Brendan Haywood Done In Finals?

Haywood was able to play in Game 4, but was only able to play 3 minutes. It sounds like his hip isn't getting any better, and doctors say his injury usually takes 4-6 weeks to heal. Obviously, Haywood will keep trying, but it is sounds more and more likely that Haywood has played his last minutes in the Finals. It's not the end of the World for the Mavs, but it does hurt their rebounding which is something I thought they could have an advantage in going into the series. Ian Mahinmi will likely take his place.

Fuck! The Heat Are In The Finals

I know there is still 1 game left, but the writing is on the wall.

I don't know why I watch the Eastern Conference Finals, I keep getting let down. LeBron is playing at the top of his game, he is making every right move and whenever the Bulls have a shot of taking the game they fuck up and do something stupid. They are completely vindicated of what happened last summer. I hate that.

With the game tied at 85 Derrick Rose takes a stupid one on one fade away and then in overtime they played like a bunch of assholes, turning the ball over, not being able to inbound the ball and awful shot selection.

So this means the the Miami Heat and LeBron are most likely going to face the Dallas Mavericks led by the German Shepherd (Dirk). So Dallas is my only hope to stop the Heat from the title. (The Thunder are toast)

God I fucking Hate LeBron

Consider It Message Sent Mr. Westbrook

Russell Westbrook did not play in the fourth quarter of Game 2 on Thursday as head coach Scott Brooks played Kevin Durant and other reserves, including point guard Eric Maynor.

Westbrook stated again that he was fine and that he won't complain as long as the team won the game.

"Not when we're winning," Westbrook said. "I'm good. I'm just sitting there just waiting to get my name called."

While some may think this was a big deal, Brooks says his decision to sit Westbrook in the last quarter should not be taken that way.

"I had that decision [whether or not to bring Westbrook back] for the last six or so minutes, but I thought ... we were increasing the lead. We were making shots. I didn't want to mess with the rhythm. I usually will sub him in. Very rarely have I ever done that since Russell has been here (ESPN)."

This has been a long time coming. I saw a stat the other day that Westbrook is shooting 10 more shots a game since the playoffs start. He is the reason they have lost a couple of games in the playoffs. Don't get me wrong I don't think they go very far without him, but this is a much better team when he actually plays point guard. He needs to realize that Durant is the star of this team, not him, he needs to set the table and drive to the basket when it's open. Hopefully, this will get through his thick head, and actually I think it will.

Who To Root For In The NBA Final 4

The Celtics are out, and I have finally come to terms with it. Last night, DP and I were talking about who to root for the rest of the way. There was one obvious answer and that was "anyone but the Heat". That kind of went without saying, but which team would you actually want to see win it all?

Mavericks - Gotta love Dirk and he deserves to finally win it all. He is playing unreal. Plus, they have some local talent in Jose Juan Barea (Northeastern), so I guess that is something Boston can rally around. I have always been a fan of Peja Stojakovic, Jason Terry, and Brendan Haywood. Only real negative is Jason Kidd, who I just flat out don't like.

Thunder - Well we got the Perkins connection, they are young, they are flashy, and they have a certain "cool" factor. Looking through their roster there isn't one player I can say I hate. The only negative is that we are probably going to see them for the next 5 years.

Bulls - MVP of the league, but when your team has 2 Duke players in the starting lineup it's tough to root for them. Obviously want them to crush the Heat, but I can't say I want them to win it all.

Heat - Kill yourself.

So, after much talk DP and I decided we are rooting for the Mavericks. Cuban is the man, and you know it would drive Stern crazy. Like I said before Dirk deserves this, and thus I am rooting for them the rest of the way.

Who you got and why?

Celtics vs Heat Preview

A lot was against us last game, Rondo was hurt, I didn't fill the good luck water cup next to the TV, Bmack continued on his refusal to Player of the Game the Tommy Award for his own reasons, but at the end of the day the Celtics are down 3-1 and have their backs against the wall in Miami. You know its serious because Red is the opening picture and that's exactly why I think the Celtics will rattle off 3 in a row and not go out without a fight.

People may not put a lot of thought or think this is very influential because it's cliche, but I believe in Celtic pride and that these guys do have Hearts of Champions. KG, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo all have too much pride, too much skill and too much heart to lose to these guys.

Two nights ago KG played his worst game as a Celtic, he won't/can't play like that again. I would also like to see Jermaine O'Neal get more playing time, especially at the end of the game. If we keep going small when Miami goes small we are playing their game. We need to commit to our toughness, our size and ability to play defense and play good transition offense. Not much else to say the Celtics take this one.

Celtics 100-87
Tommy Award: Kevin Garnett

Shaq Doubtful For Tonight's Game

"Shaquille O'Neal didn't play in the second half or overtime of Game 4 of the Celtics playoff series with Miami and he's not likely to play in Wednesday night's Game 5 either. It wasn't a coaching decision by Doc Rivers, it was strictly health-related. "It was physical," Rivers said at the team's shootaround. "Don’t know yet today. I will say I doubt it. That little stretch of the game it got worse."

Rivers said that Shaq's condition worsened in the four minutes he played in Game 4 and it doesn't sound like he will be able to play no matter what happens in Game 5 or beyond. "It’s nothing he can do. It’s not like he’s not trying," Rivers said. "He’s done everything you possibly can do to get healthy. Unfortunately for him he just hasn’t been able to do it. When he originally got injured no one thought it was that serious. It just never healed and it still hasn’t and now every time he plays it gets worse (WEEI)."

Sounds like Shaq is done for the playoffs. We waited all year for him to be back, and he just doesn't have it. At this point he is barely playing, and really has no effect on the game. I don't think this will really have any kind of baring on what happens tonight, but you have to wonder if this is the last we will ever see of Shaq in the NBA.

Is It The Celtics Or The Large Coffee I Just Drank?

Woke up this morning and headed to work, grabbed my large ice coffee, drank it, sat down at my stupid fucking computer in my cubical and have felt jittery since. At first I thought it was just a caffeine burst, but I think we all know the true reason... the Celtics.

I don't think I have been this nervous for a game, well since Game 7 of the NBA Finals last year, because in a lot of ways this feels the same. Last year, we didn't know if Ray Allen and Paul Pierce would be back. We kept thinking "could this be the end?", a year later and I am right back to thinking the same way. Celticsblog.com referenced an article from Celticshub.com this morning, and it basically spells out exactly what we are feeling, but not really talking about...

"This might be the final night we’ll see Doc Rivers stalking the sidelines in front of the Boston bench. Kevin Garnett may choose to retire rather than wait out a lockout for the final half-season of his contract.

It seems increasingly certain that neither Jermaine O’Neal nor Shaquille O’Neal will play basketball beyond this spring. This may also be the final go-around for Glen Davis and Delonte West in Celtics’ uniforms. Both will be free agents this summer.

The 2011-12 Boston Celtics may be no more than Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley and eight other guys with whom Celtics fans have no history. Sure, that’s still three of the big four, but there would be an inestimable void without #5 on the court, should he decide to step away. Think at all the angst felt since the departure of Kendrick Perkins ." You can read the full article HERE.

Maybe it's not. Maybe Big Baby has played so poorly that he'll be right back on the Celtics bench last year instead of cashing in (as DP has said). Maybe the lockout won't happen and KG will play another year. Maybe Shaq will come back healthy, and Jermaine can find a way to hold himself together. I won't get into the whole Doc thing, because I think there is 0% chance he returns. But maybe there is another run left somehow in these old legs.

It's been an endless TV melodrama with this being the Celtics "final stand", and an "end of an era". Well, in a lot of ways it's really true.

As you can tell by now, I have ruled out that the jitters has anything to do with the ice coffee.

Yet, is this how it's going to end? At the hands of Lebron James? Maybe that's what's bugging me the most. This can't be it. This would be like Star Wars ending with Luke Skywalker getting decapitated by Vader, and a bunch of clones having a hoe down. No, this can't be it, not this way, not to HIM...

Maybe I just can't accept it, but I just feel some how, some way, the Celtics will send this back to Boston. Not going to get into how they will do it, as DP will have a preview later, but there is a feeling of optimism in me as the day progresses and hopefully the jitters are just anticipation (or coffee).

Have You Seen Glen Davis?

Following the Celtics' Game 4 loss to the Heat, Davis sounded like a six-year-old whose balloon had got caught in the wind and was watching it fly far, far away.

"I've been nowhere to be found," he said. "Throughout this whole playoffs, I need to find myself."

"I have to find Glen and I don't know where Glen is at (Masslive.com)."

Ugh not only is he playing like shit, now he is talking in the third person. That's just annoying. There are a bunch of theories on Baby's struggles. Some people say that he lost his role once Perk was traded, and now he having to come in and play center and stuff. I don't buy that. He basically had a similar role last year and excelled.

Some people say he is just is too focused on his jump shot and not banging underneath. I buy that to a certain extent. Big Baby was at his best for the Celtics when he was an energy guy off the bench that really went hard after boards, and wasn't focused on being the 2nd unit KG. Still, I feel like at times he tries to, but just can't anymore, which leads me to the last theory.

This theory comes from Jackie MacMullan and Tommy Heinsohn who say Big Baby is 15-20 pound heavier then he was a the start of the season. This is shocking, because how the hell do you get fat during the season? But it makes sense. He doesn't seem to have any lift anymore. He seems a step slower, which is hurting him not only on the boards, and on offense, but on defense as well. If this is the case, shame on him. This was a big year for him, and for him to just get fat is just terrible. DP was saying it the other night. He cost himself a lot of money, and he might have played himself right into being a Celtics bench player the rest of his career.

Whatever it is the Celtics really can't have him playing as much as he is anymore. He hasn't been right in a while now, and he is not just a nonfactor, but a negative on the court. It'll be interesting to see what Doc does with him in Game 5, because from the sound of those quotes he doesn't sound like he is going to suddenly going to turn it around.

Heat 97, Celtics 87

Around this time 4 years ago, Celtics fans were talking about lotteries. And now we're disappointed that we've only seen the C's win 1 title in 3 years. So let's not get too depressed about the possibilities of the Big Three breaking up. Let's not dwell on lost opportunities, or focus on the negative. In the last three years, this team went from a joke to a model franchise. They won 3 divisional titles, 2 Conference Championships, and 1 NBA Championship. They've become a face-franchise of the Association. They've rekindled old rivalries (Los Angeles) and established new ones (Miami, New York). This might be the end of an era for the Celtics. But it was one hell of an era.



Now to the game. You have to give credit to Miami. LeBron's been long criticized as a poor finisher. And before this series, I felt like if the Celtics could keep games close, their experience and clutchness would propel them to victory, just as it did in the Knicks series. However, the Heat were better in those late stages. Last night, while Ray Allen missed a three, and the C's turned the ball over with ease, LeBron, Wade, and James Jones were knocking down huge 3 point shots.



The Celtics turned the ball over 17 times. Garnett was 3 of 8 with his free throws. Glen Davis still can't find himself. Rondo played 30 minutes and most of those were ineffective. There was no singular reason for the Celtics losing. They lost for a number of reasons.



And without stellar 4th quarter performances from guys like Delonte West, it might have been over much sooner. West was the Celtics' best player in the 4th quarter. That's not a winning formula.



And at least LeBron's post-game interview was classy, and laced with praise for the Celtics. At the same time, he's still an annoying bitch, and I hope either the Bulls or Hawks destroy him in the next round.



Beat LeBron



-The Commodore

Heat @ Celtics: Game 4 Preview

Another must win game for the Celtics, because lets be honest the Celtics most likely are not going to win 3 in a row when 2 of the games are being played in Miami. Last game the Celtics came out and played the way I thought they'd play from the beginnings. Garnett took control of the game, Pierce played tough defense on Lebron, and Bosh and Lebron showed their true colors.

Mike Gorman was on WEEI today, and he said he thinks the Heat are emotionally exhausted. Maybe he is right. Bosh making comments that the crowd got to him. Lebron muttering "retarded" under his breathe, and the lack of fight at the end of that game. We have seen Lebron disappear before, maybe we will see it again.

We know Wade is going to show up. There is no doubt in my eyes there, but if Pierce comes out and plays like he did last game, and Garnett dominates Bosh I think the Celtics can win this, even with a one armed Rondo.

Would like to see Boston jump on them early, because I don't think the Heat are very mentally tough, and like I said before we have seen Lebron mail it in before. I expect another huge game from Garnett. That will be enough, and the Celtics run away with this and even the series.

Celtics wins 98-88
Player of the Game: Garnett
Game starts at 7pm

Stay Classy Lakers

The Lakers run is officially over after the Dallas Mavericks completed a 4 game sweep of the defending champs. But the sweep didn't just go without controversy as Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum got thrown out of the games in the 4th. I'm fine with Odom's foul, but Bynum was the biggest bush league attack I've ever seen in my life. JJ Berrea was going up for an uncontested lay up and Andrew Bynum threw an elbow at him when he was defenseless.

I feel that they are going to blow up this team after this embarrassing loss because the writing is on the wall. Phil Jackson is gone and Bynum will never be in a Laker uniform again and this is going to be a whole new team going forward.

Breaking News: Artest Is An Idiot

"Artest has indeed been suspended for Game 3, according to Chris Broussard of ESPN The Magazine (ESPN)."

By now we all know Artest will not be playing in Game 3, and he shouldn't. Artest went out of his way to make a stupid play and now he is going to have to pay the price. The trouble is that it couldn't come at a worse time for the Lakers. They are down 0-2 and heading to Dallas. Hell, they are in worse shape the Celtics right now. Am I sold the Mavericks will beat the Lakers? No, I never count out Kobe, I'm not that stupid, but we can start to see the writing on the wall.

Any nit wit that rights for a site has written a post about the "changing of the guard" in the NBA. Listen, no shit. We all knew the Lakers, Celtics, Spurs were on their last legs. Maybe this is the year, but stop acting like it's a big fucking surprise. We have been talking about this since the Big 3 came together in Boston. We all knew it was a limited time deal, and actually it lasted a year longer then I thought it would.

Do I think the end is upon us this year? No, I'm not sold. Boston always brings it at home, and I think they will again. Am I bias, damn right I am, but I am also someone who blasts the Celtics, maybe more then anyone else on this site, and I'm just not sold this is it. Nor am I sold that LeChoke has finally turned the corner.

So, Thunder/Heat the future is yours, but don't count out this one last run.

And oh yea, Artest should just kill himself, but thanks for fucking up the Lakers.

Heat 102 Celtics 91

The Celtics since they got the "Big 3" have never trailed 0-2 in a series. Well, that all changed last night, as the Heat ripped the Celtics in a game that really could've been a lot worse then an 11 point loss.

Actually, it was worse then 11 point loss. Pierce has a strained left Achilles tendon, Allen is dealing with a bruised chest, and Rondo has a bad back. So not only are the Celtics down 0-2 heading back to Boston, but they are hurt AND down 0-2 heading back to Boston. The good news is the NBA is a silly league and they for some reason don't play again till Saturday.

So, what killed the Celtics. Well, two things and they are related...Athleticism and turnovers. If you turn the ball over against the Heat, with the athletes they have (Lebron/Wade) you are going to get your ass kicked. Doc's been saying it all series, and it never looked more true then last night. Although the turnover differential was only 11-10 in favor of the Heat, it's what you do with those turnovers that makes the difference. It seemed like any time the Celtics made the bad "extra pass" they Heat would drive down and get a vicious dunk.

Last game Wade went off, and he had a hell of a game last night (28 points), but it was the Lebron show last night. Lebron scored 24 of his 35 points in the second half, shot 14 of 25 from the field, and logged 44 minutes with no turnovers.

Throughout the playoffs we have pointed to the bench whenever the Celtics have struggled, last night it was about the difference between the Celtics' "Big 3", and the Heat's "Big 3". KG, Pierce and Allen combined for 36 points, while Lebron, Wade, and Bosh combined for 80.

Ok, so were their any positives to take from this game? Well, Jeff Green played more aggressive (11 points 4 boards), the bench in general looked much better (especially West), but the biggest thing is they are off till Saturday. In the end, the Heat did what they are supposed to do and that is to win on their home court. Now the Celtics have to do the same, but if they don't get better play from their "Big 3" this series isn't going to last very long.

Celtics @ Heat: Game 2 Preview

Big game for the Celtics, because if they can find a way to win this they will have home court swing back in their favor, which I think could be huge. There was a lot of things I didn't like last game. I felt their was no rhythm to the offense, usually I would point to Rondo and say he wasn't pushing the ball, but last game I really didn't feel like it was. It seemed like man times he would run up and be all alone. With the way this team is build (post Perkins) the Celtics can't afford to not stay with Rondo. I'm not saying get into a track meet with the Heat, because that would end horribly, but they need to take advantage more when they force turnovers.

DP pointed out that KG had a bad game in Game 1, and I agree. There is not one player on the Heat that can stop him, and 6 points with 8 rebs isn't going to cut it. Obviously Wade went off last game, and their isn't a lot the Celtics can do about that. Ray Allen needs to continue to be affective in the offensive end, because their best chance of slowing down Wade is to make him keep running around after Ray with all the picks the Celtics set for him.

I expect Pierce to have a big game tonight, as he has to be pissed about what happened last game. Saying that, he is also going to need to be careful with Crawford officiating the game tonight. The Celtics can't afford silly technicals and getting overly emotional. I think they do that, and beat the Heat in a close one.

Celtics win 98-95
Tommy Award: Paul Pierce
Game starts at 7PM

Paul Pierce Avoids Suspension

"Paul Pierce will not face further disciplinary action for his altercation with James Jones in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, a league source confirmed Monday to CBSSports.com."

Good. It was nonsense he was even thrown out of the game in the first place. The first technical I can understand, it was stupid for Pierce to get in a guys face like that, but the 2nd one was a joke. First off, Wade was the one that tried to run through a pick, and then they kick Peirce out for swearing at him? Pretty weak, because if they always did that KG would never be allowed to play basketball.

Celtics could've had a chance to come back if Pierce wasn't kicked out, but I agree with DP that it can't be used as an excuse. I actually think this might help the Celtics, because you know they are going to come out angry in Game 2 tonight.

Shaq To Play In Game 2 or Game 3 (UPDATED)

I know, I know I am sick of these too, and I really don't believe any of it, but it does seem Shaq is actually really close to returning...

"Shaq did miss Game 1 against the Heat on Sunday, however he could finally return to the active roster on Tuesday for Game 2.

"He's getting very close," Doc Rivers told ESPNBoston.com. "Honestly, we had to actually make a decision today, so that's better than what we've had to do in the past. He's getting close. Maybe next game. If not, I would say for sure Game 3 (ESPN)."

This is big for a couple reasons. First off, the 2nd unit needs some kind of spark, and maybe Shaq can be that guy. The second is that the Heat ate the Celtics up with points in the paint and having another big body can only help. What we can actually get out of Shaq is a big question, but if he can play 12 mins I think he could have a pretty big effect on this series.

***UPDATE***

Shaq won't play in Tuesday's Game 2, but it's sounding like Game 3 is within reach.

"Shaq update: still out," tweeted Howard Beck of the New York Times. "But Doc says he had a 'phenomenal' practice (Monday) and could play Game 3 (ESPN)."

I'll believe it when I see it.

NBA PLAYOFFS Round 2 Preview

The first round is in the books (as is Game 1 of the second round for both Boston/Miami and OKC/Memphis) and we're on to the Conference Semifinals.

In my playoff power rankings I touched on a few things that proved to be correct, and a few things I narrowly missed on. The Hornets did need Chris Paul to play other-wordly to beat the Lakers, and for two games he was just that. Unfortunately, they couldn't expect him to do that for the whole series and Los Angeles survived an ugly 1st round series. I also mentioned that everyone was loving Portland but I still had a feeling Dallas might have one more run in the tank...and it looks like they do. On the other hand I gave Indiana no chance to win a game against Chicago and they took two! Chicago doesn't look nearly as scary when Rose is shooting poorly. I also misread the ORL/ATL series in round one, despite the fact that my gut told me Orlando was really bad. I still don't believe in Atlanta much, but hopefully they can make the series with Chicago entertaining.

And with that...let's get into some series previews.


EASTERN CONFERENCE

1. Chicago Bulls vs. 5. Atlanta Hawks

Indiana did exactly what any team should try and do against the Bulls - which is to try and contain Rose to long jumpers and trap him off of pick and rolls. They had some success, although Rose ultimately was too much to handle with his athleticism. Let's get this out there right now - you can't keep him away from the rim for a whole game unless he decides to do so. He isn't a high percentage shooter, and certainly wasn't shooting well against Indiana, but he still gets his points on layups, dunks and free throws when he's not going well. Keeping him out of the paint and off the line will be paramount to Atlanta's success. The Hawks will also want to keep a long arm in the face of Kyle Korver who was a big shot factory in round one. I normally hate on Korver pretty hard but he was big in round one, when no other Bulls were really stepping up.
Carlos Boozer can sometimes struggle against lengthy defenders like Horford and Pachulia, so it will be key for Noah to have a big series on both ends.

Bulls win if...Rose is Rose and scores and distributes. (I know sounds simple, but I really think that is all they need.)

Hawks win if...Rose continues poor shooting, or gets banged up and Joe Johnson starts earning some of that contract he got.

PREDICTION - Bulls in 5.



2. Miami Heat vs. 3. Boston Celtics

Game one is already in the books, and we know what happened there. Pierce came unraveled and Wade had a tremendous game as Miami jumped to an early big lead and never looked back.
Three things concern me about the first game for the Celtics.
1) Rondo lacked the aggression he showed through most of the NYK series. (Although to be fair, he was in foul trouble)
2) Jermaine O'Neal was nowhere to be found. (He was huge against Knicks and needs to be in this series. He should be tearing up Joel Anthony on both ends)
3) Lack of effort. All game long it looked like they were reaching for loose balls and grasping as Heat players as they got burned on D, instead of moving their feet and getting after it. After a long break they shouldn't come out like that - and you know Doc was on 'em about it. I don't expect that to last, but it needs to change fast.

Van Gundy and company made a salient point yesterday in that Miami has the most athletic perimeter in the league and the extra pass (something Boston usually does quite well) will be key in this series. And on defense they really need to stay home on James Jones and Mike Miller and get their rotations tighter.
Look for Miami to exploit their athleticism all series long and the drive and dish for three should be their main weapon of choice.

Miami wins if...Rondo can't destroy MIA PGs and Wade and James display great cohesion.

Boston wins if...They use their veteran presence to get under skin on Miami role players - and King James for that matter. (NOT reacting like Pierce did yesterday.)

PREDICTION - Boston in 7.



WESTERN CONFERENCE

2. Los Angeles Lakers vs. 3. Dallas Mavericks

Hard to believe but this is the first time in the "Dirk/Kobe" era that these two have met in the playoffs. It should be a great series both on and off the court, as I can't wait to see some Mark Cuban shenanigans and hopefully some firing back and forth between he and Zen Master Phil.
As I think about this series, I'm not really sure what to make of it. Part of me wants to think Dallas has a real shot - especially with the Lakers recent play and Kobe maybe a bit banged up and certainly getting long in the tooth. However, I just think LA has been doing this too long, and ultimately Kobe, Gasol, Odom and Bynum will be too much for Dirk and company. However, if Jason Kidd can exploit the PG position somewhat like Chris Paul - obviously in a much less dynamic fashion - and Jason Terry can shake loose for his patented big shots they might be able to pull it off. I think stealing a game 1 in LA would be a huge boost to the effort.

Los Angeles wins if... Gasol comes out of his hole and starts resembling the player that we saw in last year's playoffs and they dominate the glass.

Dallas wins if... Dirk plays huge all series and Chandler can make Gasol into a jelly donut like New Orleans did.


PREDICTION - Los Angeles in 6.



4. Oklahoma City Thunder vs. 8. Memphis Grizzlies

Memphis took game one on the road in convincing fashion yesterday. It might be time to start believing in Memphis. They basically tore up a dilapidated San Antonio team, and have now taken the home court from Oklahoma City - who many saw as the best team in the West. Zach "Zebo" Randolph has been huge in these playoffs and the Grizzlies actually have a very 'OKC up-and-comer' type of feel about them. They are a fairly young team with nothing to lose and playing with a certain swagger. It also seems that Pau had his mojo stolen by his little brother, Marc Gasol who is playing as well as Pau is playing poorly.
On the other hand, if OKC can avoid panicking and another me-against-the-world type of game from Russell Westbrook they should still pull this series out.

Oklahoma City wins if... Durant gets off and Westbrook reverts back to his "Robin" ways and quits trying to play "Batman". (That's Durant's job)

Memphis wins if... Zebo keeps playing well and Durant gets shutdown by Tony Allen and the Grizzlie perimeter defenders.

PREDICTION - Oklahoma City in 7

99 Heat, 90 Celtics

It sucked, It did. They were trailing for the whole game and they got beat. Sure there were factors that killed the Celtics the Heat shot 32 free throws compared to the Celtics took 18, Paul Pierce got kicked out of the game without doing much wrong, and the officiating was just plain bad the whole game. But even if you take away the bad officiating the Celtics didn't do much to help themselves out. They had turnovers, bad possessions and the offense looked in disarray.

The guy who killed us wasn't Dwayne Wade even though he scored 38 points, or LeBron or Bosh, it was bench player James Jones who hit ever three. It was crazy we just didn't play great defense, we were too focused on them penetrating that we didn't bother covering him. He dropped 25 points on 5-7 3s and 10 for 10 from the line.

KG had an awful game. He was a non factor on the offensive end and that killed us. I don't really remember him doing anything really. I would expect a big game from him game 2.

Because of the chippy play, I expect the Celtics to get pissed and take game 2.

Celtics vs. Heat Preview

Every Celtics fan wanted this deep down. Everyone in the world wanted this. Heat vs the Celtics. This will be an all out war. It will be heart wrenching and fun. Everyone wants to see the Heat lose, but I think actually being the ones to beat them will make it all the more better. I'm going to break this series down assuming Shaq will not play a single minute.

Overall: The Heat are probably a more talented team on paper. The only problem for the Heat is that the game is played on a court, by players, not on paper, by analysis. The Celtics have been pretty dominate on the wing with Pierce and Allen, but look for that to drop a little bit for the most part of this series because James and Wade are some of the top wing defenders we have. I'm going to actually give them and advantage here with few little disclaimers. 1. The only one stopping Ray Allen is Ray Allen. If he's shooting well it really doesn't matter, he's gonna get his. You could be the best wing defender in the world it won't matter. Also, the fact D Wade will chase Ray Allen all over the court for a whole series will effect his offense. I'm giving Wade an advantage in this match up for the obvious reasons, but Ray has the little advantages that over a long series will add up. Wade will score 30 points at least twice. But so what. Ray Allen will have two nights where he can't miss. They'll balance out. Lebron vs Pierce, well, of course Lebron is a more skilled basketball player. But for the most part pf Lebron's career, Pierce has gotten the better of him. We aren't talking about a couple games here we are talking about a lot of games and a handful of big games, Pierce just flat out out balls Lebron. I'm not sure why, or what it is about Pierce's game that bothers Lebron but Pierce has his number. Lets give Lebron the advantage here anyway for the sake of science. Not by much though. Lets move on to Bosh vs Garnett. You have to give a huge advantage here to Garnett. Why you ask? Am I a biased idiot who just picks my favorite players. No, look at the facts. Who's a better offensive player. Bosh. No doubt Bosh has a bigger offensive arsenal. It's not a drastic advantage but it's decent enough. Who's a better defender? Duh. And that advantage is very drastic. Garnett is one of the leagues best defenders where Bosh is one of the leagues worst. By the stats, Bosh is the third worst at his position on defense. What does all this mean exactly? Well, Garnett's defense is strong enough to take Bosh out of the game for the most part, but Bosh's defense isn't strong enough to remove Garnetts offense. Which leaves Bosh a useless waste of space. Also, the way the Celtics play defense, like a team, Bosh will have to worry about weak side help, J.O. and friends, swatting their big as hands at everything he puts up. And my last point on this topic, Bosh is a pussy. I know, it has nothing to do with basketball right...no wrong...it has a lot to do with it. Bosh doesn't like getting hit. It makes him take stupid jump shots. Remember this next statement when you watch the series. "Chris Bosh will start off as the confident, finess, post player we know him as in game 1, and as the series goes on he'll turn into a jump shooter that become irrelevant."

Moving on to the center position. Well, assuming J.O. plays at the same level, we have the advantage there. I think we even need to go ahead and exploit it. (God help Miami if Shaq even plays a little bit) I don't think it's a stretch to say Krstic has the advantage over any center they throw out there. Which brings me to a point I always make over and over again when talking about playoff basketball. Miami is a running team. Running teams don't win in the playoffs. Their inability to slow down the game when they need too will doom them against the Celtics. They have no one to throw the ball down low too and say, here big guy, get us an easy two. The Celtics don't really have that either unless Shaq plays, but they have another guy named Rondo who can control the pace of the game in other ways. Speaking of Rondo lets talk about the point guard match up. One of the main reasons I think the Celtics will win this series is the way Rondo has played so far in the playoffs. If he even comes close to what he did in NY, who's gonna stop him? Mike Bibby? The Heat have 3 gaping holes that Rondo exploits, and the reason the Celtics will win this series.

1. Lebron and Wade both have problems playing off the ball, partly because they are used to having the ball all the time but mostly because they don't have a point guard who can distribute the ball well and feel the game. This will hurt them.
2. They have no true big man so it allows Rondo to go deep in the lane and then create open looks for a Ray Allen, or a paul Pierce. (Some silly idiot is reading this and saying but Lebron or Wade can do the same thing. And yes, your right, but the whole idea is to have the play made FOR your best scorer, not BY your best scorer.)
3. Closing time. Lets be real. We've all seen the numbers. Crunch time has been a big problem for the Heat all year. I think there 1/17 or some crazy stat like that in the final 24 seconds of a game and being down by 3 or less. This is a point guard problem. You need a guy who has been calling the game, knows the feel of them game, knows who's hot, who's not, and someone who can make a good decision. The Heat don't have this because they don't have a real point guard. Instead they same here you go Lebron, go make one. Such a cop out. Run a fucking play. Or don't and keep losing.

Game by Game

Game 1. Celtics win 92-88. I believe this week off will help them. Doc will be better prepared. They'll have the in's and out's down. Of course this is the Heat's home floor so I think they'll lead for most of the game and then they'll blow it in the final minutes because of what we just talked about. Final minute execution.

Game 2. Heat win 101-92. They'll have to win one of the home games or they'll be a joke.

Game 3. Celtics win in some kind of lop sided blow out.

Game 4. Celtics take care of it again riding a hot Paul Pierce. (Seriesly, look for Paul to have a huge game 4. 29 points)

Game 5 Heat make it interesting sending the series back to Boston.

Game 6. Celtics close it out winning by 15 points. Proving the Heat still have a long way to go.

P.S. I really miss Tony Allen.....the guy took the Boston defensive mindset to Memphis and it worked. He's awesome. I love how the Celtics D, is spreading throughout the league, Perk for the Thunder, Allen in Memphis....Tom for the Bulls.....Doc must feel like a proud father.

Holy Shit, The Spurs Are On The Brink

That's the back of Tony Allen's head.

The Grizzlies, yea the Grizzlies are up 3-1 on the 1st seeded Spurs.

I never really believed in the Spurs to be honest. They limped into the playoffs, Manu Ginobili is injured (or what Tony Allen thinks faking it) and they are just getting old. What is kind of funny is the fact that Rudy Gay arguably the Grizzlies best player has been injured and gone for the year.

With the Lakers and the Spurs struggling in round 1, how crazy would it be if the Hornets and Grizzlies were in round 2. It would probably usher the Thunder into the championship.

I honestly didn't see the Spurs making it far in the playoffs, but maybe losing in round 1. I definitely didn't see.