The Big Picture

[Redz]

If ever there was a playoff run that begs you to keep an eye on The Big Picture it is this years Celtics postseason.  If you dissect each game as an individual entity you would have to diagnose these Celtics as completely inconsistent.  But if you look at The Bottom Line of the results as a whole they continue to do exactly what they need to do.  They're well into the 3rd round of the playoffs, and now sit just 6 wins from a championship. 

It's hard to keep things in perspective when a team you know can play to near perfection, lays an egg like they did last night, and have done so on numerous occasions in the postseason, but in the end, a loss is just a loss.  You don't get penalized with extra losses for "not showing up", or "not having energy", or "not having good rotations", "or choking".  You get 1 loss and you move on to the next game.

What has been frustrating on a day to day basis is the Celtics inability to carry any momentum from game to game, but the opposite has also held true.  They haven't carried their failures from game to game either. 

What are we, almost six weeks into the postseason?  The Celtics are right where we hoped they'd be.  It hasn't always been pretty, but they've done the job and they're once again in an excellent position to advance. 

Try to keep focused on The Big Picture.  It makes handling the tough games a lot easier.

[Jeff]

well said Redz

I am very tired of the same story lines being rehashed every other day on an endless loop

I really want a couple of wins in a row to get us out of this rut

[Redz]

well said Redz

I am very tired of the same story lines being rehashed every other day on an endless loop

I really want a couple of wins in a row to get us out of this rut

Don't get me wrong, I'd be plenty happy if "The Big Picture" was a bit smaller.  2 in a row would be sweet, but until they're eliminated, I can't get too worked up about their failures.  They're not failing.  They're succeeding.

[Who]

The Celtics are in good position. Best of Three with two games at home. They've protected and regained home court by getting the split in Detroit. They're the frontrunner to represent the East in the Finals. Very good position to be in.

[jay_jay54]

Tonight i was watching on Comcast,Gary Tagway discussing the playoffs with Cedric Maxwell.Gary asked "why do you think Max,no team is winning on the road or any 1 team winning games back to back on the road"...Max answer was simple,there isn't any dominate teams out there this season,all of them are pretty evenly matched in how good they are.So its hard for any 1 team to put a back to back win on the road.

[Chris]

Great post Redz.  Really helps keep these games in perspective.

I also would like to add that dwelling on small moves is not going to make a difference.  If the team is not playing well in general, then a bench guy is probably not going to turn it around.  As much as everyone seems to want to concentrate on the guys who play 10 minutes per game, they aren't going to make a difference if the guys playing 40 minutes are not producing.

[Roy Hobbs]

If we win a championship, you're right, Redz, it doesn't matter how we get there.

However, the play up until this point raises questions about this team's readiness to win.  The team has been playing every other night for over a month now, and looks exhausted at times.  Players are questioning their role on the team, and at least two players (KG and House) have aimed criticism at the coach.

I worry that the road we have taken to the championship thus far leaves us in less of a position to win the remaining six games we need to than otherwise would have been required.  Again, hopefully it ultimately doesn't matter, but I'd feel much better if this team was a little fresher and playing more cohesively.

[Chris]

If we win a championship, you're right, Redz, it doesn't matter how we get there.

However, the play up until this point raises questions about this team's readiness to win.  The team has been playing every other night for over a month now, and looks exhausted at times.  Players are questioning their role on the team, and at least two players (KG and House) have aimed criticism at the coach.

I worry that the road we have taken to the championship thus far leaves us in less of a position to win the remaining six games we need to than otherwise would have been required.  Again, hopefully it ultimately doesn't matter, but I'd feel much better if this team was a little fresher and playing more cohesively.

I missed something, what did KG say about Doc (I am assuming the House thing was that thing about "not getting a satisfactory explanation")?

[Roy Hobbs]

If we win a championship, you're right, Redz, it doesn't matter how we get there.

However, the play up until this point raises questions about this team's readiness to win.  The team has been playing every other night for over a month now, and looks exhausted at times.  Players are questioning their role on the team, and at least two players (KG and House) have aimed criticism at the coach.

I worry that the road we have taken to the championship thus far leaves us in less of a position to win the remaining six games we need to than otherwise would have been required.  Again, hopefully it ultimately doesn't matter, but I'd feel much better if this team was a little fresher and playing more cohesively.

I missed something, what did KG say about Doc (I am assuming the House thing was that thing about "not getting a satisfactory explanation")?

Against Cleveland, Doc said something about how the team has to play better under stress.  KG snipped back that the team was only doing what Doc told them to do, they were running his plays, etc.

[WedmanIsMyHero]

While I have not been at any of the playoff games, from what I have heard it sounds like Doc needs to perform better under stress!  He looks really nervous and a bit out of sorts in close games.  Compare that with Byron Scott or the other coaches in the Conference Finals.

If we win a championship, you're right, Redz, it doesn't matter how we get there.

However, the play up until this point raises questions about this team's readiness to win.  The team has been playing every other night for over a month now, and looks exhausted at times.  Players are questioning their role on the team, and at least two players (KG and House) have aimed criticism at the coach.

I worry that the road we have taken to the championship thus far leaves us in less of a position to win the remaining six games we need to than otherwise would have been required.  Again, hopefully it ultimately doesn't matter, but I'd feel much better if this team was a little fresher and playing more cohesively.

I missed something, what did KG say about Doc (I am assuming the House thing was that thing about "not getting a satisfactory explanation")?

Against Cleveland, Doc said something about how the team has to play better under stress.  KG snipped back that the team was only doing what Doc told them to do, they were running his plays, etc.

[Wicked Messenger]

If ever there was a playoff run that begs you to keep an eye on The Big Picture it is this years Celtics postseason.  If you dissect each game as an individual entity you would have to diagnose these Celtics as completely inconsistent.  But if you look at The Bottom Line of the results as a whole they continue to do exactly what they need to do.  They're well into the 3rd round of the playoffs, and now sit just 6 wins from a championship. 

It's hard to keep things in perspective when a team you know can play to near perfection, lays an egg like they did last night, and have done so on numerous occasions in the postseason, but in the end, a loss is just a loss.  You don't get penalized with extra losses for "not showing up", or "not having energy", or "not having good rotations", "or choking".  You get 1 loss and you move on to the next game.

What has been frustrating on a day to day basis is the Celtics inability to carry any momentum from game to game, but the opposite has also held true.  They haven't carried their failures from game to game either. 

What are we, almost six weeks into the postseason?  The Celtics are right where we hoped they'd be.  It hasn't always been pretty, but they've done the job and they're once again in an excellent position to advance. 

Try to keep focused on The Big Picture.  It makes handling the tough games a lot easier.

[Wicked Messenger]

That may be the best post I've ever red on this board.  Well said, Redz.  The ride will either continue or it won't.  At least we've come this far.  They haven't disappointed (in the big picture). 

[Bahku]

Well put, Redz ... once again you bring a little sanity to the fray, (TP). For me, though, it's not the losses in themselves that really get to me, it's the dichotomy in their performances and inconsistency from game-to-game.

I can except a loss, especially if the effort is there and the team has at least tried. But the seemingly incongruous best-to-worst-to-best cycle that this team goes through, when only separated by two days, is enough to make me pull large clumps of hair out of my head, (and I'm getting to the age where that's not to be taken lightly), or even join my Mom in hurling ginger-snaps at the TV!

I don't think I've ever seen a team this good, go from a smooth, clicking, in-a-groove performance, to an absolutely horrible, careless, un-energized, mistake-riddled one, in such a short period of time ... and then back again! It makes no sense to me, despite all the excuses and analysis I see here, and how objective it seems ... I just don't get it.

I've seen even the worst of teams sustain momentum better than this, and be at least somewhat consistent. But this Celtics team really seems to be two completely different ball clubs at times, and I'm beginning to consider the whole "Invasion Of The Body-Snatchers" scenario here ... it makes just about as much sense!

Seriously, I wouldn't be surprised if this became the first known case of "Team Bi-polar Schizophrenia", and that their collective conscience is so in-sync, that they're somehow undergoing a mass multiple personality disorder, and think they're the 1986 Celtics on one night, and the 2007 Celtics on the other! Or maybe there's some kind of "Stepford Celtics" thing going on, (I wonder if anyone's been checking their lockers for pods or little piles of wrinkled, gray skin).

Anyway ... this up-and-down stuff is about as frustrating as anything I've witnessed in a long time, and I'd honestly rather see them lose a close one while playing their hearts out, than lose by 19 while playing like schmucks. There certainly wouldn't be the same amount of frustration, or the ever-present knowledge that despite the horror show taking place before my eyes, when this team wants to, they can beat any team in the NBA!

That's what gets to me ... that's what makes me lose sleep at night, NOT just that they're losing games they shouldn't, but that from night-to-night, I have absolutely NO idea which team is going to show up!

[WedmanIsMyHero]

The problem might just be that this team has had to struggle a lot to get to this point because they are not as good as we thought they were.  They still might be good enough to win the title, but the Celtics are a bit old, a bit slow, and lack big winning experience among the Big 3 and Doc.  So they don't have the youth and quickness of the Lakers (nor Kobe and his excellence and championship experience), nor do they have the championship experience of the Pistons and Spurs.  So it is not that surprising that the Celtics have struggled.

But hopefully they can pull it together and bring banner 17 to Boston. . .

Well put, Redz ... once again you bring a little sanity to the fray, (TP). For me, though, it's not the losses in themselves that really get to me, it's the dichotomy in their performances and inconsistency from game-to-game.

I can except a loss, especially if the effort is there and the team has at least tried. But the seemingly incongruous best-to-worst-to-best cycle that this team goes through, when only separated by two days, is enough to make me pull large clumps of hair out of my head, (and I'm getting to the age where that's not to be taken lightly), or even join my Mom in hurling ginger-snaps at the TV!

I don't think I've ever seen a team this good, go from a smooth, clicking, in-a-groove performance, to an absolutely horrible, careless, un-energized, mistake-riddled one, in such a short period of time ... and then back again! It makes no sense to me, despite all the excuses and analysis I see here, and how objective it seems ... I just don't get it.

I've seen even the worst of teams sustain momentum better than this, and be at least somewhat consistent. But this Celtics team really seems to be two completely different ball clubs at times, and I'm beginning to consider the whole "Invasion Of The Body-Snatchers" scenario here ... it makes just about as much sense!

Seriously, I wouldn't be surprised if this became the first known case of "Team Bi-polar Schizophrenia", and that their collective conscience is so in-sync, that they're somehow undergoing a mass multiple personality disorder, and think they're the 1986 Celtics on one night, and the 2007 Celtics on the other! Or maybe there's some kind of "Stepford Celtics" thing going on, (I wonder if anyone's been checking their lockers for pods or little piles of wrinkled, gray skin).

Anyway ... this up-and-down stuff is about as frustrating as anything I've witnessed in a long time, and I'd honestly rather see them lose a close one while playing their hearts out, than lose by 19 while playing like schmucks. There certainly wouldn't be the same amount of frustration, or the ever-present knowledge that despite the horror show taking place before my eyes, when this team wants to, they can beat any team in the NBA!

That's what gets to me ... that's what makes me lose sleep at night, NOT just that they're losing games they shouldn't, but that from night-to-night, I have absolutely NO idea which team is going to show up!

[wdleehi]

The Celtics are in good position. 



I just want to see them give good effort every game.  Win or lose.


But I believe if they give that effort every game, there is no way they can lose more then they win  (which of course equals title)