AB's absence at the end of the second and especially for most of the third killed us last night. I think that we scored 9 points that quarter!?!?
Also, Pietrus didn't play as much as he could've to spell Pierce, because of his injury issues, and it's not just the swelling in Pietrus' knee of which I speak. For a good part of the 3rd, Pietrus was standing/sitting behind the Cs bench with what looked like an ice pack strapped to his back.
Rondo got nicked up too. He fell hard on his wrist, but wouldn't come out.
With Pierce's, Allen's and Steamer's documented woes, these "nicks" to Bradley, Rondo and Pietrus give us NO margin for error in our play, execution and intensity, and no margin for additional injuries.
It was painful being there last night, for these wounded warriors, especially, but for me as a screaming fan, too. Hopefully a day's rest today and adjustments to the adjustments that they made will give us a shot for the rest of the series. We looked "cooked" at the end.
Also, the most deflating and pivotal play last night wasn't the foul called on KG (it was a foul, but especially at that point in the game you don't call it given how much the refs let them play, particularly with Pierce getting hacked on most forays to the basket).
The play that killed us was Lavoie Allen's buzzer beater with .9 on the shot clock on the inbounds pass. That was a dagger, and terrible luck for us. Lavoie blankin' Allen...you gotta be kidding me?