For a while there, I thought the Celtics were playing well enough that this game could end up as a win for them, even if they lost. Now, it's just a loss. Instead of making this a heavyweight match that went to the end, they got knocked out (again) halfway through the 4th quarter.
This difference in this game came from behind painted lines. The Celtics were outscored by 12 points at the line, 9 point from beyond the arc (C's shot 26% from 3, Cleveland 50%). That' a 21 point difference in a 15 point game.
Celtics drop another one, 98-83. If you're counting, that's 4 in a row, and 7 of 9. The Cavs are 19-0 at home.
Other thoughts:
- Paul Pierce, who had been trying to carry the Celtics through this horrible stretch, struggled mightily. Meanwhile, LeBron was out of his mind. He had 38, Pierce had 11 on 4-15 shooting.
- Gabe Pruitt didn't look bad in this one. He over-pursued on defense a little bit, which made him very susceptible to the cross-over dribble. Still, I thought he did well enough
- I really want to punch Anderson Varejao in the mouth. I just feel like he deserves it. So imagine how much it pained me to watch his butt-ugly jumpers falling.
- Why, when the Celtics gave up at the 4:00 mark, did they continue the "hack-a-Ben" thing?
- Looking at the teams' records, it's easy to see how fatigue might be setting in for the Celtics. Each team has 29 wins, but the Celtics hav 3 more losses. The Celtics schedule will ease up, eventually.
- I know I've said this before, but every time I see Zydrunas Ilgauskas I think he's about to put Steve Buscemi into a wood chipper.
- Is McDonald's the only company in America that still has an advertising budget? I see that guy drop a pancake on the floor in every show I watch. From the Celtics to Grey's Anatomy (ummmm… I noticed it while my wife was watching it)
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
