nba musings

Celtics @ Trailblazers 86-91

For the love of James Posey and all that is holy. The Celtics got completely manhandled last night by the Blazers. Yes, I know there was that whole confuzzling issue with the Blazers getting to keep a basket that shouldn’t have counted (too many players on the court), but that wasn’t the game decider. And if it was the game decider because it crawled into their heads and distracted them all game, then that’s messed up. You have to put that behind you and focus on winning the game by more than 2 points and then it’s moot. I think they just got outplayed. I can handle them losing, I just hate it when they lose because they aren’t playing the type of basketball that won them a championship last year (unrelenting defense, ball sharing, ubuntu). Oh well. Hopefully they’ll right the ship one of these days soon. Kudos to the Blazers. Steve Blake had a monster game and the team should be proud of the way they played. I’m just glad the C’s are coming back east so I can get back to my normal sleep schedule. Those 10pm games are a killer!

Celtics @ Kings 108-63

What a serious ass kicking. It hardly seemed fair. 45 points? Really? I can’t believe I stayed up and watched the whole thing. Leave it to the Celtics. Lose 2 in a row and then come back like an angry bear mauling the first poor bastard with the guts to poke it with a stick. Oh, random… What the hell was Michael Phelps doing making a cameo at yet another NBA game? He following the league now like a deadhead? Lucky sumbitch.

NFL Musings

I had to share that “Brady Come Back” video with all of my coworkers within earshot today. It makes me giggle every time I watch it. We’re out of the playoffs… might as well enjoy ourselves in the off-season. Someone asked me who I thought was going to win the Superbowl now. My reply, “I don’t give a rat’s ass. BRADY COME BACK!” Sigh.

Adios Mangini. We hardly knew ye.

Favorite line: “I’m so desperate now, I even drafted… Satan Manning.” (Haha!)

The Pats blanked the Bills today, 13-0 and still missed the playoffs. My sister informed me that I was going to “have to” root for the Jets today and her boyfriend Brett Favre. Mmm yeah. No. That was not going to happen. No way, no how. I did not root for the Jets or the Dolphins. I just watched. Watched the Jets lose the game, thus eliminating themselves and the Patriots from the playoffs. I’m sure there’s a sense of perverse satisfaction for the Jets fans being able to hold the Pats future in their sad little hands (can’t blame ‘em). So now that that’s over, we get to endure “Brett Favre retirement watch” all over again. Sweet mother of shamrocks. Final note, where’s the fire Favre? Why did you run off the field like a couple dobermans were chasing you? No time to say, “good game” to poor old kicked-to-the-curb Chad, huh?

Celtics @ Warriors 89-99

Well now, that was not a fun game to watch (unless you’re a GSW fan). I wasn’t surprised by the outcome. I didn’t think the team looked “right” from the jump. They had a lead and I did assume they’d win, but when things went sour, it wasn’t entirely shocking. But, to the people who’ve been saying, “The sky is falling, the sky is falling!” all I have to say to them is, “Calm down, chicken little.” The Celtics are fine. They’re going to be fine. Only people with ridiculous expectations would demand a winning streak just go on and on and on. The season is too damn long for that. I wouldn’t mind seeing a veteran addition to the bench for stability and leadership, but that’s about the only thing I think they need.

If you don’t believe me, how about BDL’s Kelly Dwyer (aka Nostradamus):

Boston won its 19^th straight, and I’ll admit to being underwhelmed. Not at the feat, which is quite impressive. It’s because … they’re the Celtics. This team is so good, it makes sense that they’ve won 19 in a row. They might lose two of three over the next week, then peel off another 19 in a row. Makes complete and total sense. Talent + smarts + dedication = 19. At least. It might equal an 18^th banner, as well. [Source: Yahoo! Ball Don't Lie - Behind the Box Score, where we're under the weather (12/24/08)]

Did he call it or what? 

Celtics @ Lakers 83-92

Gar. That didn’t go the way I wanted it to. Maybe I’m stubborn, but I still think I’m right about the Lakers. They’re much better at times than last season, but I still think they’re missing something. Although, I will be happy to admit that I underestimated them some. If they win the championship, I’ll also be happy to eat my words (well, not too happy. *wink*) I’m not saying the Celtics will win it. Maybe they won’t. They’re missing something too. The Cavs are tough, but they aren’t 100% there either. I’m not sure exactly what it is that each team is lacking, but if I had to guess…

The Celtics have defense, ”team” philosophy, a rising point guard and the Big 3. But, they’re missing veteran bench players.

The Lakers have talent, depth, a chip on their shoulder and Kobe Bryant. But, they’re missing a consistent sense of purpose. (If they played every team the way they played Boston, they’d be nearly unstoppable.)

The Cavs have Lebron, a better supporting cast than last season, Lebron and well, Lebron. But, they’re missing a clone machine for Lebron. (The team is above average, but they will be SOL if Lebron gets injured. I don’t like those odds.)

Sidenote: As bummed as I was about the Celtics loss, it still had to be worse for Suns fans. That Roger Mason 3-pointer at the buzzer [for the Spurs to win by 1 over the Suns] was a heartbreaker. It also couldn’t have been fun for Hornets fans to watch that drubbing by Orlando. Gack. That was hard to watch.

Celtics v. 76ers 110-91

Wow, those 76ers sure can run. Especially without Elton Brand. For a little while, early in the game, I thought the fast break transition game was going to be a problem. Silly me. The C’s broke away in the 2nd half and put this one away early and easily. The [other] love of my life, Leon Powe, was named ‘Player of the Game’. It’s too bad I didn’t pick this game to go to with my awesome sign. *wink*

History was made. Best NBA start and franchise winning streak. Personally, I’m getting sick of hearing about winning streaks. The last time I got caught up in a winning streak, the Giants ripped my heart out and stole my Superbowl ring. (haha) So let’s just stop talking about it.

Get out those ‘Beat LA’ t-shirts people because D-day is upon us! Although… no offense to anyone, but I worry more about playing the Hawks. I guess I’m just not drinking the kool-aid yet when it comes to the Lakers. It has nothing to do with being a Celtics fan either. If I thought the Lakers were the team to beat in this league, I’d admit it. At this point, I don’t think so. They still need to tweak some things. Mostly between the ears. Kobe is fine. Never anything to worry about with him. It’s everyone else that I wonder about. They’re close, but I don’t think they could beat the Celtics in 7 at this point. Tomorrow’s game isn’t 7 though, it’s just one — and it’s in Lakerland — so who knows. Who am I worried about then? Maybe the Cavs. They’ve been looking better and better lately and with Lebron on the court, anything can happen. I’m looking forward to the teams meeting again so I can assess how they stack up.

Celtics v. Knicks 124-105

Run ‘n Gun is quasi comical to watch. Run down the court, jack up a 3-point shot. Rinse. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. I’m not saying it’s a bad game plan for the Knicks – because it’s certainly helped them win more games – but it’s still amusing to watch sometimes. Q-Rich can play. I don’t like him, but he can play. He seemed to get the better of Paul Pierce last night. Not that it mattered. Nate Robinson is fun to watch. He had an impressive put-back last night. There was a missed shot and then little tiny Nate came flying out of nowhere for the jam (over my boyfriend. tsk tsk.) Rondo had a big game. Again. What a juggernaut. He scored a career high 26 points. Tommy Heinsohn had me ROTFL at one point because he got so pissed off about some physical play from the Knicks, that he actually put out a bounty on Nate Robinson! (First he said someone should lay out one of their “little guys” to send a message and then he said, “One of our guys should really deck Nate Robinson on the next play in retaliation [for shoving Rondo out of bounds to prevent a layup].”) Lol. Tommy’s hardcore, yo. In other news, Big Baby got in a car accident on the way to the Garden yesterday. Poor guy. Get well soon BB!

Celtics v. Bulls 126-108

The Bulls are a hot mess. They have some extremely talented players, but epitomize the mantra that it takes teamwork to win. They still don’t play together. Derrick Rose is impressive, but he’s still a rookie. I think in a year or two, they’re going to be a Hornets-esque team. Which means they’ll be good and a sexy pick, but still missing something that would get them over the hump.

Random musings

People seem surprised that the Pistons are struggling so much. Why is this surprising? I’m not a hater, but has Iverson ever made any team better? Also, if there’s any position that you can’t just “swap out,” it’s point guard, is it not? I’m not an expert on the Pistons, but they were always a team I liked and had a lot of respect for. I hated this trade when it happened and I still hate it.

Reports out today that Manny expects to be offered a 3-year deal from the Yankees. Manny expects? How does that work exactly?

Yesterday’s Patriots game was fun. What the hell was up with letting Leinart get a touchdown though? Come on now. Shutouts are so much more satisfying. The Jets lost (YES!) but the smelly Dolphins won (BOO!) so we still might not make the playoffs. Either way though, I’m happy with this season. It could’ve been better, but it really could’ve been so much worse. When Tom Brady went down in game one, I really thought we were toast. Who knew Matt Cassel was such a stud? I’ve been a USC football fan for years and even I barely had a line on this guy.

I miss Gino. The Celtics have been winning, but there’s been a decided lack of Gino on the jumbotron, at least from the home television vantage point. I want Gino!

Celtics @ Hawks 88-85

16 in a row, baby! I hate the Hawks. More than I hate the Giants, but not quite as much as I hate the Yankees. It isn’t even rational probably, but it is what it is. This game was not fun to watch in any way at all. The Celtics missed almost every 3-point shot they took it seemed like. I vaguely remember Eddie House hitting one and thinking, “About damn time!” Ray was extremely cold tonight shooting-wise, but thankfully KG was KG (He scored 10 of his 18 points in the 4th Q). That’s about all I remember about this game because I spent so much time Twittering through it. Joe Johnson missed a free throw that really helped things out… Oh and I do remember one last thing. Bibby missed the 3-pointer that would’ve sent the game into overtime. Suck it Bibby!

In other news, the reason I’m posting this now (in a timely manner for a change) is because I’m still up watching the Hornets/Spurs game on ESPN. Jeff Van Gundy is heaping praise on the love of my life, James Posey. Good times, good times.

Celtics v. Jazz 100-91

I felt like this was the closest game I’ve seen all year (not score-wise, opponent-wise). Then again, I didn’t really watch either game that they lost this year, so it probably wasn’t. However, Utah’s defense was pretty impressive. Rondo had another great game (which is a nice trend) and bested Deron Williams. They had a little tit for tat thing going in the 4th Q and the only bad thing about that is that it leaves the rest of the players out and disturbs the flow of the game. Nevertheless, another win. 15 straight. Yes!

When The Truth went down and clutched his knee and rolled around, I yelled, “Noooooooooooo!” in slow motion in my head. But, he’s fine. *knock on wood*

Tonight we play Bibby and the hated Hawks. I refuse to watch Bibby in HD, so I’ll be watching my homer coverage on CSN. Go Celtics!

Celtics v. Hornets 94-82

Oh James Posey, how I love thee…

More James Posey @ the Garden pics at Flickr…

Oh and the Celtics extended their winning streak to 14. YES!

Celtics @ Wizards 122-88

Blowout. On national television no less. I wonder how much better the Wizards will be when the Hibachi returns?