Celtics Beat Cavs, 105-94: Man Up

Man, something's wrong with the NBA. For a long time, I couldn't put my finger on exactly what it was.

In this day and age, when dark clouds of controversy loom ever larger over almost every pro sport, there's always something to shake your head at, whether it's steroids, players who don't know how to act like adults, or the revolving door of coaching changes.

At the ripe old age of 28, I've watched my share of sports, especially basketball, which holds a special place in my heart. I can say that every sport has athletes of some type. As in, guys who can do the impossible and seemingly freakish feats that the general population can't do in their dreams.

Nowadays, with HD this and super slow-mo that, the common man can only marvel at the speed, power ,and finesse that modern day superstars possess. Mortal men appear mythic on the screen. As a culture, we feed on this; on a basic level, we all want to be amazed and see the "next big thing." Why?

Because, we can't do what they do; our lives are droll and mundane. We're bogged down with the everyday stresses of the world. Our monotonous jobs, the economic fall-out, the often loveless relationships; what do we do to escape?

We find the most comfortable chair in the quietest room and watch sports 'till our eyelids can no longer stand the weight of being open.  

In my younger years, when I would watch basketball, it was men playing the game—as opposed to watching today and seeing man-sized bodies attached to kids' psyches.

My last digression: It's still just as thrilling to watch replays of Vince Carter's "Dunk de la Morte" as it is to see players cower in fear when LeBron slices through the lane with a full head of steam. But, I'm left feeling a bit unfulfilled lately.

During pre-game on ESPN last night, everybody picked the Cavs to win—hands down. Why, with no Kevin Garnett in the lane, the hapless Celtics would be at LeBron's mercy.

But not so fast, I say, what about Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, plus the other veterans on the team? I guess because they play boring, old, fundamentally sound basketball, they could never keep up with the younger, faster, and stronger players that the league has to offer.

Here's a tip: with age comes experience. These men are all great competitors, but it would take more than "making the easy pick" and having no faith whatsoever in established champions for the C's to lay down and let the league's pride and joy come into their house and leave with a win.  

DE-FENSE, DE-FENSE, DE-FENSE

From the very outset of the game, it was evident that 'Bron was not going to get a single uncontested basket.

The Celtics' sixth man (Boston fans) would keep up a playoff atmosphere from tipoff to final buzzer, giving the C's that much-needed home court energy, which is exactly what you get from championship-caliber fans.

The key to this game was Pierce leading the way and solid bench production from one or more of Boston's bigs.

"P-Double" once again showed why he's the leader of this team with a quiet, steady confidence that led to him scoring a game-high 29 points.

The other hero came in the form of Leon "The Truck" Powe. He absolutely dominated Cleveland on the blocks, adding a season-high 20 points and 11 rebounds and really being his team's saving grace. He outscored and out-rebounded the entire Cleveland bench.

The game being an intense battle for Playoff home-court advantage, both teams came out aggressive, Glen Davis so much so that he was ejected for a flagrant foul on that Simpsons character with big hair, who is apparently from Brazil.

Thank God that Doc Rivers has this team defensively tough; the Celtics sit second in the league among top defensive teams, coincidentally right behind Cleveland. One might have guessed that the No. 1 spot belonged to Boston, as in this game LeBron was held to only 21 points, and those in green forced 11 turnovers for 19 points. 

Still the champs until proven otherwise.

As the Playoffs approach, it's imperative that we get our two new acquisitions into the flow of games more, so that the transition to the postseason will be as smooth as possible.

You don't ever want to say that you have games to throw away, but I'm sure as the regular season winds down, Marbury will see more floor minutes as Rondo is rested to be fresh for the postseason.

Just so we're clear, there's no hate coming from me towards LeBron. He is quite possibly the most physically dominant player since Shaq entered the league, and he's more dynamic and can do more things.

He also is one of the few players in the league who's had all the pressure in the world dumped on him and has not only lived up to the hype but thrived under the pressure of David Stern's thumb. For that, he deserves all the hype in the world.

We can only hope a valuable lesson was learned by analysts and sportscasters alike last night. The Boston Celtics are the defending NBA Champions, and what they lack in flash and youth is readily made up with the experience and composure of a true champion.

Boston 105, Cleveland 94.

 - AngryBlackAle

This article originally appeared on GetOutofMyBallpark.com