Celts, Heat Game Four Wrap Up: Crying to Referees in Transition

Suck on that Lebron. Serious question, how soon after the game did Lebron call David Stern to cry about fouling out? I mean did you see his post game interview, just sat there and point blank said "I don't foul out, I don't foul out, I don't foul out." Bron-Bron or one of his boys was probably blowing up the commish's Blackberry for hours after the game, crying like a little bitch that the Heat had to play these last two games straight up with no advantage from the refs.

I mean, that was the difference between the two games, Rondo said it as matter of factly as he could:

It's as simple as that. When there isn't an advantage one way or the other (and mind you that's not me saying the ref's were good this game, they sucked, but they sucked somewhat equally at least) the Celts are the better team. Which is unfathomable considering that in the absence of Avery Bradley, Keyon Dooling and Marquise Daniels are getting serious minutes, but it's absolutely true.

You can see it in the first half. The Celtics are the superior team. They've laid the wood to Miami in 3 out of the 4 games in the first half. Yes they're giving it right back up in the 3rd quarter every game, but I'd contend that's more of a old legs vs new legs issue. When both teams are fresh and right out the gate, the Celts are dominant. Dominant. If this was little league the C's would have mercy ruled the Heat in games 2 thru 4 at the half time buzzer. It's been amazing to watch.

And yet, I still can't get over game 2. That non-call for Rondo still just sticks right in my craw. Simply put, Rondo gets that call, Boston's up 3-1 and Lebron's out shopping for fresh underwear after pissing through every pair he owns...Kinda like he did last night, you know, when he passed the ball to Udonis Freaking Haslem for the last shot of regulation.

Just like Coach Olestra drew it up I'm sure.

Hey NBA, Look Away, It's Dwayne Wade Mauling Rajon Rondo

Not a foul though. Solid play on the ball, not a foul at all. How many games would Pietrus have been suspended for the same play if he did it to Lebron or Wade? 2? Absolute Fucking Bullshit.

Not to mention the fact that this was then followed by Dwayne Wade's sure to be infamous Crouching Tiger,  Hidden Dragon move on KG:

Just a brutal stretch of officiating. I will say that one might be a 50/50 call, but considering the ref's owed the Celts one big time for the Rondo non-call, I can't see how you get KG there. The man was just kung fu'd. And you know what pisses me off the most about all the referee shenanagins last night? The fact that that's what we'll remember the game for. 

We should be remembering 53 mins (that's every single minute, folks), 44 pts, 8 rebs, 10 assists, 3 steals, and a whole lot of heart. This should be remember as Rondo's ultimate HOF highlight reel game. Instead it's just going to be remembered as game two in a series the Heat will presumably roll in 5 now, and a game where the Celts were whistled for 33 fouls, to Miamis 18. An absolute joke and a damn shame. 

 

 

Celtics Down Lebron and El Heat Once Again

 

Twice in 10 days! Someone go ask Stephen A Smith if this one counted against the Heat? He's gotta be running out of excuses for Lebron and Co by now, right? I mean this one was at home, and the C's controlled it, basically tip-buzzer. 

And another thing...all those old "Chris Bosh is a young KG" comparisons from a few years back when everyone still thought Bosh had real talent, is there anyone we can contact to get those expunged from the Internet for good? It's just embarrassing that those comparisons even exist at this point. Bostrich might be one of the least useful players on the planet on that Heat team. Hell, Tommy Heinson's comparisons of Greg Steimsma (I don't even know if that's how you spell his name) to Bill Russell hold more weight than the old comparisons of Bosh to KG. That's how far he's fallen.  I honestly can't wait for the playoffs to start and that's something I would have never said about this Celts team 2 months ago. 

In other Boston sports news, the Sox lost again, and I'm one step closer to the ledge

Miami Heat Lose Yet Another Prime Time Matchup, Media Yet Again Makes Excuses for Them

Real question, is Stephen A that delusional? Or in Stephen A-bonics "IS STEphen A THat DELusionAL? 

And I'm not complaining from a Boston perspective, I'm glad he gave the team it's props. They're now leading their division and have the second best record in basketball since the All-Star break. They're still old as hell and a fairly flawed team with some real weaknesses, but if anything this proves they've got a punchers chance in the playoffs. You know they'll go down swinging, and if they catch a team, like say, the Heat, by surprise, they could knock 'em out. 

Which is why I think Stephen A, and all the media types who keep defending Miami for these show down losses need a bit of a dose of reality. In the past month they've played the Lakers, the Pacers, Orlando, Chicago, Oklahoma and now Boston, a combined 8 times...They're 2-6. TWO AND SIX! And no one says anything about it, just "oh, the game meant more to the opposing team than it did the Heat."

BULLSHIT.  This is a team that comes into every big matchup with a media circus, wondering how they'll respond. They've stepped up twice. Once in overtime against the Pacers at home, and once at home against Orlando...Hell, that loss to Chicago was while Rose was out...The talent disparity is already huge between Chicago and Miami, but take away Rose? That should be like playing just another middling eastern conference team for Miami, but they couldn't do it. 

Once or twice is excusable, but not showing up 6x in a month, that's a pattern. Four of those losses were by double digits, by an average of 15 points per game...That's not exactly paining a picture of an elite team putting up a fight on a night by night basis. 

And the argument that it doesn't mean anything, that they're just treading water, doesn't really hold weight either. Coming into last month they were in contention for the 1 seed, now? It's all but gone. And trust me, in a seven game series against the Bulls, they want that home court advantage. Not to mention the fact that no other team in the league would get this much leeway...its a shortened season, every game counts more now than in any previous season. In the blink of an eye we're going to be into the playoffs, and they're going to be a team that went 10-7 in the last month when they should have been rounding into form for the playoffs, including 6 losses to playoff caliber teams (one to the Jazz for good measure). 

So yes, Stephen A, these games do mean something, and should mean something to Miami. What you're seeing is a team that gets down and quits. A team with no fight once another team imposes their will on them. A team of quitters who very much look like they're being led by a guy who's never been able to overcome adversity in his career. They're front runners who can't handle playing from behind, and that's a huge problem come playoff time.

But great analysis Stevie.