# No Celtics thread



## 2knees (May 22, 2012)

I take a month off and this is what I come back to.


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## Geoff (May 22, 2012)

After the lockout, I boycotted the entire regular season.   I've been watching them in the playoffs.   After Pierce, Allen, Garnett, and Rondo, I didn't know the players.   I should get a pink hat to watch them.  

With the injuries to the Bulls and Heat, the Celtics might luck out and end up in the NBA finals.


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## deadheadskier (May 22, 2012)

Definitely enjoying the run.  Gotta admit, I was in favor of blowing the team up at the trade deadline.  Guess that's why Ainge is the GM and not me.


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## drjeff (May 22, 2012)

No celtics thread, the C's keep on winning (most of the time).  Gotta keep the superstition side of it going you know!


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## soposkier (May 22, 2012)

I think the Celtics have a great shot of going to the finals, but I think who ever wins the spurs/thunder series is going to handle the east champion quite easily.(as seems to be the common prediction) It has been fun though to watch KG back in good form.  

Still worried about the future going forward, maybe they  have a shot at Howard? doubt it though


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## deadheadskier (May 22, 2012)

Ainge was smart in how he set up the contracts at the start of the Big 3 era, such that cap space would open up for a quick rebuild once their contracts expired.  

The problem is, no star free agent has ever come to Boston.  Unless they make a trade or get lucky in the draft in the next couple of seasons, it could very easily mean another prolonged period of irrelevance.


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## kickstand (May 22, 2012)

soposkier said:


> Still worried about the future going forward, maybe they  have a shot at Howard? doubt it though



Why would anyone want that d-bag on their team?  I don't care how good he is, he's nothing but a problem.  I don't even follow basketball, and I couldn't avoid hearing all the crap about him wanting to be traded, NOT wanting to be traded, trying to get his coach fired, NOT trying to get his coach fired, etc.  It was never about anything on the court, it was always off-the-court baloney.  He needs to go to "Shut Up and Put On Your Big Boy Pants" school.  Frickin cry-baby.


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## Nick (May 22, 2012)

I'm not big into basketball really so .... sorry


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## Geoff (Jun 4, 2012)

I honestly didn't think the Celtics would bring the series back to 2-2.   I figured that losing that OT game in Miami was the end.


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## snowmonster (Jun 4, 2012)

Random thoughts: Red's ghost swatted away Wade's last second three. Nice to see Allen's shooting touch return. Rondo is a beast The Celtics have a bench. In other news, LeBron fouls out for the first time in his playoff career? What's happening to the refs? Didn't they get the memo? Whoever wins Game 5 takes it all.


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## deadheadskier (Jun 4, 2012)

Oh, the refs got the memo alright.  Extend the series.  :lol:


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## 2knees (Jun 4, 2012)

at least the officiating is terrible for both teams now.  After game 2, i really wondered how the C's could beat the heat and the refs.


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## Geoff (Jun 4, 2012)

2knees said:


> at least the officiating is terrible for both teams now.  After game 2, i really wondered how the C's could beat the heat and the refs.


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## snowmonster (Jun 5, 2012)

snowmonster said:


> Whoever wins Game 5 takes it all.



May I be a prophet. Go Celtics!


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## deadheadskier (Jun 5, 2012)

I keep doubting this team and they keep proving me wrong.  If there ever was "gravy time" when it comes a sports team run, this is it.  Even if they don't win the title, this is has been one of the most satisfying playoff runs I can ever remember from a Boston sports team.  As Garnett said, "Grit and Balls"


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## snowmonster (Jun 5, 2012)

deadheadskier said:


> I keep doubting this team and they keep proving me wrong.  If there ever was "gravy time" when it comes a sports team run, this is it.  Even if they don't win the title, this is has been one of the most satisfying playoff runs I can ever remember from a Boston sports team.  As Garnett said, "Grit and Balls"



Quoted for truth. Weren't we talking about breaking up this team at the trade deadline. This team has overachieved.


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## Geoff (Jun 6, 2012)

I'm going to be less interested if the Celtics win this series and go on to the finals.   I'm a life-long Celtics fan but my loathing for LeBron James is what is really holding my interest.


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## Rushski (Jun 7, 2012)

5-6-7?  Good luck Miami Heat getting those rings.  Guess Wade will have to be happy w/the one he has...


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## kickstand (Jun 7, 2012)

I tuned in to Game 5 just to see how bad the refs were going to screw the Celtics.  Have to say, they weren't bad at all, and I haven't been that shocked at the outcome of a sporting event in quite some time.  I thought for sure they were losing.

The only reason I am rooting for the Celtics is I have a friend who works events for the Garden and all the playoff games is extra money for him and his family.  The longer they go, the more money he makes.


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## deadheadskier (Jun 7, 2012)

Well, if the Celtics pull it off and make the finals, their prospect of winning the title are much slimmer now.  They match up much better against the Spurs than they do the Thunder.

I'm sure the league would much prefer a James vs. Durant final than Boston vs Durant.  Even if the Cs don't make it, it will be enjoyable watching Durant trash James.  Durant is definitely the better player IMO.


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## 2knees (Jun 7, 2012)

deadheadskier said:


> Well, if the Celtics pull it off and make the finals, their prospect of winning the title are much slimmer now.  They match up much better against the Spurs than they do the Thunder.
> 
> I'm sure the league would much prefer a James vs. Durant final than Boston vs Durant.  Even if the Cs don't make it, it will be enjoyable watching Durant trash James.  Durant is definitely the better player IMO.



All i know is that it's going to be another late drunken night tonight.  These 8:30 starts blow. 

I have thought the C's would lose each series so i'm not gonna say anything about matchups in the next round.  it's almost like it doesnt matter.

It's been the best playoff run for boston sports teams since 2004 in terms of satisfaction.


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## snowmonster (Jun 7, 2012)

I hate Game Sevens.


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## deadheadskier (Jun 8, 2012)

C's were off tonight and Lebron had a game for the ages.  Hopefully they can still pull it out.  Even if they don't, I'm thrilled.


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## 2knees (Jun 8, 2012)

standing and chanting for the last 4 minutes of a blowout was pretty impressive.

throwing a beer on james as he left was bs.

hitting wade in the head throwing the ball back onto the court was hilarious.


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## snowmonster (Jun 8, 2012)

deadheadskier said:


> c's were off tonight and lebron had a game for the ages.  Hopefully they can still pull it out.  Even if they don't, i'm thrilled.





2knees said:


> standing and chanting for the last 4 minutes of a blowout was pretty impressive.
> 
> Throwing a beer on james as he left was bs.
> 
> Hitting wade in the head throwing the ball back onto the court was hilarious.



both quoted for truth!


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## deadheadskier (Jun 8, 2012)

Yeah, not sure I've ever seen a fan base chant like that during a blowout at any sporting event.  
That was damn impressive.  Boston = best sports town in the US


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## Cornhead (Jun 8, 2012)

I was kind of rooting for the Celtics to win one more title before they're through, I think if Miami
can make them look old, the Thunder would make them look ancient, see Spurs. Then again, Miami has trouble getting back on defense against these guys, good luck with OKC. I guess I'll root for Miami in game seven, I think it'll make for a better finals, then go Thunder!


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## jrmagic (Jun 8, 2012)

Not a Heat fan but Lebron was just ridiculous in that game. At one point he was 11 for 12 from the floor including quite a few outside shots. That rebound he slammed home  coming in from the top of the key was pretty amazing.


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## darent (Jun 8, 2012)

I put the NBA right with boxing and horse racing, shady sports!!


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## snowmonster (Jun 11, 2012)

The End of an Era. This edition of the Celtics over-achieved. Even as they lost, they went down fighting. I just hope that, when the invevitable happens and the Big Three are gone, the Celtics don't skulk around in the wilderness like in the 90s and early 2000s.



darent said:


> I put the NBA right with boxing and horse racing, shady sports!!



Last Saturday was a low-water mark for these sports with the withdrawal of I'll Have Another from the Belmont and the Pacquiao-Bradley farce in the desert.


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## deadheadskier (Jun 11, 2012)

My prediction, not only does KG retire, but so does Pierce.  I doubt Pierce will want to stick around for another rebuilding phase and I doubt he plays for another team.   I could see Allen getting surgery and coming back to play a part time roll on another contending team next season.

I see the Celts as a 25 win team next year with Rondo putting up huge numbers increasing his trade value.  I'd rather they not trade Rondo though and hope they get lucky in the draft next year and maybe land a marquis player in free agency during the summer of 2013.  If Bradley can stay healthy, I think a Rondo/Bradley back court would be solid to build around.  This years FA class is pretty thin, but next years is a good one including Al Jefferson.  I'd love to see him return.


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## Riverskier (Jun 11, 2012)

Pretty sure Pierce will be back, as he has another year or 2 left on his contract. I think they should at least try to bring back Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett (if they don't retire and will accept reasonable $$). I think if they played off the bench through the regular season, in an attempt to keep them healthy, they could really help the C's make another run next post season.


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## deadheadskier (Jun 11, 2012)

one would think it would be hard for Pierce to walk away from $31M, but you never know.

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/...n+Celtics+-+Celtics+&+NBA+-+BostonHerald.com)


As for KG, I do see him as someone who wants to leave the game on top, which even though he didn't win a title this year, he would be walking away on top.  Switched to center and carried the team on his back to game 7 of the ECF.  Doesn't get much better than that for a 36 year old in his 17th season in the league.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't see Pierce coming back without KG.  I think either they'll both be back together or they retire together.  One thing to consider was that Pierce was offered to New Jersey at that trade deadline.  Does he want to come back only to potentially get traded?


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## 2knees (Jun 11, 2012)

Riverskier said:


> Pretty sure Pierce will be back, as he has another year or 2 left on his contract. I think they should at least try to bring back Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett (if they don't retire and will accept reasonable $$). I think if they played off the bench through the regular season, in an attempt to keep them healthy, they could really help the C's make another run next post season.



I agree in terms of pierce returning.  Although he isnt what he was 5 years ago, he is still a bona fide scorer when healthy.  I'd be shocked if they make any effort in bringing back Ray though.  As much as I love him as a player, he's a complete one trick pony at this point, a catch and shoot guy.  His play around the basket is hard to watch considering how bouncy he used to be.  The guy couldnt finish a bowl of cereal anymore.

KG, who knows.  I think he will get a large offer from someone but the C's won't be in the mix unless he wants to stay.


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## bigbog (Jun 12, 2012)

Think you could be right 2knees....a shame cuz he(KG), if anybody fits in so well, especially his periferral vision = a great passer, and everyone should be healthy next season.  One would think the basketball outlook would be optimistic.


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## Geoff (Jun 12, 2012)

Wow!  I can't believe how much quicker OKC is than the Heat.


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## SIKSKIER (Jun 13, 2012)

Lebrick is going down not 1,not 2,but 3 times in the final.


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## bigbog (Jun 14, 2012)

Will be interesting to see if OKC throws the ball around a little more.  They slow up in 1/2-court scenarios..  It took Miami till the late in the 3rd quarter to discover some pic & roll scenarios with Labron finishing...duh, took them 3 quarters to discover this???..LOL, will be interesting in game 2 tonight.  Should be a great game...even better than the first one.
Some fun matchups....hope bad luck doesn't end it in 4 or 5....although OKC's on a definite roll.


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## deadheadskier (Jun 21, 2012)

NBA marketing department have won the title!!!!!!!


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## JimG. (Jun 22, 2012)

deadheadskier said:


> NBA marketing department have won the title!!!!!!!



No respect for LeBron eh?

I think the whole "decision" thing is something he regrets ever doing...it was dumb because it took away from the fact that he's the best player in the NBA by a fair margin.

Hopefully some of that was put to rest in the finals...they spanked OKC who everyone thought would win. And LeBron was a stud...triple double last night.

And I'm not a LeBron fan, but I appreciate his talent.


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## deadheadskier (Jun 22, 2012)

No, he definitely was a beast in the playoffs for sure.  MVP no doubt.  

That said, I don't like the "star" treatment he gets from the refs.  MJ got it too, all the greats do, but Lebron is clearly given way more leniency than any other player in the league.   The Celtics should have won game 2, but the no call on the blatant foul on Rondo prevented that.

The No call on Lebron fouling Durant in Game 2 of the Finals was even more maddening.  Realistically, the Heat should be up 3-2 with this heading back to Miami.

It is what it is.


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## Geoff (Jun 22, 2012)

deadheadskier said:


> That said, I don't like the "star" treatment he gets from the refs.  MJ got it too, all the greats do, but Lebron is clearly given way more leniency than any other player in the league.



Yep.   The no-calls and blocking calls on clear offensive charging calls are endless.

I boycotted the NBA regular season after that stupid lockout.   I watched the Celtics in the playoffs.   The first few games, I only knew 4 players on the team.   I stopped watching the finals after the no-call on Lebron James as Kevin Durant was going to the basket with the final shot of the game to put it into overtime.   I think I'm done with the NBA.   

Recall that MJ was one of the world's great A-holes until he hired a PR firm to control what came out of his mouth.   He famously badmouthed Larry Bird when he won the league MVP saying the league gave it to the white guy.   In his interactions with the press in his first 5 years, he came off as a total punk.   It miraculously changed when it was made clear to him how much endorsement money it was costing him.   I think the same has been happening with Lebron James.   News stories that he actually reads books (the PR guys gave him books to put in his locker).   His public face is now carefully crafted to maximize the endorsement contracts.   It's not real.


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## JimG. (Jun 22, 2012)

Geoff said:


> Yep.   The no-calls and blocking calls on clear offensive charging calls are endless.
> 
> I boycotted the NBA regular season after that stupid lockout.   I watched the Celtics in the playoffs.   The first few games, I only knew 4 players on the team.   I stopped watching the finals after the no-call on Lebron James as Kevin Durant was going to the basket with the final shot of the game to put it into overtime.   I think I'm done with the NBA.
> 
> Recall that MJ was one of the world's great A-holes until he hired a PR firm to control what came out of his mouth.   He famously badmouthed Larry Bird when he won the league MVP saying the league gave it to the white guy.   In his interactions with the press in his first 5 years, he came off as a total punk.   It miraculously changed when it was made clear to him how much endorsement money it was costing him.   I think the same has been happening with Lebron James.   News stories that he actually reads books (the PR guys gave him books to put in his locker).   His public face is now carefully crafted to maximize the endorsement contracts.   It's not real.



None of this is new...the same applied to stars of old like Bird, Magic, and Julius Erving. I remember everyone thinking Bird and Erving were the nice guys of the NBA until they both tried to choke each other during a game. I'll never forget the photo on the back page of every newspaper in the country showing them with their hands on each other's throats. And those guys got calls/no calls just like today.

And maybe MJ was an A-hole to you and me because he always kicked our team's asses in the playoffs, but I doubt Chicago and middle America thought of him that way.

So now we're going to downplay LeBron winning because of the refs? You could do that in any sport if you wanted to. 

Sounds like sour grapes to me.


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## kickstand (Jun 22, 2012)

JimG. said:


> And maybe MJ was an A-hole to you and me because he always kicked our team's asses in the playoffs, but I doubt Chicago and middle America thought of him that way.



No, MJ is just an asshole.  Did you ever read the SI story about his HS coach who - as the story goes - "cut" him as a sophomore.  The way I had heard the original story was that MJ got cut and he was out, left without a team.  Baloney.  He was sent to JV, like 99% of all sophomores are.  His friend made the team because he was 6'7" and they needed height.  Well, we all know the rest of the story.  Fast-forward to a year or two ago when MJ invites the coach to his HOF induction and then belittles him in front of the entire audience and on TV.  The dude is an asshole.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1193740/index.htm


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## JimG. (Jun 22, 2012)

kickstand said:


> No, MJ is just an asshole.  Did you ever read the SI story about his HS coach who - as the story goes - "cut" him as a sophomore.  The way I had heard the original story was that MJ got cut and he was out, left without a team.  Baloney.  He was sent to JV, like 99% of all sophomores are.  His friend made the team because he was 6'7" and they needed height.  Well, we all know the rest of the story.  Fast-forward to a year or two ago when MJ invites the coach to his HOF induction and then belittles him in front of the entire audience and on TV.  The dude is an asshole.
> 
> http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1193740/index.htm



You missed my point...I don't disagree he's an asshole, but fans of the Bulls overlook all of that because he won alot for them. To them he isn't an asshole.

I'm a Yankee fan...most people think Joe Dimaggio was an asshole too, and he really was, but to me he was a great baseball player first, asshole second.


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## deadheadskier (Jun 22, 2012)

I don't really have a problem with assholes in the sports world truthfully.  Bill Belichik is probably the biggest asshole of a coach in the game.  Would I want any other coach over him?  Hell no


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## Geoff (Jun 22, 2012)

JimG. said:


> You missed my point...I don't disagree he's an asshole, but fans of the Bulls overlook all of that because he won alot for them. To them he isn't an asshole.
> 
> I'm a Yankee fan...most people think Joe Dimaggio was an asshole too, and he really was, but to me he was a great baseball player first, asshole second.



The point is that we will now have a Lebron James marketing blitz.   You'll see the airbrushed, voice dubbed Madison Avenue version.   Not the semi-literate prep school to NBA player who never touched a book until his handlers told him it would be great PR to pretend that he is literate.    MJ had the exact same handling.   The guy was a punk but they polished up his image to get all that endorsement money.

All athletes are heroes in their local market.   I'm talking about using them in the national market representing them as something they aren't.


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## JimG. (Jun 22, 2012)

deadheadskier said:


> I don't really have a problem with assholes in the sports world truthfully.  Bill Belichik is probably the biggest asshole of a coach in the game.  Would I want any other coach over him?  Hell no



Thank you.


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## JimG. (Jun 22, 2012)

Geoff said:


> The point is that we will now have a Lebron James marketing blitz.   You'll see the airbrushed, voice dubbed Madison Avenue version.   Not the semi-literate prep school to NBA player who never touched a book until his handlers told him it would be great PR to pretend that he is literate.    MJ had the exact same handling.   The guy was a punk but they polished up his image to get all that endorsement money.
> 
> All athletes are heroes in their local market.   I'm talking about using them in the national market representing them as something they aren't.



I guess I pretty much just accept and ignore that collateral stuff.

I never bought shoes because Jordan wore them, especially after those commercials with Spike Lee.


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## kickstand (Jun 25, 2012)

I also think in this day of instant information, we know about someone's asshole-iness almost as soon as he disses that 6 year old looking for an autograph.  Back in Jordan's day, it was a lot easier to cover up/enhance one's imagine.  PR firms are working double-time these days.


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