So after remarkably predicting the exact score of Game 5 (tongue in cheek patting on the back here), I decided to write a few quick words about tonight's game six.
In a way, I almost feel like this is a type of must win for this Celtics team. Yes, they have a solid core of veterans, but of veterans who are of the "close but no cigar" mold. With every road loss, the "Celtics can't win away from Boston" rumblings have grown louder and louder, to the point where one must wonder if it is beginning to get inside the players' heads a bit. I suspect that it may just be fan/media chatter, but one can't help but wonder if the Celtics are starting to feel the pressure. If the C's can't win on the road tonight, yet still manage to win a seventh game, imagine the pressure that's going to be on them to win in Detroit. Yikes.
I think the loss of Daniel Gibson may prove big for the Cavs. Yes, he's a bench player, but is a dependable shooter, especially from long-distance. Also, is Delonte West's eye/allergy problems continue, losing Gibson could be even more devastating.
Overall, game five was a pretty good game for the Celtics, despite some near hairy moments at the end. They came back strong, played pretty good defense, and held off the late charge. One thing I did notice, however, at the repeated prompting of TNT's broadcasters, is that the Celtics seem to be playing lock-down defense for 20 seconds each possession. Any time the Cavs started really passing the ball around almost in shot-clock expiring desperation, it seemed like the Celtics began to scramble a lot. It'll be interesting to see if Mike Brown tests this theory with some plays designed to slow the game down, and draw the Celtics defense out of sync.
And on a final note, Jay-Z has been banned from the TD Banknorth Garden for life and fined $25,000 for flashing gang signs at an unknown member of the crowd.
Finally, in an attempt to gain a reputation as a FoxBlog Fortune Teller, a score prediction:
A back and forth game, but the Celtics manage to get the "Can't Win on the Road" #### off their backs and end King James' 2008 Reign:
Celtics 99, Cavaliers 93
Thanks for stopping by, and feel free to leave comments.
I'm a 20 year old kid from Dorchester, MA, who one day hopes to be a sportswriter for a big time newspaper, and figure this is a good place to start. I'm in college at Suffolk in downtown Boston now, and it's awesome. I love all sports, with the Bruins and Red Sox being my favorite teams, thought I'm also a big Patriots and Celtics fan. I think it's ridiculous how no one in this town cares about the Bruins anymore. I like college sports too, no particular teams, especially any big bowl games and March Madness. I hate fairweather fans, especially everyone who jumped on the Sox bandwagon in 2004. The "pink hats" and "OMG Varitek's so hot!!" drive me crazy, just like anyone else who's a real baseball fan. Pick a team, know the players, stay loyal and be a real fan- in good times and in bad.
