Collins: Celtics turn up the heat

Posted by Chris Collins May 4, 2008 at 8:10 pm

Nobody thought the Celtics would be pushed to the brink of elimination by the Atlanta Hawks, but the Celtics proved they were the dominant team winning by 34 points in Game 7. But how well the Celtics performed when their backs were against the wall is a sign of good things to come… in this video blog.

Best-of-7 Now a Best-of-1

Posted by David Green May 3, 2008 at 1:48 am

This is getting ridiculous. And I don’t even mean the phantom foul on Paul Pierce Friday night, because I can’t physically bring myself to deal with that one yet. (Side note: thank goodness Game 7 is back in Boston where Tommy Heinsohn sits courtside and can throttle any ref at a moment’s notice if they pull an encore performance.)

But the Celtics have now blown double-digit leads in each of their three losses in Atlanta. The Hawks have out-hustled and out-worked the C’s three times. They’ve been more aggressive and more physical. And perhaps most concerning, they’ve looked like they wanted these wins more than the supposed best team in the Association.

Now we’re on the verge of what would be the biggest upset in NBA Playoff history. A more unfathomable result than that Super Bowl loss local fans are still struggling to digest. Sure, people will say, “There’s no way Boston loses a Game 7 at home.” And the Celtics probably won’t, not after blowing the Hawks out by an average of 22 points per game on the Garden parquet. But then again, they weren’t supposed to get taken to the limit by a team that finished 29 games behind them in the regular season.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m confident the C’s will take care of business on Sunday afternoon (finally), but if the unthinkable happens and the Green are cleaning out their lockers on Monday, this fantastic renaissance of a season will be for naught. Don’t believe what my boss, the normally wise Morry Levine, wrote on this very blog last month: this season would not be a success if the 66-win Celtics lose in the first round to the sub-.500 Hawks.

Celtics Fans: No Need to Worry

Posted by Craig Kolodny April 30, 2008 at 1:05 pm

There’s definitely a lot of angst in Boston tonight as the Celtics head into Game 5 against the upstart Hawks. There was never supposed to even be a Game 5. And then after Atlanta won Game 3, tonight’s game was viewed as a chance to win the series on home soil. Oh how things have changed.  After tonight, Celtics fans probably don’t want to see the Celts on the parquet until Game 1 of the next round. Win Game 5, take Game 6 on the road, and we’ll pretend this series never happened.

And I’m here to tell you that is exactly what’s going to happen. Yes, I’ve seen Games 3 and 4. There’s no way Joe Johnson could do that again. But I also saw Games 1 and 2 in Boston. The Hawks had no chance in the Garden. The green team only lost 6 times at home all season. Kevin Garnett and company have come too far to go and mess it all up in round 1. We’ve already had enough 1 vs 8 drama in the postseason around these parts (I’m talking about the Bruins in case you forgot).

I’ve heard from enough people that now is the time to panic, and all I can do is laugh. Yes, the series shouldn’t have gone this far, but unlike the Super Bowl, this is a 7 game series and most of the time, the better team will prevail. The Celtics were 29 games better than the Hawks this year, and it will show over the next few games. Boston makes a statement tonight in another double digit win at the Garden, and everyone around here will be singing a different tune, anticipating a (probable) showdown with LeBron and the Cavs.    

Hawks Take Flight

Posted by Mike Giardi April 27, 2008 at 11:55 am

First, let me admit that I have a problem, one that may not be fixable by any means of modern medicine. I am a Banana Chocolate Chip muffin addict. I got my fix this AM, pounding 3 of those bad boys with a couple of cups of joe. Not the mammer jammer muffins that are like a thousand calories per, but the little cupcake ones that are simply tremendous. And hey, its got fruit in it, so its gotta be good for you, right? Yeah, I’ll keep telling myself that as I balloon to 250. Only 90 pounds to go!

On a more serious note, what a dreadful outing for the Celtics last night. A team that has prided itself on defense played absolutely zero in the A-T-L. Josh Smith and the rest of the gang seemed to be dunking every time down the floor. How about knocking one of those clowns down? How about impeding progress to the goal? It just didn’t happen with any kind of frequency, and now the Hawks have some life. That’s a dangerous thing. The kids get confident, and who knows what happens? Now Monday becomes must-see TV.

The second notable thing from last night’s loss: Mike Bibby finally played like a seasoned pro. In fact, he outplayed Rajon Rondo. I didn’t expect Bibby to go down without a fight, but I didn’t expect Rondo to do what the rest of his team did - stop playing “D”. He may be most responsible for what happened in Game 3. Control the point guard, control the opposition. Didn’t happen. Rondo will need to be considerably better in Game 4, because defensively, slow Sam Cassell is not the answer.

It’s Time For Garnett to Shine

Posted by Craig Kolodny April 17, 2008 at 12:37 pm

A little over a week ago, I wrote on how Kevin Garnett should be the NBA’s MVP this year. No, I haven’t changed my mind in that time frame, but we’re now approaching the time of the year where KG has typically faltered. Most say the intensity with which Garnett plays with every day eventually catches up with him come postseason play. KG has been in the playoffs 8 times previously and only advanced past the first round ONCE. Is this a cause for concern?

I know, I know, he never quite had the talent surrounding him like he does as the Celtics enter Game 1 Sunday vs Atlanta. I don’t think there’s anyway the green team loses the series to the Hawks. In fact, Atlanta probably doesn’t even win a game. But I’m looking down the road. After leading the greatest turnaround in league history, there’s a lot of pressure on KG now. Expectations have skyrocketed for a franchise that hasn’t seen a legitimate title contender in 20 years or so. If Celtics fans expect to see banner number 17 come June, Garnett must assert himself (read: be selfishly aggressive down low) as the go-to guy against the rest of the league’s elite. If he doesn’t, not only will the Celtics not reach their ultimate goal, but there will always be people out there capable of saying he was just a great regular season player. Garnett may have the most pressure of anyone in the playoffs, but I expect him to shoulder that until the NBA finals at a minimum.

C’s Schedule Released

Posted by David Green April 17, 2008 at 3:07 am

Wrapping up their regular season with a record of 66-16, the third most wins in franchise history, the Celtics’ record reverts to 0-0 as the NBA Playoffs begin this weekend. Only in the Association could a playoff series take as long as 2 weeks to decide, though there’s no way the Celtics-Hawks matchup will go the distance. Not a chance. But the schedule is out for Round 1, and here’s what the Boston-Atlanta series looks like:

Sunday, April 20 - at Boston, 8:30 p.m., TNT

Wednesday, April 23 - at Boston, 8:00 p.m., TNT

Saturday, April 26 - at Atlanta, 8:00 p.m., ESPN

Monday, April 28 - at Atlanta, 8:00 p.m., TNT

Wednesday, April 30 - at Boston, TBA (if necessary)

Friday, May 2 - at Atlanta, TBA (if necessary)

Sunday, May 4 - at Boston, TBA (if necessary)

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