A loss is a loss by any measure, so don't get me wrong. I wanted that win and I really wanted a sweep. With that said, I'm not as broken up about this loss as others might be.
You have to understand that the Heat do have the ability to win some games. They finished with just a few wins less than the disappointing Celtics in the regular season. They also have Mr. Wade himself, who is fully capable of putting a team of scrubs on his back and carrying them to a win over just about anyone.
We got the Heat's best punch yesterday. They came out with desperation and determined focus. They flummoxed our offense up and couldn't miss on their side of the floor. The Celtics were down 17 and then down 18 a little later on. This game could have been out of reach very easily. In fact, I'd argue that in the regular season, this team might have punted the game and accepted a double digit loss. Instead, they stayed focused and got back into the game.
Most impressive was the fact that it wasn't any one player trying to be a hero. Pierce hit some shots, KG hit some shots, Rondo was doing his thing, it was just a good team game and it was working. They just missed some fluky shots and ran into an unstoppable force in Wade. It happens.
We can be encouraged to know that Quentin played the game of his life and will most likely fall back in to the shadows in the next game. Dwyane reminded the world why he's going to get max money and get wooed by every team that cleared cap space this summer. Beasley even showed a few signs of life. Just don't expect any of them to reach those same heights again this series.
One man teams can and do win games in the playoffs. But they don't usually win a whole series against a quality opponent. The Celtics should win in 5. If they don't, then I'll start to worry. For now, I'll be fine chalking this up as one that got away.