Forget about the fact the Celtics let a rookie take them to school.  Forget about the fact that their defense would have let a high school all-American score 20 on them today. Forget about the fact that they lost to a sub-par team for a minute.  Forget that Pierce missed the free throw to win it because if Ray showed up it wouldn't have even come to that.  But you can remember this- Ray Allen cost the Celtics the game today. He was the difference in them losing.  Make no mistake about it, the Celtics were HORRIBLE which is the understatement of the year but Ray was worse than horrible. Now I know people will say that it was the team defense, no KG, Pierce struggled, and a culmination of factors that determined the outcome of this game but in my opinion it was all on Ray.  I will take some heat for saying that but here is why I say that.  The Celtics could have won this game as bad as they played with the exception of Rondo. And they should have won it.

This was deja-vu from last years opening round or Ray-ja-vu as I call it because of the eerily similar way things went for him in the opening round last year.  Let's face it, when Ray is bad he is bad and when he's good he's damn good.  I know what he brings to this team but I am just stating the obvious from today's performance.  His nightmare of a game was so bad that on a 3 on 1 fast break Rondo had Allen wide open on the wing behind the 3-point line and looked him off but couldn't get it to his man on the right of him so he reluctantly went to Ray who then barely drew iron. Rondo should have hit him earlier but that play showed me that Rondo didn't even have confidence in Ray at that point of the game.  

As I said earlier, I know that there were other factors involved in this disgrace of a game but I will still say that the overall reason they lost was because they got NOTHING from Ray and at this time of the year especially without KG that's just not going to cut it.  All he had to do was have a sub-par game and they would have won. I don't expect this to happen again in this series but if it does than this will be it for the Celtics.  This Chicago team reminds me of Atlanta from last year because of their athleticism, youngness, and nothing to lose attitude.  They provide match-up problems for the Celtics similar to the Hawks did also.  If Ray doesn't show up this series there is no KG, no James Posey, and no PJ Brown to bail him out.  1-12 shooting isn't going to cut it today or any day the rest of the playoffs.  If this lasts the entire series then the Celtics will be golfing in the beginning of May.