Holy crap, this Celtics team is frustrating.
You watch them at home and you think they’re an unstoppable force that’s going to roll to the NBA Finals. You watch them on the road and you wonder how they even made the playoffs in the first place.
Where to start?
How about some quick advice for the Eastern Conference Regular Season Champions?
To Kevin Garnett:
Get on the block, for the love of GOD! You can’t fade away from that long-haired, no-talent all fourth quarter.
You are 200 times the player he is. Stop giving in!
Demand the ball, and take it to the hole.
To Paul Pierce:
Your defense has been fantastic, but when it becomes obvious that you’re not going to get any calls…STOP THROWING YOURSELF INTO THE DEFENDER!
Look, I’ve been complaining about the officiating all postseason, but it’s been consistent. Every road team has gotten an unfair shake. Every single one.
Stop worrying about drawing fouls and start worrying about how to create shots for yourself in the fourth quarter.
To Sam Cassell:
At home, you’re tolerable.
On the road, you suck worse than the suckiest suck player that ever sucked. Please go away.
To Doc Rivers:
Thanks for making me a prophet and over-playing your second unit in critical minutes. The starters actually played well enough to win on Monday night.
The bench, which was great in Game Two, was atrocious.
Doc, please stop overcoaching. Put the big three out there, sub Posey every now and then, and put Cassell in when you’re at home and Rondo isn’t playing well.
To put Cassell in the game in the fourth quarter when Rondo was shooting lights out, Cassell was AWFUL, and you needed defense, was inexcusable.
You lose this series and I swear to God I’ll picket in front of the Fake Garden the entire offseason until Ainge comes to his senses and fires you.
To NBA Officials:
It’s OK to call fouls on the home team every once in a while, but please don’t start on Wednesday.
To Rajon Rondo:
Keep your head up, kid. None of us have any idea why you spent so long on the bench in the second half, either.
This can only end in one of three ways:
1. The Celtics lose the series, in six or seven games. This would prove they were a regular-season team with a bad coaching staff and some overrated superstars.
2. The Celtics win in seven, but prove once again (as they did against the Hawks) that they’re no championship team.
3. The Celtics win in six, finally making a statement on an opposing team’s court and taking that next step to championship worthiness.
I’m rooting hard for option three, I’m hoping for option two, but I’m fearful of option one.
After all, LeBron James isn’t going to shoot 28 percent forever.
Sean Crowe is a Senior Writer at Bleacher Report. You can email him at scrowe@gmail.com. His archive can be found here. You can find everything he writes, including articles for other publications, here.
comments (10) write a comment »
write a new comment
about 1 month ago
What officiating are you talking about? The Celtics made more free throws than the Cavs even shot. If you expect more than that on the road, you're crazy. And those foul calls against the Cavs that put Boston in the penalty in the second quarter were shaky at best - thus the refs (as they inevitably do) evening it up with the calls in the last two minutes against Perkins and Rondo.
That "long-haired, no talent" put up essentially the same numbers as KG in 15 fewer minutes...yikes...
from about 1 month ago
The officiating has been pretty even, overall. But the home teams throughout the playoffs are getting the calls at home in the fourth quarter. It's part of the reason why only one of the road teams have managed to win.
My issue was more with Pierce playing as if he expected to get calls he wasn't going to get....
about 1 month ago
Should of listened to Chauncey Billups when He said "Let them wrestle with that bear." (speaking of the Celtics getting the one seed and also having to play the Cavs) Its not as easy as the NEW YORK based national media makes it seem..... They just covet Lebron, so they bash the cavaliers "role" players at every oportunity
from about 1 month ago
Some of those "role" players were in Boston last season... they are terrible. West is a backup 2-guard and Wally is an nonathletic walking knee injury. The fact that James gets that group to play as well as they're playing only goes to show exactly how good he really is.
Even if he is only shooting 28%.
about 1 month ago
God do I hope that LeBron James shuts up the Celtics in Boston.
No, Paul Pierce should not look to create shots in the 4 Quarter. LeBron James has no regard for human life when he is on the basketball court, so the only thing Paul Pierce can hope to do his limit his shot percentage.
And Kevin Garnett got outplayed by the long-haired man.
And it's 4 ways:
1. Celtics in 6
2. Celtics in 7
3. Cavs in 6
4. Cavs in 7
I'd love to sit here and choose option 3. Cavs in Six. Since the Cleveland Fans are right, and Boston did suck.
from about 1 month ago
Option 1 was that the Celtics lose in either 6 OR 7 games. So I had you covered. Thanks though.
LeBron James isn't exactly tearing the world up defensively in this series. Pierce has missed open shots. He's getting to the hoop, but he isn't finishing. That's more because the Cavs' bigs are doing a good job helping.
Garnett was handled well defensively in the fourth quarter by the "long-haired man" ... but outplayed? Over the course of the game? Garnett single handedly kept the Celtics in the game in the first half. He just ran out of gas in the fourth quarter and stopped taking it to the hoop.
I blame Doc Rivers. Too much playing time in the first half, not enough in the second...
about 1 month ago
I think the problem with the Celtics in this series is the offense (not really going out on a limb, i know) - Pierce is typically their best and most aggressive player on offense. But he is spending so much energy doing a great job on LeBron that he doesn't have the same amount of energy to devote to offense (and give credit to LeBron on defense, probably one of the few guys who can guard Pierce who is bigger, faster and stronger than Paul). IF that is the case, then the celtics need either KG or Ray Allen to step up on the offensive end. Neither has. KG is unguardable and Ray is being defended by Wally who to be nice is lacking in the foot speed department.
The offense needs to run through those two - let Pierce be a complimentary offensive player when the starters are on the court - this should also get Pierce some open looks to get him going because LeBron will come off Pierce to help. I'd like to see the first few plays tomorrow night be plays for Ray Allen - get him going immediately. (This I realize would require a coach who understands adjustments and isn't too busy telling the reporters about the defensive assignments Leon Powe missed).
I also would not mind seeing Eddie House get some time - he has his shortcomings, and against quality point guards, he can be a liability with the ball. But Cleveland does not have quality point guards - they have two guys who wouldn't make the Celtics active roster. Give Eddie some minutes and see if he can't knock down some shots. Right now, Boston is having to work so hard for every score - each hoop is like pulling teeth.
I am very worried going forward - I don't see the offense really changing, and fear that LeBron is due for a big game - the defense has been great on him, and that won't change, but at some point, he will make some shots (or the very least, get himself to the line 20 times).
from about 1 month ago
Doc just called. He wanted to know what you meant by "adjustments" ... he was unaware that you were allowed to change strategy during the offseason.
I told him that it was the roster you weren't allowed to change in the playoffs, not the gameplan.
But just to be safe he's going to go into game five with the same gameplan anyway.
about 1 month ago
and i will say the officiating overall has been pretty good this series - some missed calls, but true for both sides. it has been even, which is really all you can ask for.
about 1 month ago
One of the best articles you have written. I especially love what you said about Cassell--he was great the first year with the Bucks and then just became a ball-hogging whiner. And what you have said about the officiating is one of the reasons the home teams are always winning.
write a new comment