Now The Real Fun Begins
by Jeff Clark on Feb 4, 2009 10:57 AM EST
in Boston Celtics Articles
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PrintLets take a gander at the upcoming schedule, shall we?
2/5 - Lakers - Really doesn't need any explanation. But I can't say nothing, so here are some links and quick thoughts.
- FB&G on Bynum's injury and Kobe's 61: "yesterday at noon I felt like I lived in a gulag. Clouds darkened the sky, food was without taste, everything seemed like hard labor. Today the sun has pierced the clouds. Hope has returned."
- NBA.com: "How often do you hear the phrase, "These two teams really hate each other" anymore? Never. But players and executives have made it clear that dislike and hate need not be major ingredients in rivalries. The thinking that all the friendliness is taking away from the tension and conflict that ramps up the drama of your typical rivalry? That's patently false."
- On the other hand, we know that Sasha hates the Celtics, and now we learn that Ariza really, really hates the Celtics.
- Beat LA! Beat LA! Beat LA!
2/6 - @ Knicks - At first glance this is just a forgettable opponent sandwiched between two Western contenders. However...
- Remember the last time these teams played?
- Remember how they created "the blueprint" for beating the Celtics? Lets see how Doc and Rondo adjust.
- Yes, the NY media will bring up a certain someone's name a few times. I'll try to refrain. You're welcome.
2/8 - Spurs - The other team with a great chance of coming out of the West.
- It isn't how you start the season. It is how you finish. This team has proven time and again that they are great finishers.
- Just what is Popovich doing?
- Duncan vs. Garnett is always fun.
And then the team has the next 6 games on the road.
- None of the games are cakewalks. New Orleans, Dallas, Utah, Phoenix, Denver...
- ...ok, the Clippers are a cakewalk. But still.
- Thankfully the All Star break breaks up the road trip into two trips.
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Get the tissues out
for wittle awiza…by the way that kid was out of bounds on both plays he made in LA on christmas and the refs were atrocious…they better not be tommorow..
Good stretch of games coming up, but all star break just cant come soon enough
by TheAncientRivalry on Feb 4, 2009 11:02 AM EST reply actions
The refs were good in that game?
Im just stating the obvious…not really blaming them, we still had a chance to win and thats that…what are you
As if lakers fans have never whined about a ref. I forgot, you’re perfect
by TheAncientRivalry on Feb 4, 2009 11:08 AM EST up reply actions
The refs WERE atrocious in that game
… and that’s not an excuse, it’s a fact. When the refs are so incredibly (and corruptly, I believe) 1-sided, as they were last night too, they need to be called on it. And I DO blame them for being that bad and that obvious in their bias. And btw, it doesn’t matter if we win or lose. We won last night, and you will find many complaints about the refs here.
And fyi, I have seen them do the same thing against the Lakers… calling fouls on Kobe when he never even touched the guy. Kobe gets very frustrated and shows it (unlike Paul Pierce who stoically walks away)… and I don’t blame him.
The refs in the NBA are the WORST imaginable. No really. I watched a recent UConn vs. Notre Dame game and was shocked at how good the officiating was. Not a SINGLE bad call. I cannot remember the last NBA game where that was true. And btw, I believe it’s corruption, not just incompetence.
That was some clutch play by Ray last night.
Willie Green is still stuck somewhere with his head up his butt trying to get around Big Baby. That wasn’t very smart of him.
You have never heard me whine about a ref, and I always read you crying about them.
I’m not every Laker fan, and you’re not every Celtic fan. But you whine about refs every time you lose. It’s boring. Is it the refs when you win?
We took 8 free throws in that game bro, sorry but we were taking about 20 a game in the 19 game win streak…let me know where I blamed the refs, I stated they were atrocious, and thats my opinion…and people whine about the refs, because the refs in NBA suck, plain and simple
by TheAncientRivalry on Feb 4, 2009 11:13 AM EST up reply actions
If its critical to beat Cle for home court(it is) than we just have to keep winning
until we get a couple games in the loss column on them. At that point we are in fabulous shape. We will clearly have the tie breaker on them as long as we split the season series with them.
Its easy to imagine SA beating LA, but SA may be a tougher matchup than LA
San Antonio cannot be the Lakers.
Have you watched them play at all the past two years?
The Spurs got beat by the Lakers before they were elite again, never mind now. With or Witout Bynum, the Spurs have not proved they can hang with the Lakers AT ALL. It’s a joke.
Spurs didnt beat them at home this year? or are you gonna blame the refs for that loss? LOL…
by TheAncientRivalry on Feb 4, 2009 11:16 AM EST up reply actions
Yes I have watched them play, in fact I have seen ever SA/LA game the past 3 years. San Antonio is a much improved team over last year still working the kinks out and they may well beat the Lakers in the playoffs. And SA might be a harder team to beat For the Celts than LA. La is not tough for the celtics. Its that simple. Even when The celts sucked, PP’s nutralization of Kobe the past decade kept the celtics winning nearly half the contests. San Antonio will be tougher if SA is healthy and LA is not
It's one loss. In San Antonio.
One loss that the Spurs had to fight with every breath in their body to win. Rested for 3 days, while we went INTO San Antonio in the 2nd game of a back to back. They won on a last second shot, and great play by Mason Jr. No refs. I blame Fish for not being heads up.
Then we smashed them in the next game. So bad, they didn’t bother to play their starters in the 4th.
So?
No refs, but plenty of other excuses…I see…whatever man, counting out the spurs is about the dumbest thing you could do, Tim duncan shut down the forum, tim duncan has gone through better lakers team than this years…I could easily see him doing it again
by TheAncientRivalry on Feb 4, 2009 11:22 AM EST up reply actions
They can't beat the Lakers.
Simple as that. Last year’s WCF’s was a walk, and the Spurs aren’t as good as least year.
By the way, the Spurs only beat a good Laker team once. In 2003, when we were a mess. They beat us, and I’ll give them credit, but other than that. The Lakers own them. TD could never beat a good Laker team with Shaq, or Kobe. He has never beat a Laker team as good as this, and won’t this year.
Look it up.
If you can easily see that, then you must see the Magic beating the Celtics.
Tim Duncan didnt go into the forum, dominate shaq and shut it down? um….really? im pretty sure he did…LOL, spurs cant beat the lakers…hahaha.. I forgot the lakers already clinched the finals in february…my bad
comparing the magic with the spurs? umm
by TheAncientRivalry on Feb 4, 2009 11:31 AM EST up reply actions
99
and shut down the forum in the process…and dont tell me that lakers team wasnt any good..that same team went on to 3-peat
by TheAncientRivalry on Feb 4, 2009 11:34 AM EST up reply actions
Spurs are the best team in the West
The Spurs are in fact the ONLY real contending “team” in the West. That’s because they play team ball, and do not depend on any single player. LA without Kobe is a losing team. Spurs lost both Parker and Manu in the beginning of this season and still held up. Last night they lost Parker, Manu AND Duncan, and lost by only 8. They are tough, they are serious, they have CHARACTER — which LA sorely lacks — and they have great coaching. My prediction: It will be Celtics and Spurs in the Finals this year. Tomorrow is the last time the Celtics will play LA this season.
Too bad for the Cs, because we can blow LA out (a proven fact). SA will be tougher.
The Knicks have a blueprint.. ha
TP for wondahbap for his LA fan prospective. Please continue.
'We circle all the games' - KG
Thanks. 1999 only furthers my point.
When the Spurs won in a 50 game season. That Laker team was VERY different. When the Lakers were still young. Then what happened? They got Phil. They figured it out and won 3 Straight. What could The Spurs do then?
I was waiting for that. The Spurs have only beaten a good Laker team once. We won them and there is NO TEAM in the WEST that can beat the Lakers as thee teams are currently constructed. Put away your Laker hatred and look at it objectively.
I think you’re not very smart to underestimate the greatness of tim duncan and the spurs…keep thinking you’ve already clinched a finals birth in february…I love it….the spurs are much better than last season by the way
by TheAncientRivalry on Feb 4, 2009 11:41 AM EST up reply actions
I’’ll be laughing when the spurs beat you in the playoffs
by TheAncientRivalry on Feb 4, 2009 11:43 AM EST up reply actions
Yawn.
You can’t give me one reason other than “It’s Tim Duncan and the Spurs! Don’t count them out.”
is this a Lakers or Spurs blog?
move on guys, enough with this back and forth please.
When Perk was asked what he thought of Howard winning the gold medal this summer, he responded: "What’s his impression of me after I won a ring?"
Congrats on the lakers finals birth in february. done.
by TheAncientRivalry on Feb 4, 2009 11:50 AM EST up reply actions
Laker will win the NBADL crown this year
Lakers are punks minus Kobe .I hardly care what they do.
As a celtic fan my worries are right here is the east CLEVELAND.
Lakers won on last second luck/refs
In 2004 it was a 3tenth of a second shot from Fisher that gave the Lakers the win over the spurs in the playoffs.
Last year, the ref lost their whistles when fischer humped Brent in that 3 point attempt.
I have to admit I was surprised how easy it was for the Lakers to come out of the West last season, but I would be much much more surprised if they do it as easily this year.
Without Bynum, a healthy Spurs, Rockets, or Hornets team could beat the Lakers in 7 games.
Once you could get Odom to care about winning, and Walton to stop screwing the last play of a game or Fisher about 3 years younger then you could say no one could beat the Lakers out west.
good post
and Portland too, they match up well against LA and play really good defense.
And wasn’t Manu playing on like one leg in that Spurs series last year? When he is healthy, he is a series changer. I will be surprised if LA gets out of the West this year.
Portland = Hawks
Portland could do to the Lakers what the Hawks did to the Cs last year, but they are too inexperienced to beat them.
Another factor is Roy, he the ballhandler playmaker slasher for that team, and i would think Kove could defend him pretty well, so Portland might struggle.
Really good defense?
They’re ranked 19th in defensive efficiency, between Phoenix at 18 and OKC at 20.
"I've hacked into your brain. You're throwing a party and no one's showing up."
What Lakers fans don't get...
… is that their team is seriously flawed. They depend on one player, always a bad sign. SA is a solid real team, and I fully expect them to come out of the West this year.
Cs’ will be challenged to beat the Cavs, yes. But the Cavs have the same flaw that the Lakers have… they depend almost ENTIRELY on one player. That’s a huge flaw… for many reasons, which should be obvious.
The only real “team” contender left is San Antonio… they’re serious, they play D, they play team ball, and they have a great coach. It’ll be Cs vs. SA this year, and I expect the Cs to win…. but I doubt there will be any blowouts.
Quick note to Laker fans
if you come looking for a good discussion and add something to the conversation, you are welcome here – (FYI: Kurt from Forum Blue and Gold is one of my favorite bloggers and we are doing a nice Q&A with LABallTalk tomorrow)
if you come to say things like “stop being a retard” like Lakerdude did, then you get bounced, your posts get deleted, and you are quickly forgotten (which must sting for someone obviously begging for attention)
"Would I rather be feared or loved? Easy. Both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me." Michael Scott
Uhh... when did this become a home for Lakers fans?
Not that we mind shooting you guys down — just as we did in the Finals — but what the hell? Why are you swarming in here like this? We don’t even really CARE about the Lakers (at least I don’t)… they’re probably not going to win the West anyway, and even if they do, we have more important things to think about now….. like getting the best record and getting to the Finals. I.e., you’re just a blip on our screen now, 1/82nd of our year.
Well DrJ1,
I’ve been commenting here recently. Usually never about the Lakers, but I will chime in if I see a comment I happen to disagree with or think is false. I come here to talk about whatever the topic is. This thread has the lakes as a topic, so the Lakers get discussed and I’ll more than oblige to give my side of the story.
But, you will also see, that I never bash the Celtics. I refuse to do that here, out of respect. No matter that sentiments I might feel for most Celtic fans or the team, I won’t bash your team on your own blog. But I will defend my team. I can put up with the cheap shots. It’s adds to the sweet revenge we will have in June when we complete the journey for this fine team we “built.”
I just love how its a forgone conclusion that LA gets the Finals.
Reminds me of listening to MT and Vic the Brick before the Finals last year predicting sweeps and blowouts. You guys just never learn.
Quick note to Celtics fans reacting to Laker fans
we’ll sort out the trolls, you take the high road, everyone wins, ok?
thanks
"Would I rather be feared or loved? Easy. Both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me." Michael Scott
Character
It takes many things to win a championship. You obviously need good players, good coaching, etc. And any team can win any series. But the teams that have the best shot are the ones with more than just technical skills… the ones with character. Meaning… selflessness, devotion to team play because you know that’s the right way, desire to play D even though it’s draining, ubuntu, and one more thing: you don’t do the "big balls" dance. Think about it. It’s kind of a joke, of course… but it also betrays a certain machismo, a need to prove one’s uber-masculinity… which often means that there is fear of the opposite, of course.
Can you imagine Ray Allen doing the dance after one of his game-winners? I can’t.
The last 2 guys I saw doing the dance (both prematurely) were Iguodala, and let me remember… oh yeah, Kobe.
Scal can guard Amare
so lamar as well.
but Lakers & C’s may be playing there last game of the year tomorrow.
Speculating is fun but at the end reality counts.
C’s are the champs.
thank god for that.
A perfect case in point of what it means to be a Lakers fan
… is the guy who stated with so much certainty that character is “irrelevant” to winning championships. Exactly, sir. And that is why it will be so hard for the Lakers to win. They have a severe shortage of that particular trait.
I happen to think Kobe is a great player, that he never gives up, and I appreciate his toughness (like playing with dislocated fingers, etc.) I.e., he plays like he has the right character. But it’s a sham, because his ego is too big, his self-absorption too great to win the really tough ones. And as for the rest of his team… well, they’re way deficient.
I think all this was proven last June. And yet you keep arguing…. hmm… must be some kind of mass delusion. Makes sense, because as a resident of LA, I can attest to the fact that most Angelinos are delusional.
I just find this irrational hatred that some Laker players have against the
Celtics ridiculous. I know they got embarrased in the finals but come on.
See this is my problem with these Lakers they went all out and played hard in
a regular season game when they couldn’t or wouldn’t put forth the same effort
in the finals when it counted and who’s fault is that but THEIR OWN! Its not
like they lost because the Celtics sabotaged them.
The championship was not theirs to lose like the media made it seem.
Both teams had an equal oppoorunity to win and the team that played better won.
Where were all these people when their team was choking away a lead and getting
blown out? GMAFB. Maybe I’m overreacting but there’s too much whining going on
in the NBA now. Leave the complaining to the fans and do the job the game you’re being
paid millions for.
Count your blessings, both LA and BOSTON fans...
THE celts/lakers rivalry is the strongest in NBA history, and ranks up there with any other sports’ best rivalries… the history, the greatness of the stars on both sides in this ongoing battle, the showtime vs beantown stuff…
We should all be grateful that this intense competition is again risen to it’s best and is on center stage yet again and may be for years to come, again… this is great for us, and the game. The fact of the depth of feeling evidenced on this blog only amplifies that the celts/lakers rivalry is special and brings out the true intensity of interest we sports fan so need and desire. I’d love for my boys to bring home #18 this spring and the sweeter to beat LA again, but either way, I’m glad they are back as our nemesis and so should we all be…
until he wins it by beating us and them, Lebron who?… just kidding… I try not to think about him, too scary…
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