It has almost become an embarrassment of riches. Over the last several years, Boston sports fans have been treated to 3 Super Bowl victories, with in two minutes of a fourth, a 16 and 0 NFL regular season, the Sox winning two World Series, B.C winning the NCAA hockey championship, two no hitters and now as improbable as it may seem, the Boston Celtics are on the verge of winning a 17th NBA Championship.
After finishing the greatest turn around in NBA history, going from 24 wins to 66 wins in a single season, we had reason to be optimistic. The first year of the big three of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen filled the garden every night with raucous fans and great basketball but dare we think of a championship banner?
Certainly the pundits didn't think so after the club struggled by beating Atlanta and Cleveland in seven games. Things started to look up when the Celtics dispatched a very tough Detroit team in six.
In the mean time the prohibitive favorite, Lakers, had knocked off the defending champion Spurs and were waiting to unleash the highest scoring offense in the league on our guys. The pundits started to get a bit nervous when we held the home court advantage by winning the first two games of the series. The Lakers began to swing the edge back their way with a nice effort in game 3.
I was sitting in the living room Thursday in the exact same spot that I had occupied in the afore mentioned big wins in Boston sports history. Call it what you will, superstition or OCB, I never change my spot or my routine when a big game is on the line. The idiotic 9 o'clock starts have affected me this year however.
After watching the Celtics play the worst half of basketball they have submitted all year and trailing by 18 at half time I threw in the towel and headed for the sack. Certainly they would lose, the series would be tied and with the 2-3-2 home away format, the Lakers would be huge favorites in game 5. In game four they were 7 point favorites with the money line at 270 to make 100. Big MO was on their side and the dreams of banner 17 were fading.
Oh me of so little faith! Around 12:30 A.M the phone rings waking me out of a sound sleep. My wife handed me the phone and said it was our son. I knew it could only mean one thing. When I took the phone I simply said, "your kidding me"? No, he said, it was true, they had come all the way back and won the game.
Out of bed I flew to soak up every bit of video highlights and printed word available on the tube and on the net. For the next two hours sleep was impossible, I went over every possession in the game log and the blogs to try and understand how on earth the Los Angeles Lakers could blow a 24 point lead at home in the NBA finals?
Of course there were many reasons, and my top ones are as follows. Paul Pierce is a better player in all facets of the game than we thought. For ten years he has been a great player here trying to carry a not so good team on his back. Given the chance, with a cast around him he is showing even better. He refused to give up.
Ray Allen is a certified stud. At 31 years old, he goes the full 48 minutes in the biggest game of his life, drops in 19, grabs 9 boards and does yeoman defensive work on Kobe.
Kevin Garnett is the consummate team player. In the NBA, a player of Garnett's caliber could demand the ball every time down the floor, take his shots and loaf back on defense and make 17 million dollars a year. He won't do it, his effort on every play on offense or defense is made like his life depends on it.
The game balls have to go to Doc Rivers, James Posey and of all people Eddie House. With 6 minutes to go in the third quarter and Rajon Rondo limping and Kendrick Perkins with an injured shoulder, Doc substituted James and Eddie. According to Doc he wanted to "space the floor and prevent the Lakers from doubling Garnett."
Pat Riley said that when we got Posey we would "enjoy seeing him knock down threes in the playoffs." Sure enough, James knocked down four and finished the night with 18 points.
Then there is Eddie House. Eddie is with is 8th team in his 8 years in the NBA. In 2005 he played for 3 teams in one year. Eddie is a shooting guard in a point guards body. At 6 feet 1 inch tall , it is amazing that Eddie is even in the NBA. He put in a solid year for the Celtics as a bench player averaging 19 minutes and 7.5 point per game. However, when the Celtics acquired Sam Cassell as point guard insurance late in the season, Eddie's role diminished to the point where in the playoffs he has had some did not plays. Well, there should be no doubt that Eddie is a pros pro.
He has been quoted as saying what ever the circumstances he would be ready if called and Thursday he was ready. Eddie played 24 minutes and dropped in 11 points all of which came when needed. Of all the big stars on the court, Eddie had the best plus minus ratio finishing at plus 18.
It is not over as Coach Jackson has said but it should be noted that a club has never blown a 3 to 1 lead in the NBA finals. That being said, it is difficult to imagine that this club, with this kind of desire could be the first to lose three in a row. We are very close to number 17. Go Celtics, and you can bet I won't be going to bed early.
