Thanks for starting this thread. I've been hashing over things as well, and I wonder if something's wrong with me or my thinking, because this is how I've been looking at Game 3: of course I'm glad they got the win--much rather be up 2-1 than down 1-2--but that was an ugly performance, and didn't inspire confidence in me that they can go far.
I'm trying so hard to be positive, but these guys have a habit of making things hard on themselves and their fans. Boston had just stolen one from the Hawks in Atlanta, seizing home-court advantage and heading home, giving the Cs the momentum, and the Hawks were without three crucial players in Game 3 ... and Boston had to go to OT for the win?
Outside of a few notable exceptions (such as Pierce in Game 3), these guys have put up some awful shooting performances lately, particularly Pierce, KG, Rondo, MP, and Bass. Late in the fourth quarter of Game 3 we were treated to "bad Paul," the guy who reminds me of Antoine and makes me forget just how good Pierce can be: going up in the air with no shot and no one to pass to and consequently turning the ball over, a dumb push-off for an offensive foul, nearly losing the ball while trying to force his way through double teams. Blowing an 8-point lead in about a minute near the end of the game has me thinking of Phil Jackson during the 2010 Finals: "These guys are the worst fourth-quarter team in the league!" And we again had the honor of watching Boston play good D for a full 24 seconds only to have it all go for naught because the Cs can't grab a dang rebound.
Their play improved in OT, though I can't for the life of me figure out why Rondo misses so many layups, and why he insists on shooting so many one-handed shots. I guess it just seems to me like there's always an excuse with these guys: one day off between games isn't enough rest, but two days off is too much rest; injuries are a legitimate obstacle, but in Game 3 we had a full roster and the Hawks were sorely hurting. Yeah, they play great when their backs are against the wall, but why do they so often put themselves in that position? If they'd shown up for Game 1 like they should've, they could be finishing a sweep tomorrow and getting plenty of time to rest and practice before the second round.
I like this team, I really do. I want to enjoy them, I want to have fun watching them, but I usually have to turn off the TV--or never turn it on in the first place--because they send my blood pressure through the roof. I don't expect perfection, but oftentimes these guys play like it's the start of the preseason. How can so many guys shoot so badly at the same time? How can they let Erick Dampier (!) score six points? How can they let Jason Collins school them on consecutive possessions early in the game? How come they can't hold a lead? How come they can't step on the opponent's throat when they have the chance? Yes, they have a defense that's generally very good, but I get the feeling that they think they need to score only 70 points a game.
Yes, Mike Tomlin is right in that a win's a win, but football, I feel, is different: you can have a low-scoring football game--say, 17-14--but still have it contain a fair share of exciting plays (sacks, interceptions, great tackles, fine feats of athleticism), but a low-scoring basketball game is almost never exciting outside of the last minute, because even though it might feature some good defense and a few exciting plays, it probably also features some wretched shooting, lots of turnovers, and generally poor execution. Game 3 was certainly not an example of great D by both teams; it was a case of two teams that, for the most part, couldn't hit water falling out of a boat.
Topic: Words of wisdom from Mike Tomlin' (Read 2185 times)