Did that really just happen? Was it all a bad dream? I knew going to bed last night that those would be my first thoughts waking up.
As a Celtics blogger and a self appointed voice of Celtics fans everywhere, I'm supposed to have something to say about all this. But I have to admit that I'm still dumbfounded. I don't know if I'm supposed to sooth people's fears and assure them that everything's going to be alright or if I should be slamming on the panic button and declaring a threat level green in Celtic Nation.
Should I start looking for scapegoats? Is Doc to blame? Pierce? Garnett? Man, Garnett. What happens if we lose KG for game 5 for his involvement in the second quarter "skirmish?"
Should I invoke the names of Mavs-Warriors and Patriots-Giants? Because that's what we're staring at right now.
Should I just give all the credit in the world to Joe Johnson and the Hawks? Because the Celtics may have stepped back, but Atlanta has really, really stepped up.
Should I roll out the boxing and fighting analogies? Because the Celtics had this team "against the ropes" and let them "come back swinging" and now we are "stumbling backward, looking for our balance, and trying to remember how to throw our own punches."
I badly wanted to make fun of the Pistons for letting the Sixers take a 2-1 lead in that series. Can't do that now. I badly wanted to start sizing up the Cavaliers and take heart in the fact that my team was resting comfortably at home. That's a distant memory now. This thing is going at least 6 games and you simply can't count out 7. Shocking as it may seem, you can no longer rule out the potential first round upset.
I don't know. I've got a lot of thoughts running through my head. I love this team and this cast of characters, but they are going to need to play as a team and show some character if they are going to turn this around. All season long they've stepped up when they've been challenged. This is the biggest challenge of the year and it is coming from the most unlikely opponent.
The series is headed back to Boston. History is on the line here. Let's hope that we can look back on this and laugh rather than hanging our heads in pain.