Ray Allen
It’s important to remember that Kevin Garnett never seriously considered going to Boston until Ray Allen joined the Celtics. On top of that KG’s lukewarm feelings for Wally Szczerbiak are so well known that I don’t even feel compelled to cite a source. However, out of respect for Buzz Bissinger I will. Not once. But twice. Still I do wonder if the Celtics would be better with Delonte West and Szczerbiak. Obviously it’s a moot point. But it’s something I’ve thought about. Can you tell Boston lost game 6?
Paul Pierce
Three stats stand out from Pierce’s game 6 line: He finished 5-15 from the field, 4-4 from the line and turned the ball over six times. That’s too many turnovers and not enough free throws. Also the sooner Pierce accepts that he is not a real rival to LeBron James (who is?) the better. I’ve always thought Pierce’s ability to hit some mid range jumpers to keep teams honest and drive to the hoop were his biggest strengths. And the latter often leads to free throws.
Kevin Garnett
I listened to Max and Grande’s call of this one for the first three quarters because of work. As you can imagine I was not that productive. And I was interested by Grande’s take on Kevin Garnett’s playing time. Apparently KG gets so fired up that Doc Rivers can’t play him for an entire quarter. In fact Rivers has gone out of his way to manage KG’s minutes from day one. I immediately thought, “Wait isn’t it his 13th season? Shouldn’t he have figured that out by now?” I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: nobody associated with the Celtics, outside of Lucky who needs this team to play well to score, has more riding on this season than Garnett. He is the best player on Boston’s roster. Hands down. And when he misses a four-foot shot late or gets whistled for a travel, his critics are bound to circle like vultures. That’s not my intention. It’s hard to blame the series on him when everyone else has been inconsistent. Has KG even had a bad game yet? Regardless he needs a 25+ points, 15+ rebounds game on Sunday.