The Rest of the Playoffs

dbrown,

What struck me is the wisdom coming from a 24-year old. He's obviously driven to play every minute as hard as the last and in pursuit of a title, yet isn't about to call falling short a waste as Kobe once did. Sounds like he has a good perspective on life and what it means to work hard enough to build toward goals. He realizes that falling short doesn't mean nothing's been accomplished, and that the pursuit continues.

Regards

Given there are only 30 teams in the league, approx. 450 players on the roles at any one time, a 3 year average shelf life, 95%+ of the league's players will never even sniff a championship. So you really better lover what you are doing like KD does, because the odds are, that's all you are going to be doing is playing basketball, season after season and more than likely NEVER having a probabilistic shot at a championship as a player.

In other words, it's all about the journey, not the destination as far as KD is concerned. He will retire very happy. If he never wins a championship, all he has to do is open up his checking account register to post his daily interest number with two commas in it and laugh is ass completely off!!

db

OK, NYK get two more days of life. They didn't actually play that badly.

tjmakz wrote:The refs didn't institute the Clear Path rule.

No one said they did.

tjmakz wrote:They made the right call that Nate's was not a flagrant foul. If you think it's easy to determine how much contact was made to a head in real time speed, it is not easy.

Again, missing the point. So will Lebron be fined for FLOPPING by jerking his head back? No Chance.

As for what is easy....no it is not an easy job. But somehow Mendy Rudolph, Earl Strom, Jake O'Donnell, Darell Garretson and Ed Rush did JUST FINE without all this stoppages in play.

tjmakz wrote:Making the correct call is what is important.

Basketball is all about momentum and the flow of the game. A lesser team can beat a better team if they get on a run and get hot. That is nearly impossible with all the stoppages in play for review in the playoffs. If a ref cannot make the correct call in real time - he should find another line of work. The last 2 minutes of a game in the modern NBA is like watching paint dry.

And then there were 4. I'm liking the IND v. MIA match-up. Very interested to see if LeBron continues to plow down the lane with a legit 7' L. Roy Hibbert waiting for him to toss the ensuing shot into the third row. While this series has nothing to do with the Celtics, it does include Larry Bird from a distance and our current nemesis in the East, which of course we would like to see swept.

Of the other three that are not MIA, I like IND chances the best to knock off MIA. Currently watching the SAS v. MEM Game 1 and since MEM can't find their asses with both hands they may be done before the series even gets started. That leaves IND and SAS. SAS always looks so smooth and unaffected by anything and that is a reflection of their coach, but if they want to run with MIA, I'll put my money on MIA at about 10:1. Age has to catch up with SAS at some point. They're a close second, though.

So by elimination, that leaves IND. Larry has put together a very tough, smart team with a bright coach, all consummate Bird traits. They look like they enjoy what they are doing and have a strong enough desire to win that they could give MIA fits. Per the regular season IND won 2-1. But that doesn't mean jack in the playoffs. MIA clearly has to figure some things out if they are going to plow into the finals unscathed.

This may very well be the series of the playoffs.

And the surprise is the Pacers have been playing the whole year without their best player Danny Granger.

I'm believe, steve3344, that if IND steals Game 1, the result of the series will follow the percentages we are accustomed to seeing with the Game 1 winner of all series and not the fate that befell CHI.

dbrown4 wrote:And then there were 4. I'm liking the IND v. MIA match-up. Very interested to see if LeBron continues to plow down the lane with a legit 7' L. Roy Hibbert waiting for him to toss the ensuing shot into the third row. While this series has nothing to do with the Celtics, it does include Larry Bird from a distance and our current nemesis in the East, which of course we would like to see swept.

Of the other three that are not MIA, I like IND chances the best to knock off MIA. Currently watching the SAS v. MEM Game 1 and since MEM can't find their asses with both hands they may be done before the series even gets started. That leaves IND and SAS. SAS always looks so smooth and unaffected by anything and that is a reflection of their coach, but if they want to run with MIA, I'll put my money on MIA at about 10:1. Age has to catch up with SAS at some point. They're a close second, though.

So by elimination, that leaves IND. Larry has put together a very tough, smart team with a bright coach, all consummate Bird traits. They look like they enjoy what they are doing and have a strong enough desire to win that they could give MIA fits. Per the regular season IND won 2-1. But that doesn't mean jack in the playoffs. MIA clearly has to figure some things out if they are going to plow into the finals unscathed.

This may very well be the series of the playoffs.

For Hibbert to have an impact, he has to stay out of foul trouble. He's got to play smart and not challenge everything, and especially not challenge a lot in the first quarter. That, plus Wade's knee and Hill's concussion, are the biggest factors in this series.

Don't count Memphis out. San Antonio really upped their play during the series with Golden State, and they certainly played well today, but Memphis lost the first two on the road to the Clippers, including a game 1 loss by 21, and came back to win four in a row. It should be a great series.

At least for the first half it appears MEM isn't quite ready to roll over and call it quits. Pretty low scoring game to boot.

OK, MEM is done...I spoke too soon.

Bruins up 3 games to 0 on the Rangers!

Bobc,

A scrappy bunch who are getting some unbelievable play from
rookie defensemen. They have a good assortment of complementary
players. And Rask is standing tall.

I've heard a theory that
the reason Krug and Bartkowski have been a breath of fresh air is
because, all year long, they've been groomed to carry the puck and play
aggressively rather than to play a conservative brand of defense like
the other Bruins defensemen.. Whatever the case, it's working.

And New York hadn't lost in regulation after leading at the end of two periods since February 4, 2010.

Sam

Also note the way SAS had to win Game 2 at home. OT, players admitting they are tired, etc. Old age creeping up on them. But yet Pop has a way which you can't argue with of winning the games he shouldn't. That's why I like them as a strong second to beat MIA, but IND holds the cards starting tonight.

I know this is the playoffs and we're down to 4 and everything is tough and there are no easy baskets, but MIA hasn't broken a sweat yet. If SAS's play to date is their MO, then I'm cool. But whenever one team struggles more than the other team to get to the Finals, usually the more rested team takes the cake. Let's hope this game tonight is the beginning of the end for MIA and that they underestimate IND.

db

That's what I'm talking about IND...!

Halfway home!!

Where is Ray Allen?

OK, there he is.

IND better start making some free throws...

Wow! Paul George for a 3 to tie it with 0.7 left in the game...

Uh, oh. LeBron is about to foul out...

Amazing finish to both regulation and OT. Miami wins at the buzzer in OT.

Oh well. It was a great Game #1. But the series is official 80% over.

IND has to somehow win this series. I hope last night's loss will be devastating enough to them and for them that they rise from the ashes and stymie the oncoming freight train.

Frank Vogel and Larry are smart enough between them to realize what Game 1 was. Larry should recognize it but in a different light and from the other side and the position IND is now in...anyone?...anyone? Something -orial Day Massacre?

Last night looks like a version of the Memorial Day Massacre with IND playing the role of LAL. Just a thought. We will see if this plays out Friday or Saturday or whenever they play the next damn game of this series! As devastating as a loss it was to LAL, losing the way IND did last night has to be ten times more humbling and humiliating. Unfortunately for us all here, we remember what happened in our series.

What a great motivational tape to play for those guys in IND this am if Larry even wants to dredge up the ghosts of Memorial Day's past. Larry can deliver it first hand how he went from elation to devastation...and that's MIA now. It's going to kill him but he' going to have to say IND is LAL. I'm pretty sure the way MIA reacted at the end of the game, they are feeling like Boston did after that Memorial Day game, invincible, they had the series wrapped up...We'll see.

Heck. even I think this series is over.

You know who would be a perfect Celtic and it would be high risk/price, high return and someone DA should set his sights on whenever his contract comes up? Kevin Durant. I'm assuming his contract is coming due sometime in the next couple of years. He has the perfect humble, ass-busting attitude that is everything Celtic. He is absolutely dying to win and will do whatever it takes legally to get there. You can see straight through to his soul.

ESPN just had him on helping the Moore, OK victims. You could tell he was trapped by the reporter and preferred not to be seen at all but he graciously answered the stupid question the reporter asked. I have a major problem with the press jumping in on something like this as it shines a humble person doing something he is passionate about in a light that they don't want to be in. He is behaving just as the Bible is instructing him, then the press comes along and literally ruins EVERYTHING! It immediately becomes about the athlete and not the problem at hand, in this case the tornado victims. It's through no fault of his own, that's just the way it is with high profile athletes and the press. Those things are best left unreported.

But I don't know if DA will ever stick his neck out that far and go from the low risk/high potential return player to the high risk/high return high profile player mode of thinking. It's just not Celtic thinking. I'm not saying he has to do it all the time, maybe just once. I'm not sure it's in the Celtic blood to ever look along/pursue these lines. We've always pursued the northwest quadrant low risk/high return player. Value players they are called. If they turn out to be crap, you throw them back after a year. No harm, no foul.

dbrown4 wrote:IND has to somehow win this series. I hope last night's loss will be devastating enough to them and for them that they rise from the ashes and stymie the oncoming freight train.

Frank Vogel and Larry are smart enough between them to realize what Game 1 was. Larry should recognize it but in a different light and from the other side and the position IND is now in...anyone?...anyone? Something -orial Day Massacre?

Last night looks like a version of the Memorial Day Massacre with IND playing the role of LAL. Just a thought. We will see if this plays out Friday or Saturday or whenever they play the next damn game of this series! As devastating as a loss it was to LAL, losing the way IND did last night has to be ten times more humbling and humiliating. Unfortunately for us all here, we remember what happened in our series.

What a great motivational tape to play for those guys in IND this am if Larry even wants to dredge up the ghosts of Memorial Day's past. Larry can deliver it first hand how he went from elation to devastation...and that's MIA now. It's going to kill him but he' going to have to say IND is LAL. I'm pretty sure the way MIA reacted at the end of the game, they are feeling like Boston did after that Memorial Day game, invincible, they had the series wrapped up...We'll see.

Heck. even I think this series is over.

dbrown - Larry won't be giving any motivational speeches to the Pacers. Even though he put this terrific squad together, he resigned last June as President of Basketball Operations and said he was stepping down for health reasons. Donnie Walsh replaced him. He is now the unemployed hick from French Lick.