Game 2 is a must win

[Drucci]

OP [Cman] is right about a "must win". The only must wins in any series are when the other team only has to win one more game to advance to the next round. Those are the only real "must wins."

+1 thanks, I agree 100% with your sentiment. 

These two posts in the Pet Peeve thread made me "tick" but the thread wasn't appropriate for this discussion so here is another one about this question : whether game 2 against the Bulls is a must win or not.

Personnally I have no doubt that this game is a must win. Sure, a must win can be seen as a game that, if lost, kicks you out of the playoffs. Just consider that the C's lose tonight : they'll be down 2-0 without a win on their own homecourt and they'll have to win the next two games at Chicago in order to survive and have a chance to win the series. Sure, you can argue then than game 4 will be a real must win (according to the definition given above) but a loss tonight can really affect badly our team in this series so this game must be won by the Celtics.

I was confident before the playoffs started because I thought that the Celtics' laziness and slow starts weren't going to be part of their game in the playoffs. I was wrong, and game 1 just showed how much the team lacked focus and desire. I mean, I just watched the first half but I was shocked to see that Ray and Paul were so "distant", they seemed to be careless about the game or overconfident. I may be overreacting there but Rondo, Perk and BBD were the only starters to show up. Pierce made a comeback in the second half and missed a key free-throw but he was "off" for a long part of the game. I'm concerned by the captain's behaviour.

This quote from Pierce's speech in postgame conference is really annoying me, it makes me think that the team isn't really focused : ""I hope this is a wake-up call, I hope we realize that the Bulls, they're not just a team that's happy to be in the playoffs. So hopefully the guys will wake up and realize this is reality. We've better come to play.''

Really, Paul? You had to lose one game at home against the Bulls to realize that they were coming to play and not to get blown out? I'm naturally optimistic but this game and these quotes are really worrying me... It's a thing to lose because of a few missed plays or because of fatigue, but it's really bothering and disappointing when it's mostly due to a lack of focus, and probably to some overconfidence.

I really hope that the Celtics bounce back tonight and crush the Bulls to swing the confidence boost. A young athletic team, which was dangerous from the start, is now even more dangerous since the Bulls are hungrier and more confident. Hopefully the Celtics will get back on track and show us their swagger tonight, otherwise the playoffs could end really soon for Boston. I don't know if I'm overreacting or not but your thoughts are really welcome, and I can't wait for tonight's game anyway.

[TatteredOnMySleeve]

Drucci, I agree with you...its all about  mindsets before going into a game with this team, and obviously they went into the game against the bulls seemingly barely having read the scouting report and showing no respect whatsoever for the bulls. theyre way to overconfident for a team that just lost its best defender.. they legitmately thought they just had to show up. you think they would've learned. to me, they looked like they were ready for vacation, point blank.


Game 2 a must win? no, obviously itd be nice, but it wouldnt knock us out.

[PosImpos]

I agree that tonight is a must-win.  Losing 2 games straight at home in a series against a 7 seed would really hurt the confidence of our team and make them even bolder.  Plus, even if we manage to go on and win this series after that, it'll make things a lot tougher for us next round (unless Orlando gets beaten at home again I suppose).  The fact is, every game that the Celtics play badly against a 7 seed just makes it seem like their playoff run is going to be shorter and shorter.

[Cman]

Drucci, you trying to peeve me? 

I don't agree it is a must-win game, simply because it isn't.  The Cs aren't out of the playoffs if they lose tonight.  Of course, the probability that they will soon be out of the playoffs if they lose tonight's game increases a lot, making tonight's game a game that is important to win.

So I would call it an "important win" game.

In any case, I look forward to seeing how the Cs respond.  I agree with a poster in another thread who speculated that the whole Garnett thing has become a distraction for the team.  This seems spot-on.

[QuinielaBox]

If we lose tonight, that is confirmation that we are not interested in competing any further without the presence of Garnett. This whole Garnett thing stinks anyway. He's coming back, he is not coming back, He wants surgery ASAP, Doc asks him to hold up surgery, KG goes to practice Sunday. In the words of Vince Lombari, " WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON OUT THERE??"