Cleveland Series Parting Shots

by Jeff Clark on May 14, 2010 3:29 PM EDT in Boston Celtics Articles

The Orlando series is starting very quickly and I haven't even had much time to think about matchups and previews and all that. But I can't leave this past series without getting a few bite-sized things off my chest.

Rough time for Cleveland fans. How do you react to this? It was a stomach punch series but it is so much more than that. Like they got punched in the stomach and even as they fall backward, they aren't quite sure if there's a ledge there or not. They'll find out no later than July if there is. Till then, they are just suspended in the air with no real assurances from LeBron one way or the other. I have no love for the Cavs (well, except Leon and Delonte), but I feel for the fans.
Mike Brown, you're fired.
Critics of the Celtics call them "front-runners" but who was the front runner this year? Lets review: The Cavs do great in the regular season and LeBron shines brightest when things are going well. When they get frustrated, like in the ECF last year and in this past series, they collapse and even quit.
Meanwhile, the Celtics step up when the games matter most and rise up to the occasion when the odds are against them. Not just this series, but they almost beat the Magic last year while short-handed and they knocked off the Lakers when everyone was picking L.A.
Fans aside, I kind of hope LeBron James does bolt. I think it would be fun to watch the drama unfold in NYC or wherever he lands. This should be a fun offseason to be sure.
So, is all forgiven with Rasheed Wallace? By all accounts, he stepped up and helped us win this series. I said all along that everything depended on the postseason. So far, so good. At the very least he filled the PJ Brown role and then some.
Rondo was the MVP of the series. This isn't even debatable.
That's it. Enough with Cleveland. I'll let ESPN talk about them for the next several weeks while we move on to the next round.
Bonus Link: The Cleveland Cavaliers? Gone Till November - Ball Don't Lie

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That pic is priceless

by angryguy77 on May 14, 2010 3:35 PM EDT reply actions

Now it looks like “Layoff 2010” in that right corner. And who the hell is that player, behind Lebron in that pic?

by k lazy on May 14, 2010 5:22 PM EDT up reply actions

I am so sick of talking about Lebron.

Let this be the end of it.

by mmmmm on May 14, 2010 3:40 PM EDT reply actions

Don't watch ESPN for the next 2 months

by post-it note on May 15, 2010 12:48 AM EDT up reply actions

Think about Game 4

Cleveland takes back home court advantage with the help of a monster performance by LeBron. That was their last gasp but more importantly shows that they had a chance to win this series, but in the end the Celtics were the better team because they didn’t cave under pressure, but just took care of business. Elbow-gate? Give me a break, the guy was just fine. It’s the team that was flawed.

by Surferdad on May 14, 2010 4:04 PM EDT reply actions

3

USG

by Ben Buchanan on May 14, 2010 5:30 PM EDT up reply actions

KOBE PHOTOS

Great wrap up jeff….I do have to get one thing off my chest from last night (I though it was a bad dream)

Can someone do a story on these ridiculous KOBE photos they showed on ESPN last night??!!

http://www.latimesmagazine.com/2010/05/kobe-white-hot.html

how about a photo shop contest?

at the very least save them for the finals :)

by winbos on May 14, 2010 4:09 PM EDT reply actions

what the heck is that?

- that’s the most bizarre thing i’ve seen all week – and it’s almost 5 on friday
.

Don't fake the funk on a nasty dunk

by mcpu40 on May 14, 2010 4:35 PM EDT up reply actions

don't DO that!

Please warn me next time. I had no idea I was going to spew coffee all over my keyboard.

That was bizarre, funny, sick, perverse, and just plain pathetic all at once.

by mmmmm on May 14, 2010 4:38 PM EDT up reply actions

There are already threds in the forums about those pictures

Some of the members on here are so hilarious.. I had tears coming down my eyes with some of the photo shop greatness…

http://forums.celticsblog.com/index.php?topic=37224.msg744714#msg744714

Don’t drink and look at these photos

I can because I will.. Makes sense?

by Mizzy21390 on May 14, 2010 5:31 PM EDT up reply actions

So far, so good with Sheed?

He played 2 good games. It was nice to see him contribute, but 2 good games out of 93 still doesn’t cut it for me. Here’s hoping he can be more consistent in the Orlando series, because he really is a weapon off the bench when he’s on.

by joebianca on May 14, 2010 4:33 PM EDT reply actions

hes here for the playoffs! see

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xT3hqeWhrR8&feature=player_embedded

by friedgreentomatoes on May 14, 2010 4:37 PM EDT up reply actions

ownership say MB is staying, at least for now,

but do we really care

by friedgreentomatoes on May 14, 2010 4:36 PM EDT reply actions

That press conference was such a joke

There was so much hype with everyone thinking Mike Brown was getting fired, and then Dan Gilbert just says something to the effect of we’re sad, we know the City of Cleveland is sad and we feel bad for them, we’ll regroup and evaluate everyone and do better. Why do you need to call a press conference to say that?!

by 34green on May 14, 2010 4:53 PM EDT up reply actions

Another Cleveland sports failure

just makes me laugh my butt off!

by Celtics own the refs on May 15, 2010 5:13 AM EDT up reply actions

I’d like to add -

Kudos to The Green Coaching Staff. I think their in-game adjustments, and game plans were sophisticated, well conceived, and effective, because the players bought into them, and the games were won. I didn’t think the Celtics “lost” any of the games. They “won” the games, for many reasons

by johnnymost on May 14, 2010 4:37 PM EDT reply actions

I still have little need for Sheed

but he is ours…sigh………..

Nate Robinson!!!!! ….what a difference maker he has been!!!!

Layfayette ……..free him!!!!…..give him Nate’s uniform

Now on to the Dwight Howard pregame show before each game…..15000 words about Dwight Howard and 100 words about the “aging” C’s before tipoff.

Any possibility MIke Breen and Mark Jackson could be dropped off at Sea World for a long ride on Shamu

Is it Soup Yet?

by Master Po on May 14, 2010 4:46 PM EDT reply actions

Re Sheed

Glad I’m not the only one who still feels this way.

by 34green on May 14, 2010 4:54 PM EDT up reply actions

Punched in the stomach

Speaking of feeling like a punch in the stomach around this same time last season.Playing the Magic without our #1 defensive specialist (KG hit my stomach like a ton of bricks.The media purposely fail to include that we probably would be the team in the finals if we had our main guy.All season long,all we heard is Magic deserved to be there,Magic is probably going back to the finals,blah,blah.Hopefully that pain in my stomach will feel relieved soon..Its hard for me to feel sorry for Cavs fans after what Celtics fans have had to go through all season with one injury after another,with media wrting us off most of the season,listening and watching Lebron being annointed over and over.Its hard to feel another man’s pain when your own is still hurting.

by house_call on May 14, 2010 4:52 PM EDT reply actions

I have indulged in some wonderful, wonderful Schadenfreude these last 24 hours.

Not to say I’m not just happy that the team is moving on. That rules over all. But seeing the LeBron bandwagoners (you know the ones—Yankees hats and all) get crushed is just delicious.

USG

by Ben Buchanan on May 14, 2010 5:32 PM EDT reply actions

pinstriped post

Fans there seem to think its going to be a 5 game series. I reminded them that the Cavs fans thought the same thing going into their series with us. They’re fans so they have that right but i still find it funny how they are saying us beating cleveland wasn’t that big of deal.

I’ve never understood how beating some bad teams can give you confidence as a fan.

Here’s a news flash for you Orlando fans WE ARE NIOT THE HAWK OR BOBCATS

by angryguy77 on May 14, 2010 5:39 PM EDT reply actions

@ angryguy77 as a team that never one a title...EVER...I guess you need to make up some confidence.

by Ol' Green Boyz on May 14, 2010 5:59 PM EDT reply actions

did they put up the banner of "ECF champions"? my guess is they did

by friedgreentomatoes on May 14, 2010 7:36 PM EDT up reply actions

They did, they always put up those cheap Conference and Division banners.

by Celtics own the refs on May 15, 2010 5:20 AM EDT up reply actions

I think it's remarkable how...

The messiah becomes completely mortal when he doesn’t get every single call.

2 games in a row getting called for traveling? Incredible.

Kudos to the officials for two evenly called games in a row.

by Finkelskyhook on May 14, 2010 6:01 PM EDT reply actions

I was going to come on here to argue

The statement:

they knocked off the Lakers when everyone was picking L.A.

but then I looked it up:http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs2008/series?series=lalbos

In hindsight, what the hell were they thinking? I am a Lakers fan, and for that series I thought the teams were pretty closely matched before the series started… so if Boston had home court, how could you pick against them? Of course, if LA had home court, I would be picking them, but that’s a different argument for another time, but they didn’t … so why the hell did they pick L.A. … I usually get pissy about the opposing teams’ fans playing the “disrespect” angle, but Boston had a legitimate gripe there … shaking my head at picking against the team with HCA … which makes Boston’s defeat of Cleveland all the more remarkable …

"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson

by Gil Meriken on May 14, 2010 7:03 PM EDT reply actions

Due to these two 7 game series boston had against atlanta and cleveland, I guess

gotta think as simply as possible to have a chance to understand how these experts think

by friedgreentomatoes on May 14, 2010 7:46 PM EDT up reply actions

I was expecting Boston to win in 5 games or less...

No disrespect, but Boston absolutely demolished LA twice during the regular season 2 years ago.
Both games were over by half-time!

That told me all I needed to know about how the Finals would turn out.

by Title 18 on May 14, 2010 8:39 PM EDT up reply actions

Ah the regular season

That year, it was a good barometer, but people tend to get upset before the games if you mention the regular season head-to-head matchups, and say that the playoffs are totally different … I am not one of those people. Which is why last year, I didn’t mind too much that the Lakers didn’t have to beat the Celtic to win the title, because they won both regular season games (didn’t demolish them, but beat them) … This year is different, due to KG’s injured leg, though …

"This is not a game for boys. This is a game for men." - Phil Jackson

by Gil Meriken on May 15, 2010 5:18 PM EDT up reply actions