It has come down to this....

[coco]

It has come down to this....

I've got a feeling that whoever wins game 4(tonight) will win the series.


The lacking sense of urgency and killer-instinct, will take a turn tonight....for better or worse.   

...I think that we have reached that point on our journey(i.e that fork on the road)...

[celticmaestro]

i think this will be a blow-out celtics win or a really close loss.

please god let it be a win!

[CT34]

It has come down to this....

I've got a feeling that whoever wins game 4(tonight) will win the series.


The lacking sense of urgency and killer-instinct, will take a turn tonight....for better or worse.   

...I think that we have reached that point on our journey(i.e that fork on the road)...

Going into game 3 I thought it was a big game for the Cs in my eyes it was a must win.  Now game 4 is even bigger.  The Cs have to win this game.  They can't bank on winning every home game. I feel whoever wins game 4 will win the series. 

[Redz]

Listen, as much as we are all hung up on the freakishness of the Celtics 0-4 road record, there's only been one game out of six so far at home that their opponent has had as much as a sniff.  I refuse to say Cleveland has this series locked up if they win tonight.  This is a two way street.  The Celtics have been as freakishly good at home, as they've been bad on the road.  And I'm not just talking bottom line wins and losses - they've dominated, decimated, pulverized etc...at home.  Why is this any less a factor than sucking on the road? 

Yes, I'd love to see a Celtics win in Cleveland tonight for a bazillion reasons.  Still, I have no reason to expect the home court dominance to stop against these guys either. Cleveland is still the one behind the 8-ball, bot the Celts.  Please remember that.  I sure hope the Celtics do.

[CoachBo]

The only team this game is a must-win for is Cleveland.

We have to get back to what makes us strong: Ball movement on offense (that means you, Rondo: Stop pounding the basketball) and great defensive intensity. Anyone who can't give us that has to sit - early in the ballgame.

Get Garnett touches on the block. Reverse the basketball. Defend the rim, and turn Cleveland into jump shooters. They won't shoot the way they did Saturday all night tonight. Keep Cleveland off the offensive glass.

[RebusRankin]

Its not a must win for us just yet.

[SShoreFan]

It comes down to this.........

Leave the emotion at home and go and systematically work together as a team and do your job. 
Rediscover the chemistry that worked so well in hostile environments all year long.
Shrug the shoulders and say the line made famous in Risky Business ----

If they stay focused and execute in the manner they have all year long, then it'll be a great game.



If....

They continue to play emotionally
They continue to try to force things
They continue to worry about legacy

Then they are indeed in trouble

[hwangjini_1]

The only team this game is a must-win for is Cleveland.

We have to get back to what makes us strong: Ball movement on offense (that means you, Rondo: Stop pounding the basketball) and great defensive intensity. Anyone who can't give us that has to sit - early in the ballgame.

Get Garnett touches on the block. Reverse the basketball. Defend the rim, and turn Cleveland into jump shooters. They won't shoot the way they did Saturday all night tonight. Keep Cleveland off the offensive glass.

i agree, the pressure is on cleveland. they MUST not only win every home game, but also at least one game in boston.

if cleveland wins tonight, it becomes a best of 3 series with two games in boston. advantage boston.

if boston wins to night, cleveland has to win 3 straight against boston, with two games in boston. advantage boston by light years. you might as well put the proverbial fork in them and rename them the cadavers.

i also agree that the celtics MUST play better defense from start to finish. they MUST pass the ball better on offense too.

also we need to give cleveland credit, they have surprised me with their defense so far. during the regular season they could not play strong defense for sustained periods of time. but they are making the celtics work hard to get shots. this is why more ball movement by the celtics will help out here.

but of all that distresses me so far, it is that boston does not have a strong enough presense under the basket on offense. KG is taking too many jumpshots for me. (i havent analyzed any stats, so maybe it is just my impression.) and perk is, well, perk. though i do like powe so far off the bench.

nor has rondo been consistent. his last game was simply terrible on both ends.

fortunately, if doc can really coach, he can fix the ball movement, make the team play defense, help rondo get his head in order, and have KG attack the basket more on offense. these problems are correctable since the celtics did these things for 82 some games. now they have to focus on doing them again.