I am really depressed today. I live and die with my sports teams so my heart still aches after watching my beloved Boston Celtics lose in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. It hurts knowing the C's struggled with injuries all year long, then suddenly get healthy when it mattered, and still come up short. It hurts knowing that this could be the end of the most recent incarnation of the "Big 3". But what hurts the most is that the Celtics lost to their hated rivals, the L.A. Lakers!
Now that I've had some time to reflect, I wanted to just share some overall thoughts from the series.
1. Even though I am extremely disappointed in how the season ended, I am still very proud of this Boston Celtics team and what they were able to accomplish. They battled injuries all year long. They struggled mightily down the stretch of the regular season. They proved that the regular season truly doesn't mean anything in the grand scheme of things as long as you're healthy entering the playoffs. The Celtics were underdogs in two of their Eastern Conference matchups and prevailed. They had the defending champs on the ropes and were a few minutes away from hoisting banner #18.
2. I really hate the officiating in the NBA. I don't know why I get so worked up over these games when I know the outcomes of most of the games have already been scripted. It's maddening when foul calls are so obviously one-sided. I understand that superstars get superstar treatment. Fans pay big money to see these stars perform like stars. But it's unfair that 2nd-tier superstars like Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett don't get the same benefit of the calls. The refs absolutely ruined the first 4 games of the series.
3. People need to stop saying how much of a nice guy Derek Fisher is. I hate the guy. He just hacks and mauls Ray Allen while chasing through screens instead of trying to play real defense. He is the biggest flopper in the entire NBA. Every time he feels any kind of contact, he throws his arms in the air like he's been shot and always draws these [bogus] fouls. When he goes after loose balls, he's always elbowing people as if he just finished watching some highlights of Dwight Howard.
4. I didn't think it was possible but I really hate Ron Artest even more. He's another one of those maulers out there who he gets away with rough play all of the time. Then when someone stands up to him, he flops as well. I couldn't believe that in one sequence, he commits a hard foul on Garnett, Rondo comes over and lightly pushes him, and he flops backward like he got hit by a linebacker and draws a technical foul on Rondo. Are you serious?!
5. A part of me wants to give some credit to Pau Gasol in this series. But then the llama sounds take over in my head and those feelings disappear. He's grown tremendously since the last time these two teams have met in the Finals. He's probably the most skilled big man in the league right now. He's always a threat to consistently put up 20 points, pull down 10 rebounds, and get a block or two a game.
Unfortunately for him, he still plays like a Euro-weenie sometimes. He's another one of those notorious floppers. There are times when he'll graze Garnett's shoulder and collapse to the floor. He should win an Academy Award for his acting skills. Between Fisher, Artest, and Gasol, let's just call them the LA Fakers.
On a side note, Gasol wouldn't be so hate-able if he just went to the
groomers barber and just got a haircut.
6. Andrew Bynum is a beast when he's healthy and motivated. I don't think the series would have been close if he were at 100%. Too bad for the Lakers that he's got an injury history with his knees and he's only 22-years-old.
7. Rondo has grown tremendously over the past several years but he still has a long way to go. It was painful watching him at the free-throw line. I think he shot at around 25% from the stripe. To put in perspective how bad that really is, I can shoot better than that...with my left hand...with my eyes closed... after spinning 10 times on a dizzy bat. By the end of the series, Rondo was afraid to take the ball to the basket because he was afraid of either getting his shot blocked or getting fouled and being forced to toss up another pair of bricks at the rim. Without his dribble penetration, the Lakers were able to cheat off of him and make the Celtics' offense come to a grinding stop.
8. I feel really bad for Ray Allen. Contrast with Derek Fisher, Allen truly is one of those rare "good" guys in the NBA. He was on fire in Game 2 but he couldn't throw the ball into the ocean for the rest of the series. He just looked exhausted. His shots were flat and his legs didn't give him much lift. He played his tail off and did a serviceable job at slowing down Kobe. I have a feeling he might not be back with the team next year.
9. Speaking of feeling bad for players, I also feel horrible for Perkins. He gives you everything he has despite his limited skill set. But watching how he got injured was enough to make me feel queasy. I knew immediately he tore some ligaments. It was one of those rare times where I wish I didn't have HD. I hope he has a speedy recovery.
10. Why didn't the Celtic's get the ball to Pierce more? It seemed like when they went to him early and often, he would get into a rhythm and keep it going the rest of the way. And when Pierce was going, it usually spread out the floor so that other players had more room to operate. Good things usually happened when they had Pierce in pick-and-roll situations. Why they would abandon that makes no sense to me.
The Celtics' offense was just ugly in most of this series and was at its worst in Game 7. There was too much standing around. There were too many isolation plays. No one was moving without the ball or cutting to the hoop. There was no ball movement and when there was, it was a lazy pass which always seemed to get picked off and led to a layup on the other end. I guess the only rational explanation was that the Celtics ran out of gas at the end.
11. My overall opinions of Pierce, Garnett, Perkins, and Glen Davis remain the same. By now, you pretty much know what to expect each night from those players.
12. The jury is out on Marquis Daniels and Shelden Williams. Man, those players [stink]! I thought I saw their faces on the side of a milk carton this week.
13. I have never been a fan of Rasheed Wallace but I have mixed feelings about him. He gave us absolutely nothing during the regular season even though Garnett was hurt for a good chunk of it. True to his word though, he showed up in the playoffs...well, sort of. He played relatively well in Game 7. He still has a good post-up game so it drives me crazy when he parks himself behind the 3-point arc. He occasionally will drain a 3-pointer but he also routinely shoots an air-ball as well. He still can block shots pretty well but his contentious relationships with officials causes him to get fouls called on him. This of course sets off his inner Hulk which leads to a technical foul and free points for the other team. It's maddening.
14. I hate Kobe as much as the next guy but I must admit, he scares me every single time he touches the ball. He shoots the ball with such a soft touch that it seems that every shot has a fighting chance to bounce in. He almost single-handedly carried the Lakers to a comeback win in Game 5. As selfish a player that he is, he's done a better job of distributing and deferring in this series. Even when his shot wasn't falling in Game 7, he was still able to dominate with his rebounding and defense. I hate to say it, but he's a nasty player...but he still looks like a rat.
Well, it's been one tough season. I have no idea who's staying and who's gone. Maybe Doc Rivers will take a break from coaching to spend time with his kids. One absolute is that Pierce and Garnett aren't getting any younger. The Celtics definitely need to get younger, bigger in the front court, and find some more offensive players. This last loss was tough to take. I'm hurting inside. But no matter what, I'm still proud of my team. I'll be ready to cheer on my boys again next season. Go Celtics!
