Celtics (1-1) at Magic (1-1) Game 3 5/8

[Redz]

Hard game.

Is it just me or is the whole "it's the playoffs, let's play physical" idea is being misplayed as "it's the playoffs, let's play dirty"?

[johnnyrondo]

Can't believe Walker missed that dunk! That would have made my night! 

I thought he was a lottery pick if not for the knee problems? His knees look fine to me. Give him some run. Rashard Lewis isn't that much bigger than him at the 4.

Isn't walker like 6' 4" 6' 5"? Lewis is 6' "10.. Walker should not see the court in this playoffs

Walker's 6'6", but more rugged than Lewis and a leaper. he played the 4 last yr. I'd say he's as much a 4 as Lewis, if not more.

Walker at 6' "6 you think is as much a power forward as Rashard Lewis??? Just cause you have hops doesn't mean that you can play the 4

No one saying Lewis isn't a talented offensive player, but height isn't the be all end all. Barkley was like 6'4" and could board with the best and there are plenty of tall (even 7 foot) soft players. We've had two this yr ourselves (POB and Mikki). This obsession with height is wrong to me. Powe is another example of a guy who's really like 6'6" and can play the 4. Barkley's not walking through that door (doorway isn't wide enough anyways) and Powe's not walking through that door. Walker is a healthy Celtic, who people say would have been a lottery pick if not for his knees. well his knees look fine, so I don't think its a stretch to consider playing him when all your bigs are dropping like flies.

Well Walker hasn't really looked like Barkley this year. And he hasn't looked like Powe. He shouldn't be playing at all in the post season and if he does it shouldn't be to lockdown Rashard Lewis

I guess "you missed the whole conversation i was having" too. I specifically pointed out that Barkley and Powe were not walking through that door, to make it easy on you so you wouldn't make the comparisons to their level. I did say that walker is healthy. I never said he's "lockdown" Lewis, but desperate times call for desperate measures and since PJ stay retired and the C's did not resign posey, trade for Nocioni, sign Deke, sign Birdman, or sign Joe Smith and KG AND Powe are out injured, our options are limited. So again if walker supposedly has lottery talent and he played the 4 last yr, he's an option.

As great a shooter as Lewis is, he's really a small forward.

[kozlodoev]

Exactly my point! You just missed the whole conversation i was having i guess

Whoops Sorry!

[RAcker]

Losing in this fashion makes me want to go and smash something really expensive (not something of mine of course).   

[celticinorlando]

Losing in this fashion makes me want to go and smash something really expensive (not something of mine of course).   

i already broke 2 fingers by punching the desk when they lost to the pistons on that sunday afternoon game...i am running out of things to break

[Redz]

Losing in this fashion makes me want to go and smash something really expensive (not something of mine of course).   

i already broke 2 fingers by punching the desk when they lost to the pistons on that sunday afternoon game...i am running out of things to break

isn't this why we own cats?





I kid of course, I kid...I love my cat

[cordobes]

Hard game.

Is it just me or is the whole "it's the playoffs, let's play physical" idea is being misplayed as "it's the playoffs, let's play dirty"?

You think we're watching more "dirty plays" instead of "phisical play"? I'm not sure about that; I think that there have always been a fuzzy line and people are just talking a lot about it. I see that as a problem in itself; this is quickly becoming the biggest issue of the playoffs - and that's a shame. The League has no one to blame but themselves though.

[Redz]

Hard game.

Is it just me or is the whole "it's the playoffs, let's play physical" idea is being misplayed as "it's the playoffs, let's play dirty"?

You think we're watching more "dirty plays" instead of "phisical play"? I'm not sure about that; I think that there have always been a fuzzy line and people are just talking a lot about it. I see that as a problem in itself; this is quickly becoming the biggest issue of the playoffs - and that's a shame. The League has no one to blame but themselves though.

Yeh, I do.  I see elbows as dirty, and I'm seeing a lot of elbows. 

Going hard for a rebound.  Setting hard LEGAL picks.  Making sure there's no finish when you foul a guy going to the hoop.  That stuff has always been part of the heightened physicality of the playoffs.

What I'm seeing more of now is guys who seem to see the expectation of more physical play as a license to give cheap shots. 

[tenn_smoothie]

so what is it going to be boston?  you going to man up or just go out like a punk?

"go out like a punk" ? i'm sorry, is this the prison league playoffs ? 

the Celtics are (1) exhausted and (2) not close to the same defensive team without Garnett. questioning the team's manhood with ghetto slang is pure ignorance. if nothing else, this season has shown this team to be even mentally tougher than last year - which is saying a lot.

[CelticG1]

Can't believe Walker missed that dunk! That would have made my night! 

I thought he was a lottery pick if not for the knee problems? His knees look fine to me. Give him some run. Rashard Lewis isn't that much bigger than him at the 4.

Isn't walker like 6' 4" 6' 5"? Lewis is 6' "10.. Walker should not see the court in this playoffs

Walker's 6'6", but more rugged than Lewis and a leaper. he played the 4 last yr. I'd say he's as much a 4 as Lewis, if not more.

Walker at 6' "6 you think is as much a power forward as Rashard Lewis??? Just cause you have hops doesn't mean that you can play the 4

No one saying Lewis isn't a talented offensive player, but height isn't the be all end all. Barkley was like 6'4" and could board with the best and there are plenty of tall (even 7 foot) soft players. We've had two this yr ourselves (POB and Mikki). This obsession with height is wrong to me. Powe is another example of a guy who's really like 6'6" and can play the 4. Barkley's not walking through that door (doorway isn't wide enough anyways) and Powe's not walking through that door. Walker is a healthy Celtic, who people say would have been a lottery pick if not for his knees. well his knees look fine, so I don't think its a stretch to consider playing him when all your bigs are dropping like flies.

Well Walker hasn't really looked like Barkley this year. And he hasn't looked like Powe. He shouldn't be playing at all in the post season and if he does it shouldn't be to lockdown Rashard Lewis

I guess "you missed the whole conversation i was having" too. I specifically pointed out that Barkley and Powe were not walking through that door, to make it easy on you so you wouldn't make the comparisons to their level. I did say that walker is healthy. I never said he's "lockdown" Lewis, but desperate times call for desperate measures and since PJ stay retired and the C's did not resign posey, trade for Nocioni, sign Deke, sign Birdman, or sign Joe Smith and KG AND Powe are out injured, our options are limited. So again if walker supposedly has lottery talent and he played the 4 last yr, he's an option.

As great a shooter as Lewis is, he's really a small forward.

I just don't even know how to respond to this. You are saying that we should put bill walker, the 12th best guy on our roster to cover Rashard Lewis Orlando's second best player who also happens to have 4 inches on walker?? Id rather have Mikki Moore defend him than bill walker and that is really saying something

[Drucci]

This loss is tough to swallow. I really believed in the C's comeback at the end of the third quarter but unfortunately they got outplayed in the 4th, as they were during the whole game (expect during the first 12 minutes).

Poor defense, poor shooting performance (Ray-Ray and Rondo), some hustle from Pierce, Perkins and House (man, it was a joy to see him continue his shooting streak, too bad it ended with a loss anyway). Big Baby missed easy layups two times in a row in the first half, and these kind of plays cost us the game, the Celtics were out of sync offensively.

I'm also frustrated by some absurd call from the referees in the first half. Gortat traveled like 5 steps and still the referees called a foul on Big Baby and gave him two free throws... Rondo was pushed by Lewis on a rebound and they called an out of bound (which was true but there was a fould by Lewis before). Plus, all the whistles accorded to the C's were very late.

But I'm not going to blame the refs for the loss, Boston played poor defense, Orlando was moving the ball and hitting shots in the paint and from long distance. Congrats to the Magic, now we are down 2-1 and we must react in game 4 or we're done. I hope Ray-Ray and Big Baby redeem themselves.

[wiley]

My two cents on Pierce is that he looked better in this game.  I thought he played with urgency, doing things at a faster pace, moving the ball.  It didn't fall for him in the first half and he didn't get any foul calls early, but his style of play was good imo.

Doc said something about Pierce taking it too deep and this not being the best play because of the waiting Howard, and so they're going to look at film to try and revitalize Pierce's mid-range (or less deep) game.  But I liked that Pierce took it in there harder than he had been and went to the line so many times.  Isn't that how we get Howard in foul trouble?  Do we have to wait until we're playing in Boston to drive it in there so that we get more calls?

I've been wanting Pierce to hold the ball less, dance less, etc...BUT, one thing I WOULDN'T mind Pierce doing more of is shooting open threes.  Remember how he used to rain down the threes?  I have no problem with Pierce jacking up threes if they are in the flow of an offense in motion and not the result of a drawn-out one on one adventure.

Good game Paul.

[cordobes]

Hard game.

Is it just me or is the whole "it's the playoffs, let's play physical" idea is being misplayed as "it's the playoffs, let's play dirty"?

You think we're watching more "dirty plays" instead of "phisical play"? I'm not sure about that; I think that there have always been a fuzzy line and people are just talking a lot about it. I see that as a problem in itself; this is quickly becoming the biggest issue of the playoffs - and that's a shame. The League has no one to blame but themselves though.

Yeh, I do.  I see elbows as dirty, and I'm seeing a lot of elbows. 

Going hard for a rebound.  Setting hard LEGAL picks.  Making sure there's no finish when you foul a guy going to the hoop.  That stuff has always been part of the heightened physicality of the playoffs.

What I'm seeing more of now is guys who seem to see the expectation of more physical play as a license to give cheap shots. 

I don't know. Swinging the elbow to hit someone is dirty. But players can't just amputate their arms. Using the forearm to clear space and push people around has always been a big part of how to play the game. I'm not sure if we're seeing more elbows or if we're just paying more attention to plays that in another context nobody would care about.

[celticinorlando]

so what is it going to be boston?  you going to man up or just go out like a punk?

"go out like a punk" ? i'm sorry, is this the prison league playoffs ? 

the Celtics are (1) exhausted and (2) not close to the same defensive team without Garnett. questioning the team's manhood with ghetto slang is pure ignorance. if nothing else, this season has shown this team to be even mentally tougher than last year - which is saying a lot.

they punked out last night...."ghetto slang" ? give me a break...