Don’t get me wrong, the NBA Finals aren't over yet. Not nearly. The Celtics are still going to win, but clinching the series in LA is going to be no easy task.
Nobody thought the C’s could even make it this far. Sportscasters and journalists all across the country wrote them off as an over-the-hill team of geriatrics that had no business playing on Kobe’s court. That prediction came true, eh?
I usually reserve such gloating exclusively for the Pats and Bants because I know those teams can back up the talk (I’m a little more cautious with the Red Sox), but the incredible momentum swing that happened during games four and five of these series has me glowing with Celtic Pride (a pretty appropriate movie plot for the 2010 Finals).
The series had an interesting feel to it throughout the first three games. The Lakers finished the stretch up 2-1, and appeared to dominate the Celtics despite relinquishing the middle game. The loathsome stars of the west coast demonstrated their superiority over Boston's green and white. Pau Gasol put on a show-stopping masquerade in L.A., leading more than one Boston talk radio host to question whether he was the best big man in the NBA. Kobe turned heads too, but his performance was nothing out of the ordinary, consisting of impossible jump-shots, relentless head-fakes, and infinite mouth-scowls (I know ‘mouth’ doesn’t belong there, but I like the continuity).
They didn’t beat the Celtics though. The Celtics beat the Celtics. Paul Pierce looked pouty when he couldn’t bring the ball up court, and Rondo lacked the authority to take the ball to the rim. Ray Allen was invisible (almost literally) for two of the three games, and KG played like the Monstars just robbed him of his basketball powers. The performance of the referees can’t be ignored either. I hate blaming officials for a loss because I believe a team shouldn’t put itself in a position where an official can alter a game. However officials shouldn’t make the game about themselves: people tune in to watch the players, not the old people in gray workout shirts and all-black sneaks. Blowing the whistle as often as they did disrupted the rhythm of the games and dissipated any momentum that either team developed. It makes for bad basketball. Ask anyone. Foul shots can decide a game, but they don’t necessarily make that game entertaining or enthralling.
You know where the excitement has come from these last two games? From the Boston-freaking-Celtics. Pierce, Allen (R & T), Rondo, Garnett, Perkins, Davis, Robinson, Wallace, Scalabrine (gotta show him some love) have ALL flipped the switch for games four and five, invigorated by the home crowd’s “Beat LA” (read: F*ck LA) chant. Hopefully they can sustain that energy 3,000 miles away, and if they can, I see a Celtics victory in Game Six. More likely than not though, they'll endure a slight drop on Tuesday night and deliver the Lakers a Game Seven at home. If sports have taught me anything, it's that the Celtics' team-first philosophy will carry them over Kobe Bryant (and the Lakers). Just ask Celtics Town's Jay King. Being the greatest player in the NBA sure is cool, but it doesn’t garner you a Jordan-esque fifth ring. Ask the Pittsburgh Steelers: winning the “one for the thumb” takes a team effort. Or at least a team effort led by an accused sexual offender...
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