No Words.

No analysis for tonight's game. If you follow this blog, you probably watched it and saw exactly what I did. It was a great game with a not so great outcome. The main thing is we HAVE to put this behind us. And that not only goes for the team, obviously, but the fans as well. If you're a true fan, we have to act and think how the Celtics would. As hard as it may be, put this one behind you. It's done. There's nothing we can do, no amount of complaining that can change the score. It was a bitter loss, but we've just got to swallow that pill. It's a one-game series right now. They did their job, winning in Chicago by the slimmest of margins. The series returns to Boston, the Mecca of the basketball world (screw NYC). Would history want this any other way? Of course now, we all want this to have been over by Game 4, but think years down the road looking back on this. We witnessed part of history already, regardless of the outcome of Game 7.

Luck and tradition is on our side. The Celtics legends will be out in full, you can count on that. Red Auerbach's presence will be felt, as it was against Cleveland in last year's seventh game. The mentality is that we're at home, in Boston. We're the 2 seed for a reason. We played a hell of a season and showed immense integrity for the last couple of months with KG's injury.

All that's left is one game, and you've got to believe we'll win it.

Cooooooooooool

Before tonight's big game, how about channeling the power of the bald freakin' eagle? Here is a live web stream of a bald eagle's nest. The black bird I guess is the "baby" eagle, who don't start getting the white feathers until 4-5 years old (according to the "Eagle Facts" section below the video). It was pretty cool, I was watching it spread its wings and hop around in the nest. I dunno if he was trying to take off or practicing or just being cool, but it was neat to watch.

Bill Simmons

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/090429&sportCat=nba

My favorite:

Q: When Brian Scalabrine fouls out of a playoff game, and your reaction is, "Uh-oh, we're screwed," is that a bad sign for your title hopes?

A: Yes. Yes it is.

How right on is that? Exactly how I felt.

Celtics Pull It Out in Another OT Thriller

Pierce was all smiles after owning the Bulls in the 4th and OT periods.

I hated this game. Yep. Even though we ended up winning, I just hated it. Pretty much the whole game was a microcosm of what this series has been: frustrating. These Chicago Bulls--young, inexperienced, ugly--are not supposed to be this challenging. They're very reminiscent of the Hawks of last year, but this time around, the games are much closer and you get the feeling that this is a 1 vs. 2 seed going at it. Why are they being so damn pesky? I honestly believe much of it has to do with luck. Sure, they've got some talent in Derrick Rose and Ben Gordon, that can't be denied. But in watching these first 5 games, the amount of balls that have bounced their way, the calls they've gotten (or haven't gotten), and the crazy shots they've made continue to grow in number. Last night was no exception, as the two teams fought through the 4th overtime period of this opening series. I don't really have much historical perspective, but I can't see how this wouldn't be the greatest opening round of the playoffs ever.

KG gives the cocky Ben Gordon a piece of his mind: "Mother [Expletive], [expletive] Celtics will dominate your punk [expletive] [expletive] [expletive]. Bitch."

I hated this game. From the start, the Celtics were shooting around 50%. The energy from the crowd was electric and certainly gave a boost to the home team. But those damn Bulls just kept hanging around. How deflating is that? It's so frustrating coming out with fire, yet still only leading by 2 points at the end of one and down by 3 at halftime. How is it that such a streaky player like Ben Gordon who has a strained hamstring (Grade 2, which indicates a partial tear) comes out and goes 2-11 until hitting just his third shot with 1:30 left in the third, but suddenly make some of the most unlikely shots? Mostly luck, my friends. Shooters shoot, yes, which is what he kept doing, but getting double-teamed and hitting a fall-away bank shot from 18 feet is NOT skill no matter how you cut it. Hitting a leaner from the baseline falling to his right with Stephon Marbury draped all over him is definitely more luck than skill. Getting Tony Allen to foul you on a three point attempt when you have ZERO other options is, I'll admit, a huge gaffe on Allen's part, but still, the stars aligned for that more than anything else. 

The Celtics looked tired after their initial push through the first quarter and a half. Rondo's turn around at the buzzer to end the half didn't prove to be the spark we desperately needed in the second half. They extended their lead to 11 points about 3 minutes into the 4th quarter. Now, I often yell and complain that I could do a better job executing than the crap that the Celtics sometimes run. If I had been playing in that 4th quarter, I would've thrown the towel in out of complete frustration. Joakim Noah's layup off of the (admittedly) pretty pass from Brad Miller put them up by the 11-point margin. But his goddamn scream after. Unnecessary. Here are the times when a player is allowed to do a "KG" after a DUNK ONLY, if you're a big man: 

1) To begin or end a quarter

2) To tie the game

3) To put your team within 2 or three points after coming back from a considerable deficit

4) After the other team has called a timeout after said comeback

5) If you're blowing out the other team (i.e. exclamation mark before you come out of the game for good...job well done, etc.)

That's about it, Noah. Cool. You put your team up by 11 on a play you really did nothing to create. You were just standing in the paint and happened to get your hands finally on a Miller pass and you...made a layup. If ANYTHING, Miller should be the one letting out a primal scream, not your butt-ass ugly piehole.

"Hey, Noah! Your penis is thiiiiiiis small! Fucker."

As for the Celtics, our starters are playing the best ball of the season. Unfortunately, the same can't be said about our bench. Sure, it's depleted, but when you only get 5 points out of them the entire game, chances are, you're screwed like Babe Ruth. Marbury canNOT pass up a wide open baseline jumper for a Rondo floater from a little closer in on the baseline. To make such a floater, one has to put it up perfectly. No backboard can help you out. No friendly rolls are likely to occur from that angle, i.e. the airball. Marbury's having noticeable confidence issues, but just look at what happens what he shoots the open shots: His 13 point performance in the Game 3 blowout. See what happens when the bench contributes? Yeah.

Aside from that, Pierce's performance obviously sticks out. He started the game quietly, getting 7 points in the first frame, but slowed considerably after. Jackie MacMullan who was at the game, commented that she thought something was wrong with Pierce. He didn't have any lift and wasn't really looking for his shot. That changed once the 4th was winding down. The Celtics were down to one true scorer and damn, did he deliver. He scored 15 points from the 9:15 mark of the fourth to the end of the OT. That's 15 points in about 14 minutes. Pretty good offensive production, if you ask me. Which you didn't, but I told you anyway.

How come the Chicago defense didn't double Pierce? I'm not complaining, but after about the third time he makes the same shot in a row, you'd think they'd try something different. There were no other real threats on the floor, aside from Rondo. Anyway, his play was 100% vintage and something only a superstar could do. After Ray Allen fouled out on a BULLSHIT call, Pierce took the game in his hands as only he could do and won it for us. Made shots when it matters most.

Ray Allen struggled, but hit this big 3 in the 4th quarter. Miller would later try and suffocate him, leading to a...double foul. Great job, Mr. Derosa.

As for Ray Allen. He struggled, sure. But, after hitting a much needed three from the corner in the 4th, he picked up one bogus call chasing Ben Gordon. It was essentially a hip check foul, something that happens literally EVERY offensive possession for either team. Unbelievable. Then, he gets picked off by Brad "Choke Artist" Miller who, rather than standing there, decides to bear hug Allen, holding him so he can't get out. Allen tries to fight out of it, and the ref calls a double foul. A DOUBLE FOUL! How often does THAT get called? And in such an important game? Holy mother of God. Exhibit Y in the case of the Celtics vs. Given Opponent & the State of Officials. However, like when a coach gets thrown out of a game, it may have been a blessing in disguise, as Pierce took over the game.

Rondo's putting in an all-time playoff performance.

Lost in the shuffle were Rajon "Where the EFF is this coming from?" Rondo and Kendrick "Still Making Some Mistakes, But Progressing a Lot Better" Perkins. Rondo's averaging--get this--24.2 ppg (leads the team), 10.2 rpg (2nd to Perk's 11.0), 10.2 apg (leads the team), 3.2 spg (leads the team), 51% on FG (2nd to Perk's 60%), and 4-7 from three. Yeah, that's a triple-double average with 3+ steals. Pedal to the metal. Soak it in because this is something that is only witnessed once in a very long while. His box score last night: Game-high 28 points (12-22 FG, 2-2 on threes), 11 assists, 8 rebounds, 2 steals.

Perk showed what being a Celtic is all about. He's a wily veteran...and only 3 years older than I am.

Another "whoa!" line from Perkins: 16 points, 19 rebounds, SEVEN (7) blocks, tying Robert Parish's Celtics playoff record. And get this: ZERO FOULS. Way to be. We had a short bench and needed our big men to limit their fouls and Perk, well done. Aside from one "wtf?" shot (a 17 footer at the beginning of the shot clock), he went above and beyond the call of duty.

The "controversial" play. Rondo no doubt hits Miller, but this is post-swipe at the ball, so lower the ball more and bring Rondo's arm back and it's clear to me that he's making a play on the ball more than anything.

I must say, this game may still be going on had it not been for the final play. Down by 2 with just over 3 seconds left, the Bulls drew up a surprisingly simple, yet effective play. Brad Miller set a screen for Ben Gordon, forcing Perkins to switch out on him as he faded to the baseline. Rondo recovered, following him under the pick, but giving Miller an open lane to the hoop. Perkins shifted over as Rondo again recovered, committing the foul rather than have Miller sink an easy layup. Ya know, a playoff foul. Miller went for the finger roll straight on instead of attempting the conventional layup, going to one side and using the backboard. My understanding is that Rondo thought he'd go the conventional way (i.e. the smart way) and swiped at the ball. Now, I have no photos of Rondo's face at the time of impact, but I can almost guarantee that his eyes were on the ball. If he was intentionally trying to decapitate Miller, as some Bulls and Bulls' fans are contending, than he would definitely be looking at Miller's head. One looks where one is intending to reach/grab/whathaveyou. The refs made exactly the right call for once. Miller bricked the first and intentionally missed the second, but he hit nothing (DUHHHHH IDIOT!?!) giving the ball to the Celtics. The free throws at our end were inconsequential as good ol' Vin had no timeouts and the Bulls had to go full court to get a shot off. Big Baby actually got the offensive rebound. Game. 

*southern accent* "Hot damn, that there sandwich was deeeelicious. Oops, showin' mah beer-belly on TV. Oh, sugar. I gotta go brick me some free throws! Yippie-kay-ay!"

On to Chicago, where we can close this bitch of a series out. I'm not gonna make any predictions, but last time we won on our home court and then went to Chicago and blew them out. We've got two chances to take this thing. Our experience and fortitude give the impression that this time luck may be on our side... 

[No caption necessary.]

Douchebag!

http://espn.go.com/chicago/story?columnist=greenberg_jon&id=4104510

What a clown. Thanks ESPNChicago for writing something that'll get Noah anally pounded by the C's fans tonight.

The fact that they put this picture of him on their website shows that even they think he's a ugly mother-f*cking ass clown. "I want people to hate me!" Yeah, fuck you. Let's see how good you are in Boston. (Like how I censored one word and not the next?)

Good News for the...Celtics, Right ESPN?

The headline reads "Gordon's MRI Good News for Bulls," but unless they were expecting a tear, then I'm gonna go ahead and say this is good news for the C's. After playing two overtimes with a strained hamstring, you've GOT to think that Gordon's hurting right now. Day-to-day, eh? Well, the game's tomorrow so...yeah, good luck with that. Go C's.

CHICAGO -- Chicago Bulls star Ben Gordon is listed as day to day after an MRI confirmed he has a strained left hamstring.

Gordon

Gordon was hurt in the second quarter Sunday, then sent Game 4 into a second overtime with a 3-pointer with 4.5 seconds left.

The Bulls beat the Celtics 121-118, tying the series 2-2 with Game 5 in Boston on Tuesday night.

The shooting guard was injured on a drive to the basket and an MRI Monday morning confirmed the initial diagnosis.

Later in the game, he was knocked to the floor on a hard foul by Glen Davis with 9.8 seconds left in the first overtime.

Gordon is the leading scorer in the series with 24.8 points per game and scored 42 in Chicago's 118-115 loss in Game 2.

Video of the Day

Simple Message

IF YOU'RE UP BY THREE, FOUL THE OTHER TEAM SO THEY DON'T GET A THREE POINTER OFF!!!! THAT IS WHY WE LOST THE GAME, PLAIN AND SIMPLE.


Good thing is, we played like absolute SHIT for 3 and a half quarters and still made it a 2OT game.

Home cookin'.

Celtics Play Like Champs to Take Series Lead

The Bulls showed their true selves as the young Coach Vinny del Negro looks on with disdain.

We were all worried. Yes, we had a huge game from Ray Ray to beat the Bulls at the buzzer in Game 2 and were one free throw make away from winning Game 1. Had Allen missed that final shot, we may have certainly been in a surprising 0-2 hole. Let's just say we were lucky to get out of Boston locked up with the feisty, pesky Bulls 1-1. But we were worried. We escaped with a respectable record. The two games had been far too close for comfort. In the last week of the season, we had completely destroyed the 8th (almost 7th) seed Sixers without Pierce, Allen, Rondo, KG, Powe, Scal, etc., etc. How could these young Bulls look so calm and have such great individual efforts in many of the players' first playoff experience? It was all too unsettling and many C's fans that I know of were hoping to at least get one game out in Chicago. The fans there would undoubtedly be fired up (think Atlanta 2008). Fortunately, the Celtics did everything right and played like the champs to send a message to the Bulls that the first two games were essentially flukes.

From the opening tip, the Celtics showed their aggression and energy, almost immediately shutting up a raucous Chicago crowd and effectively denying any energy the Bulls might have had. Paul Pierce (who some say "showed up" for this game--he'd been averaging 20.5 ppg for the first 2 games...good enough for me, I say), was as hot as my laptop when the little fan thing doesn't turn on for a while. He started the first quarter 6-6 and really just owned John Salmons. It was good to see that those few days off before Game 3 allowed Pierce some much-needed rest to get his legs back under him, and it showed. He ended up with 13 points in a pivotal first quarter that set the tone for the rest of the game. Pierce finished with a game-high 24 points, highlighted by 4-8 shooting from downtown, one of which should have been a 4-point play, as Salmons bit on an upfake, collided with Pierce, who shot the ball and drained it. He lifted his arms as if to ask, "Where the FUCK was that foul? lol, but I made it anyway and I'm awesome."

For some reason, ESPN.com or NBA.com had no pictures of Paul Pierce doing anything. So this was as close as I could get to the said play. Except it was in Chicago, and there was more "WTF?" in his face...

It's just great to watch our team when we're clicking, isn't it? I mean, we play as a TEAM. At this point, we're so comfortable with each other that there's no need to really think too much...just go out and play. That's the ideal thing you want. Of course, you'd like some basketball IQ (which abounds for the C's), but along with that, you want to treat the game just as it is: a game. This comfort level, when everyone's feeling it, translates into championship basketball, the type of which was on display throughout Game 3. Rajon Rondo is the MVP of the playoffs thus far. Ray Allen has picked himself up nicely after Game 1, but Rondo has been the most consistent, energetic, smart, and aggressive player on the court. In terms of others around the league, you could argue Chauncey Billups of the Nuggets is playing better, averaging something like 33 ppg with 0 turnovers and 12 3-point FG made in 2 games (approximations...too lazy to look them up, but I think they're pretty much on). However, Rondo just does more. He scores, he rebounds, he passes, he steals. In fact, he's leading the Celtics in PPG, APG, RPG, and SPG. How many point guards are able to do that? Incredible. He's averaging nearly a triple-double for the series with 22.7 ppg, 10.7 rpg, 9.7 apg, and 4 spg (and .33 blocks per game). He's driving and getting layups, and shooting (and knocking down) longer-range jumpers (he's 2-4 from 3 point range). He continued his stellar offensive and defensive play last night, going for 20 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, and 5 steals in just 33 minutes. Here's some original research I just did regarding Rondo's shot selection, looking specifically at his jump shots and how much improved he is. We all know that when he gets past the D into the paint, he's either gonna get a layup, make a sick pass, or get fouled. But, especially last year, his jumper was his weakness. Watching him this whole season, you can easily see how much better he is and how hard he's worked on it. Through Games 1-3, Rondo's knocked down 11 actual jump shots out of 24 attempts. That's good for a 46% clip. To put that into perspective, Paul Pierce has hit 18 jump shots out of 43 attempts, good for 42%. Granted, Pierce has taken more and that's more of his game, but it just shows that Rondo's more confident in shooting the ball when his defender (rightly) respects his speed and goes under picks set for him.

Rajon Rondo is developing a jumpshot. This could be as huge as Happy learning how to putt.

Glen. Davis. How much can you say about him stepping up? He's been phenomenal and consistent this whole series and he put up a box score for the ages in Game 3. He had 14 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 6 steals, and 3 blocks. Holy cow. He's got such active hands that he one-upped our point guard in steals and tied him in assists. When you get that type of production, the W will most likely follow. His jump shot is becoming a thing of beauty and he has developed a very respectable free throw percentage. KG's absence is much more palatable they way Davis is playing.

Big Baby leads the fastbreak after one of his 6 steals. The Bulls had 22 turnovers.

Ray Allen was, once again, very consistent and efficient, getting 18 points on 6-12 shooting, including 3-4 from beyond the arc.

Marbury showed signs of his old self, aggressively driving to the rim. White Kirk Hinrich is scared.

One last note on last night's play. Stephon Marbury deserves a lot of credit for the way he's been playing. It has been admittedly spotty, that's for sure. But he's carried himself with a great air of confidence in himself and his teammates, something that was certainly lacking with the debacle in New York. He's stuck with it and taken Doc's advice to shoot more (who would ever think that a coach would ask him to do that?!) and just play ball. Last night he did that. And it wasn't just in garbage time, either. He played important minutes during a stretch in which Rondo was on the bench due to foul troubles that group on the floor effectively kept Chicago from clawing their way back in. Overall, Steph shot 4-10, including 1-1 from three (13 points) and went 4-4 from the line. He dished out 5 assists and grabbed 3 boards in 24 minute of play. Quite effective, I'd say. Good for you, Steph, that's exactly what we need out of you. Keep it up.

Isn't is great to see Steph enjoying the game and his fellow teammates?

Oh, and how about Scal?! I'm only being half funny here. The guy's taken some scary hits in the head this season, but he's stuck with it, being a vocal supporter from the pine and now that he's back in action, even he contributed, knocking down a baseline trey with zero hesitation. Perhaps a sign that he's not worrying about his head, he soared in to try and grab a defensive rebound in traffic. Balls to the wall, Scal. That's Celtics basketball. You keep it up, too.

The two Bulls' "superstars" were shut down by the Celtics vintage team defense. They forced Rookie of the Year Derrick Rose into 7 turnovers.

On Garnett. Apparently, KG's practicing with the team, i.e. in practice sweats and posting up Perk, etc. Whether he's working toward a comeback or just being camaraderious (?) with his fellow teammate, it's certainly a good sign, I think. We'll see...

Game 4 on Sunday at 1 pm. If we play like we did last night, we'll get the win and come back to Boston to try and close this series out. The win in Chicago was very important, not only to take the series lead, but also to give us confidence that we can win on the road in the playoffs vs. young, upstart teams like the Bulls. This was something we weren't able to do against Atlanta (or Cleveland) last year, leading to 7 games in each of the first two rounds. Fewer games=fewer players on the Celtics who are tired=better chances of winning games. Go C's.

Good News for Celtics

Just saw this on the bottom line on ESPN. Kevin Garnett will withhold having knee surgery until after the postseason. He is going to try and return for the Celtics later on in the playoffs.

Looks like he's getting tired of being on the bench for these intense games. I feel like this makes his chances of coming back way more than the 1% Doc was quoting a few days ago. Who knows? If he's determined enough...

Begin to pray again, folks.

Mmmmmm.

U2 Live from Somerville

Ray. Allen.

Ray Allen knocks down the game-winning three as the Bulls bench is SAD!

What a great game. I mean, what a fantastic game that was. These first two games remind me very much of the Atlanta series a year ago: a young, upstart team (with an ugly big man who thinks he's better than he really is) surprisingly challenges wily old veterans who were the favorites. This time, however, the Celtics are the defending champions and are playing with some real fortitude in the face of a TON of adversity. They could have packed it all up upon hearing news of KG being out for the entire playoffs with a right knee strain, especially when every reporter (even the faithful Bostonians) have flatly said that the C's have no chance at all. As the injured guy himself has said, though, "Anything is possible." Being underdogs isn't all that bad either. Everyone picked the soft Lakers to take it all last year and look what happened to Kobe-wan Kenobi (as my dad calls him). There's still a ton of pressure coming from the home crowd and the fact that we're the defending champs, but some people are even now thinking that Chicago will pull off the "upset." Last night's game was more than just a great win. It showed that we're not backing down and that despite all the bad news that keeps pouring in, we're gonna put up a hell of a fight.

The Celtics played great team defense on Rose, holding him to just 10 points.

How much can you say about Walter Ray Allen? The guy is one of the best shooters of all time. He's been through a lot these past couple of years, coming off ankle surgery before joining the team last year, struggling mightily in the opening rounds of the playoffs, many calling his career over and done with. Doc has said that he had the hardest time adjusting to the team of 2008, which is not to say he was a selfish player. His role was just very different from that in Seattle. But no complaints...just kept on shooting. Shooters shoot. This was on full display last night, as he went 6-10 from downtown, including more than a couple huge buckets to counter Ben Gordon's onslaught. This coming after a 1-12 effort in Game 1 and a 1-4 half to start Game 2. Shooters shoot. The Celtics did an incredible job of running plays for Allen that really got him going. You could even hear Pierce yelling, "Go to Ray! Go to Ray!" as they ran the ball up the court. All-in-all, 30 points for Allen, 28 coming in the second half. And when he got into that groove in the 4th quarter, there was no stopping him. Example of Ray staying in the game rather than getting frustrated: Pierce gets stripped leading to a 3-on-1 fastbreak, with Allen the only one back. Joakim (The Joke) Noah drives the lane and Allen picks up the blocking foul, and one. Next play down, Allen knocks down a three pointer off the feed from Rondo to bring the Celtics back to within one. How great is that? He uses his anger and frustration to be aggressive and score. After Gordon made back-to-back threes to put the Bulls up by 5, the two teams traded baskets, leading up to another three by Ray, putting us up by 2...

The Battle of UConn Alums: Gordon had more points, but Allen walked away the hero.

About that shot. Red Auerbach had his hand in this one (although, where was he for Pierce's missed free throw in Game 1?? Tip that in, man!) Rondo took a contested jumper and fell to the ground (no whistle..surprise). There was a long rebound and Rondo popped back up, got it, and dished it to Allen's hands beyond the arc. BAM! 2 point game with 25 ticks left. Gordon would make an insane free-throw line jumper with Big Baby and Allen in his grill leading up to the game winner.

Seriously, is there anyone uglier than Joakim Noah?? Ugh, looks like an ogre.

What a gorgeous play it was, too. The C's ran several screens down low as Rondo held the ball at the top of the arc. The brilliance comes in the amount of options we had. Allen was the first option, but if that wasn't there, Pierce was ready to post up down low UNDER the free throw line. Big Baby had Kirk Hinrich on him in a switch: another option. Eddie House was over on the wing and he's always dangerous with his quick release. Rondo had smoked Derrick Rose all night with his speed, so the possibility of him driving for the rim was there as well. Luckily, we had Option Numero Uno going for us. Hinrich called for The Joke to switch as he got stuck on Big Baby's pick. The big man recovered pretty well and Allen juuuuuust got the shot off over the 7-footer. The look on Noah's face after it splashed was epic. What a freaking loser.

Noah's face says it all: "Aww, man! I'm a complete moronic asshole who just got schooled by someone 2 feet shorter than I am!"

As I said, this game was Allen's, but there were so many other factors. Take Rondo. I was surprised to hear that he had a triple-double in the THIRD QUARTER! I had no idea. I knew he had a lot of points and a bunch of assists, but by the 3rd? No way. He ended up with 19 points, 16 assists, 12 rebounds. Oh, and 5 steals. There are only 3 players who have had a triple-double and 5+ steals in a playoff game: Magic Johnson, Gary Payton, and Rajon F. Rondo. What a baller. What a two games he's had! 29 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists in Game 1. Insane. Derrick Rose can have his 36 points in Game 1. I prefer dominance and consistency, thank you very much. Speaking of which, way to be, Rondo. He really attacked the rim from the get-go, drawing a quick 2 fouls on Rose (one of which was indirect--drove to the hoop, got blocked, K Perk got the board and Rose stupidly fouled him, and one), and then THREE on the backup, Hinrich. Do that every night and we have a great chance of winning.

Even on a sprained ankle, Rondo drove the lane all night, getting easy layups.

How about Big Baby?! He's been really stepping up for the absence of KG. Although he lacks the intensity The Ticket brings, he has that 18 or 19-foot jump shot down to a science. He ended up with 26 points on 12-21 shooting. The Celtics were a +20 with him on the floor. Pretty good for a "back-up" PF. Perk also went above and beyond the call of duty, going for 16 and 12, including seven offensive rebounds and a limited amount of boneheaded plays (RUN BACK ON DEFENSE!!). Pierce did a decent job (18 points, 8 boards), but was clearly very tired. John Salmons is a pesky person to defend and really ran Pierce around. Despite his sluggishness, I'll take 18 points for sure.

As for the bench....yeahhhhhh, where the eff were ya??!!? I thought Steph would get a few baskets after he knocked down a pretty jumper, but that was all he ended up with (1-4). Eddie only knocked down one three ball, Mikki Moore only made one shot, and Leon Powe as well (although he left early). And about Powe: Just learned today that he tore his ACL (my initials!) and will require surgery. He'll FOR SURE miss the rest of the playoffs, which is a pretty major blow to us, although I'm starting to get used to this type of news.

On the flipside, a glimmer of hope. Apparently, KG practiced the other day with the Celtics, although from what I heard, he merely dribbled the ball around the court a few times...no hardcore stuff. My message to Doc is this: If KG will be getting surgery, which I'm thinking is going to be the case, I say put him in games for brief (5 minute?) stretches a few times every game. I mean, sure it'll swell up, etc., but if he's getting surgery to repair it anyway, might as well give him a little work? He ran for 20 minutes straight and the knee swelled up after, causing Doc to say they'd shut him down, so play him just for a little amount of time. Even if he does nothing but stand there, his presence will be very much useful in both our psyche and the opposing team's. Of course, I'm probably just desperate and my plan would run the risk of worsening the situation beyond what surgery could fix (maybe???), but we'll see if he has any more practice time.

KG gives Pierce some advice and was incredibly vocal on the bench the entire night (Did he ever sit down?)

So there we have it. Ben Gordon's 42 points were just not good enough versus our team approach. We stuck with our game plan having Rondo drive, drive, drive and running multiple plays for Allen. You simply cannot expect their guys to continue to have epic nights...our defense will almost surely shore up. Our guys, on the other hand, are capable of having such games night in and night out. Rondo's a walking trip-doub threat, Ray Ray can knock down anything, Pierce is capable of getting way more than 18, Big Baby's been having nights like this for weeks now, and Eddie is due. Watch out, Chicago.

I made this!! Perfectly captures the moment.

Video of the Day 2

Video of the Day

You Ever Have That Feeling...

when you're just too lazy to go to the bathroom? Here's a legit conversation I just had with Wokkus:

Me: have you ever been too lazy to get up and pee so you just hold it in

Him: yes...right now

Me: haha same...i've had to go for like an hour

Him: it sucks...me toooo

Me: but it's not like reallllyyyy bad yet, so i'll just wait it out

Him: mine is...i'm moving around a lot

Me: and like i'm not doing ANYTHING right now, so like i should just go, but i'm not gonna

Him: good hold strong

...

Let's just say Derrick Rose won't have a game like that again.

Okay....Okay....Breathe...

So there I was sitting in my European History class (1648-1714) just minding my own beeswax. I was proud of my Celtics. We were fresh off back-to-back wins over the Sixers and Wizards, the former fighting to get the highest playoff seed possible, the latter trying to avoid tying the worst record in their franchise's history. We beat them both and both times our bench made a tremendous impact. I've come to get used to our bench players take on starting role and more minutes in the absence of KG, who's been out essentially since February.

All of a sudden I get a text from none other than T-Pas. The Queenidite. Trevbeco himself: "Garnett out for playoffs. We're fucked." It read like a cold newspaper headline...except for the "we're fucked" part, of course. Still, that would be the subliminal headline in tomorrow's Boston Globe, wouldn't you think? I immediately began thinking what the date was. I knew it was April...was this April Fools' Day? No...that was 15 days ago. Trev, wtf? Is this some cruel joke? I quickly used my iPhone (thank God I have one) to peruse my bookmarked sites. NBA.com? Nothing. Celtics.com? "Eddie House blahblahblah" Nothing. ESPN.com?!? "Playoff matchups set!...Something about Hockey!" Nothing. I was completely skeptical and texted him back where he found this out. Boston.com. Of course.

Many, many things piss me off about this news. For one thing, I have a message for whoever is in charge of telling the public about this stuff. Doc? Danny? Wyc? Some random p.r. guy? Yeah, fuck you. Where do you get off leading all the Celtics fans that KG will be back for the final 3 games of the season. Oh wait, make that the final 2 games. Oh wait, make that one of the final 2 games. Oh wait, make that the last game. Oh wait, we're just gonna sit him out until the playoffs start. Oh, actually, his knee ISN'T getting better like we've been telling you for the past 2+ months and he'll miss the start of the playoffs. WHAT THE FUCK! Next you'll be telling us that he's retiring (knocking on wood.). Seriously, how can you do that to people? At least have the BALLS to come out and be straight with us, especially when we've suffered through seasons of complete SHIT. Just say, "Yeah, KG's knee is something that probably won't heal fully even once the season ends. It'll be likely that he'll miss at least the first round and possibly the entire playoffs." See, if you said that in say, March, it would've prepared us better. But no, you spring this bullshit on us Thursday morning before Game 1 on Saturday. Thanks, asshole.

I usually try to see the good things that can come of this, but I can't trust what Doc says to the media really anymore. I would not be surprised at all if Garnett missed everything. So, with that in mind, there are some relatively positive things that you as a diehard Celtics fan must know before you kill yourself. (Cue "Everybody Hurts" by REM which seriously just came on my iTunes. Heh.)

For one, we as a team are used to playing without KG. Our big guys off the bench have logged major minutes, which is mighty important, especially considering it wasn't garbage time at the end of a blowout. They played in meaningful games and certainly helped us win them. That confidence is incredibly important.

Secondly, we're getting all our other injured players back around now. Tony Allen has been phenomenal. And if you know me, you know that I'm not a fan of his. But, I must give credit where credit is due. Powe has taken off where he left off after a knee bruise a while back. Dominant in the paint, automatic three-point plays, and multiple charges taken per game. Scal, if I remember correctly, will be available for the playoffs and dressed last night. It'll be good to have him back.

Thirdly, Big Baby has taken over KG's role. He's an intensely fierce player who is able to carve out (a lot of) space in the paint, he's got a nice baby hook shot, AND, probably most importantly, he can knock down that 17-footer very, very consistently (kinda like KG, eh?). His ability to spread the floor is much needed without KG around.

Fourthly, as Wokkus told me, anything is possible. Doc's saying that KG's knee is 70%. I know they don't wanna risk him making a season-ending injury into a career-ending one, but if we get through the first round, the possibility increases that he'll be at least more available than he is now.

Fifthly, we're playing the Bulls in Round 1. I'm not underestimating them (Remember Atlanta!), but this is the first round and is theoretically the easiest for us. So, getting through is more likely than not, even with KG out. Of note, we have beaten some formidable teams without him, most notable Cleveland. Yeah.

Sixthly (?), we're pretty damn good without KG. Trust me, I'd rather have him, but we're way better than mediocre. We'd probably end up being a 5 or 6 seed if you extrapolated our record without KG. We ended up being 18-7 sans the Big Ticket, although our defense obviously hurt the most (98.2 ppg allowed vs. 90.7; 44.2 opp FG% vs. 42.2). 

All in all, I'm confident that we can hold our own at least through the first round. Beyond that, let's just hope he'll be good enough to come back. Who knows? This may be a blessing in disguise. Scenario: Say we get to the Eastern Conference Finals vs. the Cavs. KG's close to 100% and fully, fully rested. BAM! He's back. The Cavs, on the other hand, have had to battle through the first few rounds, taking their strength for granted like the C's did last year. They come in tired, banged up, etc. and KG's as fresh as...newly bought lettuce? Whatever, it's early. Anyway, take the Willis Reed thing and multiply that shit by something. He'll be hungry and he will dominate Mr. Clownhead Varaejo (I'm not even gonna give him the credit of actually looking up how to spell his name). 

For now, let's just keep our fingers crossed, but not keep our hopes up. Remember, we still have 2 bitchin' All Stars and future HOF'ers. Most teams would kill to get at least that (Hey, Memphis!).

T-Pain

So, either this baby should have a #1 hit song coming out soon, or T-Pain actually really has no talent at all....I'll go with the latter...

The Ultimate Example of "Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover"

Check out this video of Susan Boyle singing "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Mis. Not only is this an incredibly difficult song to sing, but she pulls it off with NO ONE expecting anything out of her.

(Emedding was disabled for basically all the videos of her on YouTube, so you're gonna have to click on the link.)

This show is great at finding these kinds of people. Here's some other videos from years past:

Paul Potts-"Nessun Dorma"


Andrew Johnston-"Pie Jesu"

Why the C's Big Loss in Cleveland Ain't a Problem

If we had won, it would've marked the most impressive win of the season. Playing without an injured, albeit almost recovered KG, in Cleveland (they are now 39-1) would have provided an incredible psychological edge over the Cavs as the playoffs roll into town. However, the loss wasn't a 180 turn from that. We were the major underdogs playing without our emotional leader on a court in which the home team will probably win all but one game the entire season. Luckily, nothing was up for grabs other than mere bragging rights. While that still may be a significant deal, the playoff seeds were essentially locked in. Cavs #1, C's #2, and Magic #3. 

So, don't get all pissed off. Sure, we lost by 30+, but it's really not as big a deal as it would be if this were a playoff game. Despite the playoff atmosphere, it simply wasn't as significant as one would think. My understanding is, yes, we wanted to win, but perhaps our main contributors are playing slightly lackluster..ly, considering there's nothing else that can change standings and seedings-wise. Better to save up some energy for the playoffs than to spend it all on a relatively insignificant game, right? And message to LeBron: It's probably really unwise to glare at our bench every time you hit a jump shot. Pissing us off is just about the last thing you'd wanna do, so thanks for that.

All in all, we're getting basically our entire team back at just the right time. KG for the last game of the season, Powe for the playoffs, Scal will probably be ready, and TA's getting his rhythm back. Also, Marbury's quietly getting more and more confident in his game, especially vs. the Heat the other night. I am not worried at all.

Cooooooooooooool

*Sigh* If only this was done in America, the economy would fix itself automatically...

Did You Know?

Pretty cool, although considering it's YouTube, that information could be completely fabricated (I'm especially critical of the idea that a computer will soon outdo the human brain in power. My computer now sometimes just doesn't understand what I want to it to do. Dumb machines. Of course, if this supercomputer-being-greater-than-the-brain thing comes to pass, that means we're looking at AI that's in the realm of becoming self-aware, does it not? The "Terminator" series could very well have been a prediction of the near future!!!)