10 Things After Game 2

Gant · Post #1 » by **Gant** » Mon Jun 9, 2008 5:19 pm

1) Trick or Treat?

Sunday June 8th, 2008: the scariest Halloween ever. The Lakers made a frightening attempt at egging the TD Banknorth Garden before falling just short of an incredible fourth quarter comeback.

This is what LA does. Remember game 1 of the Western Conference finals? It was similar with the Spurs holding a 20 point lead when Los Angeles took advantage of a suddenly lackadaisical defense and steamed to an enormous triumph.

This time the lead was bigger and later. The Lakers ran out of time. Unlike the Spurs the Celtics held on.

...and the answer is: Treat! (phew)

2) Kareem

Former Milwaukee Buck great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was interviewed on the postgame by Mike Gorman. His take on the LA comeback- It was all about the Celtics. It was not what the Lakers did; it was the Celtics letting up and getting complacent.

Kareem is really smart and right on the mark: The Celtics determined what took place. (LA's offense is too potent to relax. See San Antonio above.)

This is good though. It means the Celtics are in control. If they play their defense it's their series...

3) Lessons

...That is lesson number one.

Lesson number two, learned in the first two rounds: Don't let up on the road.

4) The Best Two Teams

I mentioned this last time- The best two teams in the NBA played in the Eastern Conference finals when Boston faced Detroit. In that series the Celtics regained their awesome road prowess. They went into Motown and took two out of three. So now everybody moves on to the west coast.

5) Comfort

It's not Atlanta. It's not Cleveland. It's not Detroit. It's LA, our comfy home away from home! Paul Pierce grew up there. Scalabrine and Pruitt played nearby. Leon Powe is from California. Sam Cassell is a liberated Clipper. Kevin Garnett owns a house in Malibu. The Celtics play very well in the land of tinsel. They're relaxed. It's not foreign territory; the Celtics have familiar couches in that town. They eat home cooked meals. They have old friends and favorite spots. For the purposes of home-versus-road Los Angeles is practically a Boston suburb, the last stop on the green line.

6) Leon

One Golden State Celtic looked particularly fantastic last night. My oh my. What a show by Mr. Powe. His efficiency per minute in Game 2 was probably enough to send John Hollinger into spasms. Absolutely magnificent.

7) 2006 Draft

Were you mad when Danny Ainge traded the 7th pick in the 2006 draft for Sebastian Telfair and Theo Ratliff? I was. As it turns out, I know nothing. Not only did the trade ultimately end up netting Kevin Garnett, look what Danny got in that draft: Rajon Rondo and Leon Powe: 16 assists and the Game 2 hero. That's the 21st and 49th picks.

We all expect Brandon Roy to have a fine career, and thanks to the young man's ping pong acumen the Blazers may stop this budding Lakers-dynasty-on-paper before it starts; but I believe we can safely say this turned out to be a good trade for both teams...

...and 2006 was a very good draft for both teams too.

8) Marcus versus Delonte

Speaking of 16 assists, do you recall the long and intense Marcus Banks vs. Delonte West debate? Well that debate is over. The winner is Rajon Rondo.

9) The Opposite of Ubuntu

Did you see Mr. Bryant scowling at his teammates when they didn't get him the ball in the final critical possession? He should have been mad, but his chronic undercutting of the other Lakers is unhealthy. The same guy who demanded a trade in the off-season just does not seem to support his teammates well when the going gets rocky. He's the antiubuntu.

All for one, as long as the one is him.

10) Game 3

The Celtics did what they had to do.

Game 1 was the epic phoenix flight of Paul Pierce. Celtics win.

Game 2 was the comeback from hell that fell just short. Celtics win.

Now Game 3: Celtics win again.

Celtic Esquire · Post #2 » by **Celtic Esquire** » Mon Jun 9, 2008 5:22 pm

Point 5 is going to be very important for us.

I think we'll lose Game 3 due to the travel and the fact that the Lakers are going to come out all cylinders firing, but I can see us taking Game 4 after Pierce and Co. have settled down and gotten a chance to eat a few In and Out burgers.

Athanacropolis · Post #3 » by **Athanacropolis** » Mon Jun 9, 2008 5:22 pm

Great as always Gant! Points 2 and 8 especially!

WHambone · Post #4 » by **WHambone** » Mon Jun 9, 2008 6:01 pm

Gant your my favorite! I'm putting you on my five!

Gant · Post #5 » by **Gant** » Mon Jun 9, 2008 6:16 pm

I like that the Celtics won, with a late game letdown, with Garnett having a bad offensive game, with Perkins and Pierce playing on questionable limbs, with LA having had time to adjust.

I don't think LA can beat the Celtics defense without another letdown, and the last game should work as a warning to prevent that.

SeizeCoup · Post #6 » by **SeizeCoup** » Mon Jun 9, 2008 6:18 pm

Starting with number 5 you really hit your stride, great flow right through the end. In reference to #9, it must suck to play with Kobe. I was sitting near the Lakers bench last night, so I saw a lot of his antics. He practically threw a towel at VladRad at one point, and another time (also in anger) he was shouting at teammates during a huddle. It didn't look like he was trying to pump them up either, it looked more like he was cussing them out.

Other random fact: he changed out of his hyperdunks (his new fancy shoes) at half time and went back to his old Kobe's...

MyInsatiableOne · Post #7 » by **MyInsatiableOne** » Mon Jun 9, 2008 6:21 pm

As always, nice Gant.

Gant · Post #8 » by **Gant** » Mon Jun 9, 2008 6:24 pm

CalderCup wrote:Starting with number 5 you really hit your stride, great flow right through the end. In reference to #9, it must suck to play with Kobe. I was sitting near the Lakers bench last night, so I saw a lot of his antics. He practically threw a towel at VladRad at one point, and another time (also in anger) he was shouting at teammates during a huddle. It didn't look like he was trying to pump them up either, it looked more like he was cussing them out.

Other random fact: he changed out of his hyperdunks (his new fancy shoes) at half time and went back to his old Kobe's...

I agree. It was pretty funny. I wrote this at work while talking to customers and taking phone calls. Business was a little better during the early part of the morning. So the part from the middle on is more coherent. Ha ha. (I suppose I could have edited, but no. Oh well.)

That's great on-the-scene observation. Kobe's a great talent, but a strange person. I think his selfishness is what keeps him from ever approaching the top legends of the game. They all helped their teammates. (Although I did hear Oscar Robertson could be rough to play with. Kobe's the Leona Helmsley of teammates though.)

DorfonCeltics · Post #9 » by **DorfonCeltics** » Mon Jun 9, 2008 6:25 pm

This was my favorite line:

For the purposes of home-versus-road Los Angeles is practically a Boston suburb, the last stop on the green line.

I guess I live in East LA.

Great work as always Gant!

Gant · Post #10 » by **Gant** » Mon Jun 9, 2008 7:24 pm

WHambone wrote:Gant your my favorite! I'm putting you on my five!

Thank you Hambone!

...I don't have cellphone though. Is there anyone else here who doesn't have one, or am I the last holdout?

Gant · Post #11 » by **Gant** » Mon Jun 9, 2008 9:52 pm

One stat I forgot:

The Celtics have now won four straight against Detroit and Los Angeles. I don't think it's a stretch to say no other team in the league is capable of doing that.

LA is tough and dangerous, but the Celtics can make it 5 straight if they keep their defensive intensity.

Bad-Thoma · Post #12 » by **Bad-Thoma** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 12:15 am

Gant wrote:-= original quote snipped =-

Thank you Hambone!

...I don't have cellphone though. Is there anyone else here who doesn't have one, or am I the last holdout?

Don't have one, don't want one. I'm afraid Charles Barkley would call me all the time looking for socks.

tlifeset · Post #13 » by **tlifeset** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 1:29 am

Ron Gant is a Celtics fan?

bigcelticsfan · Post #14 » by **bigcelticsfan** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 2:51 am

tlifeset wrote:Ron Gant is a Celtics fan?

That joke might have been funny in 1995.

Post #15 » by **tlee324** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 4:45 am

bigcelticsfan wrote:-= original quote snipped =-

That joke might have been funny in 1995.

Might have not been, too.

LongTimeFan · Post #16 » by **LongTimeFan** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 2:03 pm

The 2006 draft was a very good draft for us. How does he do that?

I can only conclude that DA has the answer sheet and the other GM's do not. It's like he knows who the best players will be and he knows what all the other GMs are thinking.

This is not fair. I am so spoiled that I actually expect DA to get two top ten players with the 30 and 60 picks. And I wouldn't be surprised if he got a top five with the 30.

Do we get how Powe's trade value has gone up? He may very well have been the 2nd best PF of the draft. At 47.

Gant · Post #17 » by **Gant** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 2:26 pm

LongTimeFan wrote:The 2006 draft was a very good draft for us. How does he do that?

I can only conclude that DA has the answer sheet and the other GM's do not. It's like he knows who the best players will be and he knows what all the other GMs are thinking.

This is not fair. I am so spoiled that I actually expect DA to get two top ten players with the 30 and 60 picks. And I wouldn't be surprised if he got a top five with the 30.

Do we get how Powe's trade value has gone up? He may very well have been the 2nd best PF of the draft. At 47.

I saw an interview with Jeff Goodman of Foxsports. He said Danny Ainge is the hardest working exec there is. Whereas many other guys go to Orlando and are seeing players for the first or second time, Ainge has seen every player 5 or 6 times already so he works from a much larger body of evidence on each prospect.

Goodman said wherever he goes Ainge is there.

LongTimeFan · Post #18 » by **LongTimeFan** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 3:06 pm

Do you remember the time he got fined for sitting next to Durant's mother?

It is work. But there is more.

How about the Orien Greene promise he kept? He knew Amir Johnson would be a player. And that he'd be taken between 53 & 60. And that was in 2005.

DA has gotten better at this.

It is scarry to think how good baby will be when he has Perk's body. Or Pruitt when we have a seasoned PG to back up.

Post #19 » by **UGA Hayes** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 6:41 pm

I wouldn't be surprised if the draft was Ainge's favorite thing about being a GM. He seems like the type to hang out on message boards and argue about draft prospects all day. Whats interesting is that there doesn't seem that much of a common thread b/t the guys he picks.