Sorry Bibby, but people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw giant boulders.
However, I must give credit where credit is due. Atlanta fans have truly risen from barely selling out Game Three before tip-off to having one of the rowdiest crowds in the playoffs so far during Game Six.
The Celtics lost to the Hawks after a last ditch 28-foot heave from Rajon Rondo missed before the final buzzer. This last play was designed to be a pass to Ray Allen, who came off of a pick too late, forcing Rondo to throw the ball off-balanced to end the game.
The game, and the entire series, has been a thinly veiled attempt by Commissioner Stern and the NBA referees to "prove" that there is parity among teams in the East.
Does this excuse the Celtics loss? Definitely not. The foul calls and three-second penalties against Boston (astronomically larger than those against the Hawks), have barely slowed the Celtics from winning their three home games by an average of 22 points.
This type of under-performance reminds me of the presidential races where two seemingly competent individuals, Al Gore (2000) and John Kerry (2004), couldn't beat the village idiot despite the fact that it seemed George W. Bush was trying to help them win (like the refs helping the Hawks and more realistically, Stern's goals)!
Was there blatant cheating in both elections? The facts discovered later point to a definitive "yes". Should it have mattered? No. Much like the Celtics, Gore and Kerry should have had leads that were so insurmountable that it would be impossible to affect the outcome. Unfortunately for the United States (and the world's economy), a man who shouldn't even be trusted with safety scissors eventually became the leader of the free world...twice.
Back to basketball... I've done enough bashing of the Hawks. To be fair, various people have commented on my previous satirical articles and made very valid points. Boston should be worried.
As most of these posters stated, they shouldn't necessarily be worried about Game Seven, but about the fact that other teams can smell blood in the water.
So what's the bottom line? The Boston Celtics are playing championship-caliber basketball at home and haven't even given up an opportunity to risk a loss a home.
That being said, the Celtics — who have home-court advantage throughout the playoffs — could win the championship by simply not losing any games at home.
Unfortunately, that is NOT a championship basketball team's mentality. Boston blew a great opportunity to make a statement by winning Game Six. The best the Celtics can do is return to Auerbach Court and play their best basketball of the season.
Before walking off the famed parquet, however, I hope they realize that the court's namesake and the other members of the NBA's most storied franchise's past would be in agreement with Kevin Garnett's comment before the 2007-08 season began:
"We haven't accomplished anything yet."
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2 months ago
Great points - I was waiting for someone to ask Bibby his thoughts on Atlanta's crowds. The officiating has been just terrible this series, and Stern must be loving it. There is more than just home vs. road going on here. The Atlanta crowd is not good for a 20-point swing from Boston. I just am praying Boston comes through tomorrow. Back in 2002 (back before Stern changed the playoff format mid-season to help tv ratings in case Lakers-Kings was a first round series), very different circumstances, the Celtics as the 3 seed won games one and two in Boston against the six-seed Sixers, then lost 3 and 4 in Philly. Game five, back in Boston - crowd was crazy, and Pierce was unbelievable (46 points) and C's won going away. I am predicting something similar tomorrow.
from 2 months ago
Unfortunately Pierce hurt his back earlier in the series and now has a hip bruise as well. He's less mobile, but if he still tries to drive, the refs will almost have to right the wrongs of the previous 6 games and finally start calling fouls on the Hawks. Pierce isn't a fast slasher, so the injuries shouldn't stop this opportunity, instead he uses superior foot skills and pivoting to create his holes. Can't wait for Game 7!
2 months ago
I will agree that Atlanta has many bandwagon jumper fans, but winning seems to do that to people. In Atlanta we haven't had good teams since Dominique retired, and many fans retired with him. To your point about officiating, it just shouldn't matter. A team as good as Boston should have won at least 1 game in Atlanta. There is simply no way they will win a title now. The writing is on the wall. I mean honestly, who could imagine the Spurs or the Lakers going 7 games with the Hawks? Exactly.
from 2 months ago
Bryan,
I agree that Boston should have won a game in Atlanta, but it's curious how all of the bad calls happened at the end of the games when it mattered. ABC showed a stat that said the Hawks won three games despite leading for less than 5 minutes total in ALL 7 games. Seems a bit fishy. But I agree the Celts played down to their level.
As for not being able to win the championship, you're pretty off there. The Celtics have played down to bad teams all year, this is par for the course. When they played great teams, the played great basketball, and the Celtics' ceiling for "great basketball" is levels above any other team in the league today. Also, Game 7 was a statement. The lead GREW in the fourth quarter after all of the starters being pulled late in the 3rd quarter... of a GAME 7 Playoff!! (Unless you count Rondo and Pierce's combined 30 seconds in the beginning of the 4th so they could sub them out and receive a cheer from the crowd)
I'm confused by people who seem to think that because of how a team WINS a series, they couldn't possibly win it all. Each quarter, each game, each series, and each team are completely different and definitely don't correllate to one another at all. That's the first thing Doc Rivers is telling his squad. And it's the first thing LBJ will be telling his teammates. That's just sports in general Bryan, but thanks for the read.
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