Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here… highlighting the big storyline. Because there’s nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
He had arrived in Boston four years earlier to provide interior presence and restore the Celtics to their recent glory. Instead, his career had appeared to end ingloriously, with a whimper, under the low hum of that machine. O’Neal always seemed to be between surgeries, the trainer’s table, and doctor consultations. Maybe it was time to call it a career.
“Those two years [in Boston] were very difficult for me, because not only did I feel like I was wearing down physically, I was wearing down mentally,” O’Neal said. “That was the first time in my life I felt myself starting to break away a little bit.”
You had a difficult time in Boston, Jermaine?
What about the fans who watched you play and complain during your two years in Boston? I bet it was more difficult on us because we didn’t earn $10 million for 49 games.
Yes, Jermaine was injured frequently during his time here. But his teammates weren’t sold on the severity of his injuries. And let’s not forget on his way out he complained about his role in the offense.
Why am I still annoyed with this guy?
On Page 2, Jason Kidd benched KG and PP for the entire 4th quarter last night.
“Without a doubt,” Paul Pierce said of the team believing it can beat Toronto two straight times, starting Friday in Game 6. “We got to take care of home. … And we’ll see them back here Sunday.”
It wasn’t designed to go this way last summer, when the Nets were assembled with Jason Kidd’s hiring and the much-ballyhooed trade for Pierce and Kevin Garnett. The Nets were thinking Eastern Conference championship and more. The blueprint didn’t have first-round exit written on it.
Heck, the final play Wednesday shouldn’t even have seen Blatche holding the ball. Ideally, the ball would have been in Pierce’s hands. But Pierce and Garnett were on the bench for the entire fourth.
In case you missed it, Brooklyn rallied from a 22-point 4th quarter deficit only to fall to Toronto in the final seconds in Game 5.
It’s hard to lobby for Pierce when he was a disgusting -31 over 3 quarters and the guy taking his spot (Mirza Teletovic) was a +31.
But the Nets could have used some veteran composure over the final 90 seconds of the game.
Is it me or does Jason Kidd still have the deer in headlights look out there?
And finally, Vitor Faverani is enjoying his time off.
The rest of the links:
ESPN Boston – Goodman’s Mock 2.0 | Sullinger report card
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