Captain's Thoughts: A Sad End to a Happy Era for Celtics

In what could be the last game of the Big Three Era in Boston, the Celtics fell to the Heat 101-88. It was likely the last time that Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen were all on the same floor on the same team in a meaningful game.

It was a brutally painful end to an enjoyable 5 seasons. So even though the ending wasn't a triumphant one, and there was no ride into the sunset with an 18th NBA Championship trophy in tow, I'd argue that as a whole the story of The Big Three was happy one.

In the Big Three Era, the Celtics won 5 divisional titles, 2 Eastern Conference titles, and an NBA Championship. They won 11 playoff series (they'd won 10 between the 1986 NBA Finals and the start of the Big Three Era). They had a .693 winning percentage and won 273 regular season games. They rekindled the rivalry with LA. They won rings for Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. And they made sure that the number 34 would one day hang in the rafters of the Garden with the other Celtic greats.

More important than all that, the Big Three Era made the Celtics relevant again. Before, the C's were struggling on the court and were struggling for attention in a town that had Super Bowl and World Series winning teams. The Big Three Era returned the Celtics to prominence in this town. And nationally, Boston was once again a focal point of the Basketball world.

It's been a very special 5 years.

Now, let's talk about Game 7.

The Celtics and Heat were tied 73-73 going into the 4th. The Celtics led 82-81 with 8:00 left in the 4th. Then the Heat went on a rampage and the C's cooled off. They outscored the Celtics 20-6 from that point on. The Heat executed, the Celtics didn't.

The common explanation for this is that the Celtics "had nothing left in the tank." They simply ran out of gas. That may be. And it might be part of the reason Miami was able to pull away so quickly. I'm not quite sure that's the reason, though.

This Celtics team has been very streaky all season, especially with their shooting. Hot for 10 minutes, cold for 10 minutes. They've blown several leads (and built several leads) in the postseason because of this streakiness. They were cold at the end of the 4th last night, but it didn't look much different from previous cold stretches.

And give credit to the Heat for their execution. I hate that I have to do that, but they made the big shots in the 4th last night. They made the momentum swinging plays (example: late in the 2nd Celtics had a chance to go up by 9, Pietrus turned it over, then LeBron dunked to make it a 5 point game). They played better than the Celtics, especially in the clutch.

I'm not calling the Celtics a team of chokers. You can't be both a Choker and a Champion, and you can't be a Choker if you're also the underdog. But the Celtics could have won this series if they played just a little bit better. The effort was there, but not the execution.

Earlier in the series, the Celtics got cold at a key time and let another game get away from them. Game 2, remembered mostly for bad officiating, saw the Celtics up 5 points with 3:00 left in the 4th. And they couldn't hit a shot. Miami took a lead, then the Celtics had to miraculously tie it, hope for LeBron to choke (which he did), and go to OT. Which they eventually lost, thanks in part to the refs. But the C's had that game in their hands, and didn't execute.

And that's fine. The Bruins didn't execute against the Caps. The Patriots didn't execute against the Giants. It happens. I'm not trying to lead an anti-Celtic crusade here. I'm not trying to criticize them or call them losers. It just seems like every time the Celtics lose, there's always an explanation and it never includes the phrase "didn't play well enough to win." It's either the refs, or their age, or health, or injuries, or running out of gas.

It's okay to admit that these guys are human, and that it's tough to execute perfectly for 16 games and win an NBA Championship. If anything, I think it emphasizes how impressive their 2008 title was. The NBA Playoffs are a grind. Only a freak could play their absolute best in every single game.

Anyway, in 10 years we won't remember this game much. We'll remember the players, but not for their shooting percentages in the 4th quarter of this game. We'll remember them for what they did the 5 years they were here. They brought pride back to the Green and White, to the most storied franchise in the NBA, and to Boston.

-The Captain

101 Heat, 88 Celtics

The Celtics had a 1 point lead with 8 minutes left to go, and then simply couldn't get over the hump. They were missing shots, taking bad shots, not rebounding, giving up offensive rebounds, and taking difficult shots, meanwhile the Heat were converting eveything. The Celtics simply couldn't get it done offensively, and the Chris Bosh led Heat was able to take over the game with his 3s. Yes, 3s, Chris Bosh decided to turn into Larry Bird and hit clutch 3 after clutch 3. To see how ridiculous Chris Bosh's 3s were he was 4-40 lifetime from the 3 range.

Although I don't want to say this. LeBron James had an incredible playoffs and is a hell of a player. He put the Heat on his back in game 6 when he scored 102809 points and didn't miss a shot. He's an incredible player. With that being said, I hope our old friend Kendrick Perkins decapitates him.

The Celtics were spread out offensively, all of their starters were in double digits, led by Rondo who of course finished with a triple double. What killed the Celtics was their bench. Their bench was bad, they only had 2 points and were completely ineffective. With the bench being ineffective it put more minutes on the starters, and the starters just couldn't get it done int he final 8 minutes.

Even with the loss, this was an incredible run. It hard to be proud of a team who lost in the Eastern Conference Finals, but I personally am. This team was great, and God knows what happens in the future, but this was the best 5 years as a Celtics fan.

Heat 98 Celtics 79

Lebron had 45 point in 45 minutes. That really all you need to know about this game. The guy didn't miss. They weren't all layups either, he just didn't miss. There was nothing the Celtics could do. I guess that's why he is MVP.

Paul Pierce was horrendous. 4-18 shooting, getting in foul trouble early, it was just an ugly game. There were no ref issues, the Celtics just choked. They came out flat and then LeBron pulled off one of the best playoff performances I have ever seen.

Let's not talk about that game anymore. Can the Celtics still win this series? I bet most people will pick against them, which actually might be a good thing because no one seems to ever be right. Game 6 was odd, one of the biggest playoff chokers had a huge game (LeBron), while one of the more clutch players in the league (Pierce) layed an egg. One would think Pierce won't do that again, and one would think LeBron can't be THAT good two games in a row. Right there has to make Celtics fans feel at least a little better.

Am I scared? You're damn right I'm scared, but I have been scared since the playoffs started, so what's the difference. Once again this could be the last time we see the Big 3 play together, and actually if you're a Miami fan you might be saying the same thing about your team.

Celtics vs Heat Game 6 Preview

Nobody thought the Celtics could make it this far. Every "expert", every "fan" of the game and even our own BMack thought those South Beach Nancy Boys were going to beat our beloved Celtics. And while one of our own writers just had an epiphany that 3 surefire Hall of Famers and probably top 50 NBA players all time and the best PG in the league are very talented, the guys who really believed in themselves were the Celtics.

They have heard that they are too old, too injured, and couldn't keep up with those "superheroes" in Miami, but the Celtics have stepped up to the challenge and pushed around Miami in reality 4 out of the 5 games this series. The Celtics like to make things interesting during close out games, but this to me is a must win game. They need to knock out the wavering Heat at home, while their confidence is lowest and while our crowd will be breathing down their neck. The Heat have looked intimidated we cannot give them any confidence.

A lot of the same "experts" are saying that this game will be a blow out and basically the Heat will not show up. I don't buy that for a second. The Heat will definitely come out attacking and come out aggressive. But in typical Heat fashion they will regress into the 1 vs 1 game and not run designed plays and Boston is just too good of a defensive team to allow that to beat them.

Rajon Rondo, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen all had awful games shooting the last time out (other than Pierce's big dick 3), I expect them to be a lot more efficient offensively. Rondo shot 3-15 and missed a lot of makeable shots, and if anything has the billing for a Rondo game, tonight is it. Everyone will be watching, and after struggling shooting last game, he will have that chip on his shoulder and wouldn't surprise me if he flirts with a triple double (even though that's pretty synonymous with Rondo at this point). Pierce has yet to have that 35-40 point game and has struggled with his shooting percentage, that is going to happen tonight, especially after gaining all the confidence in the world after hitting the 3 over LeBron.

With the way the defense has clamped down, with the way the bench has played and with the nerves of Miami the Celtics come away with this and advance to the finals.

Celtics 103-97
Tommy Award: Rajon Rondo

UBUNTU!

Bosh To Start For Heat Tonight?

"I'm still going through that thought process," Spoelstra said after the Heat wrapped up practice in Miami before traveling to Boston. "But I think he'll be able to handle a bigger load of minutes, and it'll be based more on how he'll feel during the game."

I am still really confused on why Bosh barely played in the 2nd half last game. Spoelstra's "fair" comment ranks up there with some of the oddest comments I have ever heard. Bosh is the 3rd best player on your team, you are in Semifinals, you need you best players out there. I get he was -12 when he was out there, I get he was slow on rotations on defense, but he was killing the Celtics on the offensive boards and it's basically now or never. I expect Bosh to start tonight, and log in big minutes, or at least that's what I do if I was the Heat, because it's do or die and I'd rather die with my best players on the court. Then again, this is the Heat, so maybe this is just a great excuse.

Celtics Are More Talented Than We Thought

The narrative of the Heat/Celtics series has been that Miami are talented chokers and the Celtics are gritty finishers. I'm not going to argue against that. Miami does have talent. And there's no denying that the Celtics know how to win tough playoff games.

But let's not sell the Celtics short. They have talent. They have some serious talent. How many Hall of Famers are on the Heat? How many are on the Celtics? How many Celtics players have nation-wide name recognition? We thought maybe the Celtics were too old, but they're proving that talent knows no age. At least not before 40.

Let's start with a guy who isn't old: Rajon Rondo. Fast, slick, great vision, decisive with the ball, able to drive to the hoop, and occasionally able to shoot well from the field. Rondo led the NBA with 11.7 assists per game. 1.0 more than Steve Nash, 2.8 more than Chris Paul. You can argue that he had so many assists because he was surrounded by talent. And that only furthers my contention that the Celtics are a very talented team.

The biggest criticism of Rondo is that he's not spectacular every single night. His inconsistency is sometimes baffling. But talented players are sometimes inconsistent. There's no arguing or doubting Rondo's abilities. He's a talented player.

Kevin Garnett might be healthier now than he's been the past three years. And when healthy, he is a game-changer. He looked sluggish at the start of the regular season, but he's quickened every month. His defense is better now, his shooting is better, he's making a difference in the middle of the court. He's averaging 19.9 points and 10.8 rebounds per game in this postseason. He's shooting 50% from the field. In this series, the Heat have shot 60% when Garnett is on the bench, 40.8% when he's on the floor. KG changes the shape of the game when he's playing. Tell me he's not talented.

Paul Pierce is clutch. And talented. Clutchness might be an intangible, but without talent it's meaningless. Clutchness is an ability to maximize the impact of talent in the most important moments of a game. Pierce also averaged 19.4 points per game in the regular season, not much off his 22.0 career average. And keep in mind that for a good chunk of his career, he was the Celtics ONLY scorer.

With KG, Rondo, and Allen around him, Pierce hasn't had to dominate games for the Celtics to win. But when Pierce was by himself, he was very impressive. That talent hasn't dissipated much. It simply doesn't need to be harnessed every single possession. He's got talent.

This is a talented team. LeBron is a perennial MVP candidate, and Wade is a superstar, but the Celtics have three sure Hall of Famers, and one of the most talented point guards in the league. Pierce and Rondo were both All-Stars in 2012. KG was one in 2011. Pierce, Rondo, and Garnett have combined for 27 All-Star appearances.

This is a talented team that we all dismissed. Remember the trade deadline? There was debate over breaking this team up, selling off the pieces to rebuild for the future. They believed in themselves and their talent. And now they're making believers out of all of us here as well as across the country.

-The Captain

Celtics 94 Heat 90

If you told me Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo were going to play poorly for most of this game, I would've said the Heat were going to win by 20. That's what happened and the Celtics still won, and you know why? Because they a TEAM, and that has been the difference in this series so far.

I say Rondo and Pierce had a bad game, but both came up huge at the end of the game. Pierce did it the way you thought he would. He hit key shots down the stretch, one of them being a 3 that pretty much sealed the game at 90-86. Rondo did it in a much more unconvential way (shocking I know). The Celtics' end-of-game run started with, of all things, a magnificent defensive play by Wade, who blocked Bass' dunk attempt with 6:03 left. The ball wound up going to Pietrus, who drilled a 3-pointer. The story is inbetween those two thing happening. When Bass missed the dunk, the crowd went nuts, but Rondo jumped over two defender, and tip the ball while in the air perfectly into Pietrus' hands. I can't explain how big of a play it was, but I truely beleive that play was what changed the game. If Wade's block held I think the Heat would've won, but then Pietrus hit that 3 you could see the Heat and their fans hang their heads.

From a stats standpoint it's still confusing how the Celtics won this game. They shot 33% in the first half. Rondo line was only 7 pts, 13 asts, 6 rebs, not terrible but at this point we expect more and he did that while shooting 3-15 which made it look a lot worse. Yet, this TEAM picked him. KG was once again amazing, Pietrus shot 5-8 for 13 points off the bench, and everyone in the starting lineup scored in double figures (other than Rondo). It was ugly, but Celtics are in the Heats heads.

The Heat are more talented, but they aren't a better team. Just a couple games ago we were talking this will probably be the last series for the "Big 3", now we are saying the same thing just for the other team. If the Heat lose Game 6, I think you could be seeing a different team in South Beach next year.

FUCK YEA!

It was sloppy, it was ugly, it was everything the Celtics wanted!

UBUNTU at it's finest!

Tonight was the prettiest game I have ever seen!

YOU CAN'T TEACH HEART!

OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!

Celtics vs Heat in Game 5

Tonight is a big game for the Celtics. Both teams took care of their home court and now it's a best of 3 and the Celtics will need to win one of these games on the road if they want to get to the finals. So why not tonight?

The Celtics have basically pushed around the Heat the past 3 games, and if not for some unfortunate officiating in the 2nd game this series could be up 3-1. However, that's not the case and tonight the Heat are responding from the 2 losses by activating Chris Bosh. To me, I would be very cautious in doing this if I were the Heat. 1st reason is, it's not like Chris Bosh is this great defensive player, and pretty much every time KG and him have squared off KG owns him. KG is playing a lot more physical than I have seen him play in a while, so if Bosh is getting rushed back, I would be terrified he would re aggravate the injury to potentially making it worse. 2nd reason is kind of ridiculous. When you have a player like Chris Bosh he can/ should only help the team with his mere presence alone, however, this could disrupt Miami's flow. LeBron and Wade have been playing their 2 man game pretty well since Bosh's absence. Maybe this confuses them because it adds a whole different dimension in the Heats offense. To be honest, I would be more scared of the 1st point than the second.

The key to this game is having the Celtics play a whole game like they did in the 1st half of game 4 and just cut their heads off early. Miami wilts when the pressure gets the most intense so if the Celtics are able to start hot and build up a lead, I don't see the Heat being able to respond. Rondo again is the engine that makes this car run, he wrote a check with his comments in game 4, that the team was lucky to cash, and he needs to have another great game in his string of games. Whether Bosh plays or not, I still see KG dominating the paint. Like I alluded to earlier, KG seems to own Bosh. So a 24-13 game is not out of the question. Paul Pierce needs to start playing defense with his feet rather than his hands. Meaning he is getting a lot of ticky tack fouls whether they be reach ins, or late to the ball fouls than being in the right position. Pierce still needs to shoot better from the field, but most importantly he needs to stay on the court. Ray Allen is starting to get hot, if he continues to hit, especially in Miami, he will take the crowd out of it and that bodes well for the Green team.

I don't care to go over Miami's strengths because we know what they are. LeBron doing everything and Wade getting the credit for it. The Celtics have this and will finish this in 6.

Boston 96-87
Tommy Award: Rajon Rondo

UBUNTU!

93 Celtics, 91 Heat

Rondo calls out the Heat and the Celtics defend home court.

The series is knotted up at 2 and the Celtics are headed to South Beach to take control of the series.

Let me first start off by saying the Celtics got lucky to win this one. They took their foot off the gas peddle and blew a 20 point lead. But with big plays from Rajon and Kevin Garnett they were able to grind out this win.

I gotta run. more tomorrow.

LET'S GO CELTICS

Tonight the Celtics look to go up 3-1.... wait sorry, 2-2...

102-93 Celtics
Tommy Award: Rondo

UBUNTU

Bosh Out Game 3 and 4 vs Celtics

"Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters on Thursday that All-Star forward Chris Bosh will travel with the team to Boston but he will not play in Games 3 and 4 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Celtics as he continues to rehabilitate from an abdominal injury suffered more than two weeks ago (sportsline)."

There were rumors going around last week that the Heat might be playing up the injury and that Bosh could be ready sooner then people thought. I guess that could still be the case, as there is really no reason to risk further injury with the way the Heat have been playing. Former players have come out and said they would be shocked if eh made it back this postseason, but that remains to be seen.

Heat 115 Celtics 111

Last night you saw one of the best basketball games I have ever seen in my life. The problem is on the very same night we saw some of the worst things about the NBA you will ever see. First, right before the Celtics game starts they had the lottery drawing (more on this in a later post). Before the picks were ever announced I did a quick look down the "most likely to get the #1 pick list", because I knew damn well the Bobcats weren't getting it. Looking down the list I see the Hornets. The team that is owned by the NBA (to be sold soon), hmmm I wonder who will win. Either I'm a God, or the NBA is turning in the WWE, because that's exactly what happened.

Whatever, who gives a fuck. The Celtics are coming on.

Celtics came out hot going up by 15 point at one point. Everything was clicking. Rondo is doing whatever he wants, Pierce hitting his fadeaway, all is well. The Heat rally and are able to close to gap to 7 by halftime. This is worrisome, as the Celtics are the older team and the Heat are starting to gain some confidence.

2nd half starts horribly. Heat score 35 points in the 3rd quarter. It looks like all is lost. Really, at this point I am debating whether or not I should just call it a night and get some sleep. Heat go up by 7 points, KG looks like he might puke, Rondo has played ever minute of the game, yet Rondo gets his legs under him again. It was one of the most amazing playoff performances I have ever seen in my life. Celtics rally...

Celtics are down 3, and Ray Allen ties it with just 34.3 seconds left tied in the 4th. LeBron comes down and misses a layup, but gets his own rebound. It's Rondo vs LeBron one on one. Rondo is yelling at him the entire time. Getting in his head. LeBron gets a somewhat open look, but like so many other times in his career he misses it.

Going into overtime, I still didn't think the Celtics had a chance. Pierce at this point had fouled out on a bullshit call. Rondo scored all 12 of Boston's points in overtime, but it wasn't enough, as the Heat finally pulled away, but this is just where the story starts.

Rondo went in for a layup with 1:33 left in overtime. He gets hit right in the face by Wade, no call from that point on the Heat buried the Celtics. It changed the whole game. Heat got an easy lineup, it was basically a 4 point turnaround. I normally wouldn't say that, but Rondo was hitting everything.

I hate blaming refs, but this game how can't you. Instead of writing a whole thing about how bad it was, let's just do it in list form...

- Celtics attempted 29 free throws, LeBron alone attempted 24.
- The Heat as a team attempted 47 free throws.
- LeBron had 2 fouls called on him all game. Since the Pacers vs Heat series started LeBron has never had more then 2 fouls called on him in any game. Wade also only had 2 called on him.
- Wade hit Rondo in the face no call.
- LeBron has 4 more free throw attempts (24) then field goal attempts (20).
- Celtics F Greg Stiemsma had four fouls in the first quarter, the first NBA player to do that since 2009.

You have to wonder if the comments made before the game, where the Celtics said they were going to put the Heat on the floor had any influence on the game. Listen, I think the Heat are the better team. I think they were going to win this series, but last night the Celtics out played them and they should've won.

Rondo, you are the most confusing player of all-time. I can't figure you out, and I'm done trying. Last night, was one of the most amazing games I have seen any player have. I don't know why you can suddenly hit jump shots, or why free throws aren't that big of a deal for you anymore, or why you can't bring it like this all the time, but I am done criticizing you. You are an enigma, but a great one.

Rondo's final stat line. 53 mins (whole game), 44 points (16-24), 10 asts, 8 rebs. All 12 points in OT.

Celtics vs Heat Game 2 Preview

Game 1 was an unacceptable way to lose the game by the Boston Celtics. They let LeBron and Wade get to the rim at will and they gave up 19 lay ups, which is ridiculous. We really need to get Brandon Bass, Ray Allen and Mickael Pietrus going, because they have been pretty much awful these whole playoffs. I never thought I would see the day where they are cheating off of Ray Allen leaving him open to help with KG and Rondo, but it's true he's become a liability.

Also, expect more technical fouls this game, the Celtics have been talking to make it more of a physical game and that's what they are going to need to do, however, the refs know that and the Heat know that so their will be short fuses all around. The Celtics should be pissed this game after the mockery the Heat made of game 1 with taunting and showboating.

It's hard to call out this guy, but Paul Pierce needs to be a beast offensively. He settled for a hard jumpers and a ton of bad lay up attempts. He also didn't shoot a free throw in game 1. He needs to be THE TRUTH for us to have a chance.

If Rondo stays aggressive and KG can dominate we can win this game and I believe that will happen. Also, can somebody run the fucking baseline, Avery Bradly did that and got so many easy points from doing that.

Celtics win 91-87
Tommy Award: Paul Pierce

UBUNTU!

Celtics will win this series in 6

Tonight
Celtics 90-85
Tommy Award: Rajon Rondo

"Let's do it"

Bring On Miami.

Don't underestimate the "Grit and Balls" of the Celtics

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Miami 1000 Pacers 0

Talk about a team getting punched in the gut and not being able to get up. The Pacers just laid down for Dwayne Wade and LeBron James.

We will see you next round LeBron.

Can't Wait!

Haslem, Pittman Suspended

Haslem was suspended by NBA executive vice president Stu Jackson for Thursday's Game 6 and Pittman was suspended for three games. Pacers forward Tyler Hansbrough, who also committed a flagrant foul on Heat star Dwyane Wade, had his foul upgraded to a flagrant foul 2 from a flagrant 1, but he avoided suspension. ESPN

He got something right. David Stern finally nailed it with these suspensions. I guess the only criticism would be that Pittman should have been suspended a little longer, but whatever, he's Dexter Pittman. This puts the Heat at a disadvantage on the road with them losing 2 of their 4 big men. Haslem has started to play real well the past 2 games and so losing that mid range threat will just put more effort on LeBron and Wade to shoulder the load. It also puts them at a significant deficiency defensively if Joel Anthony or Ronny Turiaf get in foul trouble. The counter to this would just go small and try to out transition the Pacers for the whole game, but that's easier said than done with Indiana having Roy Hibbert and David West as their bangers.

I see Indy taking this next game.

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First and foremost the Heat won 100000000 to 0, the second thing you need to know is Danny Granger and David West have ankle and knee injuries, 3rd is that there is no way the Pacers push the Heat to 7 games. The Pacers laid down so bad that Larry Bird called them out and called them all soft.

But something overshadowing the game are the 3 flagrant fouls, here they are:
First Tyler Hansbrough did this to Wade

Then Haslem did this to Hansbrough

Then Dexter Pittman did this to Lance Stevenson


The Hansbrough foul, I'm fine with. He went after the ball, that was more of a hard foul than flagrant. The second foul Haslem did was flagrant and he deserves to be sat down for a game. It's ridiculous that Haslem wasn't ejected for a flagrant 2 and if Stern doesn't suspend him a game it's ridiculous. That was almost as bad as Ron Artest.

Dexter Pittman's hard foul on Lance Stephenson I'm also fine with, Lance made a name for himself by taunting LeBron despite being the last person on the Pacers bench. He deserved to have a message sent to him, so good for Dexteer Pittman, even if it costs him a game.

The Heat are rolling and get ready for the next game to have a bunch of the insufferable double tech call.

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101 Heat, 93 Pacers

LeBron James and Dwayne Wade we fantastic. They combined for 70 points, 27 rebounds and 15 assists for the Heat win. They at one point scored around 38 straight points for the Heat. Lebron as a whole had 40 points, 18 rebounds and 8 assists, huge game and exactly what the Heat needed after being down early. Dwayne led the charge for the Heat by going 11-11 on fg attempts between the 3-4th quarters. Udonis Haslem had a big game and hit the mid range jumpers in the 4th.

The Pacers had a chance to put them away and didn't. Also, knee jerk Media who is getting carried away with LeBron's great performance. It was a great performance and you can't take that away from him, however, Wade an LeBron need to have these games every game in order to make it past the Pacers.

102 San Antonio, 99 Clippers

The Spurs may be the best team in the NBA and just look flat out unbeatable. Everything is clicking for them and they are just a perfect team. As for "Lob City" hahahahhahaha. I am so glad that smoke and mirrors, overrated team is out. I hate them more than any other team in the playoffs. CP3 had a good final game but severely underwhelmed throughout the series. The Spurs made him look like a non factor out there.