Celts vs Nets Round 1, game 4 - Pregame Thoughts

You should really believe what you see with your own eyes.

Monday has rolled in and with it a tremendous level of anticipation for the Celtics G4 matchup with the beleaguered.  The sideshow will be clowning out on the sidelines again because he ain't ready to play.  But he is more than ready to clown some more. How about a little fuchsia accented in lavender.

This series has always been about one thing and one thing only.  Can a team that went through a transformative epiphany midway through the season while posting a 30-10 record,  win in the playoffs against any and all opponents.

The answer is a resounding yes.

Steve Nash will coach his last game as head coach of the Nets.  You can blame Brooklyn management for hiring him in the first place.  The real culpability however falls right in the lap of Kyrie Irving.  Kevin Durant never set the record straight when Kyrie declared that they do not need a coach!

In the hour-long interview, Kyrie said, “We don’t need someone to come in with their coaching philosophy, change everything we’re doing, change up the wheel, and we’re going to start running on the first day of practice. No!” Durant and Irving might have a lot of say in matters, and that should make Nash’s job as a coach interesting. Kyrie even suggested, “It’s going to change the way we see coaches. I don’t really see us having a head coach. KD could be a head coach; I could be a head coach.”

The Nets team was doomed from the start.  The sheer arrogance of two of the most talented players ever to lace up their sneakers has been the downfall for this team.

They actually deserve to lose.

Therefore it seems fitting and proper that the Boston Celtics will win G4 tonight to complete the sweep.

The Celtics represent everything that is good about basketball and the Nets represent everything that is bad.  What other team in the NBA could set the record straight better than our historic franchise.

The Big Cat will be Prowling the court tonight and feasting on the mice.

An excellent summation, DBoss.  Excellent.

I said Game 3 was going to be a Celtic loss because I thought the Nyets would come out with fire after the two losses but that we'd win Game 4 because nobody likes being eliminated in front of their own fans so they'd have to lose Game 4 so we'd eliminate them in 5 in Boston.  Clearly I was wrong and couldn't be happier.

But will Game 4 be a Celtic loss?  Will I be right about splitting this road trip but just get the order reversed?  My original premise, that teams don't like to be eliminated in front of their own fans, still holds true in my opinion.  Unfortunately for Brooklyn they are going up against a better team that disagrees.

I want to end it tonight, for a bunch of reasons.  Rest, avoiding fluke injuries, more film sessions preparing for the next round.  But if we go to 5 I'm ok with that because it is clear they lack the mental toughness to win 3 games in Boston, and KD has even admitted it.  Mentally, he has already admitted and accepted defeat.  He's one of the greatest offensive players of his era, perhaps only LeBron is greater, and he is admitting he's 2nd guessing himself into bad games.  That's amazing.  That is absolutely amazing.  He's not just a 2X World Champion he's a 2X Finals MVP and we've gotten so deep into his head he is talking himself out of rhythm.  

Brooklyn was the odds on favorite to win the Championship early in the season.  Part of that was the addition of Harden, which ended because he couldn't take Kyrie's lack of reliability and commitment to the team, but it also was because KD and KI are Championship blooded.  They still are that, but we're the ones out for blood.  There were those who picked Brooklyn to win this series, there were those who picked Boston to win it, but nobody predicted the superstars of the Nets looking out of their depth.  If the Js played this series looking like deer in caught in headlights we'd all be the first to admit we're in deep trouble.  Well, it's Kevin Deer-ant that's seeing the bright lights coming at him.

Run at them hard.  Make it competitive and force Nash to play KD and KI 45 minutes.  They'll either wear down, and then we'll take them, or they'll be wobbly when we play them in Game 5 in Boston.  Either way works just fine.


Bob


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Bobh

My concerns going into this first round was based on not knowing if our defense could be good enough to win without Rob.  Theis had not played much in our 2 big lineup.  I really did not know he would be so effective.  

I figured we could win the series in 6 or 7 games.

This thing could still go 6 or 7 games but I still see a game 4 victory for our guys tonight.

Besides, the last thing Kyrie wants is to return to Boston for another game.  Our fans beat him down and it was so easy because he is extremely self-absorbed.

Want another reason?  Okay, as I said before, our dominance is based on a progressive tightening of the screws.  Each game they become less and less.  Kyrie and KG cannot coach their way out of the toilet bowl.  They are swimming around in the swirl just waiting for the final flush.

They beat us in 5 last year and were quite full of themselves.  This year the revenge factor is live.  It's about our team.  Like Jaylen said, he really does not care what's on KD's mind.  

Of course we can win in 5 but there is a point to be made by ending it tonight.  There can be no ambiguity.  There can be no consolation game for that wretched group.  We got those mf's in a two wheel cart heading to the execution platform.  Crowds are gathered everywhere, standing on rooftops and sitting in trees.  Babies are hosted up to the shoulders by their daddy's.

The Celtics are not down in Brooklyn on vacation.  They are on a business trip to win game(s).

They close it out tonight.

They are swimming around in the swirl just waiting for the final flush.

An apt description, and one I’ve never heard before!  Well said dboss!

I can't add anything to that, dboss!  Your last sentence sums it all up.  You're right about tonight being the closing of the door.  Our new defensive name is living up to its billing and tonight is no different.  It must be closed out tonight with even more horrific defensive will imposed on BKN.  I'd still like a complete game wire to wire, 20+ point win.  With RWIII needing some more run, I should get my wish.      

What I think one of the many problems BKN has right now is that we're discovering KD may be the mirror image of KI.  I don't think KD is a leader like they need in BKN.  He and KI are two great sidekicks.  I don't think he wants to be "that" leader.  His phrase that pays was made just before the series started after he addressed the Bruce Brown gaff.  "Just shut up and ball."  He has no desire to lead.  He just wants to ball.  Absolutely nothing wrong with that.  Most people aren't leaders. What he discovered in his quest to find "his" team was there's more to it than just ballin'.  WAY MORE.

Marcus Smart knows what it is to lead and be the heart and soul of this team and everything Boston.  He's embraced it and everyone.    

And as was pointed out word for word above, KI and KD nixed the idea long ago of wanting or having a coach, so they've got nobody that can jerk them up by the scruffs of their necks and get them in line.  That's what they got. No respect.  He gone.  Sorry Steve.  

I believe KI is far more to blame than KD.  KD at least had a vision.  KI just took a huge dump on it, lit it on fire and checked out.  So did James Harden.  KD is too nice of a guy to pick up the pieces and admit he is a poor judge of character and real friend selection.  He just wants to hoop.  Nothing wrong with that.  He found out a lot about himself over these two years.  He can still get as far away from this clown show pretty much unscathed.  But he's got to pack up and move out now.  KI's got to go as well.  BS has clearly checked out and with all his (lack of) performance(s) over the last year, he may have just ostracized himself to Dipshiticus Island for life.  Who's going to want that POS, really?  Good lord, ban him from the league and be done with him.

db