A Message To The C's

[divo0oneh]

If we dont come out strong the next game and make a statement and im not just talking about 1 or 2 or 3 players im talking about the whole unit if they dont come out and clearly send a message to LA that we can beat them and we can win it then this series could be over in 5!

Because so far it took a record breaking 3pt attempts to win game 2 and that wont happen every game all 5 starters have to step up and if this team really pride themselves on playing D then Derick freaking Fisher cant turn into Chris Paul in the 4th quarter and humiliate you defensively!

Mentally the C's are not sharp and i didnt see anyone giving Fisher a hard foul when he attacked the rim all the fouls were soft as a matter of fact the only player thats even playing tough is Sheed everyone else seems like they bought into that the Lakers are more physical than 2008! which is BS.

Paul Pierce/KG better show LA their 2 man game down the stretch they have to take over quarters if were gonna win banner 18 and so far we havent shown that we can.

[PosImpos]

Well, it goes without saying that Game 4 is a must-win.  Assuming we manage to win Game 4, Game 5 will more or less be a must-win as well. 

I'm sure the Celtics understand that.  Either they come up with a good game plan and rise to the challenge, showing all of us that they are good enough to compete with the Lakers, or they don't.  Simple as that.

We'll see.

[greenhead85]

The Celts were too eager to win the game after getting the home court advantage. Most of them lost focus and ability to adjust their offensive pattern particularly Pierce and Perkins. Will somebody teach Perk the meaning of rhythm, timing and unrelentless focus of every play.

PP has been a big mouth lately. He aint the marquee player(s) that most basketball fans are after in this championship series - they are Kobe, Gasol and Rondo. Rajon has been doing his part - except in the jumpshooting area - but the others are just not adjusting and executing well. Fisher got by him down the stretch but Rajon could have done more for the team had it not been the inconsistencies of PP, Ray, Perk and the diminishing sparkle of KG in the last 5 minutes. In short, the team was out of sync.

[CoachBo]

Well, it goes without saying that Game 4 is a must-win.  Assuming we manage to win Game 4, Game 5 will more or less be a must-win as well. 

I'm sure the Celtics understand that.  Either they come up with a good game plan and rise to the challenge, showing all of us that they are good enough to compete with the Lakers, or they don't.  Simple as that.

We'll see.

I'm not sure the game plan ever changes, frankly.

But this team has had a problem with its attention span all season, and it's really reared its head in this season. We have not approximated the level of play of the Orlando and Cleveland series yet.

And we'd better find it pretty quickly.

[celticinorlando]

just take one at a time. get game 4 and then worry about game 5. i still feel good about going to LA up 3-2

[LB3533]

I think we had every intent to come out in the 1st quarter of Game 3 like "Gang busters".

We tried to follow KG and Rondo's lead, but Ray and Paul couldn't buy a basket and Paul got into foul trouble.

Had Ray gotten into foul trouble and Pierce was able to stay on the court, we might have blown the game wide open after the 1st quarter.

[Chris]

I think we had every intent to come out in the 1st quarter of Game 3 like "Gang busters".

We tried to follow KG and Rondo's lead, but Ray and Paul couldn't buy a basket and Paul got into foul trouble.

Had Ray gotten into foul trouble and Pierce was able to stay on the court, we might have blown the game wide open after the 1st quarter.

Agreed.  It completely took the air out of their sails, when they basically had no perimeter shooting, due to Pierce being on the bench, and Ray having no lift on his shot.  If they come out exactly the same way in game 4, but Ray has his legs back, it could have a completely different complexion.

[connerhenry43]

they came out so strong in game 5. The brutal calls against Pierce, and Doc's decision to bench KG too early (my opinion) hurt them. Also gotta tip your cap to Jackson for their early timeout and getting odom involved early.

Odom's banked three amd luke walton's prayer high arching shot early on were bad too both in terms of omens and in terms of taking our early MO and destroying it. Refs did their part as well.

[PosImpos]

Well, it goes without saying that Game 4 is a must-win.  Assuming we manage to win Game 4, Game 5 will more or less be a must-win as well.  

I'm sure the Celtics understand that.  Either they come up with a good game plan and rise to the challenge, showing all of us that they are good enough to compete with the Lakers, or they don't.  Simple as that.

We'll see.

I'm not sure the game plan ever changes, frankly.

But this team has had a problem with its attention span all season, and it's really reared its head in this season. We have not approximated the level of play of the Orlando and Cleveland series yet.

And we'd better find it pretty quickly.

Well, I was tempted to say the C's need to come out with heart and fire and a readiness to beat the crap out of the other team, but my Dad always harps on me about how it's the game plans (adjustments etc) that make one team look like they're not trying and the other team look like they're working their butts off.  So I didn't want to talk as if it's all about heart for the C's.

But it probably is.  That and health.

I think we had every intent to come out in the 1st quarter of Game 3 like "Gang busters".

We tried to follow KG and Rondo's lead, but Ray and Paul couldn't buy a basket and Paul got into foul trouble.

Had Ray gotten into foul trouble and Pierce was able to stay on the court, we might have blown the game wide open after the 1st quarter.

Agreed.  It completely took the air out of their sails, when they basically had no perimeter shooting, due to Pierce being on the bench, and Ray having no lift on his shot.  If they come out exactly the same way in game 4, but Ray has his legs back, it could have a completely different complexion.

Yeah, it was painfully obvious last night that when the outside shots aren't falling, it doesn't matter how well the Celtics play - they're going to lose unless the other team is atrocious or not trying at all.

The Celtics, I felt, outplayed the Lakers through the majority of the first half.  They just couldn't keep up because they couldn't score inside against the Laker length and none of their outside shots were falling, even ones that were totally open.  In the second half, they ratcheted up the defense for the first quarter and a half and managed to claw their way back in the game, but their offense still never found traction - the shots never fell - and then they let up on D and they were buried by Derek Fisher, of all people.

Tough to watch.  But that's the team we've seen all season.  They don't have a real post threat so they need those 3's and long 2's to fall.  They didn't last night, for whatever reason, and now the C's are down 2-1.

[jedkni]

Message to the C's from a Laker fan:

If you look at Allen's 0-13 performance during game 3 and compare his 8-11 performance in game 2, there's one thing that stands out. As a Laker fan, I've watched only the 2 Lakers/Boston regular season games prior to the Finals, so perhaps this will provide a clearer perspective on what Boston needs to get him going (hopefully not!). Allen's consistent shooting is predicated on rhythm. On most of his shots in game 3, he was hesitant, even pump-faked once or twice before finally shooting, and basically there was no rhythm into the shot. Whereas in game 2, as soon as he got the ball off the pick and roll or set screen, he immediately shot the ball. No hesitation at all. He needs to be given the ball in moving rhythm: catch the ball, take 1-2 steps to square his shoulders, and fire away. If Allen isn't in this rhythm in game 4, he'll shoot 4-15.

[Q_FBE]

Every game is a must win.

Ray Allen will work on his 3 point rhythm shooting.
Paul Pierce will figure out where his best opportunities are.
The defense appears to have been fixed (The Lakers only scored 39 points in the 2nd half - It was cold shooting by Boston and that 32-8 abomination in the 1st half that killed Game 3 for us).

This is not like 1984, where it truly looked bleak until McHale clotheslined Rambis in the 3rd Qtr of Game 4.

Invoke your good luck charm and go for it.