POST GAME MIAMI - GAME # 5

ACT #5 - THE "I CHOKE AT HOME" SCENE - STARING THE MIAMI HEAT - IN A DAVID STERN PRODUCTION

HOW NOT TO EXCEED IN THE NBA WITH SUPER STARS TRYING!


I LOVE A QUIET ARENA WHILE ON THE ROAD!!!!!!!!

GOTTA LOVE EACH AND EVERYONE ON THE CELTICS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HOW ABOUT THESE STATS MIAMI - FG - 39.0% 3 PT - 26.9% FT - 76.0%


NEXT GAME - THURSDAY - HOME - 8:30PM - ESPN

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POST GAME RECAP

WEEI 850

FAST BREAK: TRUTH IS, CELTICS ONE WIN FROM NBA FINALS
By Ben Rohrbach

Shooting just 5-of-18 from the field through the first 47:07.1 of Game 5 and his Celtics leading by just one, Paul Pierce pulled up for a trey in Heat superstar LeBron James‘ face with 52.9 seconds remaining, and The Truth’s shot was true, giving the Celtics a four-point lead that led to a 94-90 victory.

In a frenzied fourth quarter that featured four lead changes, two ties and countless great plays on both sides, Pierce’s triple was the greatest, effectively giving the Celtics a 3-2 lead over the Heat in the Eastern Conference semifinals with Game 6 in Boston on Thursday night.

Somehow, someway, the C’s Big Four of Kevin Garnett (26 points, 11 rebounds), Pierce (19 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists), Rajon Rondo (13 points, 13 assists, 6 rebounds) and Ray Allen (13 points, 7 rebounds) — despite shooting 40.7 percent from the field — outshined the Heat’s Big Three of LeBron James (30 points, 13 rebounds), Dwyane Wade (27 points) and the ghost of Chris Bosh (9 points, 14 minutes).

WHAT WENT RIGHT

Third dimension: Over the final six minutes of the third quarter, the Celtics turned a 59-50 deficit into a 65-60 lead entering the fourth. The 15-1 run included buckets from Allen, Pierce, Greg Stiemsma, Garnett, Mickael Pietrus and Keyon Dooling — not to mention great defense by all, holding the Heat without a field goal.

Garnett gets going: After trailing by as much as 13 in the second quarter, the Celtics made a concerted effort to go back to what’s worked throughout these playoffs — getting Garnett involved in the post. His 1-of-7 start from the field was mostly the result of shots off the block, but he took advantage of a legless Bosh, and Rondo fed him for a couple late layups that helped the Celtics cut the Heat lead to 42-40 by the half.

Free Bassing: While Pierce and Rondo started a combined 3-of-18 from the field, the Celtics desperately needed offense elsewhere. Enter Brandon Bass. It wasn’t quite his 27-point masterpiece against the 76ers, but Bass started 4-of-5 from the field for 10 points to go along with three rebounds, two steals and a block by halftime.

WHAT WENT WRONG

Playing from behind: During a 3:59 stretch in the first quarter, the Celtics failed to score and fell behind 16-9. Starting 4-of-17 from the floor, they trailed the entire opening 12 minutes. The Heat can score in bunches, and the C’s toyed with fire early, as small deficits can balloon quickly against James and Wade. Still, despite shooting 33.3 percent in the first half, the Celtics hung around, eventually snaring leads in the third and fourth quarters.

Like a Bosh: While Bosh clearly didn’t have his wind, he gave the Heat and the arena a lift when he entered the game for Udonis Haslem 6:55 into the first quarter. With a turnaround bank shot against Stiemsma as well as an and-1 spin move in the lane against Garnett, Bosh gave Miami both bench scoring and an inside presence that they didn’t have in Games 1-4.

Rondo’s elbow: Diving for a loose ball in the first quarter, Rondo appeared to tweak the same left elbow that limited him to one arm in the Heat series a season ago. He left the first quarter with 2:04 remaining, mainly because he had already picked up a pair of fouls, but he iced the elbow on the bench. It didn’t appear to bother him in the second quarter, when he made a remarkable one-handed put-back with his left. Obviously, any blow to Rondo would be devastating, and the Celtics seemed to survive the scare, even if Rondo wasn’t at his finest.
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ESPNBOSTON.COM
Rapid Reaction: C's 94, Heat 90 (Game 5)

By Chris Forsberg | ESPNBoston.com
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Rajon Rondo and the Celtics started slow, but soon charged to a Game 5 victory.

Rapid reaction after the Boston Celtics defeated the Miami Heat 94-90 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals at AmericanAirlines Arena. (Boston leads the series, 3-2).

HOW THE GAME WAS WON
Kevin Garnett scored a team-high 26 points on 11-of-20 shooting and added 11 rebounds, but it was Paul Pierce who overcame early shooting woes to chip in 19 points -- most notably a huge 3-pointer in the final minute -- to propel Boston to a monster road victory. LeBron James scored a game-high 30 points and added 13 rebounds, while Dwyane Wade added 27 points to help pace the Heat.

TURNING POINT I
The Celtics looked in meltdown mode midway through the third quarter. Rajon Rondo had a mind-numbing backcourt violation and soon after Brandon Bass got a technical for slamming the ball down after a traveling violation. After rallying to tie the game at 50, the Celtics soon found themselves down nine with Miami looking to run away with the game. Instead, Boston closed out the quarter on a sizzling 15-1 run. Not only did Miami not generate a single bucket over the final six minutes of the frame, but Mickael Pietrus and Keyon Dooling drained consecutive 3-pointers to end the frame and put Boston out front 65-60. Of course, the seesaw was just getting moving.

TURNING POINT II
The Celtics were up six with 10½ minutes to go when James Jones made an offensive rebound sting with a 3-pointers to halve the lead. A minute later, Rondo came up with a steal and was going the other way when Heat rookie Norris Cole picked his pocket from behind and Wade converted a second-chance layup to get the lead to one. Miami had all the momentum and James followed a layup with a 3-pointer to push the Heat back out front. Four more points from Wade put Miami up six with little more than six minutes to play. Then it was Boston's turn.

TURNING POINT III
Rondo's fingerprints were all over the next Boston run, assisting on a Pietrus 3-pointer (an incredible touch pass for a crucial triple) and adding two buckets. Then it was Garnett's turn. First he blocked a James layup attempt, then put Boston out front 81-80 with a baseline jumper with 2:54 to play. Mario Chalmers got tagged with a technical that added another point to Boston's lead. He atoned with a 3-pointer, only for Pietrus to answer with one of his own. All of which only set up...

THE BIG FINISH
The Celtics were nursing a one-point lead (this after Udonis Haslem missed the front end of two freebies with 72 seconds to go). Pierce, sluggish out of the gates but heated up late, stepped up on the left wing and splashed a 3-pointer with James in his mug for a 90-86 lead with 52 seconds to go. Miami never got a chance to tie the game, Boston making its free throws to keep the Heat at arm's length.

BOLD PLAY OF THE GAME
During Boston's third-quarter run, the Celtics got in transition after a James miss (Pierce quickly getting the ball ahead to Rondo). Garnett was trailing the play, but James rolled out the red carpet and no one else stepped up in the lane (Jones offering a half-hearted foul) as Garnett threw down a tomahawk jam with 1:31 to play in the frame. With the free throw, Boston had tied the game at 60 and set the table for an insane and heart-stopping fourth quarter.

FIRST QUARTER: BOSH PLAY OF THE GAME
James and Wade combined for 14 early points, but it was the return of Chris Bosh that higlhighted the opening frame for Miami. Late in the frame, Bosh got the ball rolling to the basket, slipped through Pietrus (who didn't offer much resistance) and Garnett (who compounded matters by delivering a foul) for a layup and an old-fashioned three-point play. Bosh chipped in five first-quarter points in a four-minute stint and the Heat owned a four-point lead (24-16) after 12 minutes.

SECOND QUARTER: C'S HANG AROUND
Despite trailing by as much as 13 and looking downright atrocious on offense, the Celtics hung around thanks in large part to Miami's turnovers (11 in the first half, with C's credited with 10 steals) and Boston's defense (Miami missed 15 of its final 17 shots in the first half). Boston shot a mere 33 percent (14 of 42) before the break, but Miami wasn't much better (36.6 percent, 15 of 41) and the Heat were clinging to a 42-40 advantage at the intermission.

EARLY TROUBLES FOR RONDO
Rondo seemed a bit off early, missing his first five shots and turning the ball over twice in a haphazard first quarter. Compounding matters, Rondo picked up two fouls in less than seven minutes and appeared to suffer some sort of left elbow injury that needed sideline attention from trainer Ed Lacerte. He eventually shook the cobwebs, despite some head-shaking moments in the second half, and was key to Boston's victory by dishing out 13 assists (to go along with seven points and six rebounds over 44 minutes).

WHAT IT MEANS
Go figure, the Celtics have made things easy on themselves for a change. Not that Game 5 was particularly easy. The Celtics weathered the storms and made some big late-game plays to steal the win on the road. Boston has now won three straight while rallying out of an 0-2 hole and sit one win away from a third trip to the NBA Finals in five seasons. Boston, which is now 9-0 in Game 5s of a tied series in the Big Three era, has a chance to close out at TD Garden on Thursday night. The alternative is less-than-enticing: A return to South Beach on Saturday night for a potential Game 7.

i had work and other issues going on tonight and had to watch the game once i got home, dern recording stopped with just under 3 minutes to play.. had to look online to see we won..

wow, after everything the Boston Celtics have went through this year, to be back again so close to the finals, how can one not love this team? how can one not have pride, Celtic Pride in this team?

dont matter what happens from here on out, this team has played with more heart than almost any other celtics team.. its a honor to just be a fan along for the ride.

Quote from Matty: "dont matter what happens from here on out, this team has played with more heart than almost any other celtics team.. its a honor to just be a fan along for the ride."

Well just a minute young whippersnapper. I've followed the Celtics since the late 50's and I can tell you there were many, many Celtic teams that played with great heart. So if you would be willing to modify that to "this team has played with as much heart" then I'm on board. In fact this team reminds me of some of the old Celtic teams. I had a feeling even in the first half - check it out on the "game on" thread - that they were going to win. In short, I felt confident. That's a feeling I haven't had for a lot of this season. It's a good feeling. One that you had every time the older Celtic teams stepped out on the floor - you just knew that they were going to win. And so did they.

One more win!

As Sam says.......... focus.

And that's my summary, we played so "hard" if not always well.

Mentally we have it so together compared to them. 48 more minutes then we all can take a few days off.

beat

And in looking over the stats,

appeared Bosh played "well", then I looked at the plus minus and saw he was -12 in 14+ minutes. Worst of all Miami players.

sorry Matty, you young guys think this is the only team that has played with HEART???? Let me tell you, I have lived thru some of the greatest victories in Celtic history. Granted, this is one great team, I love them all, but learn about the past my friend. 1969 was one hell of a year!!!!

I JUST HAVE ONE QUESTION, "DID THIS REALLY HAPPEN?"

I couldn't go to sleep for hours after that game last night, and woke up at 6:00 this morning question myself "did they really win?" This was one awesome win last night, Garnett was not going to let them lose, and Rondo finally came alive in the 4th. Pietrus found the shot he had lost, Dooling hit that three, Paul struggled to 19 points, but hit that big one in the 4th. Oh my God, they did it!!

Now we are coming home, take it here guys, let's not have to go back to Miami.

Rosalie

....this should be over if game 2 was not blatently given to the Miami Cheat, karma can a bitch, they made us just play harder, better.....CELTIC PRIDE!!!!

Rosalie:

Great to be excited over an important win. However, the series isn't over until the Celtics secure that 4th win over Miami. Doc told the team, "They're not gonna' give it to you, you gotta' go get it." He's right. I bet Riley will have much input on Heat strategy from here on in. It's clear Spoelstra can't match wits with Doc.

MD!

MD -- I never celebrate anything until it is over. However, beating Miami on their home court last night was huge. There is not doubt it is not over. Four more quarters of good basketball will be what they need to put this team on vacation. You never have to worry about me getting ahead of myself when it comes to the Celtics! I've been around too long, seen too many loses to say anything but 'IT AIN'T OVER TILL THE FAT LADY SINGS"


Rosalie

Rosalie:

If the Fat Lady's Aretha Franklin, she's got a lot to warm up to get to her pipes! (LOL)

MD!

Rondo Ray and PP a combined 11 for 43. OUCH and we still prevailed.

MD, I doubt any of us think this is over by any stretch. I know I am as nervous as hell, heck I never really thought we had a real chance this series to be honest but we have dug down and found a way to grind out games dispite whatever is thrown our way.

Obviously winning game 6 at home would be a blessing and would give us a few extra days off. Nobody here wants us to have to travel back to Miami.

One big step closer to that goal of number 18.

beat

Adrian Wojnarowski
While LeBron James experiment teeters on collapse, Erik Spoelstra reveals Heat's softness

MIAMI – As his superstars stayed back in the losing locker room, Erik Spoelstra made an unprompted, revealing plea on the stage. No one had led him with a question, but the coach of these Miami Heat delivered an unmistakable message to LeBron James. Here was the disciple of Pat Riley, flinching, covering up, expecting the worst of the world, and proclaiming his concern about the ability of his fragile stars to construct a wall between them and the doubt that dooms seasons.

"Our focus is to fight any kind of noise from the outside, or any human condition," Spoelstra said late on Tuesday night. The human condition is this: He's begging his Heat stars to do something they didn't do a year ago, when they lost a series lead, lost the momentum, lost the edge and lost their way going into a Game 6. Please, please, don't collapse under the weight of our frailties again.

Spoelstra knows his superstar, his leader, and made an appeal that counterpart Doc Rivers wouldn't need to do with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo still playing in their 40's.

Fight the human condition? As defensive concession speeches go, Spoelstra hit all the code words for his own apprehension over the gathering storm of a Heat Armageddon.

He had to know that he possibly coached his final game at AmericanAirlines Arena with this startling 94-90 Game 5 loss, that losing in the conference finals would leave him with nothing but a notebook of cool Doc Rivers plays to bring with him to Charlotte.

"I never thought we would be in this situation," Dwyane Wade said.

That's the problem for the Heat, and a year after they collapsed in the NBA Finals it's a mindset that still hangs over them. He was talking about going down 3-2 to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals, but this was a reflection of something bigger.

All along, they believed this would be easy, that the NBA would lay down for them. Two years ago, they believed this resembled Team USA, that most of the league would crumble like Angola to them. Now, they lose a Game 5 to the Celtics, a team they've had every chance to discard, and here's how LeBron James talks about one more playoff night, when the Heat couldn't match the Celtics' resolve, execution and championship character.

"We played good enough to give ourselves a chance to win," James said. "That's all you can ask for."

In what universe is that all the NBA's three-time Most Valuable Player can ask for? To play well enough for a chance to win?

There's no way James believes that because his talent is too great – too historic – to sound so resigned to this fate. The Heat need to understand that this is unacceptable, that the sloppy play, the turnovers, the abject failure to run a play, to spare themselves breakdowns, eats away to his core.

As a Cleveland Cavalier two years ago, James was a mess upon his arrival in Boston for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. He had completely tanked Game 5. His disposition, his determination, has been exemplary in these playoffs. His game has been largely efficient, and almost always spectacular. Yet, he's had moments in the fourth quarter where he could've made plays, made shots, that would've crushed these Celtics. And it hasn't happened.

This is a contrarian basketball culture that will make excuses for him: From Spoelstra to the complementary players, from Wade to Chris Bosh. James deemed them championship-worthy, cast his lot here, and he's responsible for the results. The MVP gets the glory and he gets the blame. Miami is good enough to beat Boston, and anything short of victory is a failure for the ages.

"At this point, it's not about schemes," Wade said. "It's not about play-calling."

Which is good news for the Heat, considering Rivers has reminded everyone why, along with Gregg Popovich, he's one of the NBA's two best coaches. When he disguised his man-to-man as a zone in the fourth quarter, the Heat were lost, and the Celtics had a chance to make that relentless comeback full of Rondo loose ball tips for assists, Michael Pietrus 3-pointers, Kevin Garnett rebounds and a Paul Pierce 3-pointer over the out-stretched arms of James in the final minute.

People wanted to make a big deal out of James and Wade refusing to go to the interview podium in a loss when they never miss the chance in victory. At this point, who cares anymore?

The only relevance to James' words in the locker room is the absence of malice over losing, the sense that a Game 5 loss when Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen missed 32 of 43 shots is somehow palatable. Hey, we were close. We had our chances. What else can you ask for? The superstar doesn't ask for anything else: he demands it. Of himself, of others.

Down 3-2 on the way back to Boston, losers of 15 of their past 16 games at the Garden, Miami should still be the favorite in this series. After all, they have Bosh back now, and he played well in his 14 minutes. He'll play a bigger part on Thursday night, and this ought to be liberating for the Heat. Full-strength, full speed to a comeback victory in the Eastern Conference finals. They were constructed to win these games, these series, but the leadership won't come out of the protégé spitting out the endless stream of Riley-isms out of the old man's crises manual.

"It's probably like a boxer," Spoelstra said. "You just got to go back to your corner right now. We all just have to huddle up and lean on each other. We're the only people we can depend on right now. That can be a very powerful thing."

And on and on Spoelstra droned Tuesday night, the wrong voice trying to send the proper message of solidarity and belief. Spoelstra can't counter Rivers on a tactical level, but he does know the psyche of his team, and he rushed quickly in the aftermath of this debacle to throw a blanket over his players to protect them from the harsh cold coming in the next 48 hours. The Heat don't need pep talks out of Spoelstra, but a game plan for victory. Mostly, they need James to declare his greatness and deliver to the magnitude of the moment. For his own sake, his own peace, he has to rage against that Celtics monolith, those banners, his own gory Garden history, and get these Eastern Conference finals back to the shores of Biscayne Bay for a Game 7 on Saturday night.

Two years ago, he had gone to Boston for a Game 6, and the excuses for losing surrounded him everywhere. From Mike Brown to his Cavaliers supporting cast, from Kevin Garnett to Paul Pierce, circumstances declared James free of responsibility for that loss. Not this time, not this team. James can't let these Heat go down in the conference finals, because no longer is it good enough for the Heat to simply give themselves a chance to win, to declare the Celtics great, proud champions and say, hey, there's no shame in losing to them.

The shame will be downright debilitating, and there has to be a part of James that will rage against that possibility now. Wade insisted he never imagined that the Heat would be in this predicament, but here they are, Game 6 again, stumbling, reeling and fighting to hold everything together. When the coach could've proclaimed his unwavering confidence in these Heat, the first words out of his mouth reflected his keen understanding of history.

"We normally respond really well to desperation," Wade said.

Desperation is the cusp of elimination, and Miami couldn't have possibly reacted worse to it a season ago in the Finals. Now, the Heat get to show the progress they've made, the maturity, the poise, the championship DNA that exists somewhere within them. Now, the Miami Heat get to reveal themselves in the purest, truest way on Thursday night at Boston Garden, and the truth about this diabolical basketball creation comes tumbling out into the light now. Whatever they are, they show themselves now. Whatever happens, LeBron James and the Miami Heat own it. Whatever happens, history gets to the judge now. And this is merely the Eastern Conference finals. They weren't created to hang that banner, but the big one, and that feels far, far away now.

And yet somehow, some way, they have to stop fighting the weight of this burden, and embrace the entirety of this experiment. One more loss, and Armageddon awaits for this franchise and its stars. One more loss, and the wall could come tumbling down on LeBron James, these Heat and a world that may see a modern basketball superpower dismantled before everyone's eyes.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--as-lebron-james-experiment-teeters-on-collapse--erik-spoelstra-reveals-heat-s-softness.html;_ylt=AvZtQSWwFQbDa_HuMbcupes5nYcB

Since grade school in layup drills you use the left hand on the left side the right on the right.

This keeps the ball away from a defender trying to defend the shot.

With the game sort of in the balance and needing a score the MVP of the NBA tries to go with the right hand on the left hand side and gets blocked.

Shouldn't the MVP of the NBA have a left hand for layups?

beat

Hehehehe thanks gyso, I'm loving this!!! karma baby karma

beat wrote:Since grade school in layup drills you use the left hand on the left side the right on the right.

This keeps the ball away from a defender trying to defend the shot.

With the game sort of in the balance and needing a score the MVP of the NBA tries to go with the right hand on the left hand side and gets blocked.

Shouldn't the MVP of the NBA have a left hand for layups?

beat

right beat, we've seen Pierce use the left hand countless times on the same shot, why he took that to KG in a perfect position to block his shot shows he's got flaws that he didn't feel ever needed to be corrected.....remember I'm the chosen one.

Spoelstra is a TERRIBLE coach who is being made to look foolish by Doc.

Heat are a team of CRY BABY, front runners with no heart.

Lets wrap this thing up at home and Thursday and shut all these CLOWNS up.

[img] image upload[/img]

The Boston Celtics 2011-'12 edition is one that reflects the chemistry of the true team concept that was envisions by Dr Naismith decades ago when he invented this game. Red Auerbach put it into practice with the early C's of the 50's & 60's. Heinsohn revived it for a bit in the mid 70's, K.C. gave it a curtain call in the 80's with the Bird dynasty. Now THE Doc brought it back off of life support with Ray, KG, Pierce, and Rondo. It is heart warming to hear Doc sing the praises of the comrodery that exists with this crew. Maybe, just maybe the heartbreak of Kobe's forced cheap shot injury to Perk 2 years ago, and KG's knee situation of '08-'09 can be partially erased from our minds, though not history. This team plays the right way, embodies team concept over star power, has a community commitment, a dedication to family, both the biological kind, and the adopted Celtic kind. I would be disappointed if banner #18 is not in the offing for this team. However, no less proud at their efforts in this glorious playoff run. The 2 Western teams: OKC & San Antonio are formidable to be sure. However the Celtics would present more worthy (surely not James) opposition than the the South Beach Sissy-Bums.

MD!

mrkleen09 wrote:Spoelstra is a TERRIBLE coach who is being made to look foolish by Doc.

Heat are a team of CRY BABY, front runners with no heart.

Lets wrap this thing up at home and Thursday and shut all these CLOWNS up.

[img] image upload[/img]

I don't know if terrible is the correct word for Spo. Really how does anyone coach these guys? Think Jon Barry said this morning that although Wade and James are great players they simply do not mesh. They are too much the same. They need the ball in their hands. And if one of them has it what are the others doing?

Would James and Wade respect any coach like they should? No doubt Doc is outmanuevering Spo but Doc has the players that are listening and attempting to implement a plan. Likewise Doc listens to the players. Would KG have been content to sit on the bench during the last quarter and not even question Doc about not being allowed to go back in if he were in the same shoes as Bosh? I don't think Bosh said a word, perhaps he did but if so didn't seem to matter. KG would have been pulling his hair out (What Hair?) demanding to go back in.

How does a coach instill the mental toughness we have? You simply cannot coach that. Players either have it or they don't and we have it in abundance, the Heat not so much especially when they are punched in the proverbial nose.

I totally expect the Heat to attack as individuals and not a team and that will hopefully lead to their demise. How many of our players made key plays down the stretch with the game in the balance? It wasn't just one. We truly seem to trust one another like when PP passed of to the wide open Pietrus for his huge trey. A coach on the bench can't instill that trust if the players themselves don't have it.

Agree on this I'd like nothing better than a win tomorrow, how we get it makes no difference as long as when the final buzzer sounds we have at least 1 more point than they do.

beat

WOOHOO!!! YEAH, BABY!!! Our grinders gritted out a BIG win. Far from pretty, but who cares? Championships are won by teams with heart and pride and we got those by the boatload.

I didn't realize it, but the guy sitting in the seat next to me was a Heat fan (born and raised in Miami). After the game was over I turned to him and said "Go Celtics!". He responded "Fuck the Celtics". That was my first clue he was a Heat fan. My response, without a second of hesitation, to him was "Welcome to Basketball Hell. Would you like some chowda with your crow?" That ended our conversation for the evening.

Our shooting all night was horrible. The only two players who actually shot well were KG and Pietrus (Steamer and Dooling were both 1-1, but that's not a lot of fga), and we still won.

When we went into the locker room at halftime only down by 2, I felt pretty good about our chances. We played horribly in the first half and it could only have gotten better in the 2nd half.

1. KG, still the biggest player on the court. Not just lengthwise but his indomitable spirit. Icy free throws at the end helped seal this deal. Of course, his inside/outside game didn't hurt either. We could not have won this without a big game by KG, since the rest of the team couldn't throw the ball in the ocean.

2. Yet another poor shooting night for Pierce, 6-19, but a MONSTROUS 3 to push the Heat into fouling-mode. Can you imagine how good we'll be when he starts hitting his shots again? Hell, I'm just happy he didn't foul out again.

3. I can't believe Rondo was 3-15. Really? That's unbelievable. It just doesn't get worse than that, and we still won. His 4 steals created a lot of opportunities for us and disrupted them badly. That backcourt pass violation by Rondo is why you just have to wonder what is going through his head sometimes. I'm not getting down on his game but when was the last time you saw a veteran player's brain shut down like that before?

4. Our bench played up to their bench for a change. Bosh, coming off the bench, is a big improvement (I am NOT a Bosh fan, but who can argue that he's not an asset coming off the bench?). Norris Cole is greased lightning. I still can't believe the way he ran down Rondo from behind. Having given credit to them, let's take some well deserved credit for ourselves. Pietrus had an outstanding game. His defense was solid, he made some momentum-breaking steals and he hit his shots (and they weren't all 3s!). I have been down on Dooling as much as anybody has this year, perhaps even more than others, but he is rising in the playoffs. Solid D and that 3 was very clutch. The Heat did everything right on defense on that sequence, they had a guy flying at Dooling and he still hit it at the buzzer. You could see their shoulders slump a bit afterwards. Steamer only played 8 minutes, but he grabbed 4 boards (he also slapped a loose rebound out to a Celtic on top. He doesn't get credit for the rebound, but we got it because of him), hit his only shot and made a steal. All we need from these guys is to hold the fort, and they did. They scored 19 points vs 16 for the Heat bench. Consider, we only won by 4 and that focuses what the efforts of the grinders produced.

5. No Heat player had more than 3 assists. Nobody took control of running an offense for them. On the other hand, only 3 Celtics had assists at all (Rondo - 13, Pierce - 4, KG - 2). That's ok, though, because our offense is designed to run through Rondo. One of our needs, next season, is to pick up another playmaker. Our offense staggers when Rondo is not in. Dooling is feisty, plays tough D and can hit shots, but he's not a playmaker. Bradley is more dangerous without the ball.

6. Haslem started at center (or maybe they just didn't have a center). He did well on the boards (14) but couldn't handle KG. But what does it say when the coach is making these kind of matchup changes mid-series, mid-playoffs? It smacks of, what Spoelstra himself described as, "desperation". He starts Turiaf in the opening games of this series, then he benches him and Turiaf never gets off the bench again. Then he started Anthony and now he has benched Anthony. It's one thing to make adjustments, it's another thing to change the chemistry. Bye bye, Eric Spoelstra. I hope you enjoy Charlotte, or Palookaville or wherever else your imploding career takes you.


Back to the Jungle, and the natives are going to be VERY restless. The Heat are confused, demoralized and soul-searching. The perfect time to break their little hearts.

I'm ridiculously proud of these guys right now.

bob

.

P.S. Matty, you didn't really think you were going to claim this team is grittier than almost every other Celtic team without taking a few friendly knuckles in the ribs, did you? Here, of all places?

Beat

The Heat have no cohesive offensive or defensive plan in place....that they can execute with precision. If you cant get a few decent plays into your rotation, and get your players to buy into it by this point in the season....you are NOT a good coach.

Watch a possession at the end of the game from Miami. Players running around with their heads cut off, no one moving, no contingency plan when KG comes up to double Wade. When they hit, it is because of some amazing athletic play from Wade or James...not X's and O's

Watch the same possession for the Celtics. They not only have a first and second option, but a dump down emergency option. They are well spaced, they are calm, they execute on that plan. Even when they miss, it is usually the right shot.

Spoelstra is coaching at a NCAA or D League level. Doc is top of the NBA. Not even in the same conversation.

I had a few minutes this morning to look around the web and found an interesting pattern of pro-Celtic reactions in many places coming from the same source; Laker fans.

Even on this board, we have resident Laker fans who have been regular contributors in the Game On forum. When you think about it, what team's history are you most familiar with after The Celtics? Most likely, The Lakers.

Kind of interesting, isn't it, that the Celtic - Laker rivalry survives all this time with mutual respect for the way each team plays the game, yet again we see the widespread dislike for the Heat.

It has always been that a Celtic fan's motto is "my two favorite teams are the Celtics and whoever is playing LA," and a Laker fan's motto is the opposite. It looks like that's changed a little!

I appreciate the class and interest displayed by our old rivals, and I would hope we would do the same if they were making a run. Both sides know this would be even more fun if we had a shot at meeting each other in the finals.

Mrkleen

Think a lot of that is on the players too, not just Spo

Watch the C's timeouts vs the heat's (when possible) our guys are actually listening or contributing. The heat players are not heck if anything they are bitching much like when they are on the floor. Truly believe they don't feel the need to listen or to have any organize play regardless what Spo does or says. In one ear and out the other.

beat

When players tune out their coach...it is because they dont respect him.

Think they would be tuning out Pat Riley?

mrkleen09 wrote:When players tune out their coach...it is because they dont respect him.

Think they would be tuning out Pat Riley?

With the size of Brons and Wade's ego perhaps.

beat

I dont think so.....but who knows.

This is a monster of their own making. When the Me becomes bigger than the We - you get what you deserve.