POST GAME MIAMI GAME #7

I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT I AM VERY PROUD OF MY CELTICS
AND ALL THE MEMBERS OF SAM'S CELTIC FORUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GO OKC...BEAT MIAMI!!!!!!


I am going to reserve any judgement until I COOL OFF. But it was another very winnable game............Too Bad!

Everyone have a great & safe summer. We will be chatting in the days, weeks and months to come!

The Celtics have a bright future with Rondo and some of the new rookies that have shown promise and whoever we draft this year. We have a huge cap space that will insure that Danny will get some Young Studs to wear Celtic Green!

WELL ONE CHAPTER CLOSED AND ANOTHER CHAPTER OPENS FOR OUR BELOVED CELTICS!!!!!

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NEXT IMPORTANT DATES -

1) NBA DRAFT - June 28, 2012 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The draft will start at 7:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time (2300 UTC), and will be broadcast in the United States on ESPN.

2) NBA SUMMER LEAGUE - NBA Summer League returns to action this summer July 13-22 at the Thomas & Mack Center and the COX Pavilion on the campus of the University of Nevada Las Vegas. ON - NBA TV

3)CELTIC TRAINING CAMP - Opens 3rd week of September. Preseason games begin in October.

4) 2012 - 2013 NBA SEASON BEGINS - The 2012–13 NBA season will be the 67th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The regular season will begin on Tuesday, October 30, 2012, in the 2011-12 season champion's home. The 2013 NBA All-Star Game will be played on February 17, 2013, at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The regular season will end on Wednesday, April 17, 2013, and the playoffs will start on Saturday, April 20, 2013.

POST GAME RECAP

WEEI

FAST BREAK: CELTICS RUN IS OVER
By Paul Flannery

MIAMI — The team that always has to do it the hard way, couldn’t find a way to do it the hardest way possible by winning a Game 7 on the road. They had their chances and played inspired basketball, but they supply ran out of gas in the second half, losing tk-tk.

The Celtics began the game playing the exact opposite of the way they played in Game 6. Working with an inside-out game, they got good looks in their halfcourt offense and heeding Doc Rivers call, they got in LeBron James’ airspace and made it difficult for him.

They played about as well as well as they could have played in the first half, but in the second they reverted back to a stationary offense and allowed the Heat to erase a seven-point halftime lead in less than five minutes. What followed was one of the most intense, back and forth playoff games in recent memory. There were six ties and four lead changes in the final six minutes of the third quarter.

But in the fourth quarter it was all LeBron and the Heat. There is no shame in losing to the best player in the game on his homecourt in a Game 7, but for the Celtics an offseason of uncertainty awaits. They gave this five-year run everything they had, but it seems they have taken it as far as it can go.

WHAT WENT WRONG

LeBron James was amazing, again: The Celtics did a much better job guarding LeBron than they did in Game 6, at least at the outset. They used Bass to body him up and give him a more physical defender, but rather than force the game, LeBron let it come to him. He lived at the free throw line and made huge plays in transition. Defensively, he was a monster.

Then in the fourth quarter he became something else. Simply put: He was the best player in the game and the reason the Heat are going to the finals.

Chris Bosh was a difference-maker: Bosh came into the game in the second quarter and immediately went to work, making his first four shots. With Garnett in foul trouble, the Celtics used Ryan Hollins on Bosh, but that didn’t work at all. Bosh finished with 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting with three huge corner 3-pointers.

Shane Battier stepped up huge: With Dwyane Wade stuck in neutral and the Celtics doing a solid job defending James in the first half, the Heat needed somebody to step and it was Battier who came through, knocking down four 3-pointers.

WHAT WENT RIGHT

The Celtics finally found a way to play without Kevin Garnett: The one player they can’t afford to have foul trouble picked up his first minutes into the game when he defended LeBron James on a breakaway. Garnett picked up his second on a moving screen and then disaster struck when he got his third on a hip check. Garnett went out with 6:50 left in the first half and the Celtics went on a 14-3 run fueled by Brandon Bass.

Brandon Bass has his moment: Left alone and unguarded for most of the series, Brandon Bass had a huge first half, scoring 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting. It was the most he’s scored in any game in this series.

Rondo triple double: Rajon Rondo came through with a Game 7 triple double scoring 22 points with 14 assists and 10 rebounds. he may have already been there, but Rondo became a true superstar in the playoffs. He’s the future.

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ESPNBOSTON.COM

Rapid Reaction: Heat 101, C's 88 (Game 7)

By Chris Forsberg | ESPNBoston.com

LeBron James reacts as he encounters resistance going to the hoop in Game 7.
MIAMI -- Rapid reaction after the Miami Heat defeated the 101-88 Boston Celtics Saturday night in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals at AmericanAirlines Arena. Miami wins the series, 4-3, and advances to the NBA Finals to meet the Oklahoma City Thunder.

HOW THE GAME WAS WON
LeBron James scored 31 points and Dwyane Wade added 23 more, the pair combining for 20 fourth-quarter points as the Heat ran away from the Celtics over the final eight minutes. James simply wouldn't be denied, taking over at a crucial stretch after the teams rode a seesaw for much of the second half. Chris Bosh added 19 points off the bench, while Shane Battier was a pest with 12 points off four 3-pointers. Rajon Rondo produced another playoff triple-double with 22 points, 14 assists, and 10 rebounds, but it wasn't enough for Boston. Paul Pierce added 19 points (on 7-of-18 shooting) while Brandon Bass chipped in 16 points (only two after the intermission).

TURNING POINT
The Heat were down a point with a little over eight minutes to go when James went into locomotive mode. He shook Bass with a little crossover dribble and went to the hoop with a head of steam (Ray Allen offering little resistance off help defense). Pierce couldn't step up due to foul trouble -- and it might not have mattered if he did -- as James elevated and threw down a vicious slam. At the other end of the floor, Wade produced a hustle play to steal the ball from Pierce and Miami got a timeout as he went to the floor for the ball. Coming out of the stoppage, James dished to Bosh for a corner 3-pointer and an 86-82 lead. After another James bucket, Bass temporarily stopped the bleeding, only for James -- in full takeover mode -- to drill a ridiculous 28-foot 3-pointer off a (very) high pick-and-roll with Bosh and the lead was seven (91-84) with 5:44 to play. Boston never hit back and the lead was at double digits after a Wade jumper with under three minutes to go.

BOLD PLAY OF THE GAME
James' game-changing drive deserves this spot, but since we covered that, we'll give it to Bass. With Kevin Garnett on the bench due to foul trouble midway through the second quarter, Bass took over the game. Not only did he score 10 of Boston's next 12 points (in little more than a three-minute span), but he capped it by stealing a pass intended for James and went the other way before posterizing Wade (video HERE) with a two-handed slam that had Boston on top 49-38 with 3:12 to play in the second quarter. For the first half, Bass chipped in 14 points (more than he had in any previous game this series) on 5-of-7 shooting with three rebounds and three steals over 19:53. Oh, and he opened the game defending James, who was just 3-of-5 shooting in the first half (but 10 free throw attempts helped him have 14 points at the break as well).

FIRST HALF: WHO NEEDS KG?
The Celtics started the game strong and owned a nine-point lead (23-14) after riding Garnett a little longer than usual in the first frame. But as soon as he went to the bench, the Heat started attacking the basket. That lead was down to four (27-23) after one frame. The key stretch, however, came when Garnett went to the bench in a tied game with 6:50 to play in the half. That's when Bass went to work, fueling a 14-3 burst with 10 points. Miami got its deficit down as low as five, but a late layup by Allen put the Celtics on top 53-46 at the intermission.

HEAT TIE THE GAME IN SEESAW THIRD QUARTER
Shane Battier's 3-pointers (four over the first three quarters) helped Miami bite into its deficit and a driving layup from James tied the game at 61 with 6:22 to play in the third frame. That set the seesaw into motion in a quarter that featured six ties and six lead changes. Fittingly, the game was knotted at 73 heading to the final frame.

WHAT IT MEANS
The Celtics deserved a better ending to an amazing season, but talent won out in the end. The Heat, with a healthy Bosh and an insatiable James, were simply the better team (winning Games 6 and 7 to prevail). Boston overcame a ton of adversity just to have a chance at getting back to the NBA Finals. It comes up one win shy and a summer of uncertainty looms. Eventually, Boston will reflect on an amazing 2011-12 campaign.

Wishlist:

1. Make us proud Perkins
2. Please, Please, Please come back for cheap KG and Ray.
3. Get Wilcox + Green back
4. Sign some free agents
5. Next season
6. Banner#18

SWEDEINESTONIA...We have a very bright future with our cap space and the top point guard in the league. Any offensive player would be crazy not to want Rondo as his quarterback.

I see Green, Ray and Garnett signing. Would not be too surprised to see Ray Allen become an assistant coach to Doc. They are close friends and Ray has a good basketball mind and player relation skills.

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If we can get Green back and sign another "big" free agent we will be very strong.

Swedeinestonia

Absolutely! Green will be a key and if we get Wilcox back it gives us some beef down low and scoring. Rondo and him were hooking up until he went down. Greg Stemmer was playing hurt. He could not walk on both feet problem. He never practiced due to the pain, just games. That is why he could not elevate to block shots and move laterally.

Moore will become your Ray Allen, the kid needs playing time, but he can shoot!

The future is bright with big cap space....sit back and enjoy...we'll be back to the finals very very soon!

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112288 wrote:Swedeinestonia

Absolutely! Green will be a key and if we get Wilcox back it gives us some beef down low and scoring. Rondo and him were hooking up until he went down. Greg Stemmer was playing hurt. He could not walk on both feet problem. He never practiced due to the pain, just games. That is why he could not elevate to block shots and move laterally.

Moore will become your Ray Allen, the kid needs playing time, but he can shoot!

The future is bright with big cap space....sit back and enjoy...we'll be back to the finals very very soon!

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Moore can also defend, if he can make a jump similar to AB our backcourt will be set for years.

Cowans,

Wow through all the excitement I for got about Bradley!!!!!

Even more bright!

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PS The pain hurts...but nothing like what Miami will experience by loosing in the finals and end up with nothing!

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AB is the real deal, whos got better or faster backcourt than us with those 2!!! loved the play in 4th where Rondo outraced James for loose ball and took it in for layup, and AB may be faster than Rondo!!

Can't wait to see Perk flatten someone on a screen.

cow

Cowens,

Perkins leaves no prisoners alive! You wait and see. Those thugs from Miami will look to rough it up until Perk slams one of them. Hope the thug Wade gets his head split open!!!!

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Perk backs down from no one, the strengths of his game was an element that we really missed. Danny potentially had it covered with JON and Wilcox, a shame it didn't work out and hopefully we get a huge year next year from Jeff Green.

Danny made some good moves just bad luck couldn't work out. Thunder trade really worked out for them, Perk punishing people has been huge for that team.

cow

Cowens....We will be back in a BIG WAY!

Just unlucky this year.

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I used to like and respect Wade for his competitive spirit and drive but somewhere between that Miami championship and now he just turned dirty with a lot of dangerous and violent plays.

Do not know if he changed or if I just did not notice it before.

swedeinestonia wrote:I used to like and respect Wade for his competitive spirit and drive but somewhere between that Miami championship and now he just turned dirty with a lot of dangerous and violent plays.

Do not know if he changed or if I just did not notice it before.

I have alot of friends in my inner circle that we all talk hoops all the time, everyone hates Wade,these guys aren't even Celtic fans, guy is a cheap shot artist.....so many times he does it and because of dirty play he gets the upper hand and gets away with it.

Swedeinestonia

He was always a thug at heart. What really brought it out was his BIG EGO!

As far as I am concerned...he is the most dangerous!

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Ya, How about the straight leg when he goes to the hoop. It's a foul every time. Love to play one game against him where he would wind up in the 5th row with a broken leg!

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ALLEN TO HAVE SURGERY, WANTS TO KEEP PLAYING
By: Paul Flannery

MIAMI -- Ray Allen will be one of the Celtics' prominent free agents after this season, and while his return to Boston is uncertain, he let it be known that he wants to continue his career.

"There's still a lot of basketball left in my legs," Allen said. "I know that for sure. So it's hard to say what can happen, what may happen. But four of us know how to play basketball. We know how to win games."

The 'four' Allen alluded to are Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and himself. Garnett is also a free agent and no one seems sure what he will do. Garnett left without speaking to reporters.

The first thing Allen needs to do is get surgery to remove bone spurs from his ankle. "If I could do it tomorrow, I would do it tomorrow," he said. "That's probably my main concern right now, is taking care of that. My body feels good. That's my only issue."

As for his five years in Boston, Allen was philosophical.

"Up to this point five years has gone too quickly, but it seems like it lasted forever," Allen said. "We've played in a lot of big games. We won a championship together. The things that we do off the floor together. It's just a special time. It's been a special moment."

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BASS: 'I WOULD LOVE TO BE BACK HERE'
By: Paul Flannery

MIAMI -- Brandon Bass has a player option for next season and all indications are that he will exercise it after averaging career highs in points and rebounds. After the Celtics season ended abruptly in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals, Bass said he hasn't thought too much about the future but he also made it clear that he wants to return.

"I do," he said when asked if he thought he would be back. "I would love to be back here. The fans here are unbelievable. For any player, this organization is the organization that you want to play for."

Bass added, "This group here was like family. For the first time in a long time it felt like family. We had fights, we had ups, we had downs but at the end of the day we fought for each other. I’m just grateful to be a part of this group."

Bass said he would consider himself a Celtics vet if he was able to return next year. He's played on three other teams in his seven-year career, but it sounds like he wants to make Boston a permanent stop.

"This group of guys, this team has been great to be a part of," he said. "We fought through so many different things. Teammates going down, injuries, we continued to fight. I’d say I love these guys. It was just a great experience being a part of this group."

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PIERCE: KG'S BEEN 'EVERYTHING FOR MY CAREER'
By: Mike Petraglia

MIAMI -- Following Boston's 101-88 loss to the Heat in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals, captain Paul Pierce made it clear he wants management to do whatever they can to bring Kevin Garnett back for one more run with the Celtics.

"He's been everything for my career, just his locker room presence, his desire, his determination, his leadership," Pierce said. "I've said before when Kevin first got here, he really changed the culture of everything we did around here, from the practice habits to the on-court discipline. He made everybody accountable, from the ballboys, to the chefs to the guy who flew the plane. Everybody was accountable. It was just tremendous to have him around, just the culture he brought.

"It would be great for me to end my career with Kevin. I have a couple of years left [on Celtics contract] and who knows what his future is going to bring. Hopefully, management can do something to bring him back, maybe add some pieces to this team that we need to get us over the top. If not, it's been a tremendous ride."

Garnett, who fell into early foul trouble in Game 7 and finished with 14 points and seven rebounds in 35 minutes, is now an unrestricted free agent after spending the last five seasons in Boston.

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With a very deep draft and more wiggle room in free agency, the Celtics are positioned to add 2 or 3 key pieces. Kg can still play and if he is will to take a paycut to around $10 million, the Celts can still add a quality free agent.

Ray can still play but with pending surgery coming up he is the biggest unknown. There is no way for Moore to develop if Ray remains in the three guard rotation along with Bradley and Rondo.

At center either Steims ma or Hollins will not be around if Wilcox comes back.

Green is also a big unknown.. He is a free agent and the Celts do not want to overpay him even though the Perk trade remains a head scratcher.

Pietrus was a big disappointment to me. Great play one minute and a bone head play the next. He never established himself as a reliable knock down shooter.

If Boston drafts a SF, Pietrus will not be resigned.

This will be a very interesting off season as the Celtics retool for their next run. I hope they build for the future around their PG.

Dboss

Agree, except Stemmer was playing hurt with his feet and we never saw the best of him, only shades of greatness in the beginning. He also was at a handy cap in that he did not know opposing players moves which I am sure he will study this summer.

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What we saw this year:

1. Rondo become the team's leader despite his age. Mr. Triple Double. We saw him develop a decent mid-range jumpshot. In the post-season, he was shooting 70% from the line. That's a big improvement from the 60% he shot during the regular season and his 62% career averages. Improvements in numerous areas of his game. And he's only 26 years old.

2. Avery Bradley went from "If we throw him into a deal, can we get anybody good for this kid?" to being a defensive stopper and efficient scorer. I don't want to get into woulda/coulda/shouldas, but I can't help think this series might have been different if Bradley had been on Wade. We didn't have to take many points off of Wade's game, and have Bradley add a few of his own, to have won one more game. And he's only going to be 23 years old at the start of next season and will only get better.

3. Brandon Bass showed himself to be a solid, blue-collar worker. Much more reliable than Baby and virtually no drama. No complaining, no on-going father-son battles with Doc, just "tell me what you want from me, coach". He wants to come back, I personally would like to see him back. And he's only going to be 27 years old and in his prime.

4. Greg Stiemsma didn't even average 12mpg in any year at Wisconsin. He bounced around overseas and played in the D-league. Now, he's KG's fair-haired son. Life, sometimes, is just stranger than fiction. At the risk of overstating this case, if KG decides to come back, his affection and appreciation of "the grinders" on this team (and he specifically called Steamboat one of them) might be one of the reasons. Does the kid have holes in his game? Hell yeah, but remember he's a rookie, had almost no training camp or exhibition season (didn't play much anyway because Doc's priorities were to integrate JON and Wilcox) and barely played during the first half of the season as JON teased us with his possibilities. Now, he has been named to the USA Select Team (which is the team that practices against the Olympic Team) and has been seen by the league as a legitimate defensive force. He is one of the top shotblockers/mpg in the league, far ahead of Dwight Howard. One more year with KG and my money says you'll see Steamer take big strides in his game. My only concern is that his plantar fasciitis is a recurring theme. Even if it is, though, we just saw that he will play through pain. If it is not, resigning this 26 year old big for NBA chump-change is a no-brainer.

5. Keyon Dooling had a wretched season. His post-season, though, was pretty good. We need another playmaker behind Rondo to keep the offense moving and flowing and Dooling doesn't seem to be him. He is, however, Rondo's best friend on the team and we saw what happens to Rondo when he loses his best friend and feels isolated. This might be one of those times when stats don't tell a player's true value. We need a backup point guard, though. Someone who actually runs plays. Dooling is 32.

6. Pietrus became what I saw when he was with GSW. He has the body and athleticism to be a good player in this league, but his brain and inconsistent performance screws him up. He wants to stay, I think, I'm not so sure I want him back. He's 30, so he still has years in him, but if this is the best we can get out of him he's going to take years off of me.

7. E'taun Moore showed glimpses of something. He showed a glimpse of being a very good shooter. He also showed glimpses of being a woefully inadequate ball handler. Moore is to offense and ballhandling like Tony Allen was to defense and ballhandling. Both are very good at the first and almost cringeworthy in the second. Let's remember neither he nor JJJ had much of a training camp or exhibition season either. Furthermore, this abbreviated season also sucked the practice days out of the year, so opportunities to learn Doc's playbook and your teammates were limited. I'm sure both of these players were very frustrated with their lack of playing time this year, they both played a lot of minutes at Pitt, but this is the NBA and we're not the Charlotte Bobcats.

8. We should take a wait-and-see approach to Ray Allen. He will be 37 and he will be coming off of ankle surgery. If he's willing to play for less money, I'd love to have him IF he accepts coming off the bench. Bradley's time, I think, has come.

9. Sasha, Q, Hollins, Williams are all on the bubble. Personally, I like Sasha's game and I'd like to see him back, but there are other players that are good too. One nice thing about Sasha is that I'm sure he'd be cheap and he's ego-less, impressive since he had been a starter earlier in his career. Hollins has energy but NO offense. I liked what I saw of Williams, but that wasn't much. Daniels had a painful slump during the season but came alive in the last series. I said we need another playmaker behind Rondo. Well, Daniels could be that player in the halfcourt. Our offense just looks so much more coherent when Daniels is running it than when Dooling is. Still, like with Sasha, there are other players that can do this too. Also, like Sasha, Daniels is ego-less despite having been a starter earlier in his career too. Both are, in that respect, perfect bench players. The advantage these two players have is that they know Doc and his playbook and he knows them and this would not be the first time Doc has wanted them back. Wings, however, are a dime-a-dozen. Talented bigs and pgs are not.

We enter a transition period. We have needs but we also have some talent to start and work with. We have a solid, young backcourt, perhaps as good or better than any other team's backcourt with two defensive standouts and one of the best floor generals in the league. We have a closer, with Paul Pierce. Our unknowns may only be unknown to us. Doc may know that Moore is 1 season away from being ready, but we don't. He may know that JJJ is not going to be ready for a few seasons because of his lack of bulk, but we don't. What we do know, though, is that Danny the Trader now has, for the first time since 2007, cap room. He also has 2 1st round picks. My prediction is that one or both of those picks get traded for a player or a higher pick. I say this because of the economics of the NBA. If we draft and sign these 2 1st rounders, and let's say they both turn out to be keepers, how will we be able to afford to re-sign both of them 3 years from now? That's why I'm expecting Danny to unload at least one of them for a known player with a known contract or both of them for a single player (a higher draftee or a veteran).

I'm proud of our Grinders. Pierce's bad knee, Allen's bone spurs, Bradley's surgery, Wilcox's surgery, JON's surgery, Steamer's feet, mid-season acquisitions and we still fought like Celtics. Very proud indeed.

bob

.

I can't imagine they will bring Hollins back. He just doesn't have IT. For those couple of games that he shined, I can't imagine the Celtics giving him another contract.

As far as Green is concerned, I believe he wants to be here. He sat on the bench or right behind it for several games, showing his interest in the team and where they were heading. The only problem is what kind of money he will be looking for. Same thing with Wilcox, he was finally getting into the system and was definitely a big loss to the team when he went down. Do they sign two guys who have had heart issues? We all know what the past history of the Celtics and health issues are.

I am so proud of the way this team fought and fought to the end. I really thought there was a chance we were going to pull it out and move on.
I wonder about Garnett, he was so emotional when Doc took him out of the game, he either is retiring or is coming back here. I do not see him playing anywhere else, he is so proud of what they have accomplished in five years here.HE IS A CELTIC for life!

Everyone has their thoughts on Ray, we just don't have any idea what Danny has in his head. You all know I would like Ray to retire a Celtic, but
I don't know if it will happen.

I do wonder if JJ will stick with this team. All it takes is a good draft pick to knock him off the roster and be bundled with a pick to be traded somewhere. I haven't seen enough of him to have a real opinion on him.
The few times I saw him, he had a decent shot but lacked the spark that Moore has. Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing what Sean Williams could bring to this team, He is a tough guy in the paint.

All in all, it has been a rewarding season to watch basketball. The first half of the season was a disappointment, but they turned it around when they had to. The playoffs brought them further than anyone ever thought they would get.

Let's move on to the draft, I don't think I can stomach watching LeBron and company in the finals. GO PERK AND DURANT!!! Bring a title to a city that really deserves it.

An excerpt from Doc's post-game interview:

I don't know," said coach Doc Rivers. "Obviously, we're all smart... I think we're going to wait and see what happens with free agency and all that stuff. I honest to gosh hadn't thought much about it, other than the draft... Other than that, I've given zero thought to the whole thing. (Celtics president of basketball operations) Danny (Ainge) has talked to me a couple of times recently. I probably didn't hear much. We'll find that out later. I just want to stick with this group, if it's a couple more days, a couple more weeks, or whatever. I just want to stick with them."

"I wish we could have had healthy runs," said Rivers. "This team won a title; got to another one (in 2010), a Game 7 (vs. the Lakers), where they had a shot to win. We got to the Eastern Conference finals and one game away on the road (this year vs. the Heat), banged up. So I don't know -- because of really Kevin's (knee) injury (in 2009), I don't know if we could have gotten any more out of the group. I would have loved to have seen this team in this whole stretch where Kevin was injury-free.

"But you don't get do-overs. Everybody has injuries. Not just us. Chicago, (Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau) is sitting at home right now thinking, 'No Rose.' It's part of the luck of it. But great group, great team group. I know everybody will look at the Big Three individually -- Kevin, Ray and Paul. I'm never going to look at them individually, I'm going to look at them as a group collective. They all gave up seven-plus shots each. They gave up minutes. I asked them to play defense and move the ball, and they all did it, and they're willing to do it for the better of the team. So I think that's what we should focus on, how much they gave up to try to win. That's what I'll remember most about them."


Obviously, he doesn't want to let go.

Classy Ray Allen's post-game interview:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vqcne5ltkS0


https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=pHOvqRnbPvU


https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=gBU5Du9Hjfc


bob


.

I liked Greg from the very beginning but neither he nor Hollins or Wilcox are quality starting 5's.
But maybe that is not an issue. With 1, 2 and 3 dominating the game perhaps the Celts. Should focus on adding depth in those areas.

I think that finding an outstanding Sf may be th he key.

Will jjj become a quality starting Pf
Wiil Moore develop into a quality combo guard who can bu either Rondo or Bradley

I am pretty excited about the 2 first rounders and I think it is time to complete the makeover.

Dboss

Hi,
Yes, I believe Steamer is a good backup 5. After the training camp and pre-season he should fit; one of those blue collar types.
No, I don't think Hollins gonna stay. I hope so. He, as someone said, runs around as a chicken with cut off head.

As for the others.... hmmm, interesting - I don't see much in terms of the game analyses - mostly what happens with the team next. So, if you allow me...
My take is that the Celtics just ran out of gas, physical and mental. Game 5 was the last hurrah. As I mentioned at that game's thread, Celtics being physically inferior team, willed the Heat to surrender and spent the last bullet. They spent too much in games 2 - 5, had to. They started great in game 7 but could keep it up for only 2.5 quarters, couldn't reach the finish line.

OK, back to the future. I don't know if any players, other than PP, RR, AB and, most probably, BB are back. I don't envy DA. after such run it's very difficult to build practically a new team that would keep the same level as in the last 5 years. I think we, the fans, either consciously or subconsciously expect that. Tough.
OTOH, it's a new chapter and, I'm very excited no matter who's coming, who's going, who stays.

AK