Post Game Thread Celtics Crush Cavs 104-86 Tue 5/3/2010

[dboss]

Well does everybody feel a little better now? Still feeling any gloom and doom? I sure hope not becasue what we witnessed last night was a sure fire sign that the Celtics are a Phoenix Rising. Too old to compete against the Cavs? Humm..

The Celtics accomplished their mission which was to go into Cleveland and at least come back with a split. The so-called home court advanatge has shifted. The series has been turned upside down on its head. The pyschological impact will be felt throughout the series. Cleveland knows now that Boston can beat them! So lets put all the coronation ceremonies on hold until this one is over.

The final score +18 was actually not that close. And we saw elements of the vision that went into putting this team together show its face last night.

The Sheed guy finally showed up and played a pretty good basketball game, the cavs have no answer for the dime master Rajon Rondo, KG is still a force to defend against. It is clear now where this team will go with their offense. Last night KG took 21 shots and had 20 the first game. Bottom line, the Cavs do not have anyone to check KG and now we can see that the Celtics intend to exploit that advanatge.

Lebron James looked hurt out there but it just goes to proves that this team really is not that talented unless King James plays well.

dboss

[Sam]

Great game summary as usual, Dboss. It seems only appropriate that Doc also be recognized for (1) getting his team psychologically prepared to devour the Cavs, (2) devising an extraordinary game plan (for the second consecutive game), and (3) closely monitoring the Cavs' adjustments and comeback in this game and using timeouts wisely to stall their momentum and get the Celtics back on track.

Sam

[sinus007]

Dboss,
Ditto about KG. I think Cavs don't have any valid countermeasure against him and RR. Now KG should pull Ray Allen, as in FT fiasco in Miami: first thing RA did getting back too gym shot 150 FTs (made 145). KG can shoot 100 Js and 50 putbacks and layups. Anything to increase his FG to >50%.
A couple observations on the other side. Nice to see AV getting his own medicine: Celtics collectively got under his skin to utterly frustrate him. I believe it was the primary reason he was sent to locker room. The other thing is it never cease to amaze me how LJ gets away with travel. Last night there was a classical example of "Jump Mommy, Jump Daddy" with no whistle.
Jumping back to our side. WTF, they didn't know they're playing against Lebron who will fight until the last ray of hope expires. And 7 minutes give him plenty of those hopes. I'm talking about Celtics stopped playing in the 4th. I hope it will be a good lesson: don't do it again.
My MVP goes to the team defense in the 3rd quarter.
Thank you very much,
AK

[bobheckler]

In an earlier post on another thread, some poster (can't remember off-hand who) said that "the writing was on the wall". He (I know it wasn't Rosalie) was absolutely correct. In fact, we've seen this writing on the wall from watching the Celtics all season. What was written was "if you repeatedly dig yourself into a hole, especially in the 2nd half, it becomes increasingly unlikely that you will be able to win consistently". How many times did we see the Celtics have a scoring drought during the season, fall behind by double-digits, and not be able to rally enough to win? This is not just true for the Celtics, apparently. The Cavaliers got away with doing it on Saturday, but lightning doesn't strike the same place twice. When they dug themselves into a hole yesterday, they couldn't climb out.

1. Doc figured out that we have a big mismatch with KG and Jamison and they rode that horse mercilessly. He can shoot over Jamison at will, and did.

2. Oughta change his name to 'Less' Williams, instead of 'Mo'. Seven quiet assists and an awful 1-9 shooting night. Didn't stop Rondo from doing anything he wanted which included shooting 5-10 and dishing out 19 assists.

3. Ray, Ray, Ray. Again, again, again. What a professional.

4. Well, now we know how to light a fire under Sheed. Threaten to bench him. 17 points on 7-8 shooting. 3-4 from 3. Hey Sheed! Shelden's getting all your minutes for the rest of the playoffs!

5. Once again, Perk outplayed Shaq and Z combined. This was made easier by Mike Brown's decision to not even put Z in the game. Why embarrass a purportedly nice guy again? More points, rebounds, assists, blocks for Perk. How much of this is Shaq just showing how old he is and how much is Perk's defense? Probably some of both, but let's give some credit where credit is due. For the second game in a row, The Diesel only had one dunk. Perk has been banging him as good as can be done without Hack-a-Shaq (there was some of that too). For all the people who have called for trading Perk, give me a name of a player we could have picked up that could have gone toe-to-toe like Perk has done.

6. We won the game, so this is not sour grapes, but can you believe the way they were bouncing Pierce and KG around and not calling fouls? Can you believe they let LeBron HOP? I mean, he hopped, for Pete's Sake! Unbelievable. TNT, who rarely replays questionable calls, replayed that one. Perhaps that's because it was NOT questionable. He hopped, absolutely, positively.

7. Rondo played 45 minutes. Too many minutes. I said that after last game too. Eventually, I'll be right. I just hope it won't be this year.

8. There were calls for bodyslamming LBJ to "send a message". Well, Varajao body slammed Rondo and got called for a flagrant 1. He picked up a technical for trying to rough it up with Perk. Doesn't appear to have slowed down Rondo or any other Celtic. Put a crimp into Varajao's game though, since he had to be less aggressive because the refs were watching him. Just focus on playing ball and let the score dictate the message.

We needed to win one in Cleveland. We did not need to win the first. We didn't even need to win the second. We needed to win one. We did. Now comes the hard part, and that's winning 3 at home, where we have been far less than perfect this year.

bob

.

[dbrown4]

All I have to say is WOW! Although we shouldn't be surprised. This playoff team is indeed the culmination of everything we have seen up to this point. Wildly erratic play due to line-up changes, blowing big leads, holding on to win games after blowing big leads, Rondo playing out of his brain on the train or as Rondo goes, so goes the Celtics, winning on the road, etc. Now, Rasheed showing up, none of us were expecting that. But that game (and this series) may be the reason we picked him up. Here's what me and my 3 boys saw last night in the new wing of our house affectionately called the mancave.

1. Except for the inordinate number of fouls on PP and the completely ignored travelling call on LeBron, I have to say that was the first game I think I have EVER seen where the Celtics got a majority of the calls, right or wrong. I almost felt like we were cheating or stealing something we shouldn't be at times or we had actually paid off the refs. It was so unusual being in that position. But for that very reason, I relished in it and didn't consider it unfair by any stretch of the imagination.

2. I have a problem. My oldest (7), after I flipped out on the above no call on LeBron, asks me, "Dad, how come the refs don't call travelling or fouls on Lebron, but they call it on us all the time? That's not fair." Need your help here guys!! I didn't have an answer for him except that's just the way the refs call it. I don't want to start him down conspiracy avenue, but after they completely ignored that call, I have to believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that there are now LeBron Rules and a separate set of rules for the rest of the league.

3. Mike Brown is cracking up and is going to snap. No need for profanity and all his physical tics, although he can't control those. It starts at the top. In Game 3, clearly the Cavs are going to go after it, or "take the fight to us." Great language, there, Mike. I hope your guys do start a fight. But if the Celtics can take CLE's best punch, and it will be massive, manage to have an apeshit crowd and we play lights out and eke one out, someone in the CLE organization is going to go Jackie Chan on one of the Celtics, get tossed and suspended. If the Celtics can somehow avoid the fray and just get a fine, great. CLE has to win Game 3 or it's over for them. If they don't, the Celtics can cover the Game 1 mishap and have the equivalent damaging effect psychologically.

4. LeBron is still LeBron. Hurt elbow, pride, seeing the writing on the wall, whatever. The Celtics are out playing them and should be ahead 2-0. But our culmination is what hurt us in Game 1. We are what we are today as a result of everything we have done to this point.

5. Rondo is, beyond a doubt, simply unreal. He still makes some bonehead passes and looks indecisive at times, but those are getting less and less and less. And CLE got to witness the awesome power of a fully operational death star last night in Rondo and the Celtics.

6. Order is still important. Celtics did not win Game 1. They achieved a split, but not in the right order. Does anyone know the percentages of a road team that loses the first game and wins the second and the resulting series victor? I'm going to guess it's less or considerably less than had they one the first and lost the second on the road. I know about history. I just want to see it on paper. I'm guessing it's more deeply psychological damaging losing the first game on your home court vs. losing the second.

7. Every game is huge. And now we will learn whether we have cured the home court blues over the next two games. There's a very good chance we could be down 3-1. Very realistic. We've gone from great to poor home court performance all season to wildly or suprisingly erratic so far in the playoffs. I'm scratching my head here. CLE is going to throw everything at us. And things will return to normal and CLE will get all the breaks and calls in Game 3. The question is, will we be ready or play another 2 1/2 quarters of greatness followed by 1 1/2 quarters of complete meltdown? And we really can't answer anything with confidence. None of (you) us can say after the first half, that we didn't have the same gut wrenching feeling of here we go again going into the third, not even Sam.

8. CLE has known all along they don't know how to get rid of us. It came to a head in the Easter Meltdown and Mike showed it again last night. I hope they do take the fight to us. You can tell by his words, they feel entitled. Doc looks very cool on the sidelines. Mike has and will blow it. Although LeBron is the coach, you can't have one of your minions on the sidelines or in press conferences losing it.

9. Do the announcers and analysts really not have Script Plan B? Come on. I'm going to re watch the game tonight listening again for the tone of the commentary, but quit following LeBron around like a lap dog. There was more what's wrong with LeBron than how off the charts Rondo was. It was like an afterthought. I'm telling you, they are on the wrong horse. Winning Game 2 won't wake them up. Winning Game 5 will, though.
Game 3 the Celtics will need to be 10 times better than tonight.

[bobheckler]

All I have to say is WOW! Although we shouldn't be surprised. This playoff team is indeed the culmination of everything we have seen up to this point. Wildly erratic play due to line-up changes, blowing big leads, holding on to win games after blowing big leads, Rondo playing out of his brain on the train or as Rondo goes, so goes the Celtics, winning on the road, etc. Now, Rasheed showing up, none of us were expecting that. But that game (and this series) may be the reason we picked him up. Here's what me and my 3 boys saw last night in the new wing of our house affectionately called the mancave.

1. Except for the inordinate number of fouls on PP and the completely ignored travelling call on LeBron, I have to say that was the first game I think I have EVER seen where the Celtics got a majority of the calls, right or wrong. I almost felt like we were cheating or stealing something we shouldn't be at times or we had actually paid off the refs. It was so unusual being in that position. But for that very reason, I relished in it and didn't consider it unfair by any stretch of the imagination.

2. I have a problem. My oldest (7), after I flipped out on the above no call on LeBron, asks me, "Dad, how come the refs don't call travelling or fouls on Lebron, but they call it on us all the time? That's not fair." Need your help here guys!! I didn't have an answer for him except that's just the way the refs call it. I don't want to start him down conspiracy avenue, but after they completely ignored that call, I have to believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that there are now LeBron Rules and a separate set of rules for the rest of the league.

3. Mike Brown is cracking up and is going to snap. No need for profanity and all his physical tics, although he can't control those. It starts at the top. In Game 3, clearly the Cavs are going to go after it, or "take the fight to us." Great language, there, Mike. I hope your guys do start a fight. But if the Celtics can take CLE's best punch, and it will be massive, manage to have an apeshit crowd and we play lights out and eke one out, someone in the CLE organization is going to go Jackie Chan on one of the Celtics, get tossed and suspended. If the Celtics can somehow avoid the fray and just get a fine, great. CLE has to win Game 3 or it's over for them. If they don't, the Celtics can cover the Game 1 mishap and have the equivalent damaging effect psychologically.

4. LeBron is still LeBron. Hurt elbow, pride, seeing the writing on the wall, whatever. The Celtics are out playing them and should be ahead 2-0. But our culmination is what hurt us in Game 1. We are what we are today as a result of everything we have done to this point.

5. Rondo is, beyond a doubt, simply unreal. He still makes some bonehead passes and looks indecisive at times, but those are getting less and less and less. And CLE got to witness the awesome power of a fully operational death star last night in Rondo and the Celtics.

6. Order is still important. Celtics did not win Game 1. They achieved a split, but not in the right order. Does anyone know the percentages of a road team that loses the first game and wins the second and the resulting series victor? I'm going to guess it's less or considerably less than had they one the first and lost the second on the road. I know about history. I just want to see it on paper. I'm guessing it's more deeply psychological damaging losing the first game on your home court vs. losing the second.

7. Every game is huge. And now we will learn whether we have cured the home court blues over the next two games. There's a very good chance we could be down 3-1. Very realistic. We've gone from great to poor home court performance all season to wildly or suprisingly erratic so far in the playoffs. I'm scratching my head here. CLE is going to throw everything at us. And things will return to normal and CLE will get all the breaks and calls in Game 3. The question is, will we be ready or play another 2 1/2 quarters of greatness followed by 1 1/2 quarters of complete meltdown? And we really can't answer anything with confidence. None of (you) us can say after the first half, that we didn't have the same gut wrenching feeling of here we go again going into the third, not even Sam.

8. CLE has known all along they don't know how to get rid of us. It came to a head in the Easter Meltdown and Mike showed it again last night. I hope they do take the fight to us. You can tell by his words, they feel entitled. Doc looks very cool on the sidelines. Mike has and will blow it. Although LeBron is the coach, you can't have one of your minions on the sidelines or in press conferences losing it.

9. Do the announcers and analysts really not have Script Plan B? Come on. I'm going to re watch the game tonight listening again for the tone of the commentary, but quit following LeBron around like a lap dog. There was more what's wrong with LeBron than how off the charts Rondo was. It was like an afterthought. I'm telling you, they are on the wrong horse. Winning Game 2 won't wake them up. Winning Game 5 will, though.
Game 3 the Celtics will need to be 10 times better than tonight.

dbrown,

First, I'm afraid I have no other answer for your son about LBJ rules. How else can you explain what was one of the most obvious traveling non-calls I've seen in very many years?

As far as which is more psychologically damaging, winning #1 or #2, I don't have concrete historical answers for that either. It would occur to me, though, that it's worse losing game 2. With game 1, the home team has the crowd and might be more rested since they had an easier first round opponent. The visitors just finished a series with a completely different team and now has to travel to play (which uses up a day of practice/video). With game 2, the teams had a chance to adjust. They have a chance to think about what worked and didn't in game 1 and show their adaptability and ability to go the distance in a long series (as opposed to just blitzing them). The pressure also increases on the visitors for game 2 if they lost game 1, since they don't want to go home down 2. When the visitors win game 1, you can point to emotions. High for the visitors, low for the homies. When the visitors win game 2, it's execution of plays and taking advantage of mismatches (or figuring out how to negate negative mismatches), and execution wins series.

There is no Plan B. Kobe's not having a particularly good playoffs to-date (his stats are down in every category and Durant guarded him well) and they're still oohing and aahing about him. What's sad is that everybody knows what David Stern wants and it is just so obvious the lengths the refs are going to give him what he wants. The trick is to not make it so obvious when the fix is in.

bob

.

[beat]

Can't really add to the above posts much. It became quite obvious what works and what doesn't. (on bioth ends of the court)

On defense make bron put the ball on the floor then double him and make him give it up or force a bad shot. If he slips in foul him hard, not dirty just hard. We are doing a great job in keeping them off the offensive glass we need to keep that going.

Offensively. Boy this is a no brainer, Get good shots and make um. really that simple.

Even though we've struggled at home that was seemingly light years ago. I'm betting that Cleveland would LOVE to heading to the Q with a split if the roles were reversed. I think I like our chances of taking game three and putting a big estion to add to the Q (question) mark on the Cavs.

They have truly not had a bad stretch all season and really few injuries (shaq not included as to me he is a negative in at least our series for them)

Now they are in a struggle they either did not expect, or are not ready for.

Nothing was better than to see the empty seats as the clock ticked under 2 minutes. (besides the boos in the third quarter)

On the radio this morning they spoke about the game it went something like this. "And the Cav's went on a 15-0 forth quarter run so that they could lose by only 18"

beat

[Guest]

bobheckler,

I agree that the extra hop that LeBron got last night was a joke. So much was made of it, that I bet he doesn't get away with it again.
Kobe is not going to put up huge numbers if he doesn't have to. When LA needed him, Kobe was head and shoulders the best player on the court in games 5 and 6 of the OKC series. Did Durant's guarding Kobe hurt his offensive game? Maybe not, but 35% shooting for the series and 5/23 in game 6 was horrendous.
Kobe scored 11 points in the last 3 minutes of game 1 against Utah.
His minutes and shot attempts are down from last years playoffs.

Is it really just David Stern that 'wants' to see Kobe vs. LeBron?
They are numbers 1 and 2 in jersey sales.

Why couldn't Stern find a way to get LeBron to the Finals last year?

[dbrown4]

I'm just going to head for the fallout shelter...

[sinus007]

.......
Is it really just David Stern that 'wants' to see Kobe vs. LeBron?
They are numbers 1 and 2 in jersey sales. ........

Of course he does! Can you imagine what TV ratings would be!?

........
Why couldn't Stern find a way to get LeBron to the Finals last year?

Simple. Nobody could've predicted total Cav's collapse vs Magic

AK

[jeb]

You guys are all over this so I will just add this...Ray Allen was fantastic last night. He did a great job on "King" and really handled the action on o. His driving left handed layup killed all hope late. (though pp's was just as devastating)

I think someone with curly hair is going to get tossed in boston. I think we are in their heads like an old girlfriend.

[dbrown4]

Good points, Bob andb beat. There were a lot of empty seats at the end. The whole lower section on camera was missing. I know all fans bail, but that was ridiculous. The press is slow to move in any new direction. ESPN sounds like their beginning to hedge their bets, though. Bob, those are good points I never thought about. I just don't know where to go to find the records, or if anyone in the media has thought beyond the tired 'ol whoever wins the first game wins the series argument. I guess we could break it down to home teams (with advantage) that win first (and/or second game) vs. disadvantaged team that wins first (and/or second game)and then all teams (ad and disad) that win first, etc. Too many permutations. Where's laceltic when we need him to run the real math and probability tables on this?!! JK, la. I'm sure Sam has all this at his fingertips.

I'm just glad for now injuries aren't our problem. Nothing is fair. But I'll take our early season injuries over playoff injuries any day.

[mrkleen09]

After talking bad about Perk in game one...I have to say he played a ROCK SOLID game last night. Good D, great rebounding, scored a few nice hoops, and took NO SHIT from Sideshow Bob and anyone else. Very well done Kendrick.

Also, Sheed finally showed up and in a BIG WAY. I loved his aggressiveness, I loved his hard fouls, he talked smack to Mo Williams instead of the refs...VERY WELL PLAYED. Now give him 4 days rest and I think he will come out strong again on Friday. Cavs bench is no match for Sheed - he can eat them up all night long.

Momentum shifted big time last night - and even with an absolutely disgraceful game from the officials, the Celtics prevailed. Cleveland is in trouble - and Orlando better pay attention as well. The Celtics with lots of days off between games are a very dangerous team.

Still waiting to hear from Pumpsie and SD

[bobheckler]

After talking bad about Perk in game one...I have to say he played a ROCK SOLID game last night. Good D, great rebounding, scored a few nice hoops, and took NO SHIT from Sideshow Bob and anyone else. Very well done Kendrick.

Also, Sheed finally showed up and in a BIG WAY. I loved his aggressiveness, I loved his hard fouls, he talked smack to Mo Williams instead of the refs...VERY WELL PLAYED. Now give him 4 days rest and I think he will come out strong again on Friday. Cavs bench is no match for Sheed - he can eat them up all night long.

Momentum shifted big time last night - and even with an absolutely disgraceful game from the officials, the Celtics prevailed. Cleveland is in trouble - and Orlando better pay attention as well. The Celtics with lots of days off between games are a very dangerous team.

Still waiting to hear from Pumpsie and SD

mrkleen,

"Sideshow bob"?

"Main Event" Bob

[Guest]

sinus,

For ratings/marketing/sales, the NBA would LOVE to have Kobe vs. LeBron in the Finals. This is year 7 and so far it hasn't happened. So, if LeBron or Kobe don't get there this year, what will the excuse be? One of these years the two best players might play in the Finals against each other but not because the referees are cheats/criminals or because Stern is a cheat/criminal but because they won their conference championships.
Will the conspiracy theorists be able to rest their case when/if Kobe and LeBron get to the Finals?

[sinus007]

TJ,
I'm not sure I understand your last post.
As for conspiracy theories, I am very skeptical about them. OTOH, I'm a big fan of folk sayings and proverbs. And one of them may apply here: cui bono.

AK

[dboss]

Now that the dust is settling around game # 2, Game # 3 is staring everyone in the face.

The most important thing that must happen for the Celtics is playing with a very high level of energy. Each game will and should become more difficult.

The Cavs will come in with a lot of energy and the Celtics need to be able to reflect that energy back at them. The Celtics need to continue to do what they have been doing. Put the ball in Rondo's hands and let them make the play. Movement on offense and be judicious when taking the 3 point shot offerings. We need good looks.

James will be compelled to take the game over so Boston must force him to give the ball up and go at him hard.

It will be intersting to see what adjustments the Cavs make. Will they double KG in the post? Will they try to trap Rajon? Will they try to run more? Will the send everyone to the glass?

The way I see it, there is nothing that the Cavs can do that cannot be stopped by the Celtics. The experience factor will prevail.

dboss

[dbrown4]

Great points, dboss. I think now the biggest advantage we have that will catapult us into the Conference Finals will be the contributions of Doc v. Mike. I want to like Mike, he's a nice guy but he is about to have his resume handed to him on a platter by Doc. Mike really has everything stacked against him. If he pulls this out, I will gain tremendous respect for him, but it just isn't going to happen. Doc will bury him.

We all know the players and the match-ups. They are ridiculously razor-thin in their differences if taken as a whole. What KG brings v. Jamison is cancelled by LeBron v. Ray and Paul, etc. So it's going to come down to the intangible of the coaching. And clearly, there can be no argument from the other side that we clearly don't have an advantage by a mile here.

I think the order of the victories is important. While the Celtics didn't win Game 1, they did achieve a split. We're still discussing about the pscyological differences of the order. Only two possible outcomes. But a Game 3 Celtic victory can crush the hearts and spirits of CLE, even if they win Game 4 on our floor. If CLE wins Game 3, there really is no prolonged suffering or prolonged period of time to let further doubt creep in. Game 3 is like a mini Game 5 as far as I'm concerned. Plus we have to deal with the home court dominance issue or lack thereof for us. CLE isn't scared coming in here Friday. They will probably run up a 20 point lead on us Friday. They've done it before here this season. Nothing has changed signficantly for me since then to indicate anything has changed here. A well planned out and executed game for the Celtics can devastate CLE. If CLE comes in here Friday and takes Game 3, everything is back to normal and there will be huge pressure on us to win Game 4. Given our homecourt performance this season, I'd rather not go there. All CLE is thinking right now is just win one in Boston. We have two chances. But a Game 3 win by Boston will bring back all the bad memories on 2 years ago, playing from behind the whole series, not winning Game 7, etc. They will start thinking, "Maybe we really are full of shit."

And that's why I think the difference going forward will be the coaching. Doc looks calm cool and collected. Yes, I saw his tirade but that was in the game and the Celtics deserved every bit of that. Mike is spasming and cursing up a storm like he may have an illness or Teret's Syndrome. This guy is under a huge amount of pressure to win it all and he's just not going to make it.

Here's another dream stat. With the series tied 1-1, how often does the winner of Game 3 win the series? Is this more relevant than the Game 5 winner coming in tied 2-2?

I still have no idea what is going to happen in Game 3. If I were a gambling man, I'd put my money on CLE. My heart is with the Celtics, though. They're going to be pissed and want to get back on track in a hurry. But with the Box of Chocolate Celtics, you just never know. And that is why we let them play the game and we make the big bucks watching and commentating.

I hope it has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt to PP about letting Rondo take over the whole game. Iso's on PP have been dissected and figured out. Not effective anymore. Now will we have to mix it up if they double Rondo? Absolutely. That's going to leave one of the Big 3 open. But double Rondo? I don't think anybody can do that. And this will be where the coaching chess match begins. Intra-game adjustments. Adjustments within the game vs. between games. Doc slays Mike at both.

[cowens/oldschool]

After talking bad about Perk in game one...I have to say he played a ROCK SOLID game last night. Good D, great rebounding, scored a few nice hoops, and took NO SHIT from Sideshow Bob and anyone else. Very well done Kendrick.

Also, Sheed finally showed up and in a BIG WAY. I loved his aggressiveness, I loved his hard fouls, he talked smack to Mo Williams instead of the refs...VERY WELL PLAYED. Now give him 4 days rest and I think he will come out strong again on Friday. Cavs bench is no match for Sheed - he can eat them up all night long.

Momentum shifted big time last night - and even with an absolutely disgraceful game from the officials, the Celtics prevailed. Cleveland is in trouble - and Orlando better pay attention as well. The Celtics with lots of days off between games are a very dangerous team.

Still waiting to hear from Pumpsie and SD

and Al Horford doing his usual disappearing act against Dwight Howard

[Sam]

Mrkleen,

I've known SD for years (although we've never met), and I think it's important that he absolutely NOT be branded as a Celtics doubter. In fact, he's probably among the leading supporters of the Boston Celtics.

I got on him earlier in the year NOT for negativity (although I'm afraid that may be how he interpreted my messages) but more for the TIMING of his message. He was registering his concern for the future, and I felt his comments were premature because they were based very largely on how the Celtics looked at that time...and (as everyone knows) I believed that the team would look a lot differently when the time came to think about the future. (I like to feel that my belief has been supported by the changes that have occurred in the team since those days.)

And because I felt his timing was premature, it seemed to me that his message was COMING ACROSS as gratuitous gloom and doom. (I still think that was the case.) But make no mistake about it. However strong you feel your own allegiance to the team is, SD's is at least equally strong. So I don't know how you expect him to respond, because I'm sure he's nothing but exhilarated about their playoff run to date.

Although I haven't known Pumpsie for nearly as long as SD, it's a similar story, but with a little different twist. His opinions, as expressed half a year ago, were not as wrong as one might think. It was the incessant nature of them that created negative perceptions. Heck, all of us were recognizing problems at the time; it's just that many of us were more likely to temper our remarks with expressions of hope than simply to blast away repeatedly at the team.

Pumpsie's participation on this board has evolved to the point where I think, instead of reacting instantly to every single stumble of the team, he's taking a more well-rounded view of the team over time. And the team has also evolved to the point where the well-rounded view is definitely trending in the positive direction.

Moreover, several of us had an opportunity to meet Pumpsie at the recent San Francisco party (during the "Pierce final second Miami game"), and I can assure you he's a gentleman of the highest order. His comments on the game were right on target and helped create a very nice conversational flow.

So, I guess what I'm saying is that I personally don't expect a lot of mia culpas from either SD or Pumpsie because I suspect they're both too busy riding this gratefully received wave of enthusiasm that infuses all good Celtics fans right how.

Hey, let's face it. If we can't be single-minded in our zeal for this team at this moment, when can we?

Go Celtics!

Sam

[mrkleen09]

Not looking for a "mea culpa" Sam. Just curious why we only hear from them the day after a tough loss.

[Sam]

Mrkleen,

SD posted yesterday in a thread I started—something like "Contenders at Last." I'll repeat his post below:

"Great win by the Celtics!! Team effort! Rondo was great again. Cleveland unraveled, and Celtic defensive pressure had a lot to do with it.

If the Celtics can reduce turnovers, stay aggressive, and play professionally they have a chance to win this series. Need Wallace to continue to offset his terrible defense with the kind of offense we saw tonite. Still hate his defense.

Play Finley more, Doc, please.

Go Celtics!!"

Pumpsie's spectator sport of choice is baseball, and he told all of us that he'd mainly be involved on the Red Sox "Sawxheads" (sp?) board once their season was under way. I don't believe you saw him post after either the disappointing Celtics loss or the energizing Celtics win against the Cavs.

By the way, I know of at least one prominent board member who took Pumpsie off his "ignore" list after meeting him at the party.

Sam

[jeb]

Sam

It's the timing. After losses it feels trollish. Not sayin either guy is a troll. I just think it FEELS that way. This is lessened greatly when sd and pumpsie clearly share in our joy when we win. From my perspective I would like to see both guys post more and participate evenly on many threads . But they of course are free to choose their own actions.

Sd clearly knows his ball. And has been a fan almost as long as I have been alive. So he gets respect for that from me.

Jeb

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