Before I go any further I'd be remiss if I did not bring up the whole Jemele Hill thing. She wrote an article (this is the edited one) in which she compared rooting for the Celtics to something to do with Hitler. Odd. The guys at Red's Army were all over it. Of course ESPN eventually apologized and edited it. Here's my thing. This is the same Jemele Hill that was outraged by Don Imus. At the time she said:

"Imus' comments were harmful to all women -- especially for female athletes who still struggle to gain acceptance in our society -- but they really cut black women deep...As a society, there are times when we need to stand together against indecency and cruelty." - Jemele Hill

Were Imus' comments worse? I guess. If I were a Jewish Celtics fan I might feel differently. And that's the thing with free speech. You can't have it both ways. If you're going to go after others be ready when someone comes after you. Personally I wish they left the column as it was. She wrote it, so be it. But should she have to take some time off before resurfacing? I would say no. But based upon the Imus precedent, yes. Free speech is a funny thing.

Back to the game. Ray Allen and Kendrick Perkins will play. Of the two I feel better about Allen because I'm not sold on Perk's shoulder. He's a tough dude but his range of motion could be seriously limited.

Will Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol have big games again?

Will Rajon Rondo play well at home, as is his custom?

Will Paul Pierce be exhausted?

Can KG silence his critics?

Will Kobe score 40?

Obviously there are plenty of questions. Only time will tell. However, given the traveling both teams have done of late I expect an ugly game, particularly at the start. Hopefully the C's can battle through it. Here's to not seeing a game 7.

As strong as Boston has looked at points I still have no idea what to expect from this team on a game-to-game basis. This could be the last game of the 2008 season or not. Meanwhile, Kendrick Perkins' status is still shaky and that same article spends a good deal of time talking about Kobe Bryant's confidence despite the 3-1 hole. I'm excited for this one. Go Celtics.

via i185.photobucket.com

So that happened. Boston, despite some frantic play over the final 6 minutes or so of the half, trails by 18. As a result I've decided to start a whole new open game thread. Not that the other one was filling up or anything - 4 comments total, 3 by me. But it seemed appropriate. Now we can sit back and watch the greatest comeback in NBA Finals history. I'm a pathetic optimist. In the spirit of the impossible:

Celtics Sherman Douglas Hits huge three (via clearedfortakeoff)

I recently got back into lifting weights. In fact I just finished up a session about 5 minutes ago. And something struck me as I did it. Lifting can get a person incredibly fired up. If I were a professional basketball player I'd do a lot of things - dunk all the time, eat at a Cheesecake Factory, blog, randomly yell, "Make him pay!" a lot, swear like KG and Eddie House, play tons of horse, try to live off of my per diem, do the celebration with a teammate where we both jump in the air, and lift before games. Nothing crazy. I wouldn't want to tire out the muscles or overdevelop an area. And I've definitely lifted on occasion only to shoot a basketball afterwards with disastrous results (worse than usual). But I'm pretty sure the team trainer could work out a program for me. Seriously, I feel like Scott Jurgensen in the Will Ferrell evil boss skit, minus the cocaine of course.

One important point: If KG already lifts before games no big deal. But if he doesn't, I strongly urge the Celtics organization to prevent him from doing so. He would seriously maim someone. I'm not kidding. Sasha Vujacic would be doing Sasha Vujacic things, bothering Ray Allen, and KG would pounce, conquer, and then pound his chest repeatedly while screaming two words over and over again. One of the words would be "motha". The other would rhyme with "trucker".

Final points:

- Will Paul Pierce bring it tonight?  And by bring it I mean attack the rim.

- How will the Celtics counter the Kobe on Rajon Rondo early, on Pierce late strategy the Lakers employed in Game 3?

- Speaking of Rondo. Will he have his patented quickness?

- Eddie House or Sam Cassell?

- Will the Celtics figure out the best way to defend Kobe if it's close down the stretch?

- Will Jeff Van Gundy realized he wimped out last night and criticize the officiating?

Reports out of Boston claim that Boston will play, while Kendrick Perkins' status is not as certain. Perk's absence would make for an interesting rotation at the 4 and 5 spots. In other news Henry Abbott, by way of Dr. Jack Ramsey, reveals that Kobe Bryant will be on the block more tonight. Hopefully the same can be said for Kevin Garnett. But back to Pierce. It will be interesting to see how much he can bring to the table tonight.

via slam.canoe.ca

After all of the hype game 1 is finally here. I wanted to post something today but realized I didn't have much left to say. It's time to watch and enjoy the game. Go Celtics.

via www.nba.com

In Boston's first match up with Detroit this season, way back in December, Rajon Rondo had an excellent first half. He even pulled out his patented fake pass for one of the first times all season, tricking Rasheed Wallace in the process. Unfortunately Wallace and company are no longer falling for that move. There's a reason Rondo is shooting 34% from the field in the Eastern Conference Finals. And it's not because he's clanking jumpers left and right. Hey I'm realistic. I'm not looking for him to connect on 49% of his shots as he did in the regular season, although it would be nice. At this point I'd settle for 44% (First Round) or even 42% (Eastern Conference Semi-Finals). If he were more of a threat in the paint it would open up passing lanes and get the C's some easy buckets.

Ultimately I just don't want to see another game 7, particularly with the Lakers hanging out in LA. Go Celtics. On and Rip Hamilton is going to play.

via cache.boston.com

I'm a little late on this one. Go Celtics.

via blog.masslive.com

Right now there is a lot of talk about whether or not Chauncey Billups will perform up to expectations and how much time Rodney Stuckey will get. And rightfully so. However, I'm more concerned with the Celtics. They can't be content with a split at this point. They need to bring defense, intensity and a sense of urgency. Go Celtics.

According to the pregame show expect to see some Sam Cassell tonight. Hopefully there will be some Leon Powe too.  Let's go Celtics.

via www.nba.com