Before I go any further I'd be remiss if I did not bring up the whole Jemele Hill thing. She wrote an article (this is the edited one) in which she compared rooting for the Celtics to something to do with Hitler. Odd. The guys at Red's Army were all over it. Of course ESPN eventually apologized and edited it. Here's my thing. This is the same Jemele Hill that was outraged by Don Imus. At the time she said:
"Imus' comments were harmful to all women -- especially for female athletes who still struggle to gain acceptance in our society -- but they really cut black women deep...As a society, there are times when we need to stand together against indecency and cruelty." - Jemele Hill
Were Imus' comments worse? I guess. If I were a Jewish Celtics fan I might feel differently. And that's the thing with free speech. You can't have it both ways. If you're going to go after others be ready when someone comes after you. Personally I wish they left the column as it was. She wrote it, so be it. But should she have to take some time off before resurfacing? I would say no. But based upon the Imus precedent, yes. Free speech is a funny thing.
Back to the game. Ray Allen and Kendrick Perkins will play. Of the two I feel better about Allen because I'm not sold on Perk's shoulder. He's a tough dude but his range of motion could be seriously limited.
Will Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol have big games again?
Will Rajon Rondo play well at home, as is his custom?
Will Paul Pierce be exhausted?
Can KG silence his critics?
Will Kobe score 40?
Obviously there are plenty of questions. Only time will tell. However, given the traveling both teams have done of late I expect an ugly game, particularly at the start. Hopefully the C's can battle through it. Here's to not seeing a game 7.