Are the 76ers and Celtics Like the Tortoise and the Hare?

Watching the Celtics and 76ers series reminded me of a story from when we were kids. The tortoise and the hare. The two race each other, and the fast hare jumps out to an early lead, but arrogantly stops to take a nap. The tortoise keeps moving forward. "Slow and steady wins the race," he repeats. Eventually, the tortoise wins the race. Teaching a lesson that just because you're naturally more gifted doesn't mean you can fuck around and still win.

In my version of the tortoise and the hare, I'd have the hare purposely losing the race because he bet on the tortoise in Vegas. Then he gets killed by mob guys who lost money betting on him.

Anyway, the Celtics remind me of the hare. Their record in games that they can eliminate an opponent speaks for itself. They struggle to beat teams that they've already beaten 3 times. That's weird.

They take a kind of break. Instead of 110%, they only give 95%. No big deal, right? So long as there's enough gas in the tank to win when it matters, then fine.

What worries me a bit is that in this series, I don't know if they can just step it up for Game 7 and be the odds on favorite to win. I have a feeling like maybe they've let the 76ers stick around for too long. And now Bradley is out. His replacement Ray Allen isn't capable of playing a full game of productive basketball (on either side of the ball).

The Celtics are more talented than the 76ers. But that advantage is hedged by the Celtics' age and health.

The 76ers have also shown more character in this series than the Celtics have. They've won a game in Boston, they've outplayed the Celtics in close 4th quarters, they've recovered after getting blown out, they came back from a 17 point 3rd quarter deficit to win. They have taken full advantage of every opportunity the Celtics have given them.

The C's have not taken advantage of the opportunities given to them by the 76ers.

The Celtics are still the hare. It's their game to lose. In the fable, if the hare simply stopped fooling around and picked up the pace, he would have beaten the tortoise. That's what the Celtics have yet to do but still can do.

-The Captain

82 Sixers, 75 Celtics

So I went to bed after my drunken stupor thinking I would wake up and let time heal and be less pissed, but no. Last night really pissed me the fuck off, real bad. I feel personally insulted with that dog shit effort they played last night and the deserve all the criticism in the world.

1st off, Rajon, what the fuck bro. I spend all day pumping your tires here as the best pg in the league, an yesterday deadspin came out with an article your one of the best shooters in the league at mid range jumpers, and you sleep walk through game 6. What the fuck man, that was a perfect game for you to have taken over and acted as if you had a 105 flu. 9 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists is not an acceptable stat line. I understand people can have bad games but fuck dude, you looked shitty on offense, your defense on Jrue Holliday was awful and played the worse game I have ever seen you play..... now that I got that out of the way, I can move on and let the healing begin.

RAY ALLEN! Speaking of awful, he has been such a liability on both sides of the ball, I would honestly play Keyon Dooling and Marquis Daniels over him. I don't care about his ankles being hurt, he is letting Lou Williams, Holliday, Iguodala score at will on him. On offense he's not a threat anymore, and don't give me the "spacing" excuse. He's played awful Doc needs to give him the 2nd hardest slap (1st goes to Rondo).

Kevin Garnett, c'mon dude, you have pretty numbers in 20-10 but all those points came when we were down 10. You call Philly fair weathered and then you didn't back it up. I expect more from you. You could see the team struggling, I wanted you to go all Jackie Moon on hte Sixers and pull a "everybody hit someone" moment. The leadership wasn't there at all. Needs to get slapped 3rd.

The clusterfuck of Mickael Pietrus and Brandon Bass where were you guys last night. Bass puts up 27 and then 8? Doug Collins is a great coach, but his trap defense really shouldn't muffle you that much. Pietrus couldn't the broad side of a barn with his shot, he has been a complete disappointment this whole playoffs. I expected more from you than just a defensive guy. Instead of sitting on the 3 point line the whole game, why don't you do what Avery Bradley does and run the baseline and get some easy fucking points. fuck. Slapped 4th and 5th, then gets the backhand back for 6th and 7th. Also, with Avery Bradley out for the playoffs both you 2 assholes need to step up big time.

The only 2 people who deserve credit in this game is Paul Pierce and Ryan Hollins, both of them showed they gave a damn when they were out there. Pierce was getting everything he wanted, got to the line, hit his free throws and Ryan Hollins hustled.

The Celtics looked flat and shitty times infinity.

However, Game 7 is in Boston and hopefully Doc Rivers slaps them enough to realize the ramifications of losing a game in which the Sixers tried handing us with 11 fucking missed free throws means.

Gay.

WTF

Everyone for the exception of Paul Pierce and Ryan Hollins needs to be put down.

Fuck was that?

This team doesn't deserve to be in the Eastern Conference Finals if they put that piss poor effort out there.

Worst effort I have ever seen by a Celtics team.

If they play like that they don't deserve to share the court with the fucking Sixers.

The Sixers missed 1000000 free throws and we couldn't capitalize. Fuck that.

Celtics vs Sixers Game 6 Preview

So tonight is the infamous game 6, the Celtics took control of the series after manhandling the Sixers at home, but I'm sure Philly crowd will have some extra motivation and they will be doing what they do best, boo. I see them booing him the first quarter until the Celtics take control of this game.

I'm kind of thinking Avery Bradley will be out this game, which hurts as he is a defensive ace. But Ray Allen did an admirable job last game and if he keeps up that intensity on the defensive end, I will forget his offensive struggles. The Celtics proved game 5 that Rondo and a big man can win you a game as he killed it with the pick and rolls and pick and pops with KG, Big Steisy and Brandon Bass. The Sixers will do everything they can to stay at home with the picks, so we will need relief from some jump shooting with Paul Pierce and Mickael Pietrus.

Pierce has been walking through this series so far, so it's time he comes awake. Pierce will have a huge game and then that will open up everything for the rest of the team. I have been pounding this throughout this whole series, they MUST remain aggressive, and if they do that and stay in attack mode on offense they will walk away with this game fairly easily, and getting that rest.

That will happen UBUNTU!

Celtics win 98-91
Tommy Award: Paul Pierce

Everyone Is Trying To Make A Big Deal From KG's Comments

Kevin Garnett recently brought up the two fan bases between Philly and Boston and said this:
"Not even close," Garnett said, comparing Boston fans to Philadelphia fans. "You've got fans, and then you've got fair-weather fans. Take that how you want."

Now, people want to spin this in every way they possibly can and make it a Boston vs Philly thing, and that's the wrong approach. You have this asshole in Philly talking about the Cam Ward incident and our own Captain on his web site BBS with his own opinions. But making this a city by city rivalry is the wrong approach, I believe KG was speaking in terms of Celtics vs Sixers fans or basketball in the towns respectively.

Let's debunk a couple of myths right of the bat so we don't need to go back to it. According to ESPNs attendance records before the New Big 3 era in Boston, when the Celtics were winning 24 games the Celtics were 18th in the league in attendance (which is nothing to boast about), but the Sixers were 31st second to last in attendance with winning 11 more games that season. Or how about this year when the Sixers were 1st in the division for a real long time throughout the year? The Celtics came in with 11th overall and the Sixers finished in a pathetic 25th overall in attendance.

We can just take the averages since 2001 from both teams and the Celtics have an average of 13 and the Sixers have an average of 19. So maybe Kevin Garnett isn't out of this world when it comes to calling SIXER fans fair-weather.

As for the the rest of Boston sports you could have an argument figuring the Bruins haven't been over 15th in attendance since 2001 including last years championship run and this years great team. And I don't trust anything the Red Sox do and Football is a different animal all together, even though I was shocked the Patriots were between 11-16 for the most part, I would have assumed they were top 5.

So Philly shut up, admit it and move on. Even during these playoffs it seems their are more Celtics fans in your own stadium. Football and Baseball are your things, don't argue basketball.

101 Celtics, 85 Sixers

What a game, and not to toot my own horn I was only 3 points off my predicted score.

If you had to give 3 stars to this game for the Celtics it would go:
1. Rajon Rondo
2. Brandon Bass
3. Greg Stiemsma

Before BMack jumps down my throat for not having Bass let me explain why Rondo is the star of last game. Most of Bass' points were very easy and very manageable from Rajon Rondo's penetration and vision. Rajon was the reason the Celtics took off in the 3rd quarter and imposed his will. Rajon finished with 13 points and 14 assists and 2 steals.

Now onto Bass. He was a monster in this game and especially in the 3rd quarter. He finished with 27 points total but he had 18 in the 3rd. He outscored the Sixers in the 3rd. He had 5 dunks and hit that free throw jumper countless times. His aggressiveness on the offensive end was incredible.

The reason Greg Stiemsma is on here is because he and Rondo were the reason the game was within reach and only down 3 at halftime. It seemed like the Sixers were up 25, but Stiemsma did an incredible job keeping them in the game. He finished the game with 10 points on 5-5 shooting and 3 blocks.

This game was exactly the opposite of what the Celtics did in game 4. They started slow and finished and strong. It was a great win, and a must win. As much as Ray Allen has struggled offensively, you have to admire his job defensively. I think he did a great job and the fact his ankles are killing him and he's going all grit and balls is something to nod your cap too.

KG fought off a slow start to have a 20 point game.

Either way, a great win and so hopefully they close it in Philly. Especially since KG called all their fans Fairweather.

Also, I am pretty sick of Lavoy Allen, even though he had a -15 on the night, he always seems to be productive.

Celtics vs Sixers Game 5 Preview

I was scared on Friday's game, that we would have a let down game, and although I picked the Celtics big, I was real nervous, because for some reason the Celtics never make things easy. They were up 18 at one point and looked as if they were going to cruise past the Sixers and then the choke job happened. They were taking dumb jump shots, turning the ball over, and playing do defense. I hope that they realize that every game here on out is a must win. They can't go 7 games, they need to win the next 2 games due to their age.

In order for the Celtics to dominate the Sixers again, they need to start and end the game aggressive. As soon is they take their foot off the gas, the Sixers take advantage. I'm sick of when they wait to 8 seconds to start running a play, I really want an aggressive shot with a double digits left on the shot clock than the shit we saw in the 3rd quarter in game 4.

I believe the Celtics will right their wrongs in Boston tonight, and I expect a big 3 win tonight where KG/ Paul/ Ray are all hitting.

Celtics win 98-85
Tommy Award: Ray Allen

Celtics vs Sixers Game 4 Preview

UBUNTU!

This game has letdown wrote all over it. The Celtics just came off a beatdown in Philly the game before, the Celtics were absolutely flawless, and the Sixers looked as down as they could be. Lets just hope the Celtics don't take the foot off the gas peddle and keep going forward. If the Celtics win this game, it can be the knockout punch. Me being the most biased Celtics fan, think they are going to do that. Kevin Garnett is playing at an MVP type level, Rondo is unstoppable, Pierce just came off a hot game, and Pietrus is finally hitting his shots.

The Celtics need to keep feeding KG and attacking. I see this game as a route too and for the Sixers to not have a chance.

Celtics 102-86
Tommy Award: KG

UBUNTU!

Celtics 107, 76ers 91

I thought the Celtics would win, but it would be close and low-scoring. As long as I got the first one right, I'm happy.

Paul Pierce isn't injured. He might be experiencing some pain, some wear and tear. But he's not injured. He scored 24 points, he drove to the hole all night (14 free throws) and hauled in 12 rebounds.

All the Celtics played more aggressively. It seemed like they didn't want to wait for the 4th quarter to win. They wanted to win in the 2nd and 3rd. And they did. Convincingly so.

Rondo was amazing. He took his shots, scoring 23. And he had 14 assists.

Garnett also had a big night. 13 rebounds and 27 points.

All the Celtics were physical. They ran all over the 76ers. They sped the game up. Before this series, the experts didn't think the Celtics could play a full court game against the 76ers and be successful. The C's proved that wrong last night.

The Celtics have Rondo. And Rondo can run all day. And by speeding up the pace of the game, the Celtics put the pressure on the 76ers to execute on every possession. You could almost hear the Celtics collectively saying "Try to keep up with us." The 76ers started making mistakes, turning the ball over, missing shots. It wasn't rampant, but it was enough to give the C's chances to add to their lead, and also add to the pressure.

The Celtics sprinted in the first three quarters, then walked through the 4th. But by then, they had a big enough lead that they didn't need to run anymore. So essentially, it was a 3 quarter game. The Celtics can run for 3 quarters. And after running, they're better at executing than the 76ers.

There are simply too many weapons on this team to lose a series to Philadelphia. The 76ers aren't equipped to stop Pierce, Garnett, and Rondo every night. Now Pierce has started his engine, KG is rolling, and Rondo is red hot. Which is more likely, that two of these guys are shut down, or that Lavoy Allen will score 10 and get 8 rebounds off the bench?

When people testify in court, they're asked if they'll swear to tell the Paul Pierce, the whole Paul Pierce, and nothing but the Paul Pierce. Because he's the motherfucking truth.

I love plays on words. And puns. I wish I could bring Big Pun back.

Game 4 Friday night in Philly.

-The Captain

Celtics vs Sixers Game 3 Preview

The series is split 1-1 and the Celtics are going to Philly who won home court with the split in Boston. Philly as an arena doesn't scare me but the way Boston ground it out in game 1 and played in game 2 scares the shit out of me. Philly is a young, scrappy team and Doug Collins has out coached Doc Rivers thus far. We really need Paul Pierce to step up and have a game, I don't know if it's his knee, him running out of gas, etc, the Captain is needed more than ever. If the Celtics take this game, I will be very confident going forward, however, if they lose, they will be in serious trouble. This is the make or break game of the series, it's a must win for Boston.

Other than Doc and Paul Pierce's performances in game 2, the thing that irritated me the most was that KG only got 12 shots. He came off maybe 2 of the best games in a Celtics uniform and to see him getting only 12 looks is perplexing. I couldn't watch the game, so I don't know if the Sixers made an extra effort to make sure he didn't get the ball or whatever, but the offense almost needs to run through him if Pierce continues to struggle. I also am scared of the effectiveness of Avery Bradley who's injury flared up last game, hopefully he will be good to go, as he seems to be a spark plug for the Celtics.

I'd also like to see Mickael Pietrus show up. He is a high energy guy, who plays excellent defense, who can knock down some shots. He has been invisible out there on the offensive end.

HOWEVER, the Sixers won by 1 points and lost by 1 point with an ineffective Paul Pierce. I believe the Captain comes through in the clutch and the Celtics win this one fairly easily at Philly.

Celtics win 101-93
Tommy Award: Paul Pierce

82 Sixers, 81 Celtics

Well it looks like this series is not going to be a walk in the park. For the same reason we were bashing the Sixers after game 1 (poor execution, lack of discipline, missing free throws, etc) we can say for the Celtics this game. The Sixers simply made plays down the stretch and the Celtics didn't. We couldn't watch this game because of our basketball league, so I'm going to base this recap on what I read and saw highlights on. Also, I didn't fill the magic water cup.

The play everyone is going to talk about is the late offensive foul with the Celtics down 3 and a chance to tie. I saw the replay, and..... unfortunately it was an actual moving pick. Now, with that being said, was it a call that should be called at that time of the game? Probably not. Now that we got passed that I have to question Doc again, who has done some puzzling moves this post season already. But last night why did he let the shot clock run down at the end of the game before having Rondo foul? It seemed the Celtics could have played out the shot clock and there would have been 5 seconds left. Weird move by Doc.

It seems as if Avery Bradley got hurt and came back, I heard last night he was +22 on the night, maybe he should never come off the court again. Looking at the box score I see Paul Pierce only shot 2-9, I don't know what is wrong with him. And also KG only getting 12 shots is inexcusable.

Either way buckle up, this Celtics team isn't going to make things easy.

76ers @ Celtics Preview: Game 2

With 11 minutes left in Game 1 the 76ers has a 10 point lead, and a chance to take control of the series. Instead, Rondo and KG crushed them and I believe the 76ers will look back at Game 1 as the game they should've had.

The 76ers and Celtics have now played 4 games this year, they have split it with the home team winning every game. Actually, last game was the firs time a game was decided by less then 10 points.

There is a big reason for that. These teams really couldn't be more different. Celtics are a half court veteran team that plays suffocating defense. The 76ers are a fast break teams that likes to try to run you out of the stadium. If the 76ers are able to play their game they could beat the Celtics by 20 points, but if the Celtics play their game the 76ers don't have the post guys or the shooters to stay in the game.

The difference in this series is KG and Rondo. The 76ers have no answer for them and we saw that again last game. Ray Allen and Paul Pierce combined to shoot 7-21 last game, I don't think that happens again and the Celtics take care of business.

Celtics win 98-88
Tommy Award: KG
Game starts at 7pm

92 Celtics, 91 Sixers

If I were the Sixers or one of their fans, I would feel very uncomfortable with how this series is going to be. On Saturday night they had a perfect opportunity to steal homecourt and game 1, but in typical Sixers fashion they found a way to blow it.

Kevin Garnett was a monster, 29 points on 12-20 shooting, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks. This may have topped game 6 against the Hawks. KG has been incredible so far and just so good on both sides of the ball. In the 4th quarter he was all over the place, he was chasing down guys, he was hitting shots, just the best KG we may have ever seen in Boston.

Now to Rajon Rondo who had one of the best post game interviews of all time. I love how he's a dick and just owns David Aldridge right there. He finished the game with 13 points, 12 rebounds and 17 assists. He was just a beast in the 4th quarter. Of his 12 rebounds, 5 of them were offensive (to lead the team) nobody else had more than 2. Rajon absolutely killed the Sixers with his jumpers in the 4th quarter, but, his best play of the game won't show up in the offensive stat book it was his foul with 3 seconds on Jrue Holliday sending him to the line when the Celtics were up 3. For some reason Doug Collins didn't call a timeout, and Rajon had the IQ to foul Jrue as he was dribbling up the court.

The final play was also a work of art, Doc had Rajon catch a perfect pass from Paul Pierce in the back court and then run the clock out. Evan Turner just couldn't catch up to Rondo, end of game.

The Celtics didn't shoot to great tonight 2-18 from beyond the arc, but a win is a win.

Around The NBA

89 Knicks, 87 Heat (Miami leads series 3-1)
Carmelo Anthony had to be great for the Knicks to win 1 game against the Knicks and he was. Melo scored 41 big time points to carry the Knicks. Amare Stoudemire came back from the gruesome hand injury he suffered from punching the glass after a game 2 loss. Amare had 20 and 10 in the winning effort. The Knicks won the game, but this series is almost over, especially after Baron Davis suffered this gruesome knee injury:

Also Miami had a chance to win or tie the game at the last second but in typical late game Miami fashion, LeBron didn't want the ball with the game on the line and that forced Dwayne Wade to execute the ugliest last second shot attempt ever. I don't know if that's what Erik Spoelstra drew up, but how you didn't give LeBron the ball in that possession is absurd, Lebron was on fire in the 4th and most importantly hitting his free throws.

92 Lakers, 88 Nuggets (Lakers up 3-1)

This crazy lady made things a little bit more interesting in this series, but the Lakers were able to hold off a surging Nuggets team. But the play that changed this game is when the game was tied at 86 and foreign player Danillo Gallinari ran into Pau Gasol and fell to the ground and acted like he was shot (an obvious flop job) and the ref recognized it and didn't call the foul (rightfully so) and then the Lakers found a wide open Ramon Sessions for 3 because the defense was without another defender because Gallinari was on the ground and Lakers were up 3 and didn't look back.

89 Sixers, 82 Bulls
Philly takes control of this because D Rose and Noah were out. Big whoop they are up 3-1.