I'll take the win, but...

[GreenEnvy]

Yes jdpapa3...problem is, the older you get the harder it is to find the switch, let alone turn it on...

I just don't get these guys - they talk about what a blessing it is to be able to play together, how fortunate they are, etc..

News flash to Rondo, Baby, KG, Ray & Pierce - "guess what guys, these next 15-20 games? THEY MAY BE THE LAST 15-20 GAMES YOU ALL EVER PLAY TOGETHER IN AGAIN!!!!! You don't think Ainge isn't thinking about trading possibly KG and Ray in the off seson for more young pieces to go along with Rondo and Green? Baby is unrestricted...even if KG and Ray don't get traded at 35 and 36 next year, it's not going to get any easier for you!!!

Therefore, your best shot at legacy is "RIGHT NOW" and therefore maybe all you guys who was prolific about how blesses you are to being playing together and how rare it is...maybe you ought to start thinking about coming out "bare fisted" from minute one of every game like it actually mattered to you!!!

These guys should be in a fist fight with everyone from minute one. We've got the guys to give you some rest, let us know when you need a break...

I want bodies layed on people on the glass, I want guys cutting hard like we "decided to do on offense in the second half.

WE should be blowing this knicks team out by 20 every night. Miami or the Bulls, no. This knicks team...yes.

Bare fisted bar fight - if it really "means that much" to all these guys, that's what we should be seeing.      

The Knicks are a good team. The Lakers should have won by 20 yesterday, and the Bulls and Heat should have won big as well. The Magic shouldn't have been embarrassed despite a career game by their best player.

It's the playoffs.

In 2008 when we were healthy, rested and hungry, we won 4 games against the Hawks by a combined 101 points like we should have. However, we managed to lose 3 games to them in between those blowouts, which shocked everyone, including the Hawks.

We won the championship less than two months later.

Even last year we needed a buzzer beater from Pierce against Miami. Close games should not be surprising in the playoffs.

[ScoobyDoo]

I agree that there will be alot of close games in the Playoffs. My post was more in reference to the "Bi-Polar" nature of this team.

The Celtics team that played in the second half of game one against the knicks was not the same team that played the first half.

And to me that is about mental discipline, toughness and a willingness to go to the mat from minute one of a game. I mean, what'd it take, until the 3rd quarter until Pierce decided he might try taking the ball to the basket instead of just lazily launching up jump shots from outside?

Every time this team struggles it's the same. You can see it, it's like watching your kid. They don't lay a body on anyone, they jack up too many jump shots and don't take the ball to the hole enough, they don't execute with conviction on offense.

They are like jekyl and hyde. So my point was that they talk about how lucky they are to be playing together...this is probably their last best chance to get a ring. Act like it means something when the ball goes up - not just when someone has once again, for the upmteenth time, punched you in the forward while you were sleep walking around on the basketball court.

It's all about focus, discipline and effort for this team. 

 

[Bahku]

Personally, it encourages me ... if we can play that poorly and still beat a team like NYK, then we're going to kill them when we improve our offense, (which we will tomorrow, I guarantee you).

[Tgro]

I really thought for 3 quarters, we played rather well. Yeah, we played MUCH better in the 2nd half, but I thought I was seeing a good amount of will and determination from them in the 1st quarter. The 2nd quarter was the letdown. I thought for those other 3 quarters we looked like the better team. I thought we had the swagger of the winner and the look that we were going to win this game.

It's funny, I never felt comfortable in this game throughout. I thought we should have been winning by a comfortable margin almost throughout, but the Knicks just kept hanging in there and giving us an excellent game. It's not like they should just roll over for us. They played like they wanted to win too. But I thought we did too. And I thought we just did it better, especially when it mattered. Unfortunately, with 2 minutes to go, I said "we're going to lose". I really thought though that it was more of the Knicks just playing as good as they could instead of the Celtics letting down. It was really a competitive game. And even though I felt like we were the better team throughout, they all but had the game won.

I'm not disappointed with what I saw, except for the end of the 2nd quarter. You can take those 6 minutes or so out and I thought we were clearly the better team and it meant something to the Celtics. I was encouraged with what I saw. If that was the Knick's best shot, then we really should be happy with what we saw. We took their best shot and won anyway. I'll take what I seen last night over what I seen in the previous 6 weeks. I felt like they knew it was time to go and they never let it get away from them. I'm feeling better after game 1 of the playoffs than I did at the end of the season. I think we're going to play. I'm looking forward to the rest of these playoffs. 

[jdz101]

Good post. TP

I agree about the rebounding part especially. Watching baby play the 5 and do his little "ay" yelp when a much longer guy grabs an offensive board over him is immensely frustrating. Everybody has to do a better job of boxing out, especially the guards.

Several times JO would go up to block a guard and JOs man (usually turiaf) grabs a board. The Boston guards and other big have to box out to help the shot blocker.

[filmexec]

I agree with Scoob. We don't have an enforcer in the middle like
Dave Cowens, Bill Russell or "Jungle" Jim Luskatoff to really date myself. We need more "Floor Burns" and less 3 pt. outside shooting (except by Ray, Ray!). This team must get tougher from now on. I felt that we stole one from the Knicks in Game One but we will not be able to get away with that kind of game in the second round. The C's have to give a full games worth of "Blood, Sweat and make the other team shed Tears" after we defeat the under-manned and under-defensed Knicks. This is only going to get tougher and if Boston wants #18 that had better get Shaq back or grow a big set of "#$%%@". None of the other teams from now on will give us any quarter. It is a "Badge of Courage" to defeat the Celtics for every other team!

[GreenEnvy]

I agree with Scoob. We don't have an enforcer in the middle like
Dave Cowens, Bill Russell or "Jungle" Jim Luskatoff to really date myself. We need more "Floor Burns" and less 3 pt. outside shooting (except by Ray, Ray!). This team must get tougher from now on. I felt that we stole one from the Knicks in Game One but we will not be able to get away with that kind of game in the second round. The C's have to give a full games worth of "Blood, Sweat and make the other team shed Tears" after we defeat the under-manned and under-defensed Knicks. This is only going to get tougher and if Boston wants #18 that had better get Shaq back or grow a big set of "#$%%@". None of the other teams from now on will give us any quarter. It is a "Badge of Courage" to defeat the Celtics for every other team!

In all fairness, what makes you think the Heat are so good down the stretch. Everything seems to point to the contrary.

Their at their best when they open the game big and build a huge lead and the other team checks out and everyone coasts. They are not all that tough. It's amazing what one game means to some.

Everyone was calling them soft when they couldn't beat anyone noteworthy. They beat us convincingly in one game and everyone thinks they are so big and bad. They are a good team with flaws. We are a good team with flaws. Our flaws are more correctable than theirs.

I think their bark (flashiness) is louder than their bite (execution).

Give me rest (don't make this an incredibly tough series with the Knicks, put our foot on their necks tonight and Friday) and Shaq, and I like our chances.

[biggs]

I would have liked to see them show up in the first half, but after seeing the Spurs and Lakers getting upset, I will take our fashionable win any day.

[j804]

Good post. TP

I agree about the rebounding part especially. Watching baby play the 5 and do his little "ay" yelp when a much longer guy grabs an offensive board over him is immensely frustrating. Everybody has to do a better job of boxing out, especially the guards.

Several times JO would go up to block a guard and JOs man (usually turiaf) grabs a board. The Boston guards and other big have to box out to help the shot blocker.

Rofl thought I was the only one who noticed things like that, Howard does the same crap when he is beat to the ball as well as Bynum ayyyye

Always funny hearing these big guys screaming

[ScoobyDoo]

TP to Filmexec

I agree and to be honest I just don't see the Knicks as a "good team". They have glaring weaknesses, are soft in the middle and don't play alot of D. These games should not be that close. But even if they are, that's not what bothers me, it's that every time the celtics get behind it's because of this apathetic, lazy, lackadaisical attitude to start the game. I can almost tell from the start, immediately, whether their heads are into or not.

And as Filmexec very correctly said, if we think the effort we gave in the 1st half is going to cut it come Miami and/or Chicago, we've got another thing coming - we'll be down 20 at half time.

The Knicks should be road kill for us. Instead we're making the knicks look like OKC and guys like Jared Jeffries look like Dennis Rodman on the boards. It's embarassing.

And to be honest I really don't care that the Lakers and the Spurs lost, that doesn't make me happy that we were able to squeak out a win with a desperation three point heave at the buzzer.

These guys need to come out bare fisted from minute one and put teams in the coffin. Last time I checked KG was 34, Ray was 35, Pierce 33, JO coming off injury and Shaq barely able to walk.

We need to take care of business and get rested for each successive round. We keep playing like we did in game one, we'll turn this into a 6 or 7 game series, and get good and beaten up in the process as we head into a series with a Miami team that appears to be "taking care of it's own business" and could end up being younger and more rested than us.

The team needs to reverse their mental labotomy, and put the knicks away in four like they should.