The Current Celtics Dilemma, In The Key Of Soprano
by Tom Bellinger on Apr 12, 2011 10:01 AM EDT
in Boston Celtics Articles
Email
PrintThe year, was 2006. Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield was on everyone's radio, and South Park was still peaking as a show. As I watched Sunday's absolute shaming at the hands of the Miami Heat, I thought back to this fateful year, to one period-defining show that was on its last legs.
The Sopranos was a great show, with great characters, that was not as good as The Wire, that for a lot of people will define the early 2000's as far as premium TV goes. The show was so great in particular, because of the pure raging emotional force that was its lead character, Anthony 'Tony' Soprano.
Now Tony Soprano was a complicated man. He wasn't the smartest egg in the basket, but he had a fair modicum of cunning, and above all he valued violence, and dominance.
In Tony Soprano's heart, he was always a bully. By the sheer nature of his occupation as acting boss of the Soprano crime family, he looks for weakness in others, and figures out how to expose them. Whether it is with a bat, or with words, Tony Soprano dealt primarily in fear, and made his money on intimidation, with the promise of swift 'justice' if he was challenged.
In a lot of ways, this is also how Kevin Garnett has become accustomed to playing. Aside from having a dynamite turnaround jumper and being the defacto best defensive player in the league for the last 10 years, Kevin Garnett also was a bully, a man who would actively look for weaknesses, and exploit them.When Kevin Garnett came to the Celtics back in 2007, he brought this attitude with him. He instilled it so much, that even without Garnett's versatile and plentiful talents, the Celtics still managed to drive the eventual 2009 Eastern Conference Champion Orlando Magic to a 7 game series. The Celtics have been the bullies of the NBA for the last four years. If anyone wants to make a moral argument against that, feel free. Personally, I like my Celtics being bullies.
At the beginning of Season 6, Tony is gut-shot by his uncle (and former rival) Junior Soprano, while Junior is having a hallucination from his ongoing bout with Alzheimer s. Tony slipped into a coma, and this led to a couple of trite 'dream episodes' and some side tangents that I didn't really care for. Eventually Tony got out of the hospital, but he was weak. He had been gut-shot, faced mortality for the first time.
Tony becomes a bit paranoid. While he was used to being the biggest baddest wolf in the pack, now he was injured, and he was scared others might see his weakness, and try to exploit it. He tells his psychologist "People misinterpret, they think you're weak, they see an opportunity." He tells her that people are beginning to challenge him, where they never would have before.
I think maybe he shares something with the Celtics in that regard, and I think the way he resolves it is exactly the medicine these Celtics need. Click the jump to hear the rest of the story, and how I think it applies to our boys in green.
For better or worse, these Celtics have been gut shot. There have been bad breaks all season; it started with Delonte West getting injured a mere five games after he had played his first minutes in green since being traded in 2007. It continued with Shaquille O'Neal getting re-injured, and failing to heal in a timely basis. The injuries to Marquis Daniels and Semih Erden followed, just exponentially increasing the pain. These Celtics managed to solider on through all that, and keep their composure.
But the pinnacle of all the turd sandwiches they've had to endure, and the blow that threatened to put the season to bed, was the trade of Kendrick Perkins. That was the real gut shot for these Celtics.
Now people have debated the trade before. I'm not going to do that, I'm frankly sick of it. I don't think its worth going into anymore, and I don't believe for a second that as of this moment, it is debatable that the Celtics are playing far, far worse since the trade than they were before the trade, so I'm just going to say that is the high-water mark.
Like Tony Soprano, these fargin' Jackals in the NBA think they see weakness, and see opportunity. Chris Bosh, Joakim Noah, Kobe Bryant, they've all said they're happy Kendrick Perkins isn't on the Celtics anymore, because they're not afraid of a scowling menace just decapitating them when they enter the paint.
You're starting to see signs (aside from blowout losses to contenders). In the Bulls game, Glen Davis hit the floor after a struggle with Kurt Thomas, then Kurt Thomas stands over Glen Davis like he's just bought him for two packs of cigarettes, just taunting him. In the past, this would not have gone on. I'm not saying Perkins would've put a quick end to this (yes I am.), but someone would have. Boozer is allowed to scream and grunt and get rebound after rebound and bark with impunity. Dwyane Wade shoves Paul Pierce, and everyone just kind of goes on their way. Heck, even Chris Bosh looked kind of 'tough' against the Celtics on Sunday.
It is understandable. Injuries, introduction of new personnel, the departure of dear friends who were clearly underratedbydannyaingealright! I'll stop., these are things that together will shake a team to its core. It could make the team (and the coach apparently) question their identity, and wonder 'if they still have it'.
Well this is the predicament Tony Soprano found himself in. When he informed his psychologist about his predicament, she casually said "Act as if". Tony was confused, so she elaborated: "Act as if you're not feeling vulnerable, as if you were the same old Anthony." Tony nods, and says thanks for the advice.
Then the next time he's at his hangout, and the boys are all around, Tony takes a good long look at his bodyguard, Perry Anunziata. Perry is a former body builder Tony calls 'Muscles Marinara'. He's relatively new to the group, so its not like guys really have an opinion about him yet. He's young though, and strong, and he's Tony's bodyguard, so it is assumed that he's one of the tougher guys out there.
Tony proceeds to beat the living crap out of Perry Anunziata, leaving him in a bloody heap on the floor. Tony walks to the bathroom, and looks up at his bloody but victorious face, and smiles.
The Celtics need to act 'as if'.
The New York Knicks were everyone's darlings even before the Melo trade. Amar'e Stoudemire was even getting some MVP chatter earlier in the season. Then, New York went on ahead and traded the kitchen sink for Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups, and then suddenly New York was a real 'team' (if you ignore all those losses). They're young (mostly), they're new, they're not really established yet, but between Carmelo and Amar'e, they have arguably the two most potent offensive players in the NBA. Surely not a team to be underestimated.
The Celtics to do something to show everyone that they're 'the same old Boston Celtics'. Forget about tomorrow night, that won't mean much. Its about the playoffs, and it has to be strong, intimidating, and angry.
While really the Philadelphia 76ers are the easier playoff matchup, and the Heat/Knicks was probably the only chance for a first round upset in the Eastern playoffs, that needs to go out the window (especially since last night's games locked up the seeds). We need the Celtics to face the Knicks, and we need the Celtics to act like they still know what made them the most feared team in the NBA. Would Tony have gotten his groove back if he'd fought Christopher, or Pauly? No! Tony looked around the room, and chose the toughest looking dude there, to prove something.
The Celtics need to prove something, if only to themselves. They need to be tough, physical bullies that will make Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony wonder 'why everyone is so serious about everything, and how come Kevin Garnett is so mean?'
The Celtics may not be able to 'flip a switch', but that doesn't mean they can't pretend they can, and show the League there is still something to be feared. They aren't going to suddenly get faster, they aren't suddenly going to be able to jump higher, but they can be tougher. They need to 'act as if' they are.
To get an idea of what I'm talking about, watch this. (NOT SAFE FOR WORK, lots of swearing/violence)
To see the entire exchange from Season Six, Episode Five of the Sopranos, click here. (NOT SAFE FOR WORK/lots of swearing/violence)
118 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
The big question...
Why is a Natalie Imbruglia song linked to a Natasha Bedingfield reference?
All the negativity in this town sucks. It sucks, and it stinks, and it sucks. - Rick Pitino
Because I chose the bettter Nat, and the better song.
I refuse to have to seek out a version of ‘unwritten’. Mine was funnier!
Reporter: About a year ago I asked about the Celtics-Lakers thing and you said you'd really only seen it on TV. Now you've been through it, can you talk about playing the Boston Celtics for the NBA championship?
Kobe: It Sucks.
http://twitter.com/#!/TomBellinger_CB
by Tom Bellinger on Apr 12, 2011 11:00 AM EDT up reply actions
You really know how to discourage a Celtic fan…Jeez man I was STILL feeling confident but now you make me feel like we got no chance at even getting past NY. Nonetheless winning a game against them. Come on bro bring something positive.
by Mub33b on Apr 12, 2011 10:11 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
I didn't read this article like that at all...
In essence, IP is saying that in order to get their mojo back, the Celtics need to step on the throat of the Knicks, and show no mercy. To me, that’s not a negative message.
Now, if he’d made a reference about how this season is looking an awful lot like the diner scene in Sopranos, with the season about to fade to black (or cut to black, I guess), then I’d see where that was negative. (Well, unless you’re one of the folks who thinks that Tony lived happily ever after. Then, it would be positive, I guess.)
All the negativity in this town sucks. It sucks, and it stinks, and it sucks. - Rick Pitino
Also...
Very well done, Tom. I like the “change of pace” articles that you and Jeff write from time to time. Just don’t go the Bill Simmons route of “90% pop culture, 10% jaded analysis”.
All the negativity in this town sucks. It sucks, and it stinks, and it sucks. - Rick Pitino
+1
bill simmons is the family guy of… sports writers? you can tell that he is smart and has a total command of his realm, but nonetheless each article or episode is one pop culutre reference after another (that scream loooook! i’m funny!!! likeable even!) and through it all you have about one paragraph or five minutes of good stuff.
Yeah I think maybe you misunderstood me there
I was going for a positive ‘change of pace’ article, not a negative ‘we don’t have a shot’ article.
Reporter: About a year ago I asked about the Celtics-Lakers thing and you said you'd really only seen it on TV. Now you've been through it, can you talk about playing the Boston Celtics for the NBA championship?
Kobe: It Sucks.
http://twitter.com/#!/TomBellinger_CB
by Tom Bellinger on Apr 12, 2011 11:11 AM EDT up reply actions
For the most part, I think you succeeded
but perhaps all the (humorous) references to ‘the trade’ undermined it a bit for some?
Just hypothesizing.
Overall, I like the article and I get what you are saying. On the other hand, I am pretty confident that this team will more than show up in the playoffs. Not 100% certain. But pretty confident.
I do know ts not about the other teams. It comes down to what Paul, KG, Ray & Rondo want. If they want it, they can take it.
"We will take it easy, and walk on down our road at our pace with our focus ahead, and your focus on us." - Warrior Spirit, on what Celtics' Ubuntu is.
yeah thats what i got out of this
i cant believe even writers on this blog are calling us off.
hey i guess more doubters to prove
by WikedCeltsFan7 on Apr 12, 2011 2:41 PM EDT up reply actions
Blehh.
I bet the Cs wanted to face New York. i think it’s all planned out. This series is gunna be heated and the key factor of this series is Pierce. Pierce goes crazy evrrytime he faces the Knicks.
by celtz_believer on Apr 12, 2011 10:17 AM EDT reply actions
A very fun read. And my favorite show of all time.
We do match up better with the Knicks. Let the Heat deal witht the Sixers. I think they will be in for a hard time.
I'm not sure the Celtics should be using a manipulative sociopath like Tony Soprano as a model.
I’ve never thought the Celtics played all that particularly well when they were running their mouths. It tends to lead them, especially Pierce, into trying to “take over” games with hero-ball.
The Celtics play best when they seem totally unaware of the other team – as if they were stage props.
I want them to go Paulie Walnuts on every opponent in the playoffs.
And for KG to show his crazed “Manson Lamps” every game (+1000 to whoever gets that Soprano reference. Who said it and who was it directed at?)
I knew the quote but I had to look up the character
Ritchie Aprile, dealing drugs on the garbage routes.
Reporter: About a year ago I asked about the Celtics-Lakers thing and you said you'd really only seen it on TV. Now you've been through it, can you talk about playing the Boston Celtics for the NBA championship?
Kobe: It Sucks.
http://twitter.com/#!/TomBellinger_CB
by Tom Bellinger on Apr 12, 2011 11:09 AM EDT up reply actions
+1000
It was the scene at a country club in Season 2. Tony confronts Richie Aprile about the garbage routes. Ritchie stares at him with those creepy eyes and Tony gives him grief, calling his eyes “Manson lamps”.
IP's next article...
The year was 1998. Cher was ruling the airwaves, and a middle-aged African-American woman named Stella was desperately searching for her groove. In attempting to get that groove back, Stella did a lot of stuff that I’m unaware of, because I never saw that movie. There’s a Celtics analogy in there somewhere, but I don’t have a clue what it is. . . .
All the negativity in this town sucks. It sucks, and it stinks, and it sucks. - Rick Pitino
by Roy_Hobbs on Apr 12, 2011 10:55 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
hahaha
hahahaaaa.
Alright, I got nothing for that one. That was hilarious.
Reporter: About a year ago I asked about the Celtics-Lakers thing and you said you'd really only seen it on TV. Now you've been through it, can you talk about playing the Boston Celtics for the NBA championship?
Kobe: It Sucks.
http://twitter.com/#!/TomBellinger_CB
by Tom Bellinger on Apr 12, 2011 11:02 AM EDT up reply actions
I think the celtics analogy you're looking for is
“before Jesus Shuttlesworth wore Celtic green”
“He Got Game” come out in 98’
One thing is for sure
It´s a sad day for Celtic Nation when Chris Bosh can get into your head.
Whose head did Bosh get into? Do you think anyone on the Celtics is worried about Bosh?
Celtics will make him disappear in the post season (another Soprano reference??)
No, not the Celtics players
but their fans
Now I'm worried
This means that the game seventh of the finals will be tied in the 2nd overtime and Kevin will have the ball in his hands, Ray will cut to the line, Rajon will ask for the ball, Paul will wait behind the arc….
And Journey will play Don’t Stop Believing and then the lights of the Arena will shut down and we’ll never know what a hell happened?
You forgot repeated closeups of referees making slightly malevolent facial expressions with David Stern smiling from the press box.
Reporter: About a year ago I asked about the Celtics-Lakers thing and you said you'd really only seen it on TV. Now you've been through it, can you talk about playing the Boston Celtics for the NBA championship?
Kobe: It Sucks.
http://twitter.com/#!/TomBellinger_CB
by Tom Bellinger on Apr 12, 2011 11:43 AM EDT up reply actions
Correction
Repetaed closeups of Kobe and Phil making sligthy malevolent facial expressions with David Stern
Worst Final Ending to a Series that Deserved Better, Ever(tm)
"We will take it easy, and walk on down our road at our pace with our focus ahead, and your focus on us." - Warrior Spirit, on what Celtics' Ubuntu is.
Accept for that particular Journey song, what was wrong with the ending?
You essentially got to choose your own finish to it.. Either Tony dies then and there, without ever hearing the firing of the gun, or his life just goes on endlessly in its contemptible fashion.
The entire loop of the show was completed when Karen Hill, the psychologist character, finally recognizes Tony as the sociopath that he was, and realized that all of her therapy had been totally wasted, since he was never going to change. When she told Soprano to never come back, everything after that was anti-climatic.
I think that your last sentence is spot-on.
And indeed, THAT is when the series probably should have ended. With Tony and Karen parting company.
"We will take it easy, and walk on down our road at our pace with our focus ahead, and your focus on us." - Warrior Spirit, on what Celtics' Ubuntu is.
I'm glad to see a number of the usual suspects around here watched the Sopranos.
I’d feel a bit depressed if everyone around here was a big fan of, say, American Idol.
I suddenly noticed the "Ever (tm)" reference.
For the uninitiated, this is a well-chosen Troy Murphy’ism, spoken in his native New Jersey dialect, as captured in his super-special YouTube interview – all of which plays into the Soprano’s theme of this thread. The singular import of this video, which rivals some of the more notable Delonte West entries, was particularly spotted by our own mmmmm. By the way, you might want to watch this video now, since it’s less likely to be as funny or as relevant to anyone here after the playoffs. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyTUZ-cPIPE
That video creeps me out.
Troy Murphy keeps refocusing his eyes, kind of like Michael J Fox does in interviews, but unlike Michael J Fox, Troy Morphy has like a serial killer “I’m gonna wear you as a suit” angle goin on.
Ahhhhhhh I’m just kiddin! Spray Tanning rocks!
Reporter: About a year ago I asked about the Celtics-Lakers thing and you said you'd really only seen it on TV. Now you've been through it, can you talk about playing the Boston Celtics for the NBA championship?
Kobe: It Sucks.
http://twitter.com/#!/TomBellinger_CB
by Tom Bellinger on Apr 12, 2011 4:12 PM EDT up reply actions
throw in some commentary of Van Gundy or Marc Jackson
professing his man love for the superstar player of the opposing team, and it’s all set
TAKIN' CARE OF THAT THING
the big ticket , the truth , and jesus are gonna take care of that thing , and bring home #18 , …….oh yea ….rondo ,shaq, baby, green, j.o. ,west, and arryo , will have to do their part too….
It's true that other teams don't fear the Celtics anymore.
I’d say that in the second half of last season the same was true. Remains to be seen if we can get it together in the playoffs, but we head in with roughly the same expectations as last year; perhaps slightly higher since we did in fact, turn it on in the playoffs last year, so there is a precedent, although I frankly expect a second round loss. It’ll be a heck of a ride if they can repeat last year’s unexpected glory.
Oh, and The Wire was a good show, but I never regarded it as ‘Drop everything, it’s Sunday night and I’m busy when it’s on’ whereas Sopranos was just that. That’s good vs great, and it wasn’t close.
Why should any team fear another?
I think that’s a false perception by some in the media. Without Perkins or Shaq, the Celtics are somehow less physical or soft. Have the Celtics been playing soft lately, yes, but if they don’t have the courage to push back on other teams then that’s their problem not Perk or Shaq.
Not fear in the sense of a physical beating
Though physically we used to play. I think we more used to impose our iron will on other teams, and they wilted from it. To be honest, that’s what the Bulls did to the Celtics in the last meeting, and it’s the first time I’ve seen that happen in the New Big 3 era. Sure, we’ve played poorly before, or been dominated by teams over that span, but that last Bulls game was the only time I’ve seen another team utterly impose their will and break our spirit like that. Hopefully it was an anomaly. We shall soon find out.
Fear was not the most accurate word I could have used
What I meant was that other teams do not feel the level of intimidation that they used to in the sense that I believe often times teams lacked any real belief that they could beat the Celtics. Now I believe that they genuinely believe they can beat the Celtics, and that’s a fundamental shift in thought.
Agree, it's that human nature thing.
I think the young bucks are feeling a little cocky towards the Celtics. Playoffs would be a good time to decide to turn it on. Hope they do.
this game looks no different to me
than the other losses with the same problems in the paint, and rondo dissappearing and reappearing. the bulls got a nice team, but I aint sold on em yet……unproven in the playoffs last I could tell.
malcontents....the lot of you
Interesting article, Tom
I have to agree with you when I saw guys like Thomas, Boozer, Deng, Bosh, Wade and James try to get tough with the Celtics I was kind of thrown off. But you can look at those incidents in many ways. They could be acting tough because like u said the Celtics have a reputation around the league for being bullies. But sometimes being a bully in professional sports can help a team. Look at teams in the past like the Pistons, Knicks, Lakers, Celtics and Bulls, they used to beat up on others teams constantly. And they all won championships because of their toughness.
Competing against a team like the Celtics brings the best out of other teams. If u remember when the Celtics had that west coast trip against the Blazers, Suns, Lakers and Kings, those teams got extra physical with the C’s.
I think this year's playoffs will unpredictable
Keep an eye out for OKC, Sixers, Magic, Nuggets, Blazers, Knicks and Grizzles. I think these teams are gonna go hard at the top seeds.
Tune out ESPN and others
The national media will try to hype the Knicks/Celtics match because they couldn’t get Knick/Heat. And now that the Celtics are going into the playoffs having struggled, without Perkins and losing to the Bulls and Heat; the media will be cynical and doubt their chances of winning against the Knicks, Heat and Bulls. This is so typical of the media so don’t be surprised. The media is talking the same in regards to the Lakers, and how they may not able to beat OKC or Blazers. This what they do folks u can’t take them serious they’re suppose to make wild predictions or they don’t get face time or paid.
Bring on the playoffs!
The Wire was overrated
A very good show, don’t get me wrong, but I never saw what made it this “ZOMG BEST SHOW EVER” that everyone says that it is.
by The Burning Scheyer Jersey on Apr 12, 2011 12:16 PM EDT reply actions
Agree to disagree.
Reporter: About a year ago I asked about the Celtics-Lakers thing and you said you'd really only seen it on TV. Now you've been through it, can you talk about playing the Boston Celtics for the NBA championship?
Kobe: It Sucks.
http://twitter.com/#!/TomBellinger_CB
by Tom Bellinger on Apr 12, 2011 12:19 PM EDT up reply actions
The Wire was very underrated, but had high ratings. I think it’s the only HBO series that never won a Golden Globe.
by C'sFanfrmNy on Apr 12, 2011 12:26 PM EDT up reply actions
I liked 'em both, but my personal fav HBO series was Deadwood.
I don’t really care if it couldn’t pull the ratings. It was just an incredible series.
"We will take it easy, and walk on down our road at our pace with our focus ahead, and your focus on us." - Warrior Spirit, on what Celtics' Ubuntu is.
Deadwood was amazing
I still go back and watch the first season of Deadwood on a regular basis. And when I wanna see something particularly violent and moving, with perfectly acted nuance, I watch the fight between Dan and the Captain.
Reporter: About a year ago I asked about the Celtics-Lakers thing and you said you'd really only seen it on TV. Now you've been through it, can you talk about playing the Boston Celtics for the NBA championship?
Kobe: It Sucks.
http://twitter.com/#!/TomBellinger_CB
by Tom Bellinger on Apr 12, 2011 1:28 PM EDT up reply actions
That fight was just un-freaking believably awesome.
I loved the shakespearean-style monologues.
This site collects some gems from Al:
http://deadwood.hikarikat.com/al2.htm
"We will take it easy, and walk on down our road at our pace with our focus ahead, and your focus on us." - Warrior Spirit, on what Celtics' Ubuntu is.
Yeah, gotta agree with you both...
Deadwood is one of my all-time favorites. It deserved a better ending than it got, sadly.
All the negativity in this town sucks. It sucks, and it stinks, and it sucks. - Rick Pitino
HBO is awesome
The Wire is arguably the best show ever, and I am loving all the new stuff, Bored to Death, East Bound and Down, Boardwalk Empire, True Blood, How to Make it in America, Big Love….
Jesus Shuttlesworth: I hate my name. What kind of name is Jesus anyway?
Jake Shuttlesworth: It's biblical.
Jesus Shuttlesworth: Yeah, no kidding.
by jakeshuttlesworth on Apr 12, 2011 8:20 PM EDT up reply actions
Awesome article sir!
We also need to make sure that no one sees us puking our guts out in the locker room after beating the living hell out of NY next week! (see Paul Pierce’s knee last year lol)
Tony Soprano?
I`m getting more of a “Goodfellas” vibe.
I see the Celtics as being Joe Pesci….being led into an empty room, thinking he`s about to become a made mafia member.
Don't build yourself up...
…for a let down…
I think Boston is perfectly capable of “turning it on” once they feel threatened and I believe their talent will carry them to the finals this year – if Shaq and JO play 40 minutes combined at center every night I have no doubt that our rebounding and scoring issues will normalize to mid-season form.
But the Knicks series is unlikely to be some type of statement beat down IMO…though its the perfect opponent to help shake off the cobwebs and get back up to that high level from earlier in the year.
I see a knock-down, drag-out affair coming here as Boston re-integrates Shaq and tries to re-establish a rhythm. Once that’s accomplished I feel the team will be much better prepared for a 2nd round showdown with Miami, which will in turn better prepare them for Chicago..
The playoff seeding is actually better organized to cure what has been ailing Boston of late – it will require urgency and focus with a gradual progression of competition…if they can’t win it all, they can’t win it all..but i believe the path they’ll have to travel to do so is the best one for getting them to where they need to be.
by BillfromBoston on Apr 12, 2011 12:36 PM EDT reply actions
I don't know much about the show (The Sopranos) but the message is clear.
With the recent struggles of the C’s, I think they lost that sense of “invincibility” or at the very least, the “respect” from other contending teams and suddenly they seem easily beatable. Whatever that something that is lost, it can only be regained by dominantly winning against the opponent. It is the time to show the other guys that they still have it and they must have the mentality of “beating guys down and stepping on their neck.”
"The idea is not to block every shot. The idea is to make your opponent believe that you might block every shot."
- Bill Russell
Killed it Tom
awesome job, great read.
When you told me you were doing this, I was fully expecting some kind of curb-stomping reference, while I’m disappointed that didn’t make it in there, you crushed it here.
When Perk was asked what he thought of Howard winning the gold medal this summer, he responded: "What’s his impression of me after I won a ring?"
Agreed
this was a great lunch time read. Only real problem was that I chose to watch the fight link as I was eating a sandwich. The fight part wasn’t the problem. The puking bathroom scene after was another story. iaeee.
And I’m probably the only man in America who hasn’t watch a single episode of the Sopranos. Great read, Mr T.
You also came at it from a slightly different angle from my own ‘perpetually being written’ piece.
ha
I know it was you, Danny. You broke my heart. YOU BROKE MY HEART!
Reporter: About a year ago I asked about the Celtics-Lakers thing and you said you'd really only seen it on TV. Now you've been through it, can you talk about playing the Boston Celtics for the NBA championship?
Kobe: It Sucks.
http://twitter.com/#!/TomBellinger_CB
by Tom Bellinger on Apr 12, 2011 1:36 PM EDT up reply actions
YO PO
Hey FS, you and I both know bully = other word for wussy.
by The Anarchist on Apr 12, 2011 6:35 PM EDT up reply actions
Your analogy is a bit of stretch.
First, I’m a huge fan of the show and know it inside and out. We are the defending ECC’s whom everybody wrote off last year. We came within a Bada Bing Lap dance of Winning it all. We had the same miserable 2nd half as we did last year. Remember, Junior almost had Tony whacked in Season 1 but a botched attempt left Tony more Powerful than ever. I don’t think anybody is writing us off or seeing us as weak. They would be pretty foolish to do so. I like your writing but don’t really see the connection. Remember at the beggining of Season 6 Part 2, Tony gets his ass handed to him by Bobby Baccala. Sorry don’t like your analogy. The Celtics are still respected nobody is taking them lightly. This is their final act in my opinion, I expect them to out like the final scene of Scarface Guns a Blazing.
Meh
Can’t please everyone. I think the analogy is spot on, but I did think about Tony’s fight with Bobby B (imagine if he’d chosen Bobby instead of Muscles Marinara).
I don’t know what it is about Bobby, but Tony just hates the guy. Maybe its because Bobby isn’t a psychopath, and Tony doesn’t understand that. Also maybe its because Tony IS a psychopath, and sees emotion and empathy as weakness.
Reporter: About a year ago I asked about the Celtics-Lakers thing and you said you'd really only seen it on TV. Now you've been through it, can you talk about playing the Boston Celtics for the NBA championship?
Kobe: It Sucks.
http://twitter.com/#!/TomBellinger_CB
by Tom Bellinger on Apr 12, 2011 1:36 PM EDT up reply actions
Agree with the "sees emotion and empathy as weakness."
Hoping to see some emotion out of our C’s. Again like your article and reference. Just don’t agree with the analogy. Keep up the good work!
by Steal by Bird on Apr 12, 2011 2:15 PM EDT up reply actions
Sorry
but I hate the Sopranos, one of the most overrated pieces of trash ever written. Compared to Deadwood, the Wire and Six Feet Under, Sopranos looks like it was written, acted and produced by amateurs.
And seriously, aren’t we all just a little tired of “the sweet, hearts of gold, family men serial killers who people just don’t understand” gangster projects?
So tired, so lame, so over used…thank goodness that show is over.
A better comparison would be Sex and the City, terrible shows who exploited stereotypes to gain popularity. Nothing of value. Add Entourage into this group and you have the Trifecta of the most overhyped shows of the past decade.
Yeah, he was sentimental, and had the occasional soft spot...
… but he wasn’t a good guy, at all. That was part of the appeal of the show: getting the audience to find this really bad guy likable, and then getting them to question themselves about it.
All the negativity in this town sucks. It sucks, and it stinks, and it sucks. - Rick Pitino
Yeah, they were multidimensional and nuanced
The producers stopped well short of ‘hearts of gold’; more like, clearly thugs, but with some humanity as well, and it made for damned entertaining television for awhile.
Yes; good drama reflects true theology.
Comedy, well, that may be another matter.
I see the value of this comment
aaaaand I still watched soprano’s until it got stale……I’m not in the mood for oscar winning performance art every time I turn on the TV. Variety is the spice of life. Love those HBO/Showtime original movies and series..
malcontents....the lot of you
We just are..
ing
Boston Celtics Future 2011 Finals Winners
(Boston Celtics) BOS 1-1 LAF (Los Angeles Fakers)
+1
Boston Celtics Future 2011 Finals Winners
(Boston Celtics) BOS 1-1 LAF (Los Angeles Fakers)
by OttawaCeltic on Apr 12, 2011 5:48 PM EDT up reply actions
Here's the dilemma
Danny knew he would not be able to re-sign Perk after this year. He wasn’t sure Perk would even be healthy enough to make a run this year. (Hindsight has shown he was but as the trade deadline was looming it was not clear.) Danny had an opportunity to get a 5th overall pick that could spell PP and maybe KG depending on match ups. He also got a serviceable center. He also got a 1st round draft pick. Given the entire snapshot of the situation at the time, was it a good or bad move? I would say for the long term viability of the franchise, yes. What no one anticipated was Rondo going south after the trade and really the entire team losing it’s defensive focus. Doc has done a miserable job integrating the new players I might add. When I heard that he had pulled an all-nighter to watch his son play the night before the Bulls game last week I had to question where Doc’s priorities were. Has Doc every heard of recording the game and watching later? Parents have to give up a lot sometimes because of job responsibilities.
by thereallargejames on Apr 12, 2011 6:02 PM EDT reply actions
For me it was a brilliant move...
On paper. The problem was we couldn’t get any chemistry with these new guys. And none of those five is even half as tough or intimidating as Perk was. That’s why we sort of lost our toughness and identity as a team.
all the focus on the trade
when rondo is the lynch pin…..If rondo played like his allstar self, I bet you the impact of the new guys chemistry is almost a wash.
malcontents....the lot of you
probably true
"We will take it easy, and walk on down our road at our pace with our focus ahead, and your focus on us." - Warrior Spirit, on what Celtics' Ubuntu is.
and The Sopranos
was very overrated…not to mention insulting to Italian Americans.
by thereallargejames on Apr 12, 2011 6:03 PM EDT reply actions
"not to mention insulting to Italian Americans."
That’s funny… and ridiculous. The producers had a good time with that notion back in season 1.
(Richard being Melfi’s hyper-ethnically sensative ex):
Richard: People like [Tony] are the reason Italian-Americans have such a bad image.
Aida: I agree.
Richard: Ask any American to describe an Italian-American in this country and invariably he’s going to reference The Godfather, Goodfellas-
Jason: Good movies.
Richard: And the rest are going to mention pizza.
Jason: Good movies to eat pizza by.
"Act as if you're not feeling vulnerable"
Can’t convince the national media. Now they’re trying to question Doc for benching his starters yesterday. And now that they’ve lost 2 bad games, limping into the playoffs as the media puts it…suddenly it’s going to be a hard first round series for the Celtics. I find it amusing whenever I hear some in the media questioning the Celtics as a team, because at the moment they’re struggling towards the finish line. Remind u throughout the 6 months of the regular season, the media raved constantly about Celtics being the favorites to come out the east and possibly win it all. They’ve struggled recently suddenly the national media(ESPN) is attempting predict the outcome of the Celtics first round match up. But now that the Lakers are struggling too, the media is predicting their first round chances as not good.
Should we be surprised? We’ve seen this before. Last season the Celtics/Lakers were in a worse situation heading into the playoffs, and they turned it up during the playoffs. Why is it when proven teams like the Celtics or Lakers struggle, they get called into question and doubts being to surround them? But I’m not surprised how the media is critiquing the C’s and Lakers. The media is so transparent.
Maybe a match up against the Knicks is what the Celtics need for motivation heading deep into the playoffs. But my advise to everyone on this blog ignore the media, pundits, because they’re paid cynics.
Get healthy, get Shaq back…
Go Celtics!
Sopranos
Unbelievable analogy. It is perfect in my eyes. Loved the show and can see the same thing playing out with the C’s. Honestly one of the best reads ever on here.
lol lol you guys got to check out the n.y. post blog comments some funny stuff chauncey mr. big shot billups is gonna tear rondo up knicks in 6 marshmel anthony is gonna make pierce look old and stupid shaq is gonna be limping around while stoudemire makes him his bitch lol lol oh christ i cant wait for a good old celtic beat down time to make the knicks sleep with the fishes celtics in 6.
lohaus #54
Bwahahahahaha
I noticed your Godfather quote at the end too. Paul said in a recent interview that he wants to make it a rivalry like baseball so that means he’s bringing it in the playoffs and I KNOW KG’s showing up. Rondo better show up and Ray too along with the bench. Let them get their hopes up, they think they have a chance because Amare and Melo came to New York. Let them get their hopes up, this is the first time in I think about 7 years that they’ve made the playoffs and they’ve already been remixing songs for their team having Amare and Melo dance in the video. I can’t wait till it starts to see them cry along with Spike and their fans and I hope Mrs. Allen shows up next to Spike again.
How about Sopranos was completely derivitive of.....
Goodfellas ans Analyze This. I can hear the high concept pitch in my head.
by thereallargejames on Apr 12, 2011 8:00 PM EDT reply actions
Von Wafer
Looks like Von Wafer got the bonehead play of the year in the 1) miss dunk 2) premature celebration 3) running into JO causing a double dribble
Who is he, anologically speaking, in the Sopranos?
I was there at the game, and that play by Wafer
was unbelievably bad on all accounts. I think it’s one of the lowlights in recent Celtics history. My buddy and I were actually doubled over laughing, even though I knew that was a definitive turnaround in OT. It was comically bad.
If you haven’t seen this, you should: http://deadspin.com/#!5791231/this-celtics-lowlight-is-the-most-b+team-clip-ever
by McHaleinthepost on Apr 12, 2011 10:31 PM EDT up reply actions
saddest thing about that play
was that it completely ruined what was otherwise a very good game for Wafer.
Sigh …hopefully it was a ‘teachable moment’ ….
"We will take it easy, and walk on down our road at our pace with our focus ahead, and your focus on us." - Warrior Spirit, on what Celtics' Ubuntu is.
Daaaaaaaaaaaaang, KG looks OLD in that picture.....
Wow! Kind of puts things in perspective……
Right Year, Wrong Show
Respect my authority. Now that suits KG
by Gabby Hartnett Where are You? on Apr 13, 2011 12:13 AM EDT reply actions
knicks fan here, nice anology, but you cant bully melo. Do you plan having pp guarding him all the time, if that so than its gonna be hard for you guys.
All in all, its gonna be hard series, whats up with rondo and his play. Teams are finally playing off him, he looks frustrated outhere. Must admit that i hoped for miami matchup, cause i wanna se melo schooling lebron, but celtics are also nice.
You drastically overrate Melo.
As so many have.
Paul is one of the better, tougher, more physical SF defenders in the game, he is more than capable of checking Melo. Melo is a fantastic scorer, no one can outright stop him, but Paul will make him work hard for his points and expend a lot more energy to do so. Melo wont have the option of taking time off on the other end easier, or Paul will light him up.
It’s a test for Melo that if you’ve watched his post season record, he’s failed time and time again.
"Phil is obviously a good coach. You don't win that many games without being a damn good coach, ... Remember one thing: He's been very fortunate. He picks his spots. That's all I can say." - Red Auerbach
04 + 07 = 11
And so will you.
"Phil is obviously a good coach. You don't win that many games without being a damn good coach, ... Remember one thing: He's been very fortunate. He picks his spots. That's all I can say." - Red Auerbach
04 + 07 = 11
shouldn't your worry be about the fact that Melo will have to guard _Pierce_ ?
In 14 games against each other:
Player G W L MP FG% 3P% FT% ORB DRB TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
Pierce 14 8 6 36.1 .517 .386 .782 0.7 5.1 5.8 4.6 1.5 0.9 2.6 3.2 25.4
Anthony 14 6 8 36.6 .436 .317 .813 1.9 4.6 6.6 3.9 1.1 0.6 3.0 3.8 23.9
The only stat that Anthony has an edge in is the dubious one of offensive rebounds.
"We will take it easy, and walk on down our road at our pace with our focus ahead, and your focus on us." - Warrior Spirit, on what Celtics' Ubuntu is.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
NBA Playoffs Content Module
Related FanPosts on CelticsBlog
Related FanShots on CelticsBlog
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recent FanPosts
In Association With
Ball Don't Lie - NBA - Yahoo! Sport
- Behind the Box Score, where the Boston Celtics are moving on to the conference finals
- NBA Playoffs Fan Fiction: San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
- The Indiana Pacers? Gone till November
- Shaquille O’Neal is in a Chinese beer commercial, too (VIDEO)
- ‘Deep Thoughts’ and Cheap Thoughts: San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
