Road sick
We've been here before. We recognize these symptoms.
Things should look awful familiar to Celtics fans heading into tonight's Game 4 against the Cleveland Cavliers at the Q. Two dominant defensive performances at home. Two Celtics victories in the comfy confines of the Garden. The C's hop a plane, but leave their luggage, which apparently holds their collective hearts.
We thought it was just an ATL thing. A young, upstart team with the REAL fair-weather fans catching playoff fever and turning the normally patchy Hawks crowd into rabid fanatics. Philips Arena, a place in the regular season where you could hear a pin drop, became a House of Horrors for the Celtics. We watched the games. Whether we like it or not, that crowd matched the Garden's intensity in the three games in Atlanta, and their young, emotional team fed off of it.
By the time Game 3 in Cleveland rolled around, with all of the media hype of the three road losses, the Celtics have developed a complex. I don't know if they are home sick, or road sick, but this team has caught something. Agoraphobia. Call the doctor.
Not that Doc, either. This team needs a second opinion.
How did this happen? How did the best road team in basketball develop Hoops Agorophobia? Clearly it's an airborne disease, tales of their road deficiencies spreading like an epidemic across the airwaves. Every round ball talking head is diagnosing the Celtics with this condition. With every Ray Allen air ball, it gets worse.
It's not like it's just the Celtics. This Hoops Agoraphobia is going around. Only the Detroit Pistons have won a road game in the second round. It even infected the Hawks in the last series. Everyone said that the C's couldn't win on the road, and couldn't lose at home. Atlanta didn't even show up for Game 7, resigned to their terminal prognosis.
Cleveland clearly saw it coming. After a Game 1 heartbreaker and a Game 2 blowout, most teams would be crushed heading into Game 3. Cleveland was as confident as could be. The Cavs watched the first series, they spotted the symptoms. The hoop must have looked like a hot tub to the Cleveland shooters. Wally Szczerbiak turned into Ray Allen. Ray Allen turned into Allen Ray. Joe Smith turned into Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Kendrick Perkins turned into ... well, he pretty much played exactly like he always plays. In the end it was another road rout, with the Celtics on the short end. Prophecy self-fulfilled.
Normally, this wouldn't be that big of a deal. The home team winning the first game at home after losing two on the road. Did anyone expect the C's to sweep the defending Eastern Conference champions? Ahh, but since we haven't won on the road yet this postseason, people look to Boston's growing Agoraphobia. We CAN'T win on the road. The whole thing is starting to make me sick.
But there is good news.
In sports, unlike in real life, these illnesses are never terminal. Ask long-time chronic choking survivors Peyton Manning, Gary Payton, or your Boston Red Sox. Ask the new CEO of Chumps-to-Champs, Inc., Eli Manning. It doesn't take much to eradicate any sports-related disease, be it chronic choking, Agoraphobia, or what have you. It only takes one win. That's it! You don't even have to finish the whole prescription!
If the Celtics win tonight, the "Boston can't win a game on the road" tag is out the window. The Celtics are up 3-1 and heading home. Most importantly, this case of Hoops Agoraphobia will be cured.
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is it just me or is anybody else feeling like our squad are front runners? When on the road and in hostile environment we fold the tent and say "wait til we get home" If we're going to win a championship don't we have to be tougher? I was young but I remember the old Big 3 getting physical and pounding the ball inside to punish people. No sign of that at all. Our swagger is limited to the Garden. I,m now officially nervous....... Give me the old Big 3 anytime even with grey hair they'd hit some one.
i hope im not alone on this, but does anyone agree with me when i say that doc has the worst possible method of subbing?
7:26 left in the fourth quarter, down 5 (the momentum is clearly with the cavs at this point)
doc's 5 on the floor: casell, pj brown, big baby, pose, and pierce
ARE YOU KIDDING ME???
Where is KG? Where is Rondo(who was hot all night - 15 points)? Wheres Ray?
AND WHERE WAS POE ALL NIGHT???
Im scratching my head here...someone please let me know what is going on
He is the worst in game coach left in the playoffs. The celts have no chance with him coaching.......no 17 this year
doc needs to get his sub game on point
tyyw I'm sure you are not alone on questioning doc about subs. Powe belonged on the floor in the 4th instead of Big Baby, PERIOD.
It's galling to see Doc call out his players for stuff like "hero shots" but when it's his time to put the best 5 on the floor, he fails miserably. (And why is he STILL experimenting with rotations at this point!!)
I hope he's at least accountable to the players for this garbage... without pointing out a particular player's failings.
The increased numbers for Sam Cassell are not helping anyone. The last thing we need when we can only muster up 70-odd points is a point guard that makes a move around the three-point line and then jacks up a jumper. I think Doc is letting Sam push him around by complaining about minutes. Dumb. Rondo is the one that triggers the offense, usually with penetration and forcing the defense to shift.
1. When Cassell is stinking up the joint, why not give Eddie House a try? I actually like it when he runs the offense, he does a good job of keeping our offense in attack mode. We walk up the ball too much, and in the NBA even the worst defensive teams can stop you if you don't pass, cut and roll aggressively.
2. When Cleveland goes small in the backcourt, we need to put Pierce at the #2 spot. Put Pierce down on the block against Delonte or Gibson and he will score at will, or he'll find guys open for easy jumpers. We haven't exploited this one bit! And Ray can't get it done b/c he's not a post up player! We end up having mismatches on defense and don't punish them for it on the offensive end!
3. On the road, we gotta find a way to rest KG better. Without the home crowd adrenaline, I sense that he runs out of steam. Notice how his jumper in the 4th yesterday barely grazed front rim. That's the sign of tired legs. Given how they are officiating these playoffs, you need someone to play strong down in the low post. KG gets a couple easy ones near the rim in Q4, it changes the whole complexion for our jump shooters.
4. Ray needs to come off screens and rather than catch and shoot or catch and dribble, he should catch and ball fake, take 1/2 dribbles and he'll have a 15 footer all day long. And Ray can make 80-90% of those!
Ok where it is the secret to winning this series for one just keep winning at home, not the best answer right. but a good one. the biggest key to winning on the road is one thing stop shooting jumpers and take to the paint. All four starters will take a jump shot before they go to the paint. Perkins will never take a jump shot on purpose. The finally key to winning this series is sitting on the bench by name of Eddie House. What does Cassell do that Eddie can't? Eddie has a better jump shot then Cassell and Paul Pierce at this time and he is fresh. Doc open your eyes and put Eddie and Allen in the game. Allen is playing for a contract so he will play hard and Eddie will play hard because Cassell took away his mins. Who else agrees with me. ?
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