Celtics Pride
The greatest one-season turnaround in NBA history culminated with the Celtics utter destruction of the hapless Lakers last night.
It isn't often that a team wins by 39 points and you can honestly say that the game wasn't as close close as the score indicates. Demolition? Humiliation? Pick your term. They smothered the Lakers and crushed them in every single aspect of the game.
(I was actually tempted to go to sleep at the end of the third quarter because the Celtics were up by 29 and clearly in control. But that wasn't going to happen).
So, the Len Bias Curse has finally been exorcised after 22 years and Celtics Pride restored.
I didn't end up seeing that much of the series so it's hard for me to comment (which doesn't mean that I won't) but, notwithstanding how great a series Paul Pierce played, it's clear to me that the heart of the Celtics in this series was Kevin Garnett. He is the main reason why the Lakers interior players were totally outclassed and played like sissies. The good news is that I'm sure Garnett couldn't care less who got the MVP as long as he finally got the elusive championship.
(The other thing that I loved about last night was the ridiculous shooting of Ray Allen. After a number of playoff series where he mysteriously lost his touch, he finally got it back against the Lakers, never more so than last night when he hit 7 threes. It seemed that any time the Lakers tried to put a few points together in the second half, Allen nailed a long range bomb.)
Finally, the most poignant moment of last night's telecast (which made it worthwhile staying up) was when Garnett went over to Bill Russell after the game, hugged him and said, "I finally got my own. I finally got my own. I hope we made you proud."
Classic.
The greatest one-season turnaround in NBA history culminated with the Celtics utter destruction of the hapless Lakers last night.
It isn't often that a team wins by 39 points and you can honestly say that the game wasn't as close close as the score indicates. Demolition? Humiliation? Pick your term. They smothered the Lakers and crushed them in every single aspect of the game.
(I was actually tempted to go to sleep at the end of the third quarter because the Celtics were up by 29 and clearly in control. But that wasn't going to happen).
So, the Len Bias Curse has finally been exorcised after 22 years and Celtics Pride restored.
I didn't end up seeing that much of the series so it's hard for me to comment (which doesn't mean that I won't) but, notwithstanding how great a series Paul Pierce played, it's clear to me that the heart of the Celtics in this series was Kevin Garnett. He is the main reason why the Lakers interior players were totally outclassed and played like sissies. The good news is that I'm sure Garnett couldn't care less who got the MVP as long as he finally got the elusive championship.
(The other thing that I loved about last night was the ridiculous shooting of Ray Allen. After a number of playoff series where he mysteriously lost his touch, he finally got it back against the Lakers, never more so than last night when he hit 7 threes. It seemed that any time the Lakers tried to put a few points together in the second half, Allen nailed a long range bomb.)
Finally, the most poignant moment of last night's telecast (which made it worthwhile staying up) was when Garnett went over to Bill Russell after the game, hugged him and said, "I finally got my own. I finally got my own. I hope we made you proud."
Classic.
Labels: Sports
posted by MoChassid @ 10:12 AM
6 Comments:
At 11:16 AM,
Anonymous said…
The Celtics played great defense throughout the Lakers series. Though I'm a Knicks fan who has routinely rooted against the Celtics, they deserve credit for their achievement. Also, I've added Pierce to my very brief list of Celtics players who've I've respected over the years. He joins Russell, Havlicek and Bird.
At 12:06 PM,
Anonymous said…
As you said, you clearly didn't watch most of the series. Garnett was average at best in games 1-4 and terrible in Game 5. Pierce was the reason they won. Without him Garnett, Ray Allen, and the rest of the Celts would not have won. If Garnett had to carry this team he would've failed just like he did in Minnesota for all thos years.
At 12:10 PM,
Anonymous said…
That was a nice moment with Garnet- but what about minutes before with Michelle Tafoya that he acted like a total thug- that was a pretty scary interview.
At 12:46 PM,
Anonymous said…
You can't discredit Garnett in this series. Rarely do his numbers, which are generally excellent, accurately express his total impact on a game/series.
At 2:32 PM,
MoChassid said…
anonymous 12:06
I totally agree with anon 12:46. Pierce was spectacular but Garnett's numbers were also great. 13 rebounds a game (including 3.7 offensive), 3 assists, 1.67 steals and 18.2 ppg. I don't call that mediocre. Last night he was a monster and had three very clutch baskets in the first quarter when it counted. It is also hard to underestimate the impact his hard play had against the Lakers inside players. He intimidated them and they totally disappeared.
Anon 12:10
It was scary but that dopey reporter should have realized that he was too emotinal for an interview and gone on to interview someone a bit more calm.
At 11:37 PM,
Anonymous said…
I always love players who curse EVERY time they are shown on screen-especially when being interviewed at the end of games. Garnett acts like the typical mensch...mother f-----.
Post a Comment
<< Home