looked efficient, aggressive, and just overall better. Hopefully the Celtics can flip the script and grab Game 2, otherwise this series could be over in a hurry.

One For the Ages

When I last wrote a column, it was September after the Red Sox had more or less been eliminated from contention (although they somehow managed to string me along for the rest of the month, not getting officially knocked out until the last week of the season). For whatever reason, I stopped writing here. Maybe it was because I was busy (the number one reason, actually). Maybe it was because I didn't know what to write. Maybe it was because I couldn't take my eyes off Tom Brady's ridiculus Euro-flo. Maybe it was because I tried to start an ill-fated podcast (which is a work in progess. I'm not giving up on that dream just yet). And really, it's a shame I couldn't focus on this more. I missed the chance to write about a 14-2 Patriots season that ended in a first round flameout, a great Celtics run (as well as one of the best NBA seasons in history), the Red Sox landing Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford, John Lackey, Big Baby and Bobby Jenks fat jokes, etc. Not exactly a good time to stop writing about this stuff.

About a month ago I promised myself I would come back if the Miami Heat made it to the Finals. That would be the only thing that could bring me out of retirement. But even as the Heat and Mavs prepared to duke it out, I wasn't certain that I would even bother to post anything about it.

Then this series happened. Everything changed.

I've had a full day to process what I just witness happen in Game 6, with the Mavericks defeating the Heat to clinch their first title in franchise history. Trust me, I needed all the time I could get. This series was trancendant, an insta-classic that will be replayed over and over again for years to come. And the drama was off the charts. All I know is this: this series will be remembered for the impact it had on not just the history of the league, but possibly the future as well.

Let's start with the big winner here. Dirk Nowitzki has done it. Finally, the odessy has come to a close. After hoisting a championship trophy for the first time in his career, Dirk's managed to make a case for his inclusion in any list of top 20 players ever. Not only that, but a huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders. That's a fact. Anyone who saw him go into the locker room immediately after the final buzzer sounded, moments away from tears could tell you that. Just the expression on his face as he got his chance to lay those massive German hands on the Larry O'Brien trophy told everything anyone needed to know.

That's not to mention that Dirk has officially gone from "soft European player who can't win the big one" to "best European player ever and cold blooded killer with unguardable crunch time offense" in the span of one postseason. Dirk vanquished his demons by unleashing on of the most incredible playoff performances in recent memory, with a dizzying array of post up fade-aways and high post, one legged, off-balance step back jumpers that nobody (not LaMarcus Aldridge, not Pau Gasol, not Serge Ibaka, and not Chris Bosh) could stop. Even though he only eclipsed 30 points once in the Finals, he hit a game winner in Game 2, and played with a fever of 101 in Game 4 (Good God...is that Michael Jordan's music?). He averaged 10.3 points in the fourth quarter. Even in Game 6 when he struggled, getting off to a 1-12 start from the field, he rallied for 10 points in the final period to close out his nemisises on their home court. Dirk's Finals performance was the stuff of legend, and his championship ring is both well desereved and well earned.

Now in July (my second to last column) I wrote about The Decision and what it meant not only to the 2011 season but the next 5-7 years and how it had irrevocably changed the direction that the NBA was headed. NBA titles, MVP awards, and the like were all about to change. We've already seen the MVP award change hands, with Derrick Rose winning it this year. And the future of NBA championships (and who wins them) has been changed as well. No, the Heat didn't win this year. But next year, it's unlikely that Dallas will be there. The Lakers are on the decline, as are the Celtics and Spurs. Orlando is a shadow of the team that went to the NBA Finals in 2009, and with Dwight Howard halfway out the door look like they will be eliminated from being considered contenders. This season was, in many ways, a changing of the guard. The Lakers, Celtics, Spurs, and Magic have had their runs, but they're being overtaken by the teams of the future: the Thunder, Heat, and Bulls. The Heat didn't win it this year, but they are looming as a potential juggernaut and both they and the Bulls will be battling it out for the next half-decade in the East.

Finally, it's time. I've defended LeBron James to a fault his entire career. I've said he was the best player in the NBA. I've blamed his postseason failures on the fact that he's spent his career playing with guys like Mo Williams, Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden, and Antawn Jamison being the second banana. No, I'm not joking, look it up. I said that the reason LeBron quit on the Cavs in Game 5 against the Celtics last year was because Delonte West was tapping his mom, a perfectly acceptable reason to not want to play basketball. Hold on, I have to go throw up. I even defended LeBron's decison (not The Decision, which was almost disgusting as the pre-season championship party that the Heatles held afterwords) to go to Miami to win a championship.

But this...this one is tough to explain. LeBron collapsed in this NBA Finals, and nobody can explain why. Maybe he was tired. It could have been that the Mavericks' zone took him out of the game. It might have been that his massive shoulders finally collapsed under the pressure that has been on the Heat since he decided to take his talents to South Beach. It was probably a combination of all those things. Ultimately, LeBron has left us asking more questions than is necessary for a player who is supposed to be the best in the game. Someone this talented should relish the spotlight, not shrink from it. Yet, shrank LeBron did, to the point where Dwyane Wade got so fed up with him in Game 3 that he started screaming at him. I knew The Decision would change so much about the NBA, but I never thought that it would fundamentally change the former best player in the league to the point where I now put him at number three behind Kobe and Wade. To borrow from Steven A. Smith, quite frankly I'm shocked.

In the end, this was one for the ages. The most publicized and villianized team in NBA history met the team they had beaten in the Finals five years earlier. Dirk and the Mavs were finally able to erase the pain from 2006 and the playoff flops that followed, and the Heat both wore down from playing 82 playoff games in the regular season and finally collapsed under the intense scrutiny they had been under since July. That alone would have made this series great, but throw in Games 2, 3, 4, and 5 (an incredible four games which will be played on ESPN Classic forever) and this might be the greatest NBA Finals I have ever witnessed (even more than 2008, even though the Celtics winning their first title in my lifetime was roughly 2,973 times sweeter). It's a shame it's all going to be taken away with the impending lockout. Excuse me while I go cry in a corner.

P.S. I promise to write more this summer.

What Are We Witnessing?

"This fall I'm taking my talents to South Beach, and join the Miami Heat."

Just one sentence. That's all it took to send the NBA world into a frenzy. Just one sentence may have decided the championships and MVP awards for the next five seasons at least. LeBron James, the best player in the world entering his prime, is joining Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh on the Miami Heat to form the lastest incarnation of a "Big 3". And as good as that sounds, I'm not alone in saying that I have a bunch of questions. For LeBron, was it the right decision? And will this attempt at creating a superteam actually work? And how many titles (if any) can this team win? Let's start with the first question.

First off, LeBron was in a no win situation. Let's face it. If he went to New York or New Jersey people would have said "He only cares about money, winning isn't that important." If he went to Chicago, people would have said "He's trying too hard to be like Jordan. What an ego." If he stayed with the Cavs, people would have brought up the whole "Yeah, he stayed in Cleveland, but they aren't going anywhere. He must have stayed for the money." And now that he's gone to Miami, people are calling him a "coward" because he's "looking for the easy way out by playing with another superstar in Wade and an elite power forward in Chris Bosh." No matter what choice LeBron made, he was bound to tick someone off. Even Bill Simmons, once a great James supporter who has been soured on him by this whole ordeal said in his column before the decision was made: "In May, after the Cavs were ousted in the conference semifinals, I wrote that LeBron was facing one of the greatest sports decisions ever: "winning (Chicago), loyalty (Cleveland) or a chance at immortality (New York). I never thought he would pick 'HELP!'"

Personally, I think that's selling LeBron short. I don't understand why everyone is hating on a choice where a star player is considering taking less money in order to win not one, not two, but three or more championships. This is an attempt at creating a dynasty. That being said, I'm not sure that it was the greatest choice. I think that Chicago would have been a better fit for LeBron, a team with a bona-fide second banana (Derrick Rose), an excellent rebounder/post scorer (Carlos Boozer), a high energy post defender/great rebounder (Joakim Noah) and a good perimeter scorer (Luol Deng). Everything was set up perfectly for multiple championship runs. And, there was a supporting cast with defined roles, which is the biggest hole in the "Superteam" approach. So do I think LeBron made the right choice? I can't really say. But I don't think that he made the best choice. I would have gone with the Bulls if it was me.

Now as for whether this plan works, that is much tougher. Miami now has the best top 3 in the NBA. However, they don't have any real role players. The question you have to ask yourself is, does that really matter? I mean, you have two of the three best players in the NBA. Plus, you have one of the top 5 power forwards in the NBA. That's a lot of talent, regardless of the supporting cast. Also, keep in mind that LeBron's Cavaliers won 66 and then 61 games the last two seasons with much less than Bosh and Wade. Also, assuming the Big Three does as they say they will and take less money in order to play together, then maybe the can go out and get a quality role player (like Mike Miller, who has reportedly agreed to a 5 year $30 million contract). Then maybe they can get some other pieces to add size up front, like a Juwan Howard or a Zydrunas Ilgauskas, or, just maybe Shaquille O'Neal. If they can fill out the roster that way, then Miami will be in buisness.

The next question has to be can LeBron and Wade (two alpha dogs in their own right) coexist on the same team? Most people are saying yes, but I have to disagree. I think that Wade will end up being the crunch time scorer and ultimately the team's alpha dog, while LeBron will be a super athletic mix of Magic Johnson and Scottie Pippen: Makes amazing plays on the offensive and defensive end, controls the pace of the game, takes over at times, and will get his 25 points, 8 rebounds, and around 9 or 10 assists in the flow of the game. But the only way that will work is if the egos of both players cooperate, and I believe that they will.

And now for the final, and most important question of all: How many championships will this team win? And will they win this year? The answer to that, as I said earlier, depends on how Miami fills out the roster and how the egos of the three stars cooperate. While most NBA fans don't think that this will work, I disagree. I think this is a choice based around winning, and Wade, LeBron, and Bosh are all willing to make the sacrifices necessaryto win multiple titles. I think that in the next five years, I think that Miami wins 4 titles. Will they win this year? I say...yes. Again, they need to bring in more role players, but the Heat are just as good as any other team that they have to play. The Celtics are getting old, the Lakers are getting old too (and, as the Thunder proved last year, aren't exactly invinceable), the Bulls will be improved, but I'm not sure if they'll be better than the Heat, and Orlando has Vince Carter so they won't be winning anything. I predict 63 wins for Miami in 2011, the top seed in the East, and a Finals victory over the Lakers in 6 games.

This decision by not only LeBron but Wade and Bosh as well has changed the future of the NBA. For better or for worse, we are headed in a far different direction than if King James had just stayed with Cleveland. Not only titles could be swung, but MVP awards as well (you think LeBron can keep winning MVP awards with Wade and Bosh in his spotlight? Not likely. Congratulations Kevin Durant on winning the next five MVP awards). And whether you liked the move or not, you have to admit that next season is going to be exciting. I know I'm excited.


And besides, as long as the Lakers don't win and Kobe doesn't get another ring, I'm happy.
____________________________________________________________
You can follow the Boston Sports Fan on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/gregis111

Celtics-Cavs: Its on!

When the Celtics closed out the Dwayne Wade and the Miami Heat last Sunday, there was only one thought that crossed my mind: Bring on LeBron. And I got my wish when a few hours later the Cavaliers took care of business and finished their series with the Bulls (and that ridiculous and annoying Joakim Noah. God I hate that guy). That gave us the second round matchup that many Celtics fans feared getting when the C's were shuffling down the stretch. Cleveland, the NBA's best team in the regular season, versus the 2008 champion Boston Celtics, an aging contender looking to make a last run at the title. The Big Three (featuring Rajon Rondo) taking on all-world talent and two time MVP LeBron James. So in preparation to what should be a great series, I've decided to break it down blow by blow, position by position. Here we go:


POINT GUARD: RAJON RONDO VS. MO WILLIAMS
Okay, anyone who knows me knows that I am going to be extremely biased here. Rondo is my favorite player on the Celtics and my second favorite player in the league (trailing only the incomparable Tim Duncan). Don't get me wrong, I think Mo Williams is a good player and is the perfect match for the drive and dish game of LeBron. Williams is a very good three point shooter and had a great series against the Bulls. Both Rondo and Williams are All-Star caliber players. But I can't emphasize enough how much Rajon Rondo has done for the 2010 Boston Celtics. He's been the one constant in a season filled with inconsistencies. He's run the show night in and night out, and might just have been the most valuable player for Boston this year (for the record, Rasheed was the least valuable player. But you probably knew that anyway). I'm taking Rondo in this matchup, and you can't convince me otherwise.

EDGE: Celtics

SHOOTING GUARD: RAY ALLEN VS. ANTHONY PARKER
Okay, I understand on paper this looks like a mismatch, and honestly, it is. Ray Allen had an excellent second half, and should be hot coming off a series against Miami where he couldn't miss. Plus he's a Hall of Famer. Anthony Parker is a role player. He's a good perimeter defender, he hits open threes, he's tailor-made to play on Cleveland. However, he's no Ray Allen. If Shuttlesworth shoots like he did against the Heat, then the Celtics have a VERY good shot at stealing this series and the ring right off of LeBron's finger.

EDGE: Celtics

SMALL FORWARD: PAUL PIERCE VS. LEBRON JAMES
It was nice to see Pierce got to drink from the fountain of youth. For the first time in a while, he looked healthy and was taking the ball to the hole with the enthusiasm that we've grown used to seeing. If this was any other matchup, I'd think long and hard about giving the Celtics the edge here. Unfortunately, LeBron is the best player in the NBA. I know, he's got issues with his elbow, and I know, Pierce out dueled LeBron before, but things are different this year. James is on a mission. He's been putting up arcade stats all year, plus he's coming off a series where he averaged 39-10-9 in games 2, 3, and 4. He's been so good this year that my buddy Pat Davis (who is also known as the Panda), a known Kobe lover, has finally agreed with me that James has surpassed Bryant. Regardless, this is a great matchup and hopefully its at the level of the 2008 Eastern Conference Semis. But I gotta go with LeBron here, simply because he's the best in the league.

EDGE: Cavs

POWER FORWARD: KEVIN GARNETT VS. ANTAWN JAMISON
I'm going to sound crazy here, but I'm taking Jamison. I know, I'm just as surprised as you are. No, I haven't lost my mind. Listen. KG hasn't really been KG since his knee injury last season. Sure, he's shown flashes, and that's all fine and good, but don't be fooled. He can't do it for an entire game. Not anymore. I'm hoping that he can turn back the clock and give us some vintage Garnett performances, but I just don't know. Meanwhile Jamison has been the best deadline acquisition this year. He's a perfect fit for the Cavs as he can stretch the floor with shooting and is also a talented post player. He gives Cleveland the versatility that they lacked last year. And I still can't figure out how he gets the ball in the basket with that crazy scoop/floater/layup thing that he lofts over defenders with ease. Any time you have a player who does things you never seen before you have to take him, right? Right? I'm really trying to talk myself into this one.

SLIGHT EDGE: Cavs

CENTER: KENDRICK PERKINS VS. SHAQUILLE O'NEAL
Perk's going to have his hands full in this series. No more picking on Jermaine O'Neal's corpse. Although, it's not like he's facing Shaq circa 1999-2002. This version of O'Neal isn't going to crush anyone for 35 minutes a game. Current Shaq goes in the game for 20-22 minutes, tries to get the opposing team's big men in foul trouble, and hopes to pick up about 12 points and 7 or so rebounds in the process. Not to mention that Perkins is probably one a handful of players strong enough to muscle up with the likes of Shaq and Dwight Howard. And O'Neal was thoroughly outplayed by Joakim Noah (I feel sick just mentioning his name) for the last four games of the Cavs-Bulls series...

EDGE: Even

CELTICS BENCH VS. CAVALIERS BENCH
Fortunately for the Celtics, Glen Davis has decided to show up for the playoffs. Which is good, because it's saved me and countless other Celtic fans from having to watch that lazy thief Rasheed Wallace lumber up and down the court. Unfortunately for the Celtics, because Sheed has packed it in and Marquis Daniels and Nate Robinson are useless (what a shocker), they're pretty much stuck with a bench rotation that consists of Davis, Tony Allen (my least favorite Celtic pre-Sheed) whatever minutes Wallace gives them, and 37 year old Michael Finley. Oh boy. On the other side, the Cavs have a diverse unit that has hustlers like Anderson Varejao, J.J. Hickson, and Jamario Moon (if Moon hits his threes like he did against the Bulls then the Cavs become very dangerous); a good perimeter scorer in "Craziest NBA Player" Finalist Delonte West, and the one of the better shooting centers of all time in Zydrunas Ilgauskas. This is a mismatch.

EDGE: Cavs (and it's not even close)

COACHING: DOC RIVERS VS. MIKE BROWN
I'll keep it short and sweet. Doc has a ring. Brown does not. Doc, while he may not be a great coach, certainly hasn't destroyed a good team. Brown is lucky he has LeBron bailing him out. Doc is a good coach. Brown is not.

EDGE: Celtics.

BOTTOM LINE
I was impressed with the Celtics in round one. They finally started playing championship defense, and showed some heart for the first time all year. If they can keep it up, they have a real shot at this thing. However, I can't help but think that this is finally LeBron's year. I hope I'm wrong, but the Cavs are just too deep, too motivated, and the Celtics will have to play an almost perfect series to beat Cleveland. And from what I've seen this year, I'm not so sure that's going to happen. Boston will need some big performances from its stars if they want to win this series.

VERDICT: Cavs in 7, but I really hope I'm wrong on this one.

___________________________________________________


Become a fan of the blog on Facebook!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Inside-The-Mind-of-a-Boston-Sports-Fan

Celtics Turn Up The Heat

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.)

Magic and Bird, the Great Debate

The other day my buddy Ryan Cahill asked me a very interesting question: If you had to choose between Larry Bird or Magic Johnson which one you want to build the team around? He also asked how many rings would they have won if they had played together for their entire careers. Let's tackle the first question to start because, lets face it, it's waaaay more complex and I have nothing else to do except break down one of the greatest player matchups of all time. And to answer your question, no I don't have a life. Moving on...


QUESTION 1: If you had to choose between Larry Bird or Magic Johnson, which one you want to build a team around?



Okay, this was a vague question, so I asked Ryan (who my friends and I call "The Wizard" for his basketball exploits...it's a long story) to make it a little clearer. We decided that it wouldn't be over the course of their careers, but instead at their respective peaks. Now that makes the question even tougher. Had it been "If you had to build a team around Magic or Larry's whole career knowing how it would turn out, who would you choose?" I probably would have to take Magic. I know, I know, I just committed Celtics heresy, but I'll repent later. Magic would be the pick in that scenario, simply because his body didn't give out like Bird's did. Both players had terrific careers, and Larry Legend definitely had the upper hand from 1980-1986. But back and leg injuries derailed Bird and gave Magic the opportunity to surge past him. The deciding factor for me was that you could still win a championship with Magic from 1980-86 when Bird was the consensus better player (the Lakers proved this by winning in 1980, 1982 and 1985), but you weren't winning a championship with Bird and his back problems from '88-'92 when Magic was the better player.

Now for the tougher matter. As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, Magic's longevity as well as a 5 to 3 championship edge gives him the slight edge over Bird in terms of career success. But when talking about the two players at their peaks, the question changes. According to "The Book of Basketball" by Bill Simmons (a fantastic book if you're into the NBA. Bill Simmons is my hero. Okay I'm done now) Larry Bird had a 5 year peak in which he averaged 28 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists per game. Larry shot 51% from the field, and was a 90% free throw shooter over that stretch. Bird's 4 year playoff peak was equally as impressive. The Legend averaged 24-10-10 in postseason play during that peak. For the record, the book doesn't mention what years Larry peaked at, but I'm assuming its from '83-'87 seasons. During those five seasons Bird was the best player on two championship teams and two runner ups (he could have won another ring in 1987 too if, you know, Len Bias didn't OD on coke and rob the Celtics of continued domination into the '90s. Dammit.) , won three consecutive MVP awards from '84-'86 and was a runner up in 1983, played on the best team ever (the 1986 Boston Celtics), won two Finals MVP trophies ('84 and '86), and made the All-NBA First team five times. If that's not impressive I don't know what is. And that's not to mention that not only was Bird a sensational scorer, but he was a great rebounder, solid defender in his younger days (not so much as he got older and fell apart), and by far the greatest passing forward of all time.

That being said, Magic had an impressive apex himself. According to The Book of Basketball, during Magic's 3 year peak he averaged 22-7-12, and during his two year playoff peak of 19-7-15. Not to mention that he was 6-9 and played freaking POINT GUARD! (Quick tangent: I would kill to have Magic's size and basketball skills. I'm not kidding. I would literally take somebody's life if it meant could play like Magic. Unfortunately I'm 5-11 and white with no leaping ability whatsoever so that ship has probably sailed. Anyways...) Assuming that Magic's peak was from '87-'89, then during those years he won two championships, won 2 MVP awards (and won a third in 1990), won the Finals MVP in 1987, and made three All NBA First teams. I know that list isn't as long as Bird's, but keep in mind that Bird had two more years of being at top form.


So what's the verdict? I would hands down take Bird's peak over Magic's. First of all, it was two years longer, and more impressive statistically. Also, while Magic's career might have been longer, Bird was transcendent before the injuries took their toll. Magic was great, don't get me wrong, but Larry could do everything that Magic could do in his prime, except that Bird was a better scorer and rebounder. Of course, Magic's scoring numbers don't completely reflect his scoring ability since Johnson was the point guard after all, but to say that Larry didn't have the more complete offensive game from '80-'86 is foolish. I mean, the man took a 15 foot jumpshot with his left hand in a playoff game against the Pistons in '88 because he was bored. And he made the shot! There's a reason why he was called the Legend.

QUESTION 2: How many rings would they have won if they had played together for their entire careers?

Now this is easy. If they had played their whole careers on the same team (Would it have happened under any conceivable situation? No. But that's not the point) they would have won at least 10 titles. This is not debatable. In fact, it's more likely that they would have won every single year. Let me put it this way, if you put two of the top 5 players of all time on the court together, in their primes, they would probably win 70 games every year. Forget 72-10. That would be a habit for a team that featured Bird and Magic. The way that those guys played, they could score at will but were also the most unselfish players on the court. The NBA today needs more guys like Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. I wish I could have seen them play. Because in the end, it doesn't matter who's the better player, all that matters is that we were fortunate enough to watch them compete at the highest level. If only I was around to see it.