Unhappy Ending
by Jeff Clark on May 1, 2010 10:41 PM EDT
in Boston Celtics Games
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Once again, the Celtics built an early lead on the Cavs and let it slip away. The first half couldn't have gone much better and the 2nd half couldn't have gone much worse. This team needs to figure out how to close the Cavs out. We really missed out on a golden opportunity to strike first. This one hurts, ...a lot.
- Now the incredible game that Rondo had will never be remembered.
- Mo Williams getting hot in the 3rd was absolutely game-changing. I was worried about that.
- Sheed, please, just go home.
- Might have been KG's best game of the playoffs so far with 18 and 10.
- Paul Pierce really struggled down the stretch. That's not good.
- Credit the Cavs defense for really clamping down in the 2nd half. Need to find an answer for that.
- Stop me when you've heard this before: 15 turnovers killed us.
- LeBron's elbow looks just fine. Can we please stop talking about it now?
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im sorry but....
the officials in this game were an out and out joke… and btw…
SHEED SUCKS!!!! the bench bigs cost us this game along with the refs!
what about being 5-19 in the fourth?
by lakersbluedevil on May 1, 2010 11:01 PM EDT up reply actions
Being 5-19 in the 4th sucked
Playing 5 against 8 made it impossible. Sorry the refs played actual defense against the C’s. They didn’t call any of the fouls that Floppaho made and called non-existent touch fouls against our bench. It was criminal
hmm, i saw a lot of missed plays that did not involve anything near a ref.
big misses and big lapses on D. i am not even being a hater. I just don’t buy it. If the team itself is looking at this game and blaming the refs, then the team is REALLY in trouble and will get swept. I would like to see the celts win, but the refs did not lose this game for the celts.
the reality is at the end of the garnett and pierece looked totally gassed. and this situation probably won’t get better over the series. need more bench minutes so that these fourth quarters don’t happen…way to many jump shots and missed tired put back and layups. doc might have to bite the bullet and let the bench play. the celts had 44 bench minutes…that is LOW. the cavs had 75r AND they are younger, fresher.
that has to change i think or the energy won’t be matched
by lakersbluedevil on May 1, 2010 11:17 PM EDT up reply actions
boston didnt get it done second half. period
by celticinorlando on May 1, 2010 11:26 PM EDT up reply actions
yeah
there were some pretty questionable calls, but this one is all on the Celtics. You cannot let Mo Williams light a fire under that squad.
This was a W that got away because Boston didn’t respond properly to a Cavs run. Instead of slowing it down and getting back in the paint from the guard position, they totally played into what Cleveland wanted by shooting bad jumpshots early in the shot clock.
Before the tip, I really thought Boston would win this game, and I thought it was a much needed game if they seriously had a shot at winning the series.
Totally agree with Lakersbluedevil in that Pierce and KG were pretty much expended energy-wise in crunch time. The bench has pick up some damn slack if were gonna make this a series by winning game 2.
It ain’t over, but losing that game really sux ass.
P2 is the man.
SHEED IS A BUM OF THE WORST KIND
CLASSIC C’Z MELTDOWN
by CELTICZ4LIFE on May 1, 2010 11:28 PM EDT up reply actions
LeBron’s elbow does not look just fine, and even more important, his mind is telling him it’s not fine. He has never been that reluctant in a game, and once he gets his confidence back, he will get back into attack mode way before the 4th quarter. If the Celtics shut down the rest of the Cavs, and let LeBron score 40, the Celtics will win…they can’t allow the rest of the Cavs to get into a rhythm offensively…
Gad - check the refs in OKC before you complain
Lakers got -55 fta’s in that series – and you say -10 fts when there were multiple intentional fouls on Lebron “cost the game”?
Please.
by nba is the worst on May 2, 2010 1:35 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm with you
I still think this can be done…But in my eyes this does qualify as a missed opportunity.
Same here...
Although that one was there for the taking. If the Captain makes just 1/3 of his shots in the second half, we win.
Tough loss.
All the negativity in this town sucks. It sucks, and it stinks, and it sucks. - Rick Pitino
On a couple of them...
But he finished, what, 1-for-12 or something? That’s not on the refs. It was simply a terrible finish for PP.
All the negativity in this town sucks. It sucks, and it stinks, and it sucks. - Rick Pitino
Stop blaming refs
When you take care of your business, ref’s calls noitmake that much difference. Thing is, we didn’t take cafe of business tonight.
"You're about as useful as a one-legged man at an arse kicking contest." Rowan Atkinson
by The Village Idiot on May 1, 2010 10:58 PM EDT up reply actions
What 'bs'? Tell me.
They sucked. How is that ‘bs’?
If we concede the reffing was less than ideal
Will you admit it’s not why Boston lost?
by TheOutletPass on May 1, 2010 11:11 PM EDT up reply actions
I've already stated that the C's still could have won
if Paul, KG, Perk & Ray hit just a few of those easy shots they missed down the stretch, or if Perk wraps up Shaq and sends him to the line on those two layups or if they keep a body in front of Williams at the end of the 3rd or if…
But from my notes and review of the game, the refs easily cost the C’s a net of about -10 in points due to bad calls / no-calls.
Just like with the above failings by the Celtics themselves, the failings by the refs contributed to why we lost. Why is that so hard to say out loud? Its simple facts.
How many missed calls were there that hurt Cleveland?
Since you have notes and all that?
by TheOutletPass on May 2, 2010 12:07 AM EDT up reply actions
yeah
I missed a few minutes here and there. And i’m sure I missed a few.
But overall I counted 3 pretty obvious call/no-calls against CLE and 8 against the C’s.
There were a lot more calls that were ‘questionable’. I just counted when I thought they were outright blatant.
Do you think the refs missed any fouls that the Celtics committed?
Of course they did. They miss calls both ways.
Yes. And over the course of a season, they even out.
That is easy to confirm based on PF and FT totals. Differences over the long haul are relatively small and tend to be due to the ratio of points scored in the paint versus from the perimeter.
You are assuming that they even out within a game. They don’t, as a rule. Within a single game, the refs will typically ‘blow’ more calls (or no-calls) in favor of one team or the other. Each blown call is essentially worth between 1-2 pts. So it doesn’t take more than a couple to decide a game.
Here is an interesting breakdown of one rather infamous game (that featured a few bad calls) that analyzes the values of the various calls:
http://www.82games.com/game5refs.htm
Using the same reasoning in that article, I would tone down my estimate of the impact in this game to about -5 pts.
Please do not include me with those that think there is any particular anti-Celtic bias. I just firmly believe that they suck, are too easily influenced by home crowds and star power and that at least SOME are probably involved with gambling.
And just like a player’s performance (good or bad) can influence the outcome of a game, a ref’s performance, good or bad, can influence the outcome of a game. To think otherwise is naive.
Who cares about the refs
The Celtics lost this game.
by TheOutletPass on May 1, 2010 11:02 PM EDT up reply actions
The refs wouldn't let Lebron and Cavs get humiliated and made bad calls
1. Lebron gets 2 and goes to the line instead of getting a charge
2. Big Baby loses the ball out of bounds because Lebron slams him across his hands and we lose the possession
3. KG in the low post with both feet planted and Jamison comes down court and slams into KG and KG gets the foul
4. Mo Williams runs in front of Rondo on a fast break and never plants his feet but gets the call on a charge and we lose the 2 points and the free throw and Mo goes to the line instead
5. Pierce fighting though a pick and gets another foul for nothing – BBD touches someone on the hip blowing by him and scoring and gets a foul – Don’t you think that all the bad foul calls make Celtics back off of aggressive defense when they are in foul trouble?!
These are some of the plays that I can remember. I almost had a stroke watching the game and screaming at the refs. Yes the Celtics were playing so well that they were winning by 10 anyway, but this stuff takes its toll. They were playing and winning through the bad calls but the refs turned the tide and put the Cavs in a position to come back and regain their composure. Maybe Mo wouldn’t have lit on fire if the team was hopelessly behind and had their spirit broken. We’ll never know.
Did anyone else this stuff. It was game changing. The refs wouldn’t let the Cavs lose the home opener when they were getting humiliated by about the best first half of defense and effective offense (Rondo was blindingly stellar!) I can remember the Celtics playing. They were shutting down Lebron. It was an embarassment.
Pierce was fierce making the first 8 of the Celtics 10 points and then … ???
We (and I) cover this all ad nauseam below
Feel free to dive in.
Obviously I don’t agree as noted below.
by TheOutletPass on May 2, 2010 1:32 AM EDT up reply actions
Were you on here complaining about the refs after the first two games of the heat series?
Because they clearly were in the Celtics’ pocket.
Refs makes mistakes, they are human...
But was that the reason we lost? PP was 5 of 17. Our starters got into early foul trouble, and the bench did not help as much as they should have. IMO these are more credible reasons for our loss.
"You're about as useful as a one-legged man at an arse kicking contest." Rowan Atkinson
by The Village Idiot on May 1, 2010 11:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Completely agree
I remember multiple times where Paul was getting bumped and nothing called. I don’t blame refs, but at one point in the third I believe there was a +12 foul difference b/t the two teams….and for the record Varejoa is my least favorite player in the league. Every time the whistle blows he throws his hands in their and complains, and he looks like a tool
im still fairly confident...
would have liked to see ray a little more involved in the second half with MO covering him
OH YES!
Celts can WIN THIS SERIES!
third quarter we did good its just MO getting basket and we’re not! thats it!
then 4Q we did great as well but one thing i noticed is Rondo can no longer drive when Cavs brought SHAQ! that messed up the Rondo game! but thats about it. we can win this series!!!
yeah i think thats the turning point!
especially RAY and PAUL went cold!
but what happened to KG posting up Jamison? KG owns Jamison in the 1st half! we need to see that more from KG!
If if if. No ifs, please. We couldn’t convert, they could. We lost, period. I am still very confident we can win Game 2, which is a must win for me, because if we go down 0-2, one little mistake in Game 3 or 4, and it’s over. This is not the team we saw in the second half of the season, so we should be very confident.
by P2 on May 2, 2010 5:55 AM EDT up reply actions
Keep the faith?
that’s for the usual over panicking! hell yeah we can win this series!
It's there for the taking
The Celtics have what it takes to win another championship. They should believe that and feel confident. I wanna say it’s about desire, but sometimes wanting something too much can cause players to tense up and fade. In fact, if the Celtics had been the ones down at the half in this Game One, they may have come on strong in the second. It’s often easier to be loose, creative and effective when you have nothing to lose as apposed to worrying about losing what you have.
So my advice to the Celtics is to make basketball Job #1, but relax, eat your veggies, go to bed on time and believe in yourselves. It’s gonna be a fight for sure, but you guys have no reason to be afraid, just focused, determined and hard-working.
by FlubberMcDrool on May 2, 2010 6:42 AM EDT up reply actions
Poor shooting in the second half + terrible refs = Game 1 loss
All the negativity in this town sucks. It sucks, and it stinks, and it sucks. - Rick Pitino
Yeah
I really hate complaining about the refs, but I can’t get over that one no-call on one of Pierce’s final drives in the fourth. He went up, LeBron was up there, they collided, no call…Then Pierce went on to miss that three in the corner. That was the only call I took issue with. Or no-call, I suppose. Given the importance of the game, that one bothered me. That’s my only beef with the refs, personally.
Or the consecutive no-calls on BBD
First when Lebron shoved him out of bounds.
Then on the next posession, Shaq clearly hacking him as he went up under the post.
The replays were very clear and an official was right there in each case.
The latter no-call was huge because Shaq finished with 5 fouls. He would have fouled out.
The charging call on Rondo early in the game that lead to the Technical on the C’s bench. Replay clearly shows it was a horrible call.
Lebron traveling in the 4th – not only not called, but resulted in a 4th foul on Rondo.
Sigh … amazing that we put up with this.
I had to come aboard just to complain
As a Magic fan, I watched the game to see a good game between two great teams, I was very impressed for the most part, until the one sided calls undid the game. I can’t see how the refs can get away with so much bias. I don’t know who won this game, because to me I can’t tell who would have won without blatant interference. Refs can not be hidden behind the “they are human” shield, if they can call fouls on one team, they can call them on the other damn it. It is pretty simple actually. Sorry to basketball and Celtics fans for having to watch that. What a shame.
LOL. Which messiah travel were you referring to??
Was it when he shuffled his feet under the basket? The announcers talked about that as it the non-call was some kind of revelation…. Or is every other time he drives to the basket?
The messiah is the most coddled and protected commodity in the history of professional sports.
Even with that we were right there. We can win this series.
by Finkelskyhook on May 2, 2010 3:27 PM EDT up reply actions
That no-call sucked
But I thought the charge called on Rondo in the second was criminal.
by Jon Niednagel on May 2, 2010 12:25 AM EDT up reply actions
It is amazing they only lost by 8
Given how bad both Pierce and the Bench were tonight. If the Celts do not get better bench play it will be over in 5, not 6.
thats a good sign
even though our bench didnt do any much help the game is still close!
Gotta to luv Sheed
Yup – DA knows exactly what hes doing!!!
Pierce
Paul pierce needs to not try and be the hero so much! He was ice cold and kept losing us possessions
~Aaron
by bostonceltics on May 1, 2010 10:44 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Well, you don't know you are going to miss until after you take the shot.
Those were mostly design plays and they worked. He had wide-open looks, including a couple of short range bread-and-butter shots that he normally makes. They just didn’t fall.
But he was cold
Can’t u tell that if u missed the last couple shots? Give the ball to rondo! He was amazing tonite! (not to mention 100% from 3)
~Aaron
by bostonceltics on May 1, 2010 11:14 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Cleveland did a nice job clogging up the lanes and paint
Which is why Rondo didn’t attack as much.
Part of tonight is bad luck. PP has been hitting those shots lately.
by TheOutletPass on May 1, 2010 11:21 PM EDT up reply actions
No, you can't tell
You always think the next shot is going in. It was just an off night for PP tonight, which was discouraging given the way he started the game, but it happens.
And Sheed is the biggest DOG in the NBA
He should not get off the Bench again. Sorry, but either the guy doesn’t try or just cannot do it anymore. He is an embarrassment, and big baby was even worse. Our bigs, except Garnett, are just awful. Perk must have had at least 5 turnovers. UGH.
Not perk
I’m very impressed with Perkins D on shaq, and he got a lot rebounds. A performance for perk
~Aaron
by bostonceltics on May 1, 2010 10:46 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Perk is heading for a disappointing end to a disappointing season
He looks almost indifferent offensively. Lost. Distracted.
by TheOutletPass on May 1, 2010 10:47 PM EDT up reply actions
But...
Perk got a near double double. That should count for something. And his D on shaq doesn’t show up in the stats
btw Garnett had an impressive 18 pt 10 reb effort
~Aaron
by bostonceltics on May 1, 2010 10:53 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
True
He wasn’t awful. Maybe it’s just me.
I think he just isn’t zoned in.
by TheOutletPass on May 1, 2010 10:55 PM EDT up reply actions
Well Perks is there for the D!
and he did great tonight!
Except that he should have fouled Shaq hard on those two close-in layups
late in the game, Perk still had fouls to give. In that situation you HAVE to foul Shaq.
You can bet the coaches will be all over Perk for that mistake.
Hey mmmmm
You have insisted all season that Rasheed was a great pick up, do you feel the same way now?
Sheed
Dumping Sheed should be this offseason’s highest priority.
We should not rule out bringing in the mob to take care of him
Whatever it takes.
:+)
by TheOutletPass on May 1, 2010 11:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah- unlike some, I look at the objective measurables
And based on the numbers, Sheed was and is a good pickup. I understand what his role is supposed to be and when he is in that role he is very good.
But mob mentality being what it is. I don’t expect to try to change the minds of those who’ve decided he sucks.
Based on what numbers mmmmm?
Are you serious? My goodness mmmm give it up – Sheed was a bust and you were wrong about him, period
I've gone over this on other threads.
The ravenous masses don’t want to read cold facts, though. You are all so wise in your understanding of basketball.
The fact that Sheed’s defensive efficiency rating was the best on the team means nothing to you. The fact that it was among the best in the NBA for players logging >1600 minutes means nothing to folks who insist they ‘just know’ that he never plays defense.
The fact that his defensive rebounding was a solid 19-20% all year means nothing to folks who insist that he never rebounds. It means nothing to folks who think that BBD is a better rebounder – even though BBD grabs a mere 13% of defensive boards.
Rasheed WAS a poor fit when asked to sub at starting PF when KG was out. He can’t do that anymore. His defensive efficiency numbers suffered (going up to 1.06) while trying to keep up with younger, more athletic starting PFs. But as a C/PF coming off the bench, facing bench bigs, Sheed has been very high value for us. His defensive efficiency ratings in that role were much, much better. In fact they were damn good. As in well below 1.0 pt per posession good. That’s why overall he ended up the season at 1.00.
But I know I am probably just wasting electrons. Facts don’t mean anything to people who are convinced they already know the answer.
If you could void his contract
Right now. Or let it play out for the next two years…
What would you do?
by TheOutletPass on May 2, 2010 12:18 AM EDT up reply actions
Play it out.
The Celtics spent $86M for 50 wins – about $1.7M per win.
NBA ‘win shares’ are a bit shaky. But they are at least an attempt to measure a player’s value. And they usually work out to be at least in the right ballpark. Using that stat, Sheed was worth about 3.6 win shares this year – (3.4 on defense and 0.2 on offense). That would put his value on the Celts at about $6.1 M.
Whadda ya know? That’s just a little more than his actual salary! That suggests that the Celts are getting pretty close to the value they paid for from Sheed. Maybe a little more.
So, based on value, yeah, I’d play it out. I don’t know about you, but I doubt Vic would be happy about dropping 13 M on the floor (Sheed’s remaining two years) just because some disgruntled fans on CelticsBlog don’t like him. You can’t just ‘void’ his contract anyway. You can cut him – but his salary will still count against the cap. And you’d then have to find another 7 footer to put on the roster – who would play for free …
There might be other factors unknown to us that would change that calculus. But based on what I know, its very simple.
The guy is a bum and 99.9 percent of Celtics fans know that
He will be gone before next season one way or another
He has a PER of 4.8 for the playoffs
That’s disgusting.
We could put Clifford Ray in there and he’d be better.
by TheOutletPass on May 2, 2010 3:26 PM EDT up reply actions
PER is a very poor stat to use to measure defense.
PER is primarily an offensive value rating and thus is pretty useless for measuring defensive contributions. The only defensive stats it incorporates, blocks and steals, are superficial and very poor indicators of defensive value – i.e. they do not necessarily correlate with point prevention.
Almost all of Sheed’s value to us has been defensive.
Which is why Doc...
… was calling him out at practice today for his bad D. See the link in the forums.
Sheed is garbage.
by TheOutletPass on May 2, 2010 10:02 PM EDT up reply actions
I assume you mean
Doc could have been saying that about ANY player on the team. The problem down the stretch was the team wasn’t getting stops anymore (see my own comments during that time in the game chat).
Whatever. Read whatever you want into Doc’s comments. I’ll just watch what he does.
Agree mmmmm
Also lets keep in mind Rasheed for all his faults still is the only big we have off our bench with length and size.
Baby and Wiliams do have the bulk but not have the length.
If we want to beat the Cavs, orlando and LA to win a banner this year.. all teams with alot of front court length and depth we can not rely just on Bbay and Willimas since they would be over powered in the low post (as Bbay was last night by Shaq)
We need length and bulk off our bench and since Rasheed is the only player that has that physical build we need him if we want a shot to beat the Cavs and win a title this year.
Here's a fact for you MMMMMMM
" Sheed has been very high value for us. "
When it comes to statements such as this, you are definitely in the minority with this opinion.
You maybe THE ONLY fan who truly believes that Sheed was a good signing for the Celtics.
and that proves ... what?
Facts aren’t established via popular opinion.
There are also a ton of morons who think J.D. Drew isn’t worth his contract. Their opinions prove nothing.
Hey, even Doc Rivers is getting frustrated with him...
“He has to play better, bottom line,” Doc Rivers said
Is Doc a moron as well??
When the head coach calls out a veteran player like that it speaks volumes.
Why dont you send him some of your ‘high valued’ stats on Sheed to calm him down.
He scored on our basket in the bulls game
Nuff said
~Aaron
by bostonceltics on May 1, 2010 11:16 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Oh my goodness
You can’t be serious.
He hasn’t played five good games all year.
Wow.
by TheOutletPass on May 1, 2010 11:17 PM EDT up reply actions
Pretty hypocritical
I guess you haven´t been here during the summer.
There was only one mob here, and that was the Sheed Fanclub.
Sheed started to suck a long time ago. It´s nice that you´ve lowered your expectations, but even then he´s not worth the full MLE over three years.
well yeah i have to agree on that!
i thought everyone is on foul trouble… but in the 1st half he held Shaq pretty good!
Yeah
So why do we pass the ball to him in traffic with the game on the line. I also think that DOC should have a policy that if Perk get an offensive board, he is required to kick it out. None of this power dribble move that constantly gets blocked.
You know
I can live with Lebron beating us, but MO WILLIAMS!!! In the third quarter, where was Rondo’s all nba defense?
Also, I love Pierce but he played scared after the 1st quarter. He was scared of Lebron.
Refs…..just wow……the person I was watching with recently quit the NBA because of this and this ame validated him
Varejao and Jamison need to be punished for all the flopping
RE: I can live with Lebron beating us, but MO WILLIAMS!!! In the third quarter, where was Rondo’s all nba defense?
EXACTLY
by rocknrollforyoursoul on May 1, 2010 11:19 PM EDT up reply actions
Rondo got into foul trouble
One of which was a bogus charge call. Bogus or not, tough to play d with four fouls in the third.
What reason would Pierce have to be afraid of LeBron after the 1st qtr.?
Pierce had a GREAT 1st qtr.!
same ole celtics...can't put teams away and they choke
will be lucky to win one game in this series
by celticinorlando on May 1, 2010 10:45 PM EDT reply actions
I picked the Cavs in six
because they simply are a better and deeper team
one game maybe...but it doesn't matter...cavs played horrid and still won by 8
boston played a flawless first half and loses again in the secind.
by celticinorlando on May 1, 2010 10:48 PM EDT up reply actions
Cavs played horrible?
Wow! which game were you watching? You sure you werent watching an ESPN classic replay?
"You're about as useful as a one-legged man at an arse kicking contest." Rowan Atkinson
by The Village Idiot on May 1, 2010 11:40 PM EDT up reply actions
Hey Vinnie
How do you like Rasheed Wallace?
Yup - the DOG of the NBA is right
To all Sheed supporters- the joke is on you!
I miss Posey, Period
by thenation on May 1, 2010 10:51 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I don't want either of them
Posey’s decomposing.
There are literally dozens of players who would be more helpful to us.
by TheOutletPass on May 2, 2010 12:03 AM EDT up reply actions
yes, however...
we had Posey and we cant DA cant seem to acquire any of those dozens of players.
Sure
But why bring up Posey?
That’s old news. He’s done.
by TheOutletPass on May 2, 2010 12:35 AM EDT up reply actions
Boston needs size, height, and length to defend better...
Sheed aint doing Sh…
Big baby is too short and cant jump
Who else does Boston have off the bench to clog up the paint and defend?
I agree with you
But Posey has no place in the conversation. He wouldn’t help either. I don’t get why he keeps coming up. He’s cooked.
by TheOutletPass on May 2, 2010 12:39 AM EDT up reply actions
Agreed.
But the Celtics need to go shopping this off season
Couldn't agree more
We need to totally rebuild the bench.
And it would be better if Danny wasn’t involved in that process. Let him focus on the draft. His free agent signings have been pretty weak.
by TheOutletPass on May 2, 2010 12:44 AM EDT up reply actions
No different than the regular season Celtics
Very focused for a period (tonight – about 2.5 quarters of focused, intense basketball). Then they relaxed, couldn’t matched Cleveland’s energy, and missed shots. The refs didn’t help, but this is another 10 point lead we’ve blown that’s on us.
um
so you think this team that we saw tonight was the same team that lost to the nets? interesting
For the most part yes.
Same bad habits in the second half (lack of energy, aggression, defense, settling for jumpers, etc) Same result.
The fact they played better overall doesn’t change the fact they lost this game (and blew the 11-point lead to do so) the way they have twenty other games this year.
by TheOutletPass on May 2, 2010 12:41 AM EDT up reply actions
game 2 will be a blowout and boston will come limping home for game 3. this was the game to take
by celticinorlando on May 1, 2010 10:47 PM EDT reply actions
unfortunately
I think you’re closer to the truth than I’d like to admit. C’s needed to grab one of the first two. I don’t think Cle will get outplayed in the next one.
I feel totally the opposite
I really think we could blow Cleveland out in Game 2. You’re right that we need to grab one of the first two, but there’s still one left.
Posey is not the same player he used to be...
And nobody though that sheed was going to be this big of a bust.
They should cut Sheed now. He is still looking for his switch.
He absolutely brings NOTHING to this team. Again, he is not the reason they lost tonight, but he certainly is a big loser.
His switch?
If Sheed even has a switch, it’s permanently in the off position.
Perk?
He played great D on shaq and had a near double double
~Aaron
by bostonceltics on May 1, 2010 11:18 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Where were all the complaints about the refs in the Miami series?
When the Celtics had a parade to the free throw line in most of the games
Boy, you're feeling bold....
Gonna get your head taken off tonight with that stuff!
I agree though.
by TheOutletPass on May 1, 2010 10:49 PM EDT up reply actions
THE REFS SUCK!
Almost every game!!!!! Wait, every game!!!!
??
are you saying the officiating was in any way fair in this game?
No -- but was it fair in the Miami series?
That’s all I am asking
nope
Wade got the star treatment so you’re absolutely right, the officiating wasn’t fair in that series either
Well within the normal range!
Sorry homers, but there was only a 10 ft margin for the Cavs – less than 1.5X what the celtics got – with obvious instructions to foul LeBron hard on drives to deny the ‘and one’. Easy to see the bad call in the 1st half on Rondo and the offensive goal-tending, but no way was the officiating "blatantly one-sided’.
In comparison, look at the ft numbers the Lakers experienced in the games in OKC:
Game 3, 34-12, 2.84 times ft margin for OKC
Game 4, 48-28, 1.74 times ft margin for OKC
Game 6, 31-14, 2.25 times ft margin for OKC
Lakers only got more fts in one game, despite having more points in the paint almost every game. Total in 6 games was -55 fts.
In reality, when the game was tied 90-90 and the c’s chucked up threes, what was the cause of the loss?
by nba is the worst on May 2, 2010 2:15 PM EDT up reply actions
refs, PP and bench
killed us tonight. just really bad play on offense the second half. too many careless trips down the floor costing the team chances to put the Cavs further in the hole in the first half
Refs were atrocious. just blatantly one-sided in this game.
Sheed and non-TA bench were bad.
All credit to the Cavs
They are a tough, resilient team. Or they were tonight.
boston choked. stopped playing defense and choke in the second half...as usual
by celticinorlando on May 1, 2010 10:49 PM EDT up reply actions
fair enough i gues
im just curious why u only post when we lose?? theres never any comments after a win..
we all expected this to be a tough series.. time to concentrate on monday
exactly
This is no different than it was all year.
by TheOutletPass on May 1, 2010 10:51 PM EDT up reply actions
this is typical for this year...
they really need a 30 pt half time lead to finish off a game. I thought they were awesome in the first, but had no confidence in only an 11 pt game.
Also, I didn’t like Rondo’s halftime comments- ‘let the big three come in and hopefully finish this game out’…that means being less aggressive…
why is everyone acting like its the end of the world?
we still have at LEAST 3 more games to go, all which are winnable so get over the loss and dont lose faith
game 2 will be a blow out. mark it down. gotta hope they can get home wins
by celticinorlando on May 1, 2010 10:50 PM EDT up reply actions
just speaking the truth..game ones are often close while game 2s result
in home team blowouts…..miami had boston down 14 in game one and then was blown out of game 2
by celticinorlando on May 1, 2010 10:56 PM EDT up reply actions
we gave one away tonight...i dont expect that the cavs allow boston to be that close again in cleveland
by celticinorlando on May 1, 2010 10:58 PM EDT up reply actions
The Cavs don't get to ALLOW us...
We come to play our game, and we win or lose based on our own efforts.
"You're about as useful as a one-legged man at an arse kicking contest." Rowan Atkinson
by The Village Idiot on May 1, 2010 11:01 PM EDT up reply actions
Because you can't beat the REFS!
Everyone who saw this hunk o’ junk game knew who was suppose to win from the get go.
sheed does absolutely zero on both ends of the floor
by celticinorlando on May 1, 2010 10:49 PM EDT reply actions
Yet Doc gives him Quality time.
At this point, Id rather Sheldon or a small ball lineup than one more minute of RaW
Rondo stopped pushing and KG on the block
Rondo stopped pushing, despite Doc urging him to keep a fast pace.
And WHY did we stop giving it to KG on the block? He was either draining jumpers or hitting cutters in the first half. I think we hit him on the left block twice in the 2nd half? Why get away from something the Cav’s have no answer for?
Rondo might have stopped pushing because of how many times he got slammed to the floor
Yet the Celtics seemed content in not giving any hard fouls tonight
Agreed
We struggle with consistently doing good things like that and the high double screens for rondo
by mm mm toasty on May 1, 2010 11:03 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Game Set Match
Boston will win one game, period.
I think we'll get two
Cleveland is just a better team. But we’re still very good.
by TheOutletPass on May 1, 2010 10:51 PM EDT up reply actions
Cavs adjsuted
They keep RR out of the paint in the 2nd half. When the cut that off, the C’s offence stagnated.
I counted 6 possessions that we lost in the second half to “no calls” or to calls that went the wrong way. Not going to talk about some of the points that the Cavs scored because of “no calls” because that’s kind of irrelevant.
The Cavs played well and Mo is a very talented shooter. I give them a nod and credit. But a couple of bad shots mixed with a half dozen instances of bad officiating and it’s hard to overcome that.
I think we all know that Stern would need a moist towelette and a beach towel to clean up if he was able to market a series of Lebron vs Kobe. Just like in 07 he needed one when it was the Lakers and Celtics in the finals. It’s frustrating.
Dear thenation,
I’d rather have mmmmms bliss optimism than ur constant pessimism
~Aaron
by bostonceltics on May 1, 2010 11:37 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Dear bostonceltics
I am not a pessimism. Just an intelligent and HONEST fan.
If you have a moment, listen to some of the nba analysts on tv or radio. Then call in and tell them the same thing.
Relax.
I hope Boston can give the Cavs a run for their money, but it WILL BE TOUGH. COME ON, I HAVE A RIGHT TO SAY THAT!
Yes you do but not that we will lose the series after losing game 1 in there building.
But you do have the right to say that it will be tough to beat Cleveland because it will but I still believe that we will.
I hope. I really do.
Nothing would please me more than for you to tell me ‘I told you so!’
Agreed, Nation
I have already promised that if the Celtics win the championship, I will start a thread and post on it every day for a year that I know nothing about basketball and that the Celtics really did have a switch to turn on.
Will you be laughing when the Cavs go to the finals?
(I couldnt resist)
No -- I will be happy because I will get to go to the games and cheer them on
Like I do every year. You just don’t get that a fan of a team can believe his team is not the best.
I think people are coming to that conclussion based on the past 5 months.
Not just one game
Rondooooooo
There's a chance
It’s hardly a likelihood. But there’s a chance.
Mike, I think you have to be reasonable about how people feel. This has been a massively disappointing team all year. They lost tonight like they’ve lost all year.
The most objective of observers picked Cle to win before the series. They’ll be even more confident tonight.
This has NOTHING to do with how much someone loves their team.
by TheOutletPass on May 2, 2010 12:12 AM EDT up reply actions
I never said that it has to do with how much someone loves the team...
But always speaking negative about the team and never saying any good things about them all year does.
I've read positive comments from Vinnie.
What you’re responding to is the imbalance in good games vs bad games since New Year’s.
There’s been a lot more bad than good to say.
by TheOutletPass on May 2, 2010 12:15 AM EDT up reply actions
I have made many positive comments this season
However, since Christmas day, the team has been mediocre. Yes, they won a playoff series against a lousy Miami team and just about everyone on this board picked them to win that series. It proved nothing. I and 389 other posters believe they will lose this series. In the meantime, I and those 389 other posters hope they win this series and go on to the eastern conference championship series.
I'll blunt, Mike
We’ve been a .500 team since December. A team with this much talent having that difficult of a stretch?
I know there were injuries, but this team has underperformed far the most part. Even when we got everyone healthy, the same issues were still there. When the negative on the court far outweighs the positive, its hard to overlook.
We’re just not playing championship quality basketball – we haven’t been for quite some time.
Rondooooooo
We played quality ball against Miami, yes.
Championship caliber? Idk.
Our record this season against Eastern Conference contenders (Cleve, Orl, Atl) just hasn’t been enouraging.
Rondooooooo
Miami is Dwyane Wade and 4 other guys
Celts dominated them in the regular season so no surprise they won the series easily. RJ87 is right — the Celts were 3-9 versus Cavs, Magic and Hawks.
dude can we stop comparing regular season games to playoffs?
you’re living in the past, playoffs is a whole different thing. everybody knows that!
Again Mike, not one game.
Closing out has been a problem since December. I’m not making that up.
Rondooooooo
what difficulties?
bad shooting? every team experienced that!
They got comfortable.
They stopped being the aggressor. Stopped going to the rim and settled for jumpshots.
Those difficulties.
Rondooooooo
yes with that foul troubles
and our bench didnt do any help!
last 3-4 mins of 3Q when pierce got cold and MO was on fire but i dont see that as a collapse. it happens to every team!
Playoffs are a whole different thing
Yet, the same exact thing happened tonight that happened 15 times during the regular season.
"This has been a massively disappointing team all year. They lost tonight like they’ve lost all year."
THE GAME WAS CLOSE! what are you talking about? this is playoffs. forget about the regular season 2nd half collapse! you are correct though we must need to b reasonable but you guys always overstated things whenever we lost
They were outscored by 19 in the second half
This is either the 15th or 16th loss this year when the team actually had a double digit lead during the game. This does not happen to championship caliber teams.
We blew an 11-point lead
In the second half.
By repeating the exact same bad habits we’ve displayed all year.
I don’t think I really need to defend my comment that the team has disappointed this year.
by TheOutletPass on May 2, 2010 12:27 AM EDT up reply actions
yes i get your point both of you..but
that game 1 was very close! Defense wise we didnt collapse, we just had a bad shooting 2nd half.
We gave up 36 in the third quarter
What do you call that?
by TheOutletPass on May 2, 2010 12:32 AM EDT up reply actions
Are you serious?
We give up a net-12 points in the quarter and you’re trying to spin that somehow? Come on.
by TheOutletPass on May 2, 2010 12:37 AM EDT up reply actions
yes i did watch the game!
you just cant get over with those regular games. they dint play like those 2nd half regular games collapse. the way i see it you guys love to overstate this lost.
For the last time
They were outscored by 19 points in the second half.
oh please!
it happens to any team!
just stop associating this lost to the regular games and make a theory in just 1 game! did you point that out in miami series? we didnt bum around and lost to cavs. the game was very close! we had a 2nd half bad shooting night! and thats about it! ill agree with you if that happens on mon.
Gotta give credit to Mike Brown, can't believe I just said that, for switching up and putting Parker on Rondo...
The switch allowed Rondo to not be able to drive to the basket along with there bigs doing a good job not allowing him to get shots off in the paint, and allowed Mo Williams to step up on the offensive game.
Why did the Celts not commit one hard foul tonight?
How many times did Rondo get slammed to the floor? They hung Rondo out to dry tonight and did not commit one hard foul. Most disappointing part of this game for me.
i enjoyed perk watching shaq for a crucial put back and sheed allowing varajo to just take the ball
by celticinorlando on May 1, 2010 10:53 PM EDT up reply actions
Well, on the road it is dangerous because it could land you a flagrant
and possibly end up with someone ejected and even suspended.
Given that 4 of our starters were at 3 fouls by the time the 3rd got under way, its not surprising we ‘backed off’.
I agree they didn't lose the game
I agree whole-heartedly. I’m just angry about that one no-call late on Pierce’s drive on James…That’s the only call I have any type of beef with. Refs definitely didn’t lose it, but we could have used that call given the circumstances.
But "no calls" are part of the game
why all of a sudden it seems to matter here? How about PP being 5 of 17? That was more a reason we lost than ref no calls. Ya think?
"You're about as useful as a one-legged man at an arse kicking contest." Rowan Atkinson
by The Village Idiot on May 1, 2010 11:03 PM EDT up reply actions
I know
I’m just saying, for me personally, that one was tough to accept. That’s all. Nothing more than that. Normally I can brush no-calls off. I know refs are human, hence why I don’t blame them. I’m just saying that specific no-call is tough for me to brush aside.
Oh Jeff...
You’re putting your neck on the line by speaking the truth.
by TheOutletPass on May 1, 2010 10:53 PM EDT up reply actions
nope...it was the lack of third quarter defense...
by celticinorlando on May 1, 2010 10:53 PM EDT up reply actions
Also the bad shooting
And the lack of offensive aggression.
by TheOutletPass on May 1, 2010 10:54 PM EDT up reply actions
Look, I agree that the Celtics had a chance to win this independent of the refs.
They missed easy shots down the stretch. Perk should have fouled Shaq on those two layups.
But to pretend those bad calls by the refs didn’t happen is just ridiculous. They are there on the tape. Stern isn’t going to fine me for pointing out how badly they sucked. So I’m going to point it out when they do.
Why is it okay to bitch about how poorly an NBA player plays when he has a bad night, but what? We aren’t allowed to point out how crappy the officials might have been? Like it or not (mostly not) the officials are a huge part of the game.
Agree - but overall this one wasn't bad
There have been so many far worse, so relatively speaking, what does saying the refs were crappy (when it wasn’t the difference in the game) leave for the times they truly ARE?
by nba is the worst on May 2, 2010 2:27 PM EDT up reply actions
Everyone is afraid to call it what it is.....
….another epic choke in the season of epic chokes by the Celtics.
Perkins was terrible. He needs to see the bench next game. Send him a message.
Pierce was terrible. Clank after clank.
Just a brutal game by everyone but Rondo and KG. Enough with the damn “ref” excuse. Good teams don’t blow 11 point leads in the playoffs. This series will most likely end quickly.
REALLY??
good times dont lose 11 point leads in the playoffs?? do me a favor go back and look at our championship year!
exactly
It was just a typical Celtics second half collapse.
by TheOutletPass on May 1, 2010 10:57 PM EDT up reply actions
Hey -- I picked the Cavs
I am not surprised at what happened tonight and was actually surprised that the Celts kept it close for as long as they did. Cavs are a better and deeper team.
Dude
At what point will you realize what this team is?
6.5 months isn’t enough evidence?
by TheOutletPass on May 1, 2010 11:00 PM EDT up reply actions
i think he is somewhat truthful...boston has blown lead after lead all season
and yeah….when you have the chance to take home court right away you have to take it. cleveland is going to come out for the kill monday and i don’t think boston can handle that
by celticinorlando on May 1, 2010 11:01 PM EDT up reply actions
The way you guys are going...
You’d think this is a 1-ame series and Boston just got eliminated. Hellooooo, there’s still 6 games left to play. And given that Boston played poorly in the 2nd half and wee still competetive, I would not count them out by any means.
"You're about as useful as a one-legged man at an arse kicking contest." Rowan Atkinson
by The Village Idiot on May 1, 2010 11:07 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah bad second halfs...
But that was the regular season and I don’t think we will see that again this whole post season.
15-pt 4th quarter in the Miami loss
Same as last night
by nba is the worst on May 2, 2010 2:29 PM EDT up reply actions
what pattern do you see now mr. negative vinnie?
3Q collapse? bad shooting is all there in 3Q! we can definitely handle this “dominant cavs”
Second half coolapse -- losing double digit leads
They ahve done it all season long against good and bad teams and they did it again tonight.
i didnt see that in the playoffs!
thats the regular season. i guess that stuck in you pretty hard.
Collapse?
I’m not sure I could call this a 2nd half collapse tonight, or much of one anyway. Yeah, we definitely weren’t as good as in the first half and the Cavs went on their little run, but we hung right in there and kept it very close, pretty much until the end. I was pleasantly surprised by that.
Outscored by 19 in the second half
12 in thethird and 7 in the fourth kind of sounds like a collapse to me
yeah! because of bad shooting!
we are getting good looks its just that its not falling! and the game ws very close! if that was collapse we’ll probably down like 10+ like in the regular seaon!
Playoff pattern is just great
4-1 in first round.
0-1 in second round.
I must say I like what I’m seeing so far.
"You're about as useful as a one-legged man at an arse kicking contest." Rowan Atkinson
by The Village Idiot on May 1, 2010 11:17 PM EDT up reply actions
Once again
I’ve posted this tree times already…
Perk was good tonite. A near double double and stellar D on shaq. He made shaq totally useless
~Aaron
by bostonceltics on May 1, 2010 11:26 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
not totally
Shaq got two big buckets there down the stretch
Yeah, I liked his play all night, but he did make a crucial mistake down the stretch - twice.
He should have fouled Shaq on each of those layups. No way should he have allowed Shaq to make those. He had fouls to give and should have sent him to the line.
Mike Brown gambled by playing Shaq major minutes - so lucky it worked...
He is the X-factor for the C’s, IMO.
Why play Hickson, Moon and Varejao starters minutes, just because that was effective in the 2 occasions the cavs beat the celtics plus one close call where they lost at the ft line?
by nba is the worst on May 2, 2010 2:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Almost....
The game came down to the last couple of minutes , if we got a few breaks and baskets we could of pulled it off.
During the game though the C’s I think played decently, I got the feeling the Cavs were underacheiving and that was the reason we controlled a chunk of this game.
Celtics really need game 2 now that we lost game 1.
problem is...it won't be that close in cleveland again. wasted opportunity
by celticinorlando on May 1, 2010 10:54 PM EDT up reply actions
Agree this was a great chance to steal a game and we missed the chance to do so.
Thats why game 2 is a must win if we want a chance in this series.
As I posted I thought we played decently during the game...
But do think the Cabs were underachieving as Lebron was asleep alot of the first half and the Cavs as a team looked very sloppy.
Yea our defense was good especially in the first half and was probably responsible for their play, but I think the Cavs themselves had to do alot with the way they played poorly also.
Not a Great Team
..the Cavs, but they do wear you down. Grind it out bball, at its ugly best. This went very much like the Bulls games. And so, probably, the series.
im sorry
everybody has their right to their opinon obv. but why be so negative after game one of the series where they were competitive throughout…
none of us expected a sweep its time to step it up in game 2
I have a right to admit that the CAVS are a better team jbuell
I am a Celtics fan but Im not a stupid homer.
The answer?
Because they lost in the way they lost dozens of games this year.
And the team that lost all those games can’t be Cleveland.
Not only that – tonight’s game was ours and we let it go.
by TheOutletPass on May 1, 2010 11:13 PM EDT up reply actions
Its going to be very tough...
but yes its possible.
We split the season series and this game went down to the final minutes.
I do not think the Cavs are that much superior then the Celtics and for that reason we do have a shot in this series ..still even after losing game 1.
Paul’s shot was horribly off 3rd and 4th quarter. Damnit. We could have put this away. Couple of turning points in the final minute. KG missing that tip-in, Perk fumbling that pass and PP taking some ill advised shots. This one’s hard to take. We almost had it. And I am not willing to take another minute of Rasheed’s shot selection. I must say the officiating upset me slightly but it was by no means blatantly biased towards the Cavs. Some of the fouls on Rondo though were very harsh and should have been technicals or flagrants. Good first half, horrendous second half, let’s get it together for game 2.
"Too much coffee. Too much coffee and Gatorade. It's a hell of a mix. If you're ever tired in the morning, just try that mix, and tell me what you think."
- Kevin Garnett
"Paul Pierce really struggled down the stretch. That's not good."
The worst part was that he got more assertive (see: when LeBron blocked his forced shot) the worse he got. It was as if he didn’t know how to stay out of the way and let Rondo keep doing what was working.
it is the story of the season...they are yet to put together an entire game
by celticinorlando on May 1, 2010 10:59 PM EDT reply actions
LOL...
they win a first round series in 5 games yet they havent played an entire game!
lets look at the first series
they were down 14 late in the third in game one…game three they were up 9 or 10 and needed a last second shot to win…game 4 they were up 9 to start the third and lost…game 5…they were up 21 and the heat cut it to 3 points in the 4th…they have not played a complete game in a long long time
by celticinorlando on May 1, 2010 11:03 PM EDT up reply actions
u conviently forget game 2 where they won by 29
that doesnt count either i guess
problem is..boston isn't good enough to beat cleveland when the cavs play well. tonight they had a real chance
because the cavs were struggling…yet boston still find away to lose…you have to play 4 good quarters on the road to beat the cavs
by celticinorlando on May 1, 2010 11:07 PM EDT up reply actions
so now ur point is foiled.. and u just go back to repeating urself
we know u think the celtics suck but please talk with facts not garbage!
Like me he does not think the Celtics suck
I love the Celtics and I know Orlando does too. Both he and I simply believe that the Cavs are a better team and will win this series.
im not saying he doesnt love the celtics but by his posts
it seemd like he thinks the celtics are an average team at best and just conveniently forgets the good games they play
you can't continue to blow games
in which you build up nice leads. it has killed this team all season. i am being truthful. this team has struggled to put together entire games all season
by celticinorlando on May 1, 2010 11:18 PM EDT up reply actions
thats fine and i agree
but u cant just say they havent played an entire game in a while when they did that pretty much for the last two weeks
Mike -- you could not be more wrong
I have been a Celtics fan for nearly 50 years. This team is simply not good enough to beat Cleveland this year. It is that simple to me.
What does being a Celtics fan for 50 years have to do with you believing that the Celtics suck this year...
All you ever do on here is talk crap about them and negative about them and never any of the good things that they do.
I think I'm one of the bigger cheerleaders around here but
when this team continuously melts down in the 2nd half and loses games, its hard to see the positive things they do. No denying this team can’t seem to play a full 48mins of basketball. It’s hard to win championships that way.
Rondooooooo
one...game...plus they were a one man team...cavs robin
shredded us tonight
by celticinorlando on May 1, 2010 11:30 PM EDT up reply actions
3 complete games out of a 5 game series
doesn’t erase all the trouble they had down the stretch of the season. Those issues are still there apparently.
If we didn’t have trouble closing teams out, we would’ve won tonight. Simple as that.
Rondooooooo
I don't think I've heard you say one good thing about the Celtics all year...
That is all I am saying
oh yes...you point out blatant issues with this team that have been around all
season and you are not a fan anymore…
by celticinorlando on May 1, 2010 11:29 PM EDT up reply actions
Why can't he talk about the positive things the C's have done too...
Why does everyone always have to say what the C’s did wrong?
because is continues to happen. they taunt you into thinking they are going
to break through with a huge win…only to collapse down the stretch. it is frustrating
by celticinorlando on May 1, 2010 11:43 PM EDT up reply actions
Jk that was stupid of me to say and me just being frustrated.
It is frustrating, but it is also frustrating seeing fans say the series is over after one game.
Vinnie you are ABSOLUTELY correct
you CAN be a Celtics fan and have that opinion.
"will win" is not the same as "have won"
That’s why we play the games, and not just look at the matchups on paper. Sit back and enjoy the next game.
"You're about as useful as a one-legged man at an arse kicking contest." Rowan Atkinson
by The Village Idiot on May 1, 2010 11:28 PM EDT up reply actions
Predictions are a part of sports my friend.
The fat lady is warming up.
We are all fans here...
But we are also intelligent. I refuse to be a homer for the sake of popularity. I hope the Celtics win this series and the championship. But Cleveland looks like the better team.
Agreed - we are all fans here, but...
how do you call a 7-game series based on 1 game? What did you see in this game that made you call the entire series in favor of the Cavs after just one game?
"You're about as useful as a one-legged man at an arse kicking contest." Rowan Atkinson
by The Village Idiot on May 1, 2010 11:43 PM EDT up reply actions
pointing out that there are at least 3 and as many as 6 more games to play
in the series is not being a homer.
Saying that they are done with zero chance after losing a ver close game 1 is not being ‘intelligent’. Its being ridiculous. No matter how the series ends up.
They ran a poll on the front page of the blog
390 people responded that they believed the Cavs would win. I was one of those. That does not make me less of a fan. I looked at both teams and believe the Cavs are better.
You're right
being a fan is not about agreeing with, or picking, the most optimistic view of the team.
"You're about as useful as a one-legged man at an arse kicking contest." Rowan Atkinson
by The Village Idiot on May 1, 2010 11:57 PM EDT up reply actions
Believing the Cavs are better is fine.
But making statements that equate to “the series is over” after one game is NOT being “intelligent” or “objective”.
I’m not unrealistic. I’ve always said that this series would be tough to get through. And if I were to bet money, I would bet on the Cavs. But being objective I know that the games have to be played for that to be decided. And the Celtics STILL have a very good chance. If they can make adjustments and steal a win on Monday, then suddenly they’ll have home court advantage. Yes that will be tough. And they may even get blown out on Monday. But they have the talent to do it. They’ve beaten the Cavs twice this year and came close to a 3rd time tonight.
Winning a playoff series opener on the road is wicked, ridiculously hard. The percentages are terrible. But game 2 is another matter.
Suppose the Celtics had won tonight? And then lost on Monday. How would you be reacting after the Monday loss? It would not seem like a big deal because the goal of stealing home court would have been achieved. Okay, they still haven’t done so. But they aren’t done yet.
My point is – lets see how Monday goes. If we win, then it will be a huge swing. If we don’t, we still will have up to three chances on our home court and then, if we can hold court, one more chance to take them on the road.
The odds are not great. But not zero.
So wait for the fat lady to sing
because she could pop a vein and not be able to sing.
"You're about as useful as a one-legged man at an arse kicking contest." Rowan Atkinson
by The Village Idiot on May 1, 2010 11:45 PM EDT up reply actions
I cannot wait til I read that Sheed has been released
or that some foolisgh team has taken him off our hands. He sucks the life out of this team when he is on the floor
KG on Jamison
Kg eats him alive! i just dont get it in the 3Q, i no longer saw KG posting up!!!
Game #1 was the perfect game to steal from the cavs. Even if we get game #2, it would be very hard to win the next 2 games (3 and 4) at home. Now we probably have to win 2 games on the road to take the series. We were doing ok til those 2 fouls by allen and rondo – 4 quick points for the cavs with the clock not moving. That totally broke our rhythm.
Why didn't you call for an investigation by the NBA in the Miami series
When in the first two games the Celtics took 55 free throws and the heat took 29?
Does that change the fact that the refs suck?
Did the refs suckage decide those two games?
The refs always suck. But sometimes their suckage affects the games. I think the tape shows pretty clearly that their suckage affected this game.
Yes, we still could have won. If only KG, Perk, Paul & Ray made some of those easy shots they missed. Or if Perk wraps up Shaq and forces him to take free throws instead of getting those two easy layups. Or if …
But the fact is, the refs made calls (and no-calls) that swung the scoreboard by quite a few points.
Celtics blew an 11-point lead and stopped being aggressive in the second half
That is why they lost. They also let Cleveland beat the crap out of Rondo and did nothing to return the favor. Oh, and the bench was terrible.
Cavs made adjustments too...
Putting Parker on Rondo proved to be a great move by Mike Brown and having Shaq clog up the paint so Rondo couldn’t do anything when he got in there
.
So if you take a test to get your dream job
and the person doing the grading decides to mark a few wrong that should be correct, are you saying that the ones you actually had wrong are the only issue? I kinda like the fair play rule. The favortism was a factor along with the points you listed.
LeBron's Elbow
Elbow Lebron’s Elbow. His Elbow. LeBron’s Elbow. Elbow. Elbow. Elbow. LeBron’s Elbow. LeBron. LeBron LeBron. LeBron’s Elbow
Regarding the refs
In the first two games of the Miami series, the Celtics took 55 free throws and the heat took 29. I don’t recall anyone calling for an NBA investigation or talking about how the games were fixed after those two games.
my problem with the refs is PP getting no repsect
he should be reconigzed by the refs as a star along with the other guys.. for a guy who drives to the basket to not get respect affects the other aspects of the game
PP will get resoect when he makes his shots
he was 5 of 17 tonight. Refs got nothing to do with that.
"You're about as useful as a one-legged man at an arse kicking contest." Rowan Atkinson
by The Village Idiot on May 1, 2010 11:10 PM EDT up reply actions
oh but they do
PP’s shooting was down partially due to the drives to the basket that should have been fouls on Cle but ended up being counted as misses when the refs swallowed their whistles. it doesn’t account for all of his misses but a few and those few would have made a difference in the game
Guess the refs got out rebounded, blew tap-ins and lost defensive focus...
OMG… can we quit blaming refs (as if we don’t get home court calls) and hold the team/coaches accountable????
by Lifetime_of_Futility on May 1, 2010 11:07 PM EDT reply actions
It's either the ref or the coach
I guess tonight they picked the refs to blame.
"You're about as useful as a one-legged man at an arse kicking contest." Rowan Atkinson
by The Village Idiot on May 1, 2010 11:11 PM EDT up reply actions
Hysterical
That’s my favorite post of the night.
by TheOutletPass on May 1, 2010 11:14 PM EDT up reply actions
dont forget about sheed... it refs/coach/sheed
LETS GO c’s.. were taking this in six!
Wow... my first ever post and it got great comments...
Probably not a good time to tell you I’m a Clevelander (notice my name), but wanted to add a little perspective/levity. Let’s all enjoy an AWESOME series by two tough, motivated teams.
by Lifetime_of_Futility on May 1, 2010 11:22 PM EDT up reply actions
Welcome Clevelander, but you're gonna lose this series, so...
Enjoy your game one win. :)
"You're about as useful as a one-legged man at an arse kicking contest." Rowan Atkinson
by The Village Idiot on May 1, 2010 11:51 PM EDT up reply actions
Of course Cavs will lose, but not how you're expecting...
…we’ve become used to snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Here’s my prediction:
Goes to game 7. Cavs up by 14 with 4:52 to go in the 4th quarter. Mo blows a wide-open layup to ice the game/series. Shaq, LeBron and Jamison all grab for the rebound. Big Baby accidentally gets tripped by West and falls under the basket while our key front line is up for the ball. They all land on Big Baby; Shaq snaps an ankle, LeBron rips both ACL’s and Jamison tears his achille’s tendon. West puches out Mo for missing the layup, thus violating his parole and is arrested on the spot. The punch breaks Mo’s orbital bone and all five are gone for the next 8 – 10 months.
Boston outscores our bench by 23 points to win going away.
We (in Cleveland) get to add The Layup to go along with The Shot, The Drive, The Fumble, etc…
We’re expecting nothing better.
by Lifetime_of_Futility on May 2, 2010 2:38 PM EDT up reply actions
I never thought I'd actually agree with Donny Marshall but
“Rondo can’t continue to be a one-man fastbreak. He was still pushing the ball, but it’s hard to do with 3 people behind you.”
I’ve been saying this all season. I’m so tired of Rondo getting the ball on a fastbreak and no one running with him. It’s depressing.
Other than that, I great first half. We disappeared in the second. If we can put together a full 48mins of basketball, we can win this series. At this point, I’m not sure we can do that, but I’m hopeful until the fat lady sings.
Rondooooooo
Fast break basketball doesn't win in the playoffs and leads to no defense...
Look at the Phoenix Suns. How many rings have they won with there fast break offense? Oh yeah none!
Fastbreaks can lead to points. Points = wins
And it’s more of a testament to remaining aggressive as a team.
Rondooooooo
Fast break basketball does NOT effect your D
You’re deliberately missing the point.
Also you should talk to the 80s Celtics and Lakers about fast-breaks.
by TheOutletPass on May 1, 2010 11:15 PM EDT up reply actions
Fast break offense does not effect your D?...
Yes it does, when you get in a fast break game you give up easier points on the defensive end.
I never said we needed to play a fastbreak game
But fastbreaks within the flow of the game are potential easy buckets.
Rondooooooo
That's all he does.
But sometimes guys need to run the floor on those opportunities. Failure to do that just hurts us.
Rondooooooo
It should be investigated for not only this series, but also whoever plays LA. The officating is nowhere near as good as the college game. How can that be?
Why worry about facts?
Lakers -55 fts in the 1st round.
Now that was “blatant, one-sided officiating”!
And they gt to play an afternoon game less than 36 hrs after a road closeout despite the Spurs-Suns finishing a day earlier, while the poor victimized Celtics get until friday after game 2.
Ridiculous doesn’t adequately describe you complainers.
by nba is the worst on May 2, 2010 2:44 PM EDT up reply actions
tough tough loss
Was so tantalizing to think of stealing game 1. But Cavs are the better and deeper team, With no quality backup PG or C, we need superhuman efforts from aging stars (#9 excepted).
Sheed was a big mistake but have to admit I loved the move in the off-season.
Superior Bench
Barkley was correct at half time. Huge mismatch in terms of bench strength. The Cav’s have at least 3 bigs off the bench who I would take over baby or Sheed. We just don’t have the depth necessary. It is our starting group sink or swim and Lebron draws so many fouls it is hard to stay out of foul trouble.
I would love to see a real young athletic forward to play with Rondo or a center who could catch and finish. He would have 20 assists a game. Image if he played on Atlanta what he would have for assist totals.
Next game is huge.
From a Cavs fan read carefully...
Well, I think we all knew we were in for a roller coaster this series, and we got it.
As poorly and out of sync defensively as the Cavs looked up until halftime…IMO the Celtics just played outstanding ball that first half, no two ways about it. I think maybe 1 game might be decided by a large margin either way as sort of a fluke, but they are not going to go away playing like that, and we’ll see it again.
Big thing was Rondo getting into foul trouble mid 3rd…after that they got little penetration and thus less open looks, and allowed us to pick up the pace and run the floor a lot more.
(I thought the officiating was very poor for both sides overall. They obviously wanted to make a statement about keeping things under control this series, which is fine, but I feel like it just got out-of-hand at times with the ticky-tak stuff)
buuuuuh! —mooncamping
by johnnyphoenix
i am very concerned about boston being able to hold serve at home
by celticinorlando on May 1, 2010 11:19 PM EDT reply actions
I don't think they will
I think we’ll split the first four games.
by TheOutletPass on May 1, 2010 11:20 PM EDT up reply actions
Hope you're right, Outlet
That would be great!
Yes, I am negative because I picked the Cavs
And I am negative because I am pointing out how hypocritical it is to complain about the refs and state they are the reason the Celetics lost the game when no one was on here complaining after the first two games of the Miami series when the Celts had taken nearly twice as many foul shots. You see, being objective means you are being negative. I guess I will never get that reporter/journalism blood out of my system, but I just tend ot be more objective about things and not a homer.
Oh -- now we have to talk about who deserved to go to the line?
It’s not good enough that the Celtics took 55 free throws and the heat only 29 in those first two games. I am simply trying to point out the hypocrisy here, that is all.
but the point is the celtics have different players who go to the hole while Miami had ONEEEEE
couldnt that be the reason for the difference in attempts?
Don't play Sheed for the rest of the playoffs
Put Shelden Williams as the reserve or go with a three big rotation. Atleast Williams gives us some effort on the defensive end, and doesn’t keep jacking up shots offensively
If you do not play Sheed the rest of the playoffs ...
then the C’s will go no where.
Rasheed is the only back up center we have on the team and the only big off our bench with size and length.
You can not win a championship trying to defeat teams with big lengthy deep front lines that are like the Cavs now, Orlando possibly next and LA in the finals without a long, lengthy big off the bench.
Like him or hate him Rasheed is the only one we have with length and size off our bench Baby nor Williams can not do the job.
Again until the C’s get a better back up center next year or whenever Rasheed is the best we have and we need Sheed in the mean time.
You are right. But, if they do play Sheed they also are going nowhere
So Sheed is the classic lose-lose situation!
Hey Vinnie...
I agree he is struggling but he is the only player we have for now with length and size which is vital in this series and I think we need him alot…lets hope he can produce.
She.den Williams would do fine i think
Or atleast better than Sheed
Being positive or negative is not going to change the end result; Our season ends here and we will be lucky to win 1 game. But Its ok. Apparently the refs have decided this series already, by the way some fans are complaining.
oh come on
He’d be a MVP in the WNBA every year…
I’m gonna run now after making that statement. D:
I want to know
what the C’s winning % is when Rondo scores over 20pts. I feel like it is not very good.
Better hope it gets better
because it is our best hope.
Forget the Refs
Blaming a loss like this on the Refs. is totally absurd.
As Jeff stated PP shooting 1-12 in the end is terrible. My guess he was tired since he was chasing LB around the whole night. Why didn’t Doc bring back Daniels….the couple of minutes he played in the 1st half were good defensive stances. It was mentioned also by the TNT announcers.
The Bigs were midgets {excluding KG}. Perkins looked like he was afraid to take a hit at least three times I noticed. Wallace is a minus player these days. Why the hell he doesn’t just stick his slow body down on the low box and wait for a pass for his 8’ shot. What the hell is he doing launching 3 pointers again?
History repeats itself as Mo Williams took over once LB went to the bench. A poor job of recognizing he was their best scoring option and he’s done it to the Celts in at least two other games this year. Get TA on him and force a double if needed.
Rondo & KG were terrific and if they continue this play we’re are going to give them a run for this playoff round!!!!
Agree - Doc needs to limit the starters minutes more in the first half, so the team doesn't go 5-19 in the 4th
Doable. Play for a tie in the 1st and have more in the 4th…
by nba is the worst on May 2, 2010 2:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Especially Miller
I have to mute every time they are going to break with the ridiculous “king” and “throne” references.
Unstandable
by nba is the worst on May 2, 2010 2:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Vinnie, I think an investigation is warranted because the NBA has an abundance of poorly officiated games . Exhibit A: The regular season game in Cleveland where the Cavs beat the Bucks by 3 and had a 45-9 FTA advantage. Exhibit B: Lebron’s low fouls per game average despite the contact he creates on offense and defense and the amount ogf minutes he plays. But please call me a biased fan without backing yourself up more.
It works both ways - but I agree with you RR!
There is an excellent chance that longtime celtics – supporting officials like Ken Mauer and Joe Derosa will be assigned to game 2, and the cavs fans will be the ones complaining when the c’s win.
Only chance for this situation to get fixed is if the government gets involved and does an investigation.
Biggest problem the league has, and it’s “fine” with the commish (pun intended).
I’ve been a vocal critic for years, and it’s why I use this screen name.
by nba is the worst on May 2, 2010 2:56 PM EDT up reply actions
I tend to agree. I too will not be surprised if the Celts get a little 'helping hand' in Game 2.
Disgusting. It IS the most pathetic and frustrating thing about the NBA.
Yeah I am Vinnie. I really think the officiating is that bad. I’m waiting for you to actually refute a point that posters have made instead of insulting people and taking the high horse as a “journalist”.
Officiating is up and down every game
Celtics have had plenty of games where they went to the line many more times than the other team. It happens. The stars do get start treament and they should not, but beyond that, I don’t see any conspiracies or anything illegal here. Larry Bird wen to the line a million times too back in the day. Star treatment is part of the game, unfortunately.
Exactly
EVERY FAN thinks their team gets screwed by the refs.
What does that tell you?
by TheOutletPass on May 1, 2010 11:55 PM EDT up reply actions
The NBA has 2 teams in mind for the finals. They wanted it last year and james couldnt produce. The league wont take any chances this year. They want kobe vs james plain and simple
I love these vague conspiracy theories
You come off as deluded, IMO.
by TheOutletPass on May 1, 2010 11:56 PM EDT up reply actions
then
explain to me how the same referee has been assigned to our games every time we are up 2-0 in a series in the last 3 years
Is that actually true?
How many 2-0 leads have we had the last three years?
Genuinely curious.
by TheOutletPass on May 2, 2010 12:42 AM EDT up reply actions
3
3 times with 2-0 leads and salvatore was present for every game…every game had questionable reffing…with the number of refs in the league, that has a rather low chance of being coincidental
Well...
It’s interesting. But I think it has a rather high chance of being coincidental.
What’s your theory?
by TheOutletPass on May 2, 2010 12:46 AM EDT up reply actions
A little different
While the Cs got outplayed in the second half again, they did not get obliterated and had plenty of chances to win in the final few minutes. It’s not like Cleveland wasn’t going to make a run, our guys just have to be better at the end next time.
I was really frustrated with the officiating, but let’s face it Ed Rush is just a terrible ref. He made a lot of bad calls both ways early on, so I gave up counting. It was pretty annoying watching Jason Philips almost run into Ray Allen but I will assume he wasn’t running afoul while he was running afoul. The only play that sticks in my craw was that awful charge foul called on Rondo which did hurt because Rondo got into trouble (which he didn’t realize maybe because he couldn’t accept the awful call—you could see him holding up his fingers and mouthing “that’s four?” in disbelief). Even Reggie Miller called that one out right away.
At this point the refs don’t matter though, because it won’t be too much different going forward. I just hope the Celtics realized the message Shaq sent when he decked Rondo. The gloves are off, and Mo Williams should get just the same. And I’m not talking dirty, but we gotta give some hard fouls.
And since they were exactly the same player
That’s a useful comparison
rolls eyes
by TheOutletPass on May 1, 2010 11:58 PM EDT up reply actions
And Michael Jordan averaged 8.2 per game
They are different types of players
z
It wasnt so much the number of free throws, it was the number of blatant missed calls. Numerous balls out of bounds that were geiven to cleveland. And the calls on PP and RR that effectively took them out of the game. Bogus calls
Another one
We run them to the ground; Rondo killing it by pushing the ball and then we always, always, decide that we need to slow it down and let the other team get back in it.
Maybe they will wake up and realize that we can run for 48 minutes and not try to shoot for 80 points per game.
The running is a product of getting defensive stops
Its hard to run when the other team converts their possession and you have to in-bounds the ball.
As I’m sure you’ll hear Doc harp on, the problem was not getting defensive stops.
I like this.
The C’s needed this. They proved they CAN hurt the Cavs. We only need one road win. Celtic Nation WILL protect the garden.
But Vinnie you said and I quote “Bird went to the line a million times back in the day”. I’ve presented evidence that you’re incorrect so then you pick a different player. Nice way to argue. Can see the keen journalistic mind there.
*laughs*
If you really think it’s fixed Rebus – why not call the league office or write a letter and stop complaining on message boards? We can’t change anything.
by TheOutletPass on May 2, 2010 12:13 AM EDT up reply actions
Since when did a blog become a place
where people can’t write out their hopes and frustrations? The refs made bad calls in a tight playoff game, Reubus has every right to be offended, as a fan knows the bench can play better, or that Pierce will make more shots, but the fan cannot depend on the refs calling a favorable game in crunch time.
Sheed didn't suck
in the first half. This was when curiously Ilgauskus played. In the second half when it was only Hickson he looked scared poopless especially on his shots. I think Doc is going to have to bite the bullet and bench him. It’s pretty obvious at this point, the only question is who can he play. Can WIlliams step in and give 10-15 minutes? Can they go small? Should be interesting.
Shelden must be going nuts
Thinking, “How bad does he have to play before I get some run?”
by TheOutletPass on May 2, 2010 12:42 AM EDT up reply actions
Hey Outlet Pass, I’m so sorry I have an opinion and it differs from yours. Can you send me all the things I am supposed to think so I don’t offend you in the future?
I think the officiating is poor in the NBA. I would like to see it change. I don’t ask others to agree with me.
You on the other hand, take cheap shots, reply to posters in an immature fashion and seem incapable of actually formulating an argument.
And MLB umpiring stinks and NHL officiating is suspect
It is the nature of the beast. I am not saying you are wrong that the officiating is not great, but I believe it is equally not great for every team.
I'm just gonna let that pass Rebus
I think most wouldn’t share your opinion of me.
by TheOutletPass on May 2, 2010 12:21 AM EDT up reply actions
Hey Vinnie, on a slight tangent here but do you think if he was reffed better, Lebron would actually be a better player because it would force him to work on his game that much more?
I think the officiating isn’t great and it benefits certain teams but that you and I should agree to disagree.
That is a tough question re: Lebron
I think far and away Lebron is the best player in the NBA and when he is done he will be the second best player in the history of the game behind Michael Jordan — at least in most people’s eyes. I put Russell first, Jordan second and believe that Lebron will be third when he is done playing.
I think LeBron will be the best...
IMO once he gets that first ring it is over for the rest of the league.
WE HAD THEM
Still feeling confident but man we had this game tonight.
stat line says a lot combined with having watched the game.
Even on total rebounds. Both the Cavs and the C’s play a style of basketball that avoids attempting offensive rebounds in certain situations. Because offensive rebounds are lower percentage than getting into a defensive set. We got a dozen offensive rebounds to their 11. This means that we got one less defensive rebound than they did. Which isn’t good. But on the whole rebounding was even.
16 turn overs. 8 of those were steals. One was a foul not called. That means 7 steals, 1 loss of possession that was chalked to the officials. Leaving 8 turnovers to talk about. There’s at least a few of those that are legit turnovers, like the one that went off Baby’s foot. But I counted 3 that were due to non-calls or indirect calls. So our actual turn over total is in fact 12.
Meanwhile Cleveland enjoyed a mere 10 turn overs. Of which 6 are steals. Meanwhile 2 of the turnovers that Boston was credited with should have been Cleveland turnovers, which puts them at 12.
If anyone scored it differently please let me know. I started sports fandom as a baseball fan. And one of the things that there is to do at a baseball game is score it yourself. So I do the same while watching Basketball. Then I compare what I scored with what the officials table did and go from there. In baseball errors are very important to scoring. A player that reaches base or advances due to an error doesn’t count as an earned run. If a fielder is credited with an error it will reflect negatively on that players defense, but actually benefits that teams pitcher. This doesn’t affect the outcome of the game, however it does have an impact on perceptions of players for those that don’t watch the entire game, but only watch highlights and read score sheets.
Another thing I’ve always liked to look at after games is the actual pitch placement and how the umpire called that pitch. Different umpires will have different patterns when calling strike zones. There are some umpires that are terrible. And I mean terrible. Their strike zone is inconsistent to begin with and they give favourable treatment to certain players. When an umpire calls the first three pitches strikes, when, in actuality these pitches were balls, this puts the batters in a terrible position. When an umpire calls the first three pitches balls, when they are in the heart of the strike zone, puts a pitcher off their game for the rest of the night and gives the batters an advantage. Officials have a profound ability to impact any game.
To anyone that believes that officials don’t have an impact on a games outcome, score the game yourself. Record the turnovers as you see them. See if you can do it without being a homer. When you do it on paper rather than just an eye test it will probably change your perception. I’m not saying the refs were the only reason the C’s lost. We didn’t even hit 30% from 3, and that sucks. Sheed was bad, there were flashes where I was glad he was out there, but more flashes where I was yanking at my hair calling for Sheldon to go in, or Scal, or anyone that might at least try. Sheed has the capacity to defend and rebound with some of the monsters that we need him to rebound with. I miss leon, god I miss Leon. And Paul shot miserably tonight. Some of that, i believe someone already pointed out, were fouls he had earned that they didn’t call. So it counts as a miss for him. But even when he was taking longer jumpers he was off and you could see it when he was hoisting up. Ray shot poorly too, but he was very well defended. Very well. Which I don’t think they’ll be able to do in Boston if they’re wing defenders are all in foul trouble.
I’m optimistic about this series. i really am. See, the thing is. Boston might win in 6, they might win in 5 or even in 7. Or they might lose in 4. But next year we will have a good team. If Cleveland doesn’t win this year, next year they won’t have Lebron James. Even if they do win this year, I doubt they’ll be able to keep him. Which means next year, Cleveland is going to have a lot of role players and talented players. But they won’t be in the playoffs, unless they luck into getting a scorer of Wade’s or James’s caliber. Which they probably won’t. We may have to worry about James in New York or Jersey. But he’ll be on a new team in a new system. And Boston will still, mostly be Boston. There will still be the Pierce’s shake and bake. There will still be the lob from Rondo to Garnett. And there will still be the quick pass to Perk when the ball handler gets doubled up at the rim. And whoever is at the other wing is going to have the coolest gig in basketball. And I hope like hell it’s Ray.
I was pissed off at the end of this game. I was mad and I was a little stressed. But the thing is, I still believe in the team, and I still think Boston might win. But I also know that next year is gonna be fun. I’m not afraid of next year. But if I were a Cleveland fan, I’d be scared as heck about next year. Because this might be their shot for the next half decade. Because no one that gets drafted in the next 20 years is going to be good like Lebron James. But Boston doesn’t need someone that good. Paul Pierce is enough, he’s good, good like not very many have ever been. Garnett is too, probably the second or third best at his position ever. And when it’s all over I think all of us will be telling stories to our kids about Rondo like my grandfather told me stories about Cousey. And banner 18 is going to come. Maybe this year. Maybe next year. Maybe in ten years. But it’s gonna come. Cleveland has been waiting for one for the last half century.
Nice post, Kungfuguy.
Good analysis. Like you, I was a baseball fan first and that’s were I drag my obsession with numbers from.
I was frustrated to lose the game when it was so close. But mentally I was prepared to lose at least one of the first two in CLE anyway. I look at it as: The goal of the team is win one of the first two. So they came up short in Game 1. If they win Game 2, then they will still have achieved the goal. By that thinking, the series is still just getting started.
I’m struck by all the negativity. If the C’s had won game 1 and then lost game 2 – how much negativity would have followed that? If they win game2 on Monday – how will people feel about this loss?
If they lose Game 2? Well, I’ll be pretty bummed. But even then it won’t be over. They’ll still have a chance if they hold court.
"Sheed, please, just go home"
Agreed 100% and then some. Bill Simmons calls him the worst player in Celtic history; agreed there, too. I’m sick of him even being in the same buidling as the C’s. Way to turn the switch on, Sheed! Now you’re the biggest bust in a storied franshise that lost a would-be All-star in Bias to an overdose.
I never want to see Rasheed Wallace play again. The real Celtics played their hearts out tonight. Rasheed played the same way I would play if I, all the sudden, woke up and found myself in the NBA playoffs: oblivious and unmotiviated.
He’s not the reason we lost tonight. Actually, I’m proud of the way the Celtics played tonight. Outnumbered 100 to 1 in a bar in Ohio, I still cheered loudly for our boys in green because they played so veraciously, despite frowns from everyone. But I truly believe that we cannot win the championship while relying on the Sheed to be a mafor bench attributor. He’s atrocious. Negatively emotional. Lazy. Foolish. Narrow-minded.
Rasheed Wallace is nothing a Celtic should be, and he knows it. He knows he will never live up to our standards, and I think he has given up trying. I pray the Celtic’s front office finds a way to be rid of his presence, lest we be stuck with him another two years.
+1 +2 +3 +4 +5 ...... +1000000000000000 about sheed!
forget about your shot going in sheed, we dont need you to score, we can forgive you taking ill advised shots. but can’t you at least fake playing with some energy. i have been one of those guys so far waiting to see if he will turn it on, but today i just gave up, couldn’t take it any more. not that its the only reason for our loss, but his body language and laziness is atrocious.
i don’t play basketball, i just watch it, but i guess even if i were there in his place, i would see big baby and will try to imitate his energy, make the opposition think/care about you as a player on the floor at least a bit. its almost like 4 against 6 when sheed’s in, the other guys are having to pick up his slack and he is really hurting us as badly as the cavs.
other than that, i’m not really worried about the loss. of course it was a chance missed. we gave ourselves a chance to win by keeping it close till the last 2 mins, i like that. from there on, its any one’s game and who ever executes and hits shots gets the game. we were just unlucky today and got the short end of the stick.
this team has been down and come back to win games in 7 in the past. when milwaukee can come back from 2 games down and take it to 7 against a ‘far superior on paper’ atlanta, i’m sure our guys wont give in that easily. also, this is the first time ever that the current team is starting on the road in the playoffs. loved kg tonight, his midrange is looking as good as i remember seeing him. turnovers are really becoming very expensive, doc needs to keep drilling that into the brains on every possession i guess.
please doc, bench sheed. am sure he wont care/mind. shelden may not be on paper as good as sheed, but lets at least give him a chance and see if he can provide some energy, if nothing else, off the bench and lift spirits.
sheed, take your money and please go home. we, on this blog can even pitch in with whatever we can manage, if you need some more!
my blood just boils on reading this
“Shaquille O’Neal(notes) dropped Rajon Rondo(notes) on his back with a ferocious foul, and he never hurt the Cavaliers again”
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AgrE4wweq7oCRSeGaW7rnNW8vLYF?slug=aw-lebroncavs050110
its just heating up and am sure things are going to get much more ugly. just hoping the C’s manage to win. would love to see where wojnarowski hides his face then. he is dramatizing the whole thing way too much. the same line would have read something like “Shaquille O’Neal(notes) dropped Rajon Rondo(notes) on his back with a ferocious foul, but Rondo was unfazed” if the C’s had won tonight.
keep blaming the refs?
if pierce plays like that the team has no chance. it could have been the refs fault…if it was a game decided by 3 pts. cavs won by 8 points. jamison got called for a lot of stupid fouls last time and the cavs kept missing free throws and three point shots. we just didnt capitalize. there is no excuse for the celts. we just lost our chance to land the haymaker.
Combination of things
There are always a lot of ifs after a loss. I’m not saying that the only reason the celtics lost was the officiating was one sided. I’m saying it contributed. If you look at the stat line it makes the celtics appear to have played much worse than they actually did. My above novel post goes into the other factors that I saw. But if I have to choose between saying “We got boned” and Pierce had an off night, the “we got boned” makes me much more angry than Pierce having a bad night. Especially since some of his misses were the result of defensive fouls that weren’t called.
I don’t disagree with what you’re saying that many other factors contributed to the loss. But the Celtics lost a lot of possessions to officiating and that hurts a team no matter how you slice it.
How the Cavs lose the series
I’m a long-suffering Cleveland sports fan. We’ve become used to snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Here’s my prediction:
Goes to game 7. Cavs up by 14 with 4:52 to go in the 4th quarter. Mo blows a wide-open layup to ice the game/series. Shaq, LeBron and Jamison all grab for the rebound. Big Baby accidentally gets tripped by West and falls under the basket while our key front line is up for the ball. They all land on Big Baby; Shaq snaps an ankle, LeBron rips both ACL’s and Jamison tears his achille’s tendon. West puches out Mo for missing the layup, thus violating his parole and is arrested on the spot. The punch breaks Mo’s orbital bone and all five are gone for the next 8 – 10 months.
Boston outscores our bench by 23 points to win going away.
We (in Cleveland) get to add The Layup to go along with The Shot, The Drive, The Fumble, etc…
We’re expecting nothing better
by Lifetime_of_Futility on May 2, 2010 2:41 PM EDT reply actions
Seems like a majority believe the officiating was largely responsible - watch it help the C's win game 2
As I posted previously, I don’t think overall it was unusually bad, relatively speaking, and far from “blatantly one-sided”.
But I say it’s likely that the league will assign one or two of the refs that have been involved in some one-sided officiating in the celts favor in the past if not on monday, at some point in the series. but TNT knows drama – and that will be better served by a tie series than a 2-0 one. So the cavs will need to play a perfect game (like the Lakers did to avoid a game 7 vs the Thunder) to win, IMO.
Perhaps one or two of the crew that presided over game 2 of the ‘08 finals will coincidentally show up on Monday – possibly making the coincidences like Salvatore showing up on game threes after the c’s have a 2-0 lead look a bit more suspect…
by nba is the worst on May 2, 2010 3:12 PM EDT reply actions
I don't think the refs 'were responsible' for the loss. But the bad calls definitely were a contributor to the outcome.
The deep foul trouble that 4 of our 5 starters were in early definitely influenced the way the game played out.
But it was only a contributing factor. We still could have won if we had executed better in the last 9 minutes.
I don’t feel like the officiating was the primary cause of the loss. I think it was a contributer to the loss. But bad officiating frustrates me. And when on the score sheet I wrote out, the team I’m rooting for lost more possessions than the other that bugs me more than bad shooting. Bad shooting nights happen. Especially with two good defensive teams. I can well more than forgive players I love when they have bad nights. Meanwhile, an official, who’s job is to call the game evenly, does not do so, that drives me batty. It makes me angrier in Baseball, generally when an umpire has a wildly inconsistent strike zone. But it bugs me in basketball too.
I’m not proporting that the Refs were in the Cavs pocket. I’m not going to claim that the NBA has influenced the refs to help the Cavs. I’m saying the blown calls I saw at the end of the third and throughout the fourth irritated me to no end. And was the thing I needed to vent about most. Not Pierce’s bad night. Not Sheed’s bad night (although it was kind of an average night for him by his standards). I’m saying that the part about the loss that pissed me off most was when three consecutive posessions were lost to incorrect calls in the fourth quarter.
You’ve obviously got a lot of frustration remaining from previous bad games. And for what its worth those always frustrate me, even when my team wins. The MLB tracks their umpires and the umpires that had the most accurate strike zone during the season are the teams that work the playoffs. I’m not sure how and what the NBA tracks in terms of accuracy. It wouldn’t be difficult.
NFL refs are easy. There is so much money bet on NFL that the referee teams are easy to know about. You can see which refs call the most pass interference and which ones call the least. You can see which ones are more protective of quarterback contact and which ones are less. I haven’t been this active a basketball fan in a while. So I haven’t found a good source to learn about the NBA refs yet. But it certainly exists.
The sad truth
Here is a gambling site that maintains data on NBA ref tendencies:
http://www.covers.com/pageLoader/pageLoader.aspx?page=/data/nba/referees/referees.html&t=0
When you look at how some refs trend, its pretty disgustingly obvious that at least some of them are in the pocket …not of the Cavs or even of the NBA , but rather of gambling.
If I was to believe in anything malicious (as opposed to just plain incompetence) in the ref calls on Saturday, I would simply guess that somebody had money on Cleveland covering. They barely covered, by just +1. That doesn’t happen without those ‘questionable’ calls.
Cleveland is currently favored by -6.5 for Monday night, with an over/under of 192.5.
The NBA posts its ref assignments at 9 am day of game.
So check this site:
http://www.nba.com/news/referee.html
To get the names of the refs for Monday night.
Then go to the site I posted before:
http://www.covers.com/pageLoader/pageLoader.aspx?page=/data/nba/referees/referees.html&t=0
to get that crew’s tendencies. Then see if you can guess what will happen.
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