His tattoo speaks to what will happen to him. All eyes will be on him as the young point guard is expected to come back an play in game 1 of the finals. Nelson had what was then called season-ending surgery Feb. 19. Nelson's rehabilitation was supposed to take at least another two months. Game 1 of the Finals is Thursday night in Los Angeles, and healed or not, Nelson wants to play.
I like Jameer's toughness, but I don't know if this will destroy any flow the Magic had with Rafar Alston or not. Rafar Alston has played a servicable job as the point guard in Jameer's absence, however, he has disappeared in some crucial play off games. It will be interesting to see how much Jameer plays in game one, and if he can pull it off and be effective, that will improve the Magics odds dramatically.
This speaks for itself ... Hawks announcer Steve Holman was a little too unkind to the Heat and Dwayne Wade after the other nights playoff game. He overexaggerated several plays, and went as far as calling Wade "untouchable", insinuating he usually gets calls in his favor just for the fact that he is a high profile player, etc.
I personally thought this was kind of hilarious, but I can't see the NBA feeling the same way. The Hawks lead the series 3 games to 2, pivotal game 6 tonight @ 8.
This season has been such a renaissance for me and my appreciation for local sports. I guess that's what happens when you win a couple World Series' and a few Lombardi trophies but god damn has it all seemed so simple, so routine. That is until tonight.
Was there ever a question I would venture downtown and enjoy this experience with a few thousand fellow green hats? (And yes, that is what I found. Many, many green hats...very few legitimate fans but its all good) Prior to this season I could not have told you when and if I would get to witness #17. No fucking chance I was missing it actually happen couped up in my apartment.
Despite the whole work in the morning thing, I have no regrets. Sure, I'm covered in cheap champagne which I will probably be licking off my watch first thing in the morning. And sure, I saw some real white trash, scum bag, Lynn residents defacing Red Auerbach's statue while completely ignoring Larry Legand's sneakers 18 inches away. But at the end of the day, I witnessed the first title won in the city of Boston since 1986 and I could not be happier.
Or you know, I could have just watched it while sitting on the couch.
Kendrick Perkins will be a perfect example of offense vs defense and power vs finesse.
Perk's Case: He can be a beast for a game, then disappear for the next. The big key to his performance is him actually staying on the court, if Perk can stay our of foul trouble and actually play hard against Gasol, that may get him out of his game and make it a lot easier for the Celtics defense. Perk plays hard, but sometimes too hard, and that is where his biggest problem is.
Gasol: Well he is 7 foot and he can score a whole lot of points. He is a very well defined offensively, but lacks defensive intensity. If the Celtics can keep Gasol to around 10 points per game, I will be thrilled with that.
Kevin Garnett vs Vlademir Radmonovic I don't think this will be the match-up come game day, and I believe they will put Lamar on KG, but if they keep this match-up I will be real excited.
KG's Case: He is better than Vlad Rad at every aspect of the game for the exception of three point shooting. If KG gets the ball low and is able to get him in the paint it is two easy point every time. Even if Lamar gets KG, he will be able to dominate him on the block.
Vlad's case: An open 3 pointer once in a while......
The only reason this is blogworthy is because if he didn't tear his achilles tendon, he might have been able to pester Kobe for a good 15 minutes a game. Tony allen is one of the best if not best defender on the team, and I believe Kobe is too quick for Posey.
I don't think this match-up will be kept for that long, figuring Lamar Odom is 6-10 and Ray is 6-5. But if it does stay that way I like this match-up because Lamar will have to defend on the perimeter.
Ray's Case: Ray has been on fire shooting recently after his historic cold streak. However, if Lamar Odom is on Ray he will be able to blow by him at will and take it at the weak inside defense on the Lakers. I am a little worried about defense if Odom posts up, but the Celtics have such good help D, that I'm not that worried about it. I expect Posey to be on Odom, if Ray struggles defensively.
Odom's Case: He went to URI so that means he is from a great college, but seriously, he is 6-10 and dribbles like a guard (remember the Magic Johnson comparisons) if he doesn't play like a pussy and posts Ray up, there will be a big problem for the Celtics. He is weak defensively so if I were the Lakers I would be concerned about this.
Again, I am doing what I think is going to be the offense/defense match-up which I believe will be Paul Pierce vs Kobe Bryant. Which leads me to the question will Ray Allen be on Lamar Odom? Anyways here is what I see:
Pierce's Case: On offense I believe he will have his highest scoring average than any other series, due to the fact he is a LA native and loves playing against the Lakers. Pierce although slower than Kobe is a better post player and will be able to get some space over the slightly smaller Kobe. On defense, I believe he will have an easier time than when he guarded LeBron James, Kobe is going to get his points, but he will not physically drain Paul Pierce.
Kobe's Case: Although I have absolute hatred for Kobe Bryant, he is what he is, a terrific basketball player on both ends of the court. If I were the Celtics I would have Kobe play Paul straight up all game and have him try to create for his teammates which I believe is the weakest part of his game. There is no doubt in my mind he will have 2 games of over 40 points, but I say let him. On defense Kobe is also a threat, he is quicker than Pierce but I believe Pierce has more strength than Kobe and can get to the hole with some ease.
Advantage: Although Kobe may be the better player, I like Pierce in this series.
Rajon Rondo vs Derrick Fisher This match-up has to be a relief for Rondo especially having to deal with Chauncey Billups all last series. There is some speculation that they may put Kobe on Rajon to let Kobe "rest" so he can be more effective on offense, but I will just stick with the point guards straight up.
Case for Rondo: Rondo is coming off a good series with Detroit. He had a huge task with dealing with Billups on the offensive end and Lindsey Hunter on the defensive end. Luckily for Rondo, Fisher is slower than Billups and less of an impact player for the Lakers. Fisher is not known for posting up and is more of a spot up shooter, so the quick Rondo should be able to keep up with him. On the offensive end Rondo should be able to blow by this guy at will and figuring the Lakers have soft big men he should be able to use that to get an easy lay-up or an easy pass, if his jump shot is effective on any night the Celtics will win easily.
Case for Fisher: Like I said earlier Fisher is a spot up shooter and Rondo gambles a ton on the defensive end and if he misses on some of those gambles it will be an automatic 3 points. Also, Fisher is a veteran point guard that knows how to win championships and has been known to be a very clutch player. On defense, he should be able to cheat off of Rondo and "dare" him to shoot shots.
The Celtics had a great season, a storybook play-offs and now the finals built by destiny. The Celtics vs Lakers not only is a huge rivalry it's a pride issue. Pierce, KG, and Ray Allen have never made it to the finals before and to beat beat Kobe and the new "Showtime" Lakers. The Celtics who won 24 games last year finished off the season with an impressive 66 wins then although they couldn't finish the Hawks in the time I thought they would they beat them in seven games, then beat the defending Eastern Conference Champions in LeBron James' Cavs in seven games, then beat the always tough defensive minded, experienced Detroit Pistons in 6 games in DE-Troit.
Although James Posey's stat sheet will say only 3 points and 4 rebounds, he is my MVP for this game. If not for his unbelievable defense on basically every player, and in the final minutes keeping Chauncey Billups at quite. Also he had the play of the game with a minute on the clock and the Celtics up by 4, Tayshaun Prince got a rebound and Posey snuck behind him and stripped the ball, ultimately sealing the deal for the game. For all of this I label him M.V.Posey.
K.G. had a terrible first half but was able to right the ship with 16 points and play good defense on Antonio McDyess at the end of the game. Another guy who deserves to make it to the finals.
With Rip Hamilton's status being in question before the game he proved to everyone he is a baller and still a queer. Rip is the new Reggie Miller in my eye, he gives everyone cheap shots and flops whenever possible. With that being said he had 21 points on 9-14 shooting, but luckily the Celtics UConn guy Ray Allen had 17 points of his own and proved he still got game.
Another guy I am happy I won't get to see again these play-offs is Chauncey Billups. Billups was an absolute pain in the ass, he had 29 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists and was able to score at will for a majority of the game. He scares me more than anyone else in the league, and with Rondo guarding Derrick Fisher, I'm very content with that match-up. Rajon last night had 11 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists, and with those 11 points, he hit a crucial jumper with a minute left and proved he can score if needed.
Rasheed Wallace had a terrible series this series. In his final game he finished with 4 points on 2-12 shooting and had 10 boards, but in the final minutes Kendrick Perkins (7 points, 7 rebounds) played magnificent defense giving him zero opportunities for shot attempts. One of the most touching moments after the game was watching Doc and Pierce embrace each other. With Pierce only making it to the Eastern Conference Finals once and Doc never making it out of the first round, it was a very good sight to see, and you felt good for them. Bye Rasheed They won this game much like they won many games this season; as a team and hopefully that will carry over to the next series. Box Score
With one game away from the finals I have one word to win this game intensity. If the Celtics can play like they did in game 3 this should be an easy one. Doc needs to stick with Rondo the whole game like last game, and if Perk can do close to what he did last game we should be in good shape. Also, Ray Allen hopefully stays hot and with Rip Hamilton shaken up he can take advantage of him early and often.
The things that have worried me are the lack of intensity in the forth quarter blowing big leads, and also, enough with these two foot passes they are ridiculous and sometimes leads to an easy turnover.
It took just five games for the Lakers to defeat the Spurs, to advance to the NBA finals. Early on, the Spurs relied on stellar outside shooting from their guards (Ginobili, Parker, Barry). However, the well ran dry in the second half, which was right about the time Kobe decided to “go off”. L.A. trailed by as many as 15 in the third quarter, but as we have seen throughout this series, youth bests age time and time again. In the fourth quarter San Antonio looked helpless trying to cover Kobe. In addition to lackluster defense, their offense looked anemic. Duncan missed open lay-ups and cried for a foul call after every weak shot attempt. Manu Ginobili might as well have stayed in the locker room at halftime, he could not buy a bucket in the second half. In the end, Kobe proved to be too much scoring a game high 39 points. The supporting cast also stepped up their game when it mattered most. Pau Gasol added 12 points and a game high 19 rebounds. Sasha Vujacic and Jordan Farmar hit big shots down the stretch to boost the Lakers to their first finals appearance since 2004.
The first half of the finals picture is complete. One has to wonder, if the Celtics-Pistons series goes seven games, will the lay off help or hurt the Lakers? After watching this series it is obvious that Kobe Bryant is hands down the best player in the league. People can say Garnett or LeBron, but they would be foolish and wrong. Garnett has yet to rise to the occasion like Kobe. When Kobe has single coverage, he scores. Double coverage, he scores. His repertoire is fierce. Long range, pull up, driving the lane… It’s all deadly.
In a must win game 5 the Celtics played good enough to win, and I guess that is all that matters. A couple guys were the reason this happened Kendrick Perkins, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo, and Doc Rivers.
Lets start with Perk who pulled down 16 rebounds and scored 18 points. Perk seems like he hasn't progressed that much but you can see Kevin Garnett's influence on the big fella. Perk is creating his own shot and while not the best jumper he was able to get to almost every ball for the rebound. If Perk continues to be a force on the inside that will open up a lot for Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce.
Kevin Garnett had the most points on the team with 33 but none came bigger than at the two free throws he knocked down with the time dwindling down. Even though Rasheed Wallace scored 18 points, he had zero points in the paint and that I believe is his strong point. And when I am on Rasheed Wallace he got a momentum killing technical when the Pistons were on a run, and believe the technical could be another reason they lost. Rajon only scored 7 points and 3-14 from the field but he did have 13 assists, 1 turnover, and played a game high 46 minutes. That 46 minutes can be praised to Doc Rivers who played Sam Cassell for only two minutes and realizing he can not take the defensive full court pressure. Also, to Docs credit I liked in the final minute when the Celtics were up by three he chose to foul the Pistons to make them shoot at the line rather than possibly giving up a game tying three pointer. I have been critical of Doc this year but he coached the game masterfully yesterday That brings us to Jesus Shuttlesworth aka Ray Allen who scored 29 points on 9-15 shotting and was 5-6 behind the line. Ray looked very confident and back to himself and hopefully it will continue. He also hit two critical three throws and an inbound jumper to basically put this game out of the reach of the Pistons.
Some side notes: Jason Maxiell only played 11 minutes after playing a great game the night before Rip Hamilton hurt his right arm and had an MRI that was negative, but is in a sling today. Rasheed Wallace is one technical away from being suspended from a game.
O.K., last game was a lot closer than the 19 point game that the scoreboard. Also, my biggest fear happened Jason Maxiell, and to win this game the Celtics need to find a way to make the guy be a non factor like the first two games. On the positive not the Celtics probably would have won the game if not for a perfect game from Antonio McDyess and a great game by Maxiell. I have putting off the inevitable but Ray Allen needs to do something, if not for the Celtics offense but to tire Rip Hamilton on the defensive end. Also, the Celtics need better guard play, Rondo and Cassell were terrible and they need attack, and the Celtics need to stop settling for jump shots. Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, KG, and to some extent Ray Allen all need to attack the basket.
The Spurs are in some trouble being down 3-1, but the game could have easily been 2-2 if the refs blew the whistle on Derrick Fisher that last play. A lot of the times I believe the refs should swallow the whistle on the final plays but if this were Kobe, Lebron, or even Manu Ginobelli shotting the last shot the whistle would have been blown. (sorry for the poor quality of the video)
With that being said all the Lakers starters for the exception of Derrick Fisher had double digits, including 28 by Kobe, and that proved too much for the Spurs who have dug themselves in a near impossible situation. The next game will be on Thursday in LA.
Okay, so what did we learn from game 1? Chauncey Billups is not 100%, and KG can dominate Sheed on both ends of the court. With that being said, I believe Rondo and KG will be the biggest factors in tonight's game. We need to expose Chauncey's injury forcing Lindsey Hunter in, and then KG will get into Sheed's head. I believe 100-78 tonight with Rondo winning the Tommy Award.
I personally stopped watching this game at half time when the Spurs were up by 25, so when I woke up I had my wow face on. Apparently the equation of Kobe catching fire with 25 points in the second half and the Spurs playing tired was the reason the outcome was the way it was. From what I have heard, Manu Ginobelli was shooting terribly and Tim Duncan (although he scored 30 and 18) was passing up some open shots in the second half. Either way the Lakers are up 1-0 on the Spurs and as a Celtics fan, I would rather see the Lakers than Spurs in the finals.
Pop your jersey KG because you deserve it. In game one the restless Celtics found a way against the restful Pistons. Kevin Garnett played unbelievable scoring 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists, while dominating Rasheed Wallace (3-12 shooting) on both end of the floor. This is a key to winning this series because if you get in his head early, he might not be able to recover mentally. Paul Pierce on the other hand, coming off of the 41 point game, kept up his momentum by scoring 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. Paul was able to establish himself as the better stronger player, going against Tayshaun Prince. Tayshaun scored 16 points and was effective offensively, but since he is such a question offensively I don't think he will score this high again during the season.
As for Ray Allen, he only had 9 points on 3-10 shooting, but he did look a lot better and had a more confident look on his face. The guy he defended Rip Hamilton only scored 15 points, and Ray did a very serviceable job defending him. I believe Ray is going to have a big game on Thursday.
This leads to one of the match-ups I worried about before the game, Chauncey Billups vs Rajon Rondo. In game one Rajon won this match-up by scoring 11 points, 7 assists and 5 steals, whether or not Chauncey was hurt or not, Rajon was on him like a fly on shit all game, while running all over the place on offense. At one point they even put Rip Hamilton on Rajon, which is a bad move because Hamilton hates playing defense.
I was most impressed with Rajon in the fourth quarter when he scored 7 of his 11 points in, including a huge 3 points with 1:47 seconds making the score 86-75, sealing the game. As for Chauncey Billups he scored 9 points, 2 assists and left him looking like this:
Jason Maxiell the other guy I worried about wasn't much of a factor scoring 2 points and 4 rebounds.
If you're a Celtics fan, you want this series to happen, you want to bitch slap the Pistons and send them on their merry way. I believe the Celtics will sweep the Pistons, however, I have said that about every series. But here is the team breakdown.
Rajon vs Billups
I think will Rajon excel and be able to get the best of Billups here. I feel Rajon will be able to exploit Billups on defense more than the other way around. Sure Billups may be a "better, proven, player", but I believe this is Rajon's series. I expect numbers to be around 16 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds a game for the youngster, and believe he can tire out Billups on the defensive end.
Ray Allen vs Rip Hamilton Both essentially the same player, guys who can run around and hit mid range to three point range defense to stretch the defense. Ray had a terrible series against the Cavs and I believe he will get his shit together and be able to get it done. He is stronger than Rip and will be able to drive on him because Rip Hamilton is not a defender. I believe both players will be around 15 points a game, but I expect Ray to have a turn around series.
Paul Pierce vs Tayshaun Prince
Paul Pierce coming off the best game of his career, proved to put this team on his back and carry them. I do not believe Prince will not be able to contain him. Sure Prince is a very long defender, however, Pierce will be able to push him around and get some easy buckets. Prince on the other hand can knock down some threes and is my favorite player on the Pistons.
Kevin Garnett vs Rasheed Wallace I would love to hear this match-up be mic'd up. I bet it would make Lindsey Lohan blush, but this is the most intriguing match-up you got. Rasheed has more range than KG, but KG is a better defender/ low post presence. I would look for KG to bang down low early and often to set the pace of the series.
Kendrick Perkins vs Antonio McDyess Both players are who they are. Perkins is a big body that will be able to clog up the lane and get easy points, while McDyess is an old vet, that has more range than Perk but isn't as much of a defensive threat.
I am looking for a high intensity start, but for the Celtics to take this game easily tonight. 102-87 is the score. Rajon gets the Tommy Award.
The defending champion Spurs took advantage of the youthful Hornets. Led by Manu Ginobelli's 26 points and Tim Duncan's 16 points and 14 rebounds, experience was able to outlast the Hornets. The Hornets proved to be a worthy team this year, and with a nucleus of Chris Paul, David West and Tyson Chandler, the Hornets appear in line for greater things, but this isn't their time.
The Spurs will take on the Lakers for the conference finals. Box Score
