Anyone think this is a must-win game tonight?

[Discoflux]

IMO the C's are simply better

 lol

[Cman]

Nope, not a must win.  There were people claiming game 4 of the Atlanta series was a must win for the Celtics.  They lost, but made the finals..... so I guess it wasn't really a must win.

Of course, it would be nice to win, I hope the Cs win, I think they have a chance to win, and I will be rooting for them to win.

[angryguy77]

Not a must win, but I hope they do. I don't think I can stomach another Kobe love fest

[P2]

Well, Game 4, just like Game 3, is a "should win". If we are tied 2-2 going into Game 5, L.A. will definitely be confident and try to go with 3 wins to Boston to finish us off; in this case, Game 5 would be a must win. However, Game 5 is as winnable as Game 4, so Game 4 is not a must win.

[pearljammer10]

We need to get one game in LA so i wouldnt say this is a "must win" game. If we loose tonight game 5 turns into a must win. Going into game five up 3 - 1 is huge for the team.

[silvershamrocker]

It'd be nice to and it would make all of us very happy. If we lose we give the Lakers confidence. And we don't have game 5 in our building... Also, we're pretty tired and banged up. I don't want this going any longer than necessary.

[crownsy]

IMO the C's are simply better

 lol

qoute is justified until gasol or odom shows up IMO.

[LarBrd33]

Honestly I felt like we blew our best chance to steal one in LA.   This series could get ugly.  I have the same feeling... if we lose again tonight it's a whole new series for LA and theres no way we beat them in game 5.   We'll head back to Boston needing to win 2.

Gotta win tonight... I consider us in major trouble if we don't.  All the momentum will be in LA's favor and they'll go for the jugular.

[fairweatherfan]

Not a must win, but I hope they do. I don't think I can stomach another Kobe love fest

Hehe, my favorite subplot for most of Game 2 was keeping a running count of Kobe Made FGs vs Kobe Highlights before and after commercials.  I think at one point it was Highlights 10-4, with a couple of Kobe's few made FGs shown as slow-mo highlights more than once across different commercial breaks.  They really are desperate to slobber over this guy.

Back to the topic, this isn't a must-win, but whichever way it goes will dramatically change the tone of the series from here on out.  Each team desperately wants to win for different reasons.  Simmons is often ridiculously wrong, but he's right to say this one has the potential to be an epic game.  I've got my popcorn ready...

[LarBrd33]

I'm thinkin it plays out like the Miami/Dallas series with Miami dropping the first 2 and then Wade dominating the remaining 4 games.

My gut instinct... everyone keeps talking about how the Celtics played poorly in game 3, but honestly my belief is that the Lakers have played poorly in the first 3 games.  They are due to figure out our defense and start owning us.   My prediction:  We get blown out tonight, head into game 5 with our tail between our legs... and after dropping 3 in a row we go back to Boston shellshocked and desperate and watch the Lakers hold up the trophy at the end of the night.

I really hope I'm wrong... but I smell a Laker/Kobe explosion that will make me sick for a month.

[Redz]

Not a must win, but I hope they do. I don't think I can stomach another Kobe love fest

ditto

[makaveli]

hell yeah a must win game i got my money on the celtics(again)
play defense, rebound, move the ball and push the tempo, if we do all that e don't have to worry about kobe and the lakers

[Stu]

Not a must win, but I would call it "pivotal" or "crucial" due to the ramifications if they lose, as many in this thread have already stated.  The team that wins this game has a definite edge going forward.

[Redz]

It's a must win for the team in purple and gold.  In fact I'd say they have  3 must wins in a row on their home floor.

[angryguy77]

Just remember that if we lose, we still have game 5. We only neede one in LA. If we lose tonight I don't think that LA will be able to match the intensity of boston's in game 5. This team has responded very well when its back is against the wall so far. Not worried about phil and his adjustments either. Were not one dimensional so we can counter what ever he can do. If we would have been flat defensivly in game 3 I would be a litt;e nervous. But they played pretty well and i don't see them having a laps like they did earlier in the playoffs. If we play the same kind of D tonight with a little more offense, then we win this sucker