I'm Encouraged (V.4)

[GreenFaith1819]

yeah Green Faith - i remember that nightmare game 4 in 1987 - but your memory is a little hazy ............. the Celts had a double-digit lead going into the 4th qtr. there and turnovers killed us down the stretch. also Bird had just hit an amazing 3-pointer from the corner to put the Celts up before we foul the Lakers only to have them miss the 2nd free throw and then the disaster -McHale loses an easy foul shot rebound off his hands out of bounds, which led to Johnson's shot that they will never stop playing on tv. i drove around knoxville for a couple of hours in the middle of the night after that loss - maybe the most painful of my career as a Celtics fan since the 60's (though game 7 at home in the eastern finals in 1973 to the Knicks is right up there.)

that nite, the Celts went down 3-1 in the series. they came back and won game 5 with a very solid effort, but did not tie the series at 3-3 as you remember. we went back to LA and lost game 6 along with the title. very bad memories.

Yup, The C's lost that one, 4-2. If i remember correctly, it was Danny Ainge who provided the spark in the game 5 blowout as he scored 5 or 6 threes in that game. It was also the last finals game ever at the original Boston Garden. Wow, 23 years ago? The memory of that Magic baby hook and Bird's miss from the corner is still very vivid in my mind. I really thought that Larry would nail that corner three.

McHale played that series on a broken foot - if only, if only Len Bias had been on that team .............

I hear ya.

Another reason I have a Strong "Dislike" for LA - they have never (to my memory) experienced anything like what we did with Bias and Reggie - something that sets their Franchise back many years.

[Bahku]

TP Bahku. I love the optimism and thoughtfulness of your posts.

Definitely feel the starters have to start playing better from Sunday. None of our main offensive options have shown up in the same half all series. That's an aberration I can't imagine will continue. If we get 2 going at the same time it makes life much easier for us. Defensively we have to stay sharp and hopefully the refs let them play. And we need to control the boards. That's the key. Go Celtics!

The feeling's mutual, TB (TP) ... I really think we're due for one of "those" games. Can you imagine Ray, Rondo, Paul and KG all playing their best at the same time? We've had a couple of those games this year, and it's such a joy to watch basketball being played that way ... everyone in tune to each other, flowing in the same groove, almost like they're reading each others' minds. I've been in a couple of bands where we played so long together that we operated the same way ... feeling the energy passing through us and the audience, and just knowing what the other musicians are going to do without saying a word ... it's an amazing thing to experience! There are nurses I've worked with so long that we had that same kind of connection, too ... it's so cool to experience that kind of unspoken sympatico. I really feel like Sunday is going to be an exceptional game for the Celtics ... can't wait!

[misha]

Great post as always, Bahku.

[Bahku]

Great post as always, Bahku.

Thanks to you, Buddy!

[Drucci]

Great thread Bahku, my thoughts exactly. With each game passing in this series, I'm thinking "wow, we're tied with the Lakers and we still never had our offense clicking for one game?! that's a good sign".

I mean, that's now 2 games in a row that we got great shots and easy layups and butchered them (especially in game 4). Logic says it won't last, especially after 3 days of rest. And Ray is due for a bounce back game, KG probably for a better game, Pierce can keep his level from game 4 (I think Artest's defense on him is really not a factor, Pierce got great looks all over the court for 3 games in a row but he just missed them - except in game 4 - or was in foul trouble).

Finally, Rondo has to play better too. So I see a wide margin for progress on the offensive end and our defense has been really good so far. Plus, we've survived a "great Kobe night" and he basically sucks in the 4th quarter in these Finals.

2 more wins, let's do it!

[Bahku]

Great thread Bahku, my thoughts exactly. With each game passing in this series, I'm thinking "wow, we're tied with the Lakers and we still never had our offense clicking for one game?! that's a good sign".

I mean, that's now 2 games in a row that we got great shots and easy layups and butchered them (especially in game 4). Logic says it won't last, especially after 3 days of rest. And Ray is due for a bounce back game, KG probably for a better game, Pierce can keep his level from game 4 (I think Artest's defense on him is really not a factor, Pierce got great looks all over the court for 3 games in a row but he just missed them - except in game 4 - or was in foul trouble).

Finally, Rondo has to play better too. So I see a wide margin for progress on the offensive end and our defense has been really good so far. Plus, we've survived a "great Kobe night" and he basically sucks in the 4th quarter in these Finals.

2 more wins, let's do it!

Yeah ... we still have not had a game in this series where we played our best consistently ... I really believe this will be the one, (and the Game 6 win will be from the momentum carried over as a result of this blowout). Let's get 'er done, Boyz! (TP, Druc)

[mmbaby]

Always love your outlook, Bahku. Thanks for a great post.