I Come to Praise the Cs, Not to Bury Them

Even if I wanted to bury them, the media is so busy doing it that I doubt there's any available shovels. And as usual, I think the media masses are wrong.


While I think there are a lot of differences between this year and last year, there are some similarities as well.

As an outsider, I thought the Perkins trade was a terrible idea from the jump, as a team built to win now was suddenly trading it's starting center for a 7th man and a future draft pick. More importantly, for a team whose identity has been forged around defense and commitment to each other, not only was the center of that defense gone, but for the core of the team, this had to feel like a huge sell out on Ainge's part.

Ray and Pierce took pay cuts to come back and give it another run. KG took a paycut in his original deal, and Rondo settled for less than market value to stay with the team. All were understandably pissed off and upset about it.

A team that wears its emotions on its sleeve and plays with the most consistent, openly-displayed passion of any in the NBA was going to have a hard time swallowing this deal. And that has been the case. The chemistry has been drastically affected, and it has shown on the court.


But nothing is constant. In fact, the only constant in the world is change. And that is what the media herd is ignoring, as usual.



I have a strong feeling Doc has sat the BIg 3 and Rondo down behind closed doors sometime over the last few days, and said something along the lines of the following:


"Guys, Danny and Wyc f*cked us. All of us. There's no two ways about it. We got f*cked.

Ray and Paul, you guy took pay cuts last summer to come back and give it another try. Rondo, you could have held out for more money in your deal too. And Kevin, you took a paycut to come here in the first place.

Hell, I was going to be watching my son's HS games all year, but I came back to do this one more time- because of my commitment to you.

And because of our commitment to each other.


And that's what this is all about. I understand that you guys are pissed. No one's more pissed than I am. After all the sacrifices we've all made, I still can't believe Wyc and Danny shipped Perk out from under us without giving this group another shot. So I understand the fact that you guys haven't felt like playing for the last 6-8 weeks. But the time to pout about this is over.

There's a lockout coming. There might not be a next season. And this is going to be the last time we are all part of the same team. So how are you going to go out ?

In 20 years, do you want to look back and think that after they traded Perk, we let this group's last best shot at a title go down the drain because we wanted to stick it to Danny and Wyc because they stuck it to us ? Or do you want to look back and say we won another title- not for Danny, not for Wyc, but in spite of them ? That we won another title not for them, but for us ?

Believe me, you're going to look back and want to know that you gave it everything you had. Not for the organization, but for the other guys sitting in this room right now. Because that's all that matters. "


Doc walks out of the room, leaving the other guys looking at each other, as they each start to nod their heads........



I'm pretty positive something along those lines has played out in the last day or two. I don't know if the Cs can beat Chicago without Perk's D and rebounding, but have a strong feeling that the Cs team on display the last few weeks is not going to resemble the team that's going to show up in the playoffs.

I have no doubt the Big 3 are going to leave any lingering bitterness behind and give it everything they have. And Miami will be in for a rude awakening in the second round.


The two big X-factors are the players who have the hardest time with the mental part of the game (Rondo) and the physical part of the game (Shaq).

If Rondo can get his head together and Shaq can get his foot right for a while, things could get very very interesting in the East.


Put it this way- when I divided up my playoff tickets , I made sure that one of my Finals games was Home Game 4. That would be a Game 7.

There's only one team in the East that can realistically get to the Finals where the 7th game would be in LA. And I would not be surprised to see that team get there. Not at all.


I don't know what's going to happen from here on out, but I know one thing- the concurrent resurgence of the Cs and the Lakers has been fantastic as a basketball fan. And I've enjoyed it every step of the way. As heartbreaking as losing to your arch-rival is, the joy of victory vs that team is even greater.

And as much as I don't like the Cs, I respect them more than any other opponent, as they are the Laker's most worthy opponent. By a mile.

I hope this latest golden age lasts a little longer for these teams. There's nothing better than this rivalry in the entire world of sports, because it's all about championships between them.


Good luck in getting to the Finals, gentlemen (and Rosie). Hopefully we'll have a rematch of last June this year.

One last time.

babyskyhook wrote:

Even if I wanted to bury them, the media is so busy doing it that I doubt there's any available shovels. And as usual, I think the media masses are wrong.


While I think there are a lot of differences between this year and last year, there are some similarities as well.

As an outsider, I thought the Perkins trade was a terrible idea from the jump, as a team built to win now was suddenly trading it's starting center for a 7th man and a future draft pick. More importantly, for a team whose identity has been forged around defense and commitment to each other, not only was the center of that defense gone, but for the core of the team, this had to feel like a huge sell out on Ainge's part.

Ray and Pierce took pay cuts to come back and give it another run. KG took a paycut in his original deal, and Rondo settled for less than market value to stay with the team. All were understandably pissed off and upset about it.

A team that wears its emotions on its sleeve and plays with the most consistent, openly-displayed passion of any in the NBA was going to have a hard time swallowing this deal. And that has been the case. The chemistry has been drastically affected, and it has shown on the court.


But nothing is constant. In fact, the only constant in the world is change. And that is what the media herd is ignoring, as usual.



I have a strong feeling Doc has sat the BIg 3 and Rondo down behind closed doors sometime over the last few days, and said something along the lines of the following:


"Guys, Danny and Wyc f*cked us. All of us. There's no two ways about it. We got f*cked.

Ray and Paul, you guy took pay cuts last summer to come back and give it another try. Rondo, you could have held out for more money in your deal too. And Kevin, you took a paycut to come here in the first place.

Hell, I was going to be watching my son's HS games all year, but I came back to do this one more time- because of my commitment to you.

And because of our commitment to each other.


And that's what this is all about. I understand that you guys are pissed. No one's more pissed than I am. After all the sacrifices we've all made, I still can't believe Wyc and Danny shipped Perk out from under us without giving this group another shot. So I understand the fact that you guys haven't felt like playing for the last 6-8 weeks. But the time to pout about this is over.

There's a lockout coming. There might not be a next season. And this is going to be the last time we are all part of the same team. So how are you going to go out ?

In 20 years, do you want to look back and think that after they traded Perk, we let this group's last best shot at a title go down the drain because we wanted to stick it to Danny and Wyc because they stuck it to us ? Or do you want to look back and say we won another title- not for Danny, not for Wyc, but in spite of them ? That we won another title not for them, but for us ?

Believe me, you're going to look back and want to know that you gave it everything you had. Not for the organization, but for the other guys sitting in this room right now. Because that's all that matters. "


Doc walks out of the room, leaving the other guys looking at each other, as they each start to nod their heads........


I'm pretty positive something along those lines has played out in the last day or two. I don't know if the Cs can beat Chicago without Perk's D and rebounding, but have a strong feeling that the Cs team on display the last few weeks is not going to resemble the team that's going to show up in the playoffs.

I have no doubt the Big 3 are going to leave any lingering bitterness behind and give it everything they have. And Miami will be in for a rude awakening in the second round.


The two big X-factors are the players who have the hardest time with the mental part of the game (Rondo) and the physical part of the game (Shaq).

If Rondo can get his head together and Shaq can get his foot right for a while, things could get very very interesting in the East.


Put it this way- when I divided up my playoff tickets , I made sure that one of my Finals games was Home Game 4. That would be a Game 7.

There's only one team in the East that can realistically get to the Finals where the 7th game would be in LA. And I would not be surprised to see that team get there. Not at all.


I don't know what's going to happen from here on out, but I know one thing- the concurrent resurgence of the Cs and the Lakers has been fantastic as a basketball fan. And I've enjoyed it every step of the way. As heartbreaking as losing to your arch-rival is, the joy of victory vs that team is even greater.

And as much as I don't like the Cs, I respect them more than any other opponent, as they are the Laker's most worthy opponent. By a mile.

I hope this latest golden age lasts a little longer for these teams. There's nothing better than this rivalry in the entire world of sports, because it's all about championships between them.


Good luck in getting to the Finals, gentlemen (and Rosie). Hopefully we'll have a rematch of last June this year.

One last time.

Once doc plays that victim card watch out... because hate trumps love... you can count on it.

I can just see the youngest, least mature, the angriest of the bunch thinking.... naw... I'm way ahead of you guys..... lets screw Wych.

Lets quit on him. He deserves it.

And what does doc say to that?

NADA! His goose is cooked.

GC

Wasn't even going to bother witha responce but

I think it's a crock, but everyones entitled to an opinion.

beat

BSK

let me add this,

I have little doubt players were upset, and Doc may have had his doubts, hell for that matter even Ainge and ownership too, BUT to think this carried on to that degree is just beyond my degree of belief. No way they go out and tank games. They were obviously distracted but I highly doubt anything like you mentioned took place.

This has been dealt with ad nausium on here and It is high time it's put to bed. It was 2 months ago. No one drives a car forward, looking in the rear view mirror. It's done and over and it isn't going to change. Good luck to Perk but he's not a C any more.

I'll root for the team that we have, no second guesses, no looking back.

beat

Well done BSH.

I'm not sure the "conversation" went exactly like that, since Doc was asked for his approval of the trade and he gave it, so he can't just dump on Wyc and Danny, but the rest of what you said makes sense. How do you want to fade to black? Like warriors or like wimpy, little crybabies?

@gacracker,

First of all, I don't see it as "the victim card", I see it as a "let's get our heads straight and get back to that mountain top together" type of conversation. Maybe I'm just blowing smoke up my own skirt, but that's how I read it. The best teams in the world, I don't care if you're talking about the Bill Russell Celtics, the US Marines or the Navy Seals, are based upon achieving superior results through shared sacrifice and NOT from the promise of shared reward. I don't see any effort by Doc to create an "us against them" mentality as being negative. Quite the opposite. To borrow a phrase, he's trying to remind them that they are still "the few, the proud", with or without Perk.

As far as your comment about "the youngest, least mature and angriest" member of the Big 4, I'd just like to point out that screwing Wyc and Danny also means screwing the other 3, Davis, West and everybody else on that team that he has been going to war with. Furthermore, who wants to be known, on national TV, as playing like crap when the money's on the table during the playoffs?

There's too much at stake for that kind of self-destructive (and I'm taking the whole team down with me) type of mentality to gather any momentum. Sorry, I don't buy it, and I won't buy it, until I actually see it.

bob

.

beat wrote:Wasn't even going to bother witha responce but

I think it's a crock, but everyones entitled to an opinion.

beat

BSK

let me add this,

I have little doubt players were upset, and Doc may have had his doubts, hell for that matter even Ainge and ownership too, BUT to think this carried on to that degree is just beyond my degree of belief. No way they go out and tank games. They were obviously distracted but I highly doubt anything like you mentioned took place.

This has been dealt with ad nausium on here and It is high time it's put to bed. It was 2 months ago. No one drives a car forward, looking in the rear view mirror. It's done and over and it isn't going to change. Good luck to Perk but he's not a C any more.

I'll root for the team that we have, no second guesses, no looking back.

beat

beat-

You either didn't read the entire post or mis-interpreted it.

The whole point of the post is that sometime in the last few days, Doc has said to these guys what you did- Perk's gone, there's nothing to be done about it, and it's time to look forward not back.

As I said in the original post, I think they'll respond and the Cs will look like a differed team in the postseason.

I never said they tanked games, I said their chemistry was disrupted and they didn't feel like playing after the Perk trade. I mostly see just their nationally televised games, but based on those games and their record, it looked like the Cs were two different teams pre and post-trade.

Before the trade, they looked like one of the beat teams in the league. Afterwards, they've looked mediocre. Whatever the disruptions caused by incorporating new bench players are, the big dropoff has been in the production of the Big 3 and Rondo.

And that's no coincidence. Those guys were the closest to Perk and they're not worried about rebuilding or the future. They want to win now, and understandably were upset that one ofnyhe guys they've been going into battle with was taken out of the equation. They wouldn't be human if they weren't pissed off about it. I think anyone in that situation would have reacted the same way.


Not sure what part of it you think is a crock, but I can't believe Doc wouldn't give a "Clear the air and let's all move forward together" speech. The Cs needed an attitude adjustment. I think some motivational thinking from Doc and the arrival of the playoffs will bring it.

BSH

Perhaps but I doubt it went anything like your suggest.

If these guys need Doc to get in their ear NOW that the playoffs are here We do have issues.

beat

bobheckler wrote:Well done BSH.

I'm not sure the "conversation" went exactly like that, since Doc was asked for his approval of the trade and he gave it, so he can't just dump on Wyc and Danny, but the rest of what you said makes sense. How do you want to fade to black? Like warriors or like wimpy, little crybabies?

@gacracker,

First of all, I don't see it as "the victim card", I see it as a "let's get our heads straight and get back to that mountain top together" type of conversation. Maybe I'm just blowing smoke up my own skirt, but that's how I read it. The best teams in the world, I don't care if you're talking about the Bill Russell Celtics, the US Marines or the Navy Seals, are based upon achieving superior results through shared sacrifice and NOT from the promise of shared reward. I don't see any effort by Doc to create an "us against them" mentality as being negative. Quite the opposite. To borrow a phrase, he's trying to remind them that they are still "the few, the proud", with or without Perk.


bob

.

Bob-

You're exactly right. It's not about a victim card. It's about acknowledging reality and saying it's time to pull together and move on.

Your example of the Marines is a good one. As much as we fans cheer for the team colors and whoever is wearing them,( whether it's the red white and blue, the green and white or the purple and gold), the reality is that the guys on the ground, whether it's the Marines or the Cs or the Lakers, are playing for each other more than anything else.

Guys don't risk their lives charging out in front of a machine gun emplacement or a sniper's nest exposing themselves to enemy fire to drag their buddy back to a foxhole for some vauge notion of patriotism. They do it because of their devotion to and reliance on each other.

Of course guys in the Marines are patriotic and fight for the USA, just as the players have some affection for the organization. But the players also know it's a business and they're expendable, so in most cases they are playing more for the guys on the court with them than forthe organization. Which is exactly why I think the Perk trade had such a disruptive effect, and why Doc has presumably cleared the air once and for all in the last few days.

Because that's what it now comes down to. How do they want to be remembered ?

beat wrote:BSH

Perhaps but I doubt it went anything like your suggest.

If these guys need Doc to get in their ear NOW that the playoffs are here We do have issues.

beat

beat-

I agree that the arrival of the playoffs is a big part of the equation, because the Cs has the same problem as the Lakers in the reg season.

When you've been to multiple Finals over a three year period, and gone to a game 7 against your biggest rival the previous year, there is simply no way to get energized for a lot of the reg season games. After playing in a game 7, a game against the Clips or Cavs or Toronto is hard to get pumped for. Meanwhile, those teams, especially at home, are playing like it is game 7, as they're not coming anywhere close to the playoffs.


The motivation level of both Boston and LA will look a lot different starting tomorrow than it has for the last couple of weeks. I think both teams will either sweep or win in five in the first round.

The board has been split in two or prolly three over this subject and man is it a hard one.

I think the results pre and post trade speak loud and clear.

This has become the third rail of Sam's club. I felt if we could have one O neal and Perk we would win 18 and screw the competition. But as usual its more comlicated than that. This team has had the worst luck with injuries I have seen since the 87 Celtics. In fact the big three (unless they rally and win it this year) will be defined by injuries. I wish it was not so but it is. From Quis's freakish neck injury to Shaq's keystone cops routine and his lack of focus on conditioning throughout his career coming back round to bite him at long last where it really hurts...his legacy. This incarnation of the Celts has NEVER been healthy except the year they won it and at the first to middle of the year and in those times they have dominated the competition. Just bitchslapped em. Imho this is what has us all so damn crazy over the trade. If Shaq was suited up and doing what he was at the first of the year and we had not endured all the other countless injuries then the trade would not be near as big of a deal. But it seems to me Danny was counting on having a big ol SHaqace up his sleeve or at least a king of JON and things to date are not breaking his way. If he intended to go to war with Kristic as his starting center then he is just a damn fool and I hope to god he steps down.

But it is indeed all in the past now and I will indeed pull for what remains of the Celts I started the year pulling for. I lament the loss of chemistry because chemistry that good is awful rare but it's all over. The trade happened the old chemistry is screwed and hopefully there is new chemistry yet unfolded which will add to Celtic lore and not make us all want to fire Danny Ainge.

I will say my faith in Danny has been shaken to the foundation. I will also be the first to admit being wrong if this all bounces our way.

One thing for sure is that every time I underestimate this team I get spoken to. Which means the team proves me shortsighted.

Jeb

"Guys, Danny and Wyc f*cked us. All of us. There's no two ways about it. We got f*cked."


Where I come from, fellas.... that's playing the victim card.

Us against them.... indeed... with them being Celtic ownership, the f*cker.

Not a good idea. A desperate idea in which doc seals his own doom.

GC

This entire thread is a bunch of nonsense from two people GA and BSH that have NO CLUE what really went on behind closed doors.

The only reason this team is even in contention to win #18 is because of the ownership digging deep into their pockets to pay Ray and KG. Now at the first sign of trouble - some out here are ready to throw in the towel.

What a joke.

PS - Jeb - there is nothing to worry about....as people like GA and MD will disappear when the Celtics are no longer a hot commodity...and then the real fans, fans that understand the journey and the battle are where the real joy lies - will remain.

Sam and Beat and Cowens and Bob and Outside and NYCelts and a whole lot of others out here will be here for the long haul...you can count on it.

mrkleen09 wrote:This entire thread is a bunch of nonsense from two people GA and BSH that have NO CLUE what really went on behind closed doors.

The only reason this team is even in contention to win #18 is because of the ownership digging deep into their pockets to pay Ray and KG. Now at the first sign of trouble - some out here are ready to throw in the towel.

What a joke.

PS - Jeb - there is nothing to worry about....as people like GA and MD will disappear when the Celtics are no longer a hot commodity...and then the real fans, fans that understand the journey and the battle are where the real joy lies - will remain.

Sam and Beat and Cowens and Bob and Outside and NYCelts and a whole lot of others out here will be here for the long haul...you can count on it.

Sorry MrKleen. I don't claim to have a clue as to what happened behind the scenes.

I am suggesting that doc could not possibly take the "Us against DA/Wyc" tact that BSH is suggesting might be motivational without destroying himself in the process.

GC

mrkleen09 wrote:This entire thread is a bunch of nonsense from two people GA and BSH that have NO CLUE what really went on behind closed doors.

The only reason this team is even in contention to win #18 is because of the ownership digging deep into their pockets to pay Ray and KG. Now at the first sign of trouble - some out here are ready to throw in the towel.

What a joke.

PS - Jeb - there is nothing to worry about....as people like GA and MD will disappear when the Celtics are no longer a hot commodity...and then the real fans, fans that understand the journey and the battle are where the real joy lies - will remain.

Sam and Beat and Cowens and Bob and Outside and NYCelts and a whole lot of others out here will be here for the long haul...you can count on it.

Voice of reason

Mrkleen just love how so many seem to know so much. Was it a gamble was it a risk? Hell at the time of the TRADE where the heck were we? We had like 7 healthy players PERIOD. Perk himself had not been back long and was OUT AGAIN! So we got some healthy bodies.

Geesh this is so utterly stupid.

And if we should lose then I can just imagine the fire and brimstone that will be hurled towards DA and ownership.

And I can live with it cause I'M A FRIGGIN FAN OF THE CELTICS regardles if they win or loose and regardless of who the HELL is on the court!

Looking forward not backwards!

beat

And Agreed GA If DOC had to resort to that $hit then we got a whole lot of overpaid prima donnas in that locker room and I know damn well we don't!

I don't care what the media and fans think about the Perk trade.

It is time to put it to bed.

Gacracker and babyskyhook would it make any sense to watch the playoffs and reserve the he f'd up blabber for after the playoffs?

Perk is gone for crying out loud but we did not trade away Russell, or Cowens or Parish or Jabbar or Dwight Howard or Wilt Chamberlain or Moses Malone or Bill Walton or Patrick Ewing or any other center who's very presence defines the possibility of winning or losing.

We traded away a role player. Role players can always be replaced. Perkins did not make the Celtics a great team. To the contray. The Celtics made Perkins a good player. Perkins played 12 games for us this year. He does not matter. And he will never be able to play as well with OKC as he did being surrounded by his former Celtics teamates.

Enjoy the playoffs

dboss

Hey Sam if you are reading this crap, I wonder just exactly how you feel? I can tell you that my thoughts are different than alot of those expressed here. Call me naive, call me blind, call me a homer, call me whatever you want. There is no way these guys let this season go the way it did on purpose. NOT MY CELTICS!!! I have never read so much garbage in my life. Perk was here, we loved him and as I said before, alot of us thought he would be here forever. Well, that doesn't always happen, especially in this day and age in sports. I loved the kid, but.....he was not the be all, end all that some are purporting him to be.

Let's give this subject a break, you didn't mind patting Wyc on the back when he spent the money to bring Ray and KG here, now he is a jerk.

I will never understand the way some people think. IT'S OVER, LET'S GO BEAT THE KNICKS AND PUT THIS STORY TO REST FINALLY.

Rosalie,

Well, I read it all because it's my job as moderator. And what I see is a lot of conjecture, frustration, and earnest opinions being expressed. Frankly, a lot of it is what I refer to as "fanspeak." It has no proven relationship to the thought processes of the players or the front office. The only relevance it has is purely academic as far as I'm concerned. But there's nothing wrong with the expression of such opinions, and they're civilly presented.

As a Celtics fan (not a moderator), I really can't be bothered by such distractions any longer. I am officially in lockdown playoff mode. Focus, focus, focus. That's what the team's doing right now, and I've always tried to use the team as my guide. So, as I expressed in another thread, I'm in a "beat the snot out of them" zone. And all the rest is simply indicative of the fact that people are interested.

Take care, Rosalie, and Go Celtics!

Sam

Focus, Focus, Focus-Does somebody REALLY need three Ford subcompact models? (LOL)-MD

Just for the record, I am perfectly fine with the Perk trade. No qualms at all.

Where I have a problem is with BSH's wanting Doc to play the victim's card by suggesting that the Perk trade threw the team under the bus... and if they want to get even with the culprits (DA and Wyc), the team needs to win #18 despite what management/ownership did to them.

"Pssssst: Listen guys.... DA/Wyc f*cked the team, plain and simple," according to BSH's motivational narrative for doc, words he puts in doc's mouth to say to his team so that they will man up, get mad, get even.... and play inspired ball.

That dog won't hunt where I come from.

That's treason... plain and simple.... and that blows up in doc's face.

Bad idea, BSH. That's biting the hand that feeds you.... and it never stops.

Now if the idea is to clear the air... get doc, DA and ownership together with the team for a pow wow.

That has possibilities.. but everything needs to be up front and on the table... rather than self-serving backstabbing.

GC

BSH-
YOu gotta respect em...my team...they don't own your team but 9-3 aint bad.

Most of us are employees. Probably 99% of people were employees at one time. We work for the man or woman. And even if we don't work for the man we work for our spouses and family. Even if we own our own business we have to answer to clients and regulators in our respective industries. We have to answer to somebody.

The immediate, easiest kneejerk employee response to drastic changes doled out by management is that we are getting screwed somehow. Most of us have been fired at one time or another. That's usually the primary front line of fire where we feel the pinch most.

Now while I, like BSH, enjoy the creating a possible/probable scene or fantasy scenario within the Celtics organization and have done it several times here and on bdc.com, BSH scenario falls under the disgruntled employee mindset highlighted above. Did it happen this way? Who knows. Maybe to some extent, but probably not. Employees always express their negative opinions about management on a daily basis. Usually not to those they report to, but they are always talking about how they could do things better.

Doc doing it that way just doesn't sound like Doc, especially since he signed off on it. He knew what he was getting into. Doc doesn't motivate that way and he hasn't had the success he has had pitting employees vs. management. He had to sell this to the team as the best possible decision going forward. So shaking Danny's hand and them turning around to the team and saying we're f*cked is a recipe for Doc getting the axe personally from Danny. Management's going to do what they do because that's what they do...change things. They weigh all the pros and cons and in this case it was a very complicated decision. This decision was based on the present and the future of the Boston Celtics.

After the grieving period, which some will argue took us all the way to the playoffs, the remaining Celtics and the new Celtics had to come together to satisfy the still unchanging goal...Banner 18. They had to trust Danny did the right thing and knew what he was doing. And play like they did Friday night and show the world this is going to work.

I'm very interested in today's game, getting back to Sam's mantra of Focus, Focus, Focus. If the Celtics turn in a similar performance to Friday's, lookout MIA, you will be swept as well. The Knicks have had some unfortunate events happen at the wrong time. I'll take our regular season of injuries for us over the Knicks current circumstances anyday.

This Celtics team and organization has seen every possible situation that lays in front of them before, mainly thanks to LeBron and his CLE days. Every team barring the Celtics has superstars in the current NBA defintion of the word. We have been shutting them down for years and robbing them of title runs. We will shut down LeBron and DWade again, we will shut down D12, we will shut down DRose if they even make it past Round 2. All this year.

dbrown -

yes yes yes.

we are making a run - our annual run. today's game (Sunday) is supposed to be a big game for the Knicks. but it's a big game for the C's. run the table, get a few days off and rest and prepare - that would be ideal, and i bet that's what they will be shooting at.

while they're shooting at that, if their shooting is in the same groove that it was in game 3, we will take the Knicks in four ! and if bench production improves so that they at least hold the lead, we're in like flint.

come on, bench, step it up, and GO CELTICS !

Michael