The BOSTON CELTICS, the team with the best regular season record in the NBA at 66-16, the most improved team in league history over a one-year span, the team with three Hall-of-Famers, the team that keeps reminding itself of the 67-win Dallas Mavericks of a year ago, and the team that the LOS ANGELES LAKERS are expecting to play in the NBA FINALS, are one game away from pulling a NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS.
KEVIN GARNETT, the MVP? There's a reason why he's never won an NBA title.
DOC RIVERS, the Coach of the Year? There's a reason why he's never played in the NBA Finals.
PAUL PIERCE, the Truth? The truth is, he's older and slower and he's not putting up big numbers like he used to. There's a reason he's never been to the Finals.
RAY ALLEN, the Big Three's designated hitter in the 4th quarter? A disappointing 1-for-8 from three-point range on the road under pressure. There's a reason he's never led a team to an NBA Finals appearance.
If it weren't for KENDRICK PERKINS' perfect effort (5-5 FG, 4-4 FT), the C's would have probably been blown out by the eighth seed ATLANTA HAWKS, who didn't even win 40 games all year.
Is there such a thing as CELTIC PRIDE anymore? What's wrong with the C's? How come they can't seem to execute with consistency? Are there too many egos on that squad?
I guess we'll find out sooner or later. For now, I hope all of you loyal Celtics fans don't jump off the edge of that cliff.
Who do you think fed Perkins all those easy looks at the basket? I hope you dont think he created those shots for himself. Nice free throw shooting though, I like that comment about he makes em when it counts. What is he 60 something percent, career free thrwo shooter hitting over 90% in the series for his free throws impressive.
Two things to be learned from this series. Firstly, most sports writers (and bloggers) are knuckleheads who really don't understand the game and love to jump on bandwagons. How in the heck were the Celtics, a team that essentially had never played together before supposed to go from the doormat to the penthouse in one season? I could see if they had been in the conference finals the year before or even the semi-finals. But just because you put a bunch of good players together for a few months doesn't mean they are going to beat teams that have played together for awhile. Hasn't anyone learned that from watching USA's horrific international experiences the past several years?
Secondly: This is why Durant was the true rookie of the year. Does anyone doubt that if the Phoenix Suns played in the Eastern Conference they would be shoo-ins for the Finals? Yet they can't even get out of the first round in the West. That's how tough the West is. Al Horford played against inferior competition most of the season. Durant dropped 20 per night in a far better conference. I like Horford, but in three years Durant will be competing for the league's MVP award while Horford will still be third fiddle on the Hawks.
UC IRVINE graduate and proud to be an ANTEATER. My claim to fame is having played against the likes of Tayshaun and Tommie Prince, Jacque Vaughn, and Charles O'Bannon, plus getting dunked on by Schea Cotton in a CIF second round match in the nineties.
WIDELY KNOWN on FOX as one of the most biased LAKER HOMERS in blog history, highly criticized for hating on the PHOENIX SUNS fan base, and has been told on more than one occasion that LAMAR ODOM isn't worth the suit he's wearing.
Believe that "excellence is not an act but a habit."
Believe that the things you do and the things you don't do, they all send a message.
Believe that in order to know the world one must first know thyself.
And believe that it's the journey not the destination.
Finally, as the great Bruce Lee once said, "Man - he is constantly growing and when he is bound by a set pattern of ideas or way of doing things, that's when he stops growing."
This is the Way of the Dragon. Embrace it.
