It's the go-to digg at the Boston Celtics. Any time people want to bring up any possible weakness.
"Remember… this is a team that was taken to 7 games by the Hawks last year."
My initial reaction is to tell those people to go fornicate themselves. But, the truth is, they have a point. The Celtics were uncommonly bad in that building. Their play in Atlanta was disjointed, lackluster, and mind-boggling. How could they play so poorly against a team they were destroying at home?
Tonight won't be easy. I know Paul Pierce says he's fine, but we'll see if he's truly 100%. Meanwhile, the Hawks are 9-1 at home. If the C's really want to get this monkey off their back, they have to defend and rebound. Not only are those the keys to any Celtics domination… the Hawks are 10-1 when they out-rebound their opponents and 12-2 when they have a better shooting percentage. When the Celtics are getting offensive rebounds, they demoralize opponents. If they let Atlanta limit them to 1 shot, this becomes a tempo Atlanta likes.
I, of course, think a motivated Celtics team is impossible to beat… so I'm going for the win. But I don't know if this will be one of those "over-motivated" type of scenarios… where KG is SO emotional, he takes himself out of the game. The big difference this time around, though, is Ray Allen. We remember how horrible he was early in the playoffs. He's been the opposite of that this year. I think he alone can change the dynamic in that building.
Hey… it's our birthday! RedsArmy.com is now three years old! We started this piece of crap in December of '05. We're still evolving… and managing to do so without getting any better. That takes talent. We were going to celebrate by taking a bus trip to Scores… but that's out the window. So instead I'm going to stay home and get my dog drunk. Speaking of things being done while drunk… onto our 4th day of Christmas.
On the fourth day of Christmas the Celtics gave to me…
4 monster blocks from Kendrick Perkins
3 point bombs from Ray and Eddie
2 straight Finals losses by the Lakers
and a ring for Tony Allen's pinky!
Herald: Celtics wary of Hawks | Hawks scouting report | Start of something big | Augestin outplays Rose | Globe: Adding to web of intrigue | Hawks thumbnails | Pierce expected to play | Is Pierce the Bostonian of the year? | Lakers barely beat Knicks | Camerato: Ainge helps Pruitt win waiting game | This week in Celtics history | Patriot Ledger: Celtics face tough test | Desert News (Utah): Rondo's speed and ability to finish not up for debate | Daily News: Pruitt proves worthy | SouthCoastToday: Ainge's patience with Doc has paid off (Note… doesn't that column read a lot like the one I wrote on the Examiner yesterday?) | C's top RCS Power Ranking Averages (Lakers/Cavs tied at 2) | CNBC: NBA's "Big 3" domination is bad
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