Results tagged “Boston” from Robert Littal Presents The Infamous BlackSportsOnline

That nameless kid in Orlando wasn't the only one hurt during Glen Davis' celebration Sunday night in Orlando. Dwight Howard's and Rashard Lewis's feelings were hurt by all of the celebrating and joy on their court because none of it was theirs.

Lost in the controversy surrounding Glen Davis' flying shoulderblock on a kid standing courtside in Orlando is Dwight Howard's and Rashard Lewis's distaste for post-game celebrations. Dwight Howard was shown with his face all frowned up and calling for a technical, while Rashard Lewis said the following:

"It most definitely adds fuel to the fire," Lewis said. "We don't like that type of stuff. You have to be professional about the game of basketball. We're a professional team and we expect them to be the same way.

"Those guys were jumping up and down, waving their hands at us, saying bye, but it's not over yet; it's just 2-2," Lewis added. "We could have done the same thing when we won on their court, but we're more professional than that. They still have to win ballgames. The series ain't over yet."

The series is 1-1, but the Boston Celtics couldn't be in more trouble.

I know, I know; The Celtics did something like this last year, and that was with a healthy Kevin Garnett. They went to seven games with the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks, of all teams, right? Why, they might as well have played the Washington Generals. And they still came out of it with a championship.

Thing is, that Hawks team last year is better than this year's Bulls team. I would like to say that it's hard to say that, being a Bulls fan, but the truth is, this is a Bulls team with a rookie point guard, an undersized shooting guard, and no post scoring. These Chicago Bulls should not be in this position. Garnett or no Garnett (Gar-nott? *rimshot*), the Celtics are still the World Champions.

And yet, here we are with a series at 1-1, that could have easily been 2-0, going back to Chicago on Thursday. The Chicago Bulls are playing the Celtics in Boston better than anyone in last year's playoffs did.

The NBA gods just aren't being helpful the past few weeks. Just a week after Ray Allen was selected to replace Jameer Nelson for the All-Star game this weekend, he may end up not playing after all.

In tonight's game against the New Orleans Hornets, Allen hyper-extended his thumb, and did not return to the game. No reports on whether he will play or not, but if he does decide to sit, who gets called up? New York's David Lee has had 16 double-doubles in a row, and is hustling night in, night out. I've always believed that the stat-stuffing players on terrible teams should not be picked, but if Devin Harris and Danny Granger are on the team, you might as well put David Lee on there.

More on this as it develops.

Let's add fuel to the already ignited fire. David Stern today selected Celtics guard as Jameer Nelson's replacement in the All-Star game that is less than 2 weeks away. Is it warranted?

Ray Allen is averaging 18.1 points a game, 3.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists, while Mo Williams is averaging 17.1 points a game, 3.3 rebounds and 4.2 assists a game.

Over the past month as both teams have hit mid-season strides and are playing some pretty good round ball, the numbers have been a little different. While big Jesus is getting nearly 19, 3 and 3 a game... Mo is getting close to 21, 3 and 5 a game.

Maybe the NBA was won over by Allen's game winner the other night. Who was more worthy? Ray Allen or Maurice Williams? Needless to say, I'm sure Lebron and co. are quite upset, and will be eager to get to Boston March 6 to play Boston.

The lights dim as the fireworks and 20,562 crazy fans shake, and rattle the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. When lights come back up the big three Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen along with defending World Champion Boston Celtics (29-8) take the floor and prepare to do battle against his highness "King" Lebron James and the NBA first place Cleveland Cavaliers (28-6). POOF, CLAP, CLAP as Lebron claps his routine cloud of smoke in the air and... We are all witnesses.

In the early stages of what seemed to be a surprisingly dull game, was dominated by the exciting play of big men on both ends of the court. Not by whom you would expect though, KG for Boston or Big Z for Cleveland. It was the Cavs, Ben "The Body" Wallace and Anderson "Wild Thing" Varejao who combined to score 10 first quarter points, in the absence of Cleveland's All-Star center Zydrunas Ilgauskas. And the offense of Kendrick Perkins paced the Celts with 9 points. But as always, by the end of the first quarter, Lebron proved he is the king of his castle finishing with 9pts 4ast 1 block and 1 rebound as the Cavs pulled to an early 33 to 23 lead. The Cleveland Cavalier Head Coach, Mike Brown told BlackSportsOnline.com "Lebron made play, after play, after play, after play, and carried us... [early]."

The Cavs continued their assault on the Celts in the second quarter, The newly acquired Cavs point guard Mo Williams and the guards, set the tone for the Cavs as Cleveland's 2nd unit shook up the arena, with long range threes and short jumpers. The Celtics couldn't get off the snide offensively in the second quarter and Garnett and Leon Powe did what they could to keep the Celts close by the end of the first half. Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Rajon Rondo only combined for 11 total first half points. The Cavs led at the half 49 to 40.

After halftime, the Celtics led by Garnett stormed out the gates and cut the lead to three, seemingly stepping up to the challenge from Celtics Head Coach, Glenn "Doc" Rivers, but all that came to a screeching halt in a matter of minutes, as the King grabbed the reigns and took over.

Finally, we can talk about something other than crab dribbles.

Since last summer, Lebron James has had a bitter taste in his mouth after nearly single handedly taking the Celtics out of the playoffs, and chalking himself up for a Finals showdown with the Lakers. He trimmed down, and took it out on the rest of the world bringing home a gold medal in the Olympics.

Enter game 1 of the season...Lebron was looking for some sort of redemption and revenge. Instead, Boston got their rings, and started their road to a 27-2 start. It was the first game for a new look Cavalier squad, and they still needed to mesh, and figure it out. Needless to say, I think they've figured it out.

Simply put they were the better TEAM. They were the best TEAM all year and. in the end, the best TEAM usually wins. I wasn't a believer. I saw them get taken to seven games by the worse playoff team in the league, the Atlanta Hawks, and I shook my head. I saw a one-man team take them to seven games and shook my head even harder. When they played against the Pistons, I boldly predicted the Pistons would win because the Celtics weren't ready.

What I failed to realize is all those trials and tribulations through the first two rounds of the playoffs turned a team who thought they could win a title to a team that knew they could win an NBA Title.

When they came back from ten down in the 4th quarter against the Pistons to clinch the Eastern Conference Championship, you saw a preview of what was to come in the NBA Finals.

You know the saying:

Defense Wins Championships

There was no better illustration of that than the NBA Finals. When the Celtics locked in defensively, they were 20 points better than the Lakers and that were obvious from Game 1. Similar to how they shut down Lebron James, they slowed down Kobe Bryant and just snuffed out the rest of the Lakers. Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Derrick Fisher and the bench were non-factors in this series. TEAMs win championships not individual playersm even individual players as great as Kobe Bryant.

What was evident was that the Celtics were a TEAM. If it wasn't Paul Pierce, it was Ray Allen. If it wasn't KG, it was Kendrick Perkins or Leon Powe. If it wasn't Rondo, it was Eddie House or James Posey. This wasn't just the Big 3, this was the Big 12. A total TEAM effort. That is what beat the Lakers.

Speaking of the Big 3, you have to be happy for them. Kevin Garnett suffered, and I mean suffered, for a long time in Minnesota while biting his lip about incompetent management. There is no one I am aware of in the league who doesn't like and respect Kevin Garnett. KG is the main reason that Celtics are holding a trophy right now. Besides being one of the five best players in the game, the way he changed the attitude and work ethic of that locker room can not be understated. I am happy that he has his ring and has solidified his place as one of the greatest power forwards ever.

I left Jesus Shuttlesworth for dead after the Cavs series. I am not sure what happened. Maybe he got a hold of that "Roger Clemens," but from the start of the Pistons series, he has been their most consistent player. I know he has been having a medical issue with his son that he didn't want the public to know about, which I respect more than you can know. I hope everything turns out well. Ray is a good guy and has always been a solid player.

Paul Pierce deserves credit. Not for the acting job he did on his knee, not for his offensive performance, but for the outstanding defense he played in the NBA Finals. It was above and beyond exceptional. When the Celtics were getting blown out in Game 4, he asked for the responsibility of guarding Kobe Bryant and that changed the complexion of the entire series. It will be his defensive performance that will be talked about for years to come. No matter which way you look at it, he is now a Celtic legend. When you are a Celtic legend, you are never forgotten. Not bad for a player who thought he was going to be traded last summer.

At the beginning of this series I stated it was one where a legendary player became immortal. In the end, it was a legendary TEAM that made its mark as part of an Immortal franchise.

Game 1 can be pretty easily broken down. The Celtics dominated the boards and defensively clamped down on the Lakers and specifically Kobe Bryant in the second half. The Lakers played a very sound 1st half, but they made a crucial mistake when Paul Pierce got hurt. (More on that in a second.) They relaxed and allowed the Celtics, while Pierce was in the locker room, to believe they could win without him. So when he came back on the floor, they rode that energy to a victory.

Kobe has to play better. The Lakers as a whole played well until they started to miss a lot of open shots in the 4th quarter. The defense the Celtics are playing on Kobe is very similar, if not the same, to what they played on Lebron James. It is designed to force the other players to win games and frustrate the superstar into tough shots. You could see Kobe fighting the urge to go Kobe circa 2004. Overall he made some very pretty passes, but he seemed confused by the defense. Great players though make adjustments and I would not be shocked if we see a dominant performance in Game 2.

I have nothing against Paul Pierce and I am sure his knee is hurt, but if you get taken off the court in a wheelchair only to return a few minutes later then you couldn't have been as hurt as you were letting on. I don't think it was intentional and he played a very solid game, but please spare me the Willis Reed comments or how courageous and miraculous it was. It would have been miraculous if we find out tomorrow he has a blown ACL. Then I will be impressed. Don't over-blow something that shouldn't even be a story. He got a little scared overacted a bit realized it wasn't as bad as he first thought, came back on the floor and hit some threes. The story ends there.

It is what you all have been waiting for. Check out the video to see why The Lakers and Neo Bryant will bring home the NBA Title:

Here are the predictions from the rest of the BSO staff:

Robert Bonnette: Celtics in 6
Terence Turner: Lakers in 5
Amber Fox: Lakers in 5
Carl Davis: Lakers in 6
Omar Curran: Lakers in 6
Joslin Lofton: Celtics in 7
JP Sutherland: Lakers in 6
Adam Thomas: Lakers in 6

Would also like to point out that Miss Amber Fox won the Super Model vs. BonaFide Sports Expert NBA Playoff Challenge. By getting 13 out 14 series correct up to this point, it is mathematically impossible for me to catch her seeing that I only got 10 of 14 series correct. So I bow down to Miss Fox as this is the 2nd time she has defeated me in a basketball-related challenge, but we will see what will happen when football season starts.

ForeverAFox.com

This is why no one takes the Eastern Conference seriously. The days of 76-74 games should be over. That was an ugly display of basketball. For those who say it was great defense (yeah I am talking to you Amber Fox), I say Lebron James had more turnovers in one game than Chris Paul has had in the entire playoffs. Unless that was the 76 Steelers playing against Lebron, it was just a garbage performance. This isn't the Knicks vs. the Heat circa 1995

I never ever want to see a brick fest like that again. I took out valuable time from playing Grand Theft Auto 4 to watch Game 1 and now I wish I would have spent more time with Nikko and Roman at the strip club. I am giving you one more chance before I tune out the series completely.

First let me say there isn't any excuse for the Celtics even have to deal with a Game 7 with the Hawks. They should have taken care of this team in five games or less. They should be embarrassed. With that being said, they did take care of business and, hopefully for them, they have learned their lesson or Lebron will send them packing.

The Hawks I assume figure six games were enough since they didn't even try to show up, but Marvin Williams was sure to leave the Celtics with a lasting memory of trying to kill Rajon Rando.

Ummmmmmm! I am trying to care about the Eastern Conference, but it is very difficult when the best two teams are having trouble in the 1st round putting away teams whose regular season record was under .500.

The Celtics should not have lost a game in the first two rounds of the playoffs. It is as simple as that. I would have understood if they had lost one game in the 2nd round, but it is inexcusable that the Celtics should lose any game to the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks should not even be within 10 points of the Celtics at any point in the series. So, it was a bit disturbing to watch KG look like he was going to murder the entire Boston roster because they were playing like garbage. Hopefully this will be a wake up call to the Celtics since they are the only team in the East that has a chance in the NBA Finals.

I have made this point many times about the Pistons. When "Wrong Way" Larry Brown walked out of the building so did the Pistons chances of ever winning another NBA Title. When the playoffs started, I thought it was possible the Pistons could come out of the East. After watching them go through the motions against the Philadelphia 76ers, I am wondering if they can even get out of the 1st round. To watch the 76ers hustling, scratching, crawling and doing whatever needs to be done to win, while the Pistons are laughing, joking and being very uninspired as they are being run off the floor was a bit surprising. Flip Saunders is looking like Isiah Thomas on the bench. It makes you wonder if their window has closed.

Hopefully, both of these teams will correct themselves going forward because, if not, when either one of them gets to the Finals, they will get destroyed.