contenders or pretenders?

[oldschoolceltic00]

Are we really contenders for the championship or are we just pretenders. We looked like the younger less experienced team tonight. Is anyone else frustrated that when we needed buckets when PP was out that KG did'nt dominate on the block. He needs to demand the ball deep on the block and take it strong. KG threw the ball away on a couple of consecutive possession trying to force the pass. I love KG and his unselfishness but he needs to step up and be the man when we need him. This loss is not on him though the celtics look like a totally different team on the road in this series. The hawks are playing great basketball but i think we are making them look good with the way we are playing. For such a veteran team with three all-stars it does not seem like the celtics can get any calls to go there way, but they need to step up and overcome bad calls and play there brand of basketball.

[Green Pride]

agreed -- kg looked shaky on those possessions. pierce has to be the guy (with allen on the wing) at the end of games.

[wdleehi]

Contender talent


Pretender mentality

[Pawtucket Pat]

I don't know how anyone who has watched these three losses can think we're legitimate contenders. This game was pathetic. I can't even put my frustration and disappointment into words. You look at Detroit and Cleveland, and yeah, they let up a little bit and lost a couple of games, but when it was time to step it up and take care of business, they did, and in a big, big way, absolutely destroying the inferior competition in the clinching game. The Celts? They went up against a younger, less experienced team, and were completely outclassed, looking like they were the younger, more tentative team. It's unbelievable how a team full of veterans can look so lost out there. Just pathetic.

[Green Pride]

how about this -- can anyone think of a team that struggled in the first round and went on to win the title? happens all the time in the ncaas -- remember ucla and tyus edney?

[wahz]

PRETENDERS!

Come on this is a disgrace. PP plays no better than an average guy. Ray shoots like crap. KG? Holy Cow man he rebounds like a girl, like he is a 7 foot tranny out there, Rondo plays his worst game in a long while. Its over. I pray we get to Cleveland but how can we beat them?

[blueygreen]

Oh man. We lost school bball, then I come home and watch us lose too. This has been a thorough failure of a day. Lucky we still got some club ball to win later on.
I actually thought Pierce did a pretty good job (aside from getting himself fouled out), but he did a nice job being the only option early in the 4th. Creating a lot of opportunities and knocking down shots like he does. Is it weird to think that KG gets the ball too much? I'm happy with him in the low post, but I don't think he's as effective going to work further out as Paul is.

[TheReaLPuba]

I'm no sure what series some of you are watching but Pierce has been our best player all series.

He actually looks to be assertive and knows where to score and when....he isn't afraid to make plays.

I wish he could play 40-44 minutes each game but he's been hampered by foul trouble...especially on the road.

Also our bench production has been very inconsistent and needs to step up....these guys need to stop standing around and make some [dang] plays while they're in there.

[kenmaine]

TP to Wahz for the laugh. "like a 7 foot tranny".  At least last night, that was a fair assesment of KG's rebounding and inside presence.
I'm hoping and assuming(I see no basis for "faith") that the C's will win game 7.
But now I'm having serious doubts about winning three more series. IMO they should win this series and then beat the Cavs, if the refs don't put LeBron on the line 30 times/game. After that it's a tossup with Detroit and whoever comes out of the west.
Of course, that's assuming that they actually play well. I'm as shocked as everyone else at the way this series has gone.

[Roy Hobbs]

Contender talent


Pretender mentality

It's really starting to look that way.  Unbelievable; I never would have imagined things going *this* poorly.

Let's hope they come up big tomorrow, and that they can somehow prove this was all an aberration against Cleveland.  I don't have much confidence against the Cavs, though; if they can't convincingly beat Atlanta in the playoffs, how are they going to beat a team that beat them twice in the regular season?

At this point, I have serious doubts about whether we can beat any of the teams remaining in the playoffs.  That's a truly sad thought, for a team that won 66 games.  I'm hopeful and optimistic, of course, but I'm not even in the same ballpark as "confident".

[ponch]

I think three things have gotten this team unglued in the post-season:

1. They are succumbing to the pressure of having to go deep in the playoffs, and certainly not lose to an inferior team.  Yes they had big road wins in the regular season, but this is a completely different kind of pressure and they are not responding.

2. The defense is a shell of itself from the regular season.  Some of the open looks and drives the Hawks are getting never would have happened during the regular season.  As to why this is happening, I'm not quite sure.  Lack of focus? Physically drained? Really not sure.

3. Doc is freezing up more than the players.  Obviously the rotation has to change during the playoffs and it has to be shortened up, but two major contributors during the regular season were E House and Baby.  They have seen absolutely no run.  But most importantly, Doc is going what most of us guessed would happen, he is playing Sam too many minutes particularly down the stretch.  He feels "safer" with Sam in there because he is a veteran, but is failing to realize that 1. Sam completely throws off the flow and rhythm of our team, and 2. Rondo has gotten us this far and can be counted on to close out games.

Overall very disappointing, and should they lose tomorrow or to Cleveland, I don't know who will shoulder the blame, but there will be plenty of it to go around.

[bdm860]

Let's hope they come up big tomorrow, and that they can somehow prove this was all an aberration against Cleveland.  I don't have much confidence against the Cavs, though; if they can't convincingly beat Atlanta in the playoffs, how are they going to beat a team that beat them twice in the regular season?

At this point, I have serious doubts about whether we can beat any of the teams remaining in the playoffs.  That's a truly sad thought, for a team that won 66 games.  I'm hopeful and optimistic, of course, but I'm not even in the same ballpark as "confident".

These are my thoughts exactly.  If we can't stop a good player like Joe Johnson, how are we ever going to stop the mega superstars like LeBron or Kobe (should the finals work out that way)?

[clover]

I agree with you, ponch, particularly about Doc.  As to not trusting Rondo and going with Sam, it becomes something of a self-fulfilling prophecy.  How he didn't and then finally did use Rondo in the fourth quarter last night was atrocious, and an example of how Doc spreads his anxiety and doubts to his players.