No choice but to look ahead
The good thing is, the Celtics can't possibly look past this next game.
Whether or not the Cavaliers have this one circled on their calendar, the Celtics carry the same amount of urgency as the Cavs do into Friday night's tilt at Cleveland. They don't have a choice. With an 89-85 loss to the Rockets Wednesday night at TD Banknorth Garden, the Celtics have lost six of their last eight games.
They need this one.
"We’re going to get their best punch," Celtics captain Paul Pierce said of the Cavaliers. "We got a chance to play them in our home opener (a 90-85 Celtics win). When you play in a game like this, teams like us want to try to find the edge because we know somewhere down the road we’re going to see them in the playoffs... The way we are playing, this is a great way to get back on track.”
The Celtics looked like they might get back on track Wednesday night against the Rockets. They entered the third quarter with the lead, but the C's shot themselves out of the game down the stretch, going 4-for-18 in the final period.
"I thought our spirit was right," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. "I thought our effort was right, I just didn’t think we executed -- we did execute, we just didn’t make shots and make plays and get stops at the end of games, tonight."
How bad is this recent stretch for the Celtics? It's so bad it has other teams talking. The Bobcats talked about not getting "punked" by the Celtics before Tuesday night's game. And after tonight's game, Rockets forward Ron Artest said his team was "as talented" as the Celtics, it only needed to work a little harder.
"Sometimes we forget that hard work is more important than talent," said Artest. "Last year, Boston had hard work and they had talent, that’s why they ran through everybody."
Still, the Celtics aren't worried that other teams have figured out their secret formula to winning. Rivers said before the game he was confident his team would get back on track. And Kevin Garnett said afterward that he was confident, period.
"We are a very, very confident team," said Garnett. "We have to get our swagger back and some of the things we talk about are being defensively sound. This is the difficult part of the year. I feel we have the mindset to weather the storm.”
Garnett and the Celtics have to hope, however, that they can ride out this latest tempest. The Cavaliers are 18-0 at home this season following a 111-81 thumping of the Bobcats Wednesday night (remember that Charlotte beat the Celtics a night earlier). Cleveland is already a tough place to play, as the Celtics failed to win a single game there during last year's Eastern Conference semifinals. And the C's are showing, for the first time in a season-and-a-half, that they might actually be vulnerable.
In other words, it's a perfect storm.
"I can't sit here and say it's another game," James said of Friday's matchup. "We're just looking forward to the challenge. If we want to be the best team, we have to beat the best. Boston is the best until somebody takes their crown."
With all due respect to Kobe Bryant, James is by far the player that intimidates the Celtics the most. This reporter had the privilege of sitting next to Pierce during the premiere of the Celtics' championship DVD over the summer, and when the highlights from the Cavs series came on the screen, Pierce turned to a friend, sighed, and said, "LeBron is a beast." He's a player the Celtics simply cannot defend one-on-one, and that has to be a scary thought for Rivers and his team.
The Celtics squeezed past the Cavaliers on Opening Night in Boston, but that was at the Garden, with the emotions of raising the banner as motivation. Three factors will work against the Celtics on Friday night: They'll be on the road, the Cavaliers are more motivated than ever, and the C's will be without Tony Allen, the one player on the roster with a chance of slowing James down on his own.
"They got us up there," Cavs point guard Mo Williams said of the season opener. "It's our turn. It's payback time."
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"Their secret formula to winning"? Seriously - is this written by a high school kid or a professional journalist?
A TALE OF TWO CITIES!!!!!!
One is finding itself, the other is loosing itself.
HA HA HA!!!!!!!
hog
Lakers: 28-6
Boston: 29-8
ANYTHING'S POSSIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Frequent posters that the two of you are: We ask that you bear with us if it takes a little while to approve your comments. Sometimes other tasks take precedence. Thanks for posting, and keep it up!
The C's will be going down in C-Town on Friday night !! In the Cavs got better this year with the addition of Mo Williams. We were also able to get all our new additions (Ben Wallace, Wally Szczerbiak, and Delonte West) to go through a training camp together. This year the distractions in camp were eliminated by having everyone signed ahead of time (unlike last year when Anderson Varejao and Sasha Pavlovic where both holdouts). Just wait until the Cavs add Brad Miller to their roster before the trading deadline. The Cavs have many expiring contracts to trade to add a player like Brad Miller where as the C's do not. All of this spells the end of the C's dominance over the eastern conference.
Must be a slow day in the pig sty if Potloving swine has nothing better to do with his time.
Ever heard of a life? Get one. And who ever is moderating this site, please eliminate the Lakers trolls. They add nothing to the discussion and merely take up space. Kind of like Kobe without Shaq.
This is a team that got old really quick.
I didn't think it would happen for another year.
Hey Porkie, try defending your "beloved" Celts instead of crying to your blog "mommies" to shield you. What a collection of pusses the Celtic nation has become...
And if you want more posts by the Celtic bandwagon fans, good luck - they've all already jumped ship.
Hey Dzen - are there any "frequent posters" that are Celtics fans? Not anymore...
You have been deleting comments like a madman...
Hey canibus hog.....
Lakers 2-4
+
Celtics 4-2
=
17th Championship banner.
Enjoy comparing records in January. Get your shots in while you can. hahahahahahahahaha
Pork, might as well let them laugh now. They'll be crying in June.
What the celtics really need to do is capitalize on this opportunity, just as LA capitalized on the Christmas day game. A win over Cleveland, in Cleveland should be enough to get some swagger back.
And I'm saying this as a Laker fan.
I think the reason Gary is deleting your postings is that they're idiotic. Maybe if you brought something to the table instead "hahahaha, the Celtics suck", he might let you stay? But if this is what he's allowing, I can't imagine the idiotic drivel the two of you are creating on a regular basis.
But seriously, I love internet tough guys who think the world revolves around your immature trash talk. Keep making us laugh: last June in particular was quite amusing.
What have the Celts done since 1985? They've won one NBA Title and made two appearances in the Finals. What have the Los Angeles Lakers done since 1985? They've won five NBA Titles and made eight appearances in the Finals. Exactly which franchise is still relevant?
But, no worries - at least you still have the Patriots in the playoffs and -- oh, what's that?
Damn, you won ONE championship. You must be thrilled. Get back to us Lakers fans when you win a couple more. Better yet, get back to us when you start winning games against the NBA's bottom feeders.
Sorry, Chuck, my bad.....I didn't realize history began in 1985.
Can't speak for anyone else here, but I could not care less about the Patriots. Nice try.
NVE, we won one Championship by beating the snot out of the Lakers. It included one game with the largest comeback in NBA Finals history (on the Lakers homecourt, I might add) and another game which ended with the largest margin of victory in a deciding game. Classic.
We are defending champs, so yes, I am thrilled, just as you would be had your team won. I've been alive for more than just this one, so it's not just "ONE" to me. By the count of the banners in the rafters, we've also won more. And if you do a Boston versus LA comparison, we've won almost twice as many (17-9). Oh, and finally, head-to-head against the Lakers in the Finals, the Celtics are a DOMINATING 9-2.
Yep, thrilled is the word. :-)
Jeez, you sad, lonely, borderline institutional Laker trolls need to find something else to do than post comments on a Celtics blog. Try huffing on your own Laker boards.
Who gives a hoot what's happening on January 8th? Let's see who's playing on the court in June. And it might be NEITHER team or BOTH..
I love the optimism here on this blog. It seems it's ok to lose 6 out of 8 games, the majority coming against teams already praying for draft lottery.
Anyway, as a huge Lakers, mind you a level-headed one, the Celtics are in deep trouble. I know all about the "champs are won in June" thing. That's played out. Good teams grow as the year progresses. The Celtics have in essence, imploded, (and all this without Starbury).
Congratulations. Maybe as a gift, Ainge can giftwrap a geriatric PJ Brown and a volatile and risky Starbury and place it under the fiery christmas tree. Oh! Wait..you guys already got a christmas present. hehe
The Lakers have thier own issues like Kobe's incessant nagging, Bynum's lack of center skill, but yet and still, they are the better and the best team right now.
So...I guess optimism is good during trying times. Keep it up Celtics fans. But remember...Only 2 weeks ago...there were only 2 games in the loss column.
Or maybe this will explain or even warrant KG's unsportsmanlike conduct...for once.
Thanks fans.
Bizona - had to look pretty far into the past to find all those Boston championships, eh? That is why the Celts are no longer relevant. The past 20 years they have won exactly the same number of NBA Championships as the Miami Heat. As for your figures, let's be honest here. Your 9-2 head to head in the Finals record, although only weighed in Boston's favor by their teams of 50 years ago, is based on the Lakers franchise of both Los Angeles and Minneapolis. Using the same criteria, the NBA Championship totals favor Boston by only a 17-14 count. So go ahead and show pride for a team you never knew, because the modern day Celtics are a mediocre franchise at best.
They're going to get their butt kicked. They may get their mojo back later in the season, but Cleveland is gonna annihilate a team that can't beat the Rockets at home. This one will be ugly.
I am the biggest of Celts fans but I do see some familiar things going on. I remember the great championship teams. I remember watching the 1986 Championship team, arguably one of the best teams in nba history. I also remember watching the 1987 Celtics try to defend their title, arguably one of the toughest teams in nba history. They were the same roster and in one year age and injury started to take there toll. They lost to the Lakers in six.... A lot seems familiar about 2009. I am optimistic that Boston will turn it around but our bench needs help NOW! Also - Doc needs to switch up his rotations once in a while...
131-92. LA can never live that down.
The bench can't suddenly stink after a 17 game winning streak. This is deeper than that. This has more to do with attitude and execution, NOT game strategy. We are scoring 88 points on teams with no defense (the Knicks) and giving up 124 on teams with no offense (Bobcats). We are losing in every possible way imaginable.
Maybe the toll is catching up. Maybe the run is done. Or maybe it takes one game to turn the whole darn thing around.
All I know is that if we lose home court advantage in the playoffs, it will be a tough hill to repeat.
HEY FAKER LAKER FANS
17...RINGS IN YOUR FACE....
DO THE LAKERS HAVE 17....OR MORE?...
THE ANSWER IS NO!!!!!!!
Nick- You're neck and neck with Marijuana Swine for relevancy.
The Celtics are "irrelevant", eh?
Then why are you talking trash on a Celtics blog, might I ask? Seems to me, you're frustrated by that same 9-2 record over the Lakers you're dismissing.
Hey Classless - how did the Lakers do after the Memorial Day Massacre? Just thought I'd dust off your memory. Any memory of what the Celts did last year will disappear with a Lakers win this June, so no one in L.A. is too worried about it. But you go ahead getting yourself excited about one victory.
Pork - why am I talking trash on this blog? Because I like shooting fish in a barrel.
You know what the Celts can never live down? A professional basketball player openly weeping on the court because he had his delicate feelings hurt.
This blogger might want to review your comment before posting it.
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