The Truth About Boston
I guess asking these Boston Celtics to act like they’ve been here before was too much to ask, considering the fact that they haven’t been here before. At least this Celtics group hasn’t. If they had, they wouldn’t be acting like they just won a world championship instead of needing all fourteen games to finish off two teams that were far inferior during the regular season.
As if it weren’t enough that they let the Atlanta Hawks take them to seven games, the Celtics would’ve never lived it down had they let a one-man team come in and beat them in their house in Game 7 with a trip to the Eastern Conference finals on the line. You’d think that the series against the Hawks would’ve been their “wake up call,” but then again, why would they even need a wake up call? After all, this is what they spent the last six months grinding for. This is what the big three was put together for — not to simply win 66 games and then bow out in the playoffs. What, they didn’t know the playoffs had started? Nobody told them? Perhaps the first two series wasn’t their wake up call, it was just confirmation that this team may not be who we thought they were.
And since when does getting out of the second round, in seven games against a team that you’re favored to beat, produce a standing ovation among the fans in Boston? This is the same place that has all those championship banners hanging in the rafters isn’t it? I can’t tell if it’s because the past twenty years have really been that bad or if it’s because these fans still aren’t completely sold on their team. You mean to tell me that a 66-win team getting to the conference finals is cause for celebration? That’s a joke, based on what basketball has meant in Boston all these years. Give the Celtics some props for showing up in a Game 7 where the pressure was at its highest, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. The fans in Los Angeles and Detroit don’t throw a huge party when their team makes it out of the second round, and neither should the fans in Boston.
While I understand the argument of ‘that which doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger,’ don’t tell me that the Celtics aren’t fatigued, both emotionally and physically, after having to play back-to-back seven game series. Their confidence has to have taken a hit as well. Yes, it may have made them mentally tougher, but its also beating them down, and now they only have two days to prepare themselves before having to face the well-rested Detroit Pistons, which is obviously going to be a much tougher matchup than Cleveland and Atlanta.
They’ll be facing a Pistons team that knows how to battle and is playoff-tested, and is one of the best, if not the best, road teams in the entire league. I don’t believe there’s any question that the Pistons will win at least one game in Boston, and if that’s the case, the Celtics better start thinking about playing as well on the road as they did during the regular season or else their championship dreams could come to nightmarish end.
Congratulations on advancing, but this is obviously a little early to be celebrating.
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May 23, 2008 at 1:40 PM
Good call. Last night I watched as the C’s choked one away at home and now have to win at least one in Detroit. Normally I’d think they could do it, but they haven’t won on the road all throughout the playoffs, so that will be tough. This would go down as one of the biggest collapses of all-time if they don’t make it to the Finals.
May 23, 2008 at 3:17 PM
I figured Detroit would win at least one game in Boston, as they did last night, so Boston has to return to their regular season form on the road if they expect to advance in this series. Detroit won’t just give one away, either.
May 24, 2008 at 1:14 PM
With the series now turning back to Detroit, I actually think the Celtics will finally win a road game. It won’t be easy, but they’ve played well with their backs against the wall all season and I don’t see that changing now.
May 24, 2008 at 4:25 PM
I agree. The C’s aren’t simply going to fold now that they’ve lost on the road. Having said that, you’re absolutely right when you point out that they needed to start winning on the road rather than expecting to win every game at home, because as we’ve seen, that’s just not going to happen.
May 24, 2008 at 10:23 PM
Everybody said the the Celtics could win on the road if they have to, and guess what, they just did. That doesn’t mean what I was saying isn’t true. This is exactly what we’ve all been waiting for, and they’ve been on cruise control up until this point. They stood up to the pressure and finally got it done. Losing at home may have been the kick in the pants they needed.
May 26, 2008 at 2:12 PM
Okay, maybe I was wrong, but I was glad to see the C’s finally play like their capable in Game 3. As good as Detroit is on the road, I’d be shocked if they ripped another one away in Boston. That was the biggest loss of the season for them, by far.
May 26, 2008 at 5:32 PM
I was shocked that the Celtics took Game 3 in Detroit, but we certainly knew they were capable of it. They were the best team during the regular season, but they needed to show us something during the playoffs if we were going to believe they have a chance to compete for a title.
May 28, 2008 at 9:49 AM
In a series that is now best-of-three, the Celtics may have the home court advantage, but I wouldn’t bet against a team that, like the Spurs, have been battle-tested each of the past six years. The Pistons are a team I could see emerging if this thing was fought in a back alley, and that says a lot about the fight and determination they show when these must-win games come along.
May 28, 2008 at 6:04 PM
Yep, the Pistons have to be the favorite in this one even if they don’t have homecourt advantage. They have too much back alley toughness and experience to not be favored. That doesn’t mean they’ll win this series, however, because they’re also very good at not motivating themselves.
May 30, 2008 at 2:02 PM
I honestly have to say that I think the Celtics could win tonight in Detroit and finish the series off. I still believe Detroit has the experience to win tonight and win a game 7 in Boston, but if Rip Hamilton has a poor game or doesn’t play at all, they could be done.
June 5, 2008 at 10:36 AM
[...] know I’ve openly questioned whether or not the Celtics are championship-worthy during the past few weeks. However, as many [...]