Normally I would hit you with a recap of a great Sox weekend (I mean not weather wise. In fact this weekend really sucked weather wise with all the cold and rain) but there was much more important Boston sports happening on Sunday that I have to address. I’ll leave it at this; at least the bats seem to have come alive, a little, and they didn’t let the weather prevent them from getting all the games played. Now the team goes to Detroit which I’m sure will be nice a warm. Ugh.
On to that other game.
It took seven games but the Celtics finally knocked the Hawks out of the playoffs. When I say knocked them out I mean like Tyson vs. Peter McNeely knocked them out. Sunday’s game has to go down as one of the most embarrassing losses in Hawks history (65 points is the second lowest points ever in a game seven since the shot clock was introduced).
The C’s came out and defended like crazy right from the tip. They weren’t allowing Atlanta to get any clean looks and when they’d try and get a shot off it was resulting in poor selection and air balls.
The Celtics at a few points in the third quarter were actually doubling up the Hawks. 56-28, 60-30, 68-34. It was great! At that point we actually sat and pondered aloud if Atlanta would crack 50 in the game, that’s how dominant the Celtics were playing.
Then the bench was unloaded and the teams pretty much traded baskets till the end. But I don’t think any of us are going to complain about a 34 point beating of an inferior team. What I will complain about is the mugging of Rajon Rondo by Marvin Williams. It was good to see that a reverse bulldog headlock takedown is still illegal in Boston. That same play in Atlanta would have resulted in somehow the Celtics being T’d up.
Which brings me back to Friday. What was all that shit about? I mean, Pierce is fighting for position on a rebound and gets called for a foul (his 6th) off the ball? So the guy shooting got a free throw, then Atlanta got a technical for Pierce throwing his head band, then the guy Pierce “fouled” got a shot too? Ridiculous!
There were so many non-calls for the Celtics on Friday night. Not saying that Doc didn’t completely mismanage the game again because he did, especially in crunch time. Why on Earth an inferior defender like Cassell is in the game with two minutes left is insane. But every time the C’s would drive the lane, they were absolutely mugged and there was no call by the official.
Shithead David Stern needs to really address the officiating in the league. The officials can not be influenced by the crowd that much in these games. You could tell that from the word go the Celtics were going to have to win it by nailing shots because they were not going to get any help at the charity stripe.
So now the Celtics have a playoff match-up with King James and the Cavs. I really hope that the team remembers how embarrassed they were losing in Atlanta and bring that same intensity to the Cavs series.
Interesting side note. No team that has had a seven game first round series (started in 2003) has made the Finals. Well no team has ever had a better turn around from worst to first either. Time to show the world who these Celtics are.
