So we're all still a little upset over last night. I get that. It was probably the worst playoff game we've ever watched. The score at halftime was worse than some Div. 3 games. And today, we're all saying a lot of things that we may or may not regret.
With that in mind, here are a few of the things being said, and the absolute truth of the matter. There is no BS here. This has nothing to do with faith or desire. What I want and what is true are, in many cases now, very different.
Fact: The Celtics will win Game 7
The Philadelphia 76'ers were not ready to win Game 6. They came out, got caught up in their home crowd's madness, and started whipping passes into the front row. They did plenty of things right, which contributed to the Celtics looking bad. But they did plenty of things wrong, which gave the Celtics a chance to win despite one of their worst performances of the season. Now, you put them in an elimination game, on the road, against a veteran team… and it's not going to end well for Philadelphia. They're not ready for this moment.
Fact: The Celtics will lose the next series
Ray Allen's ankle is a mess. Avery Bradley is probably done for the season. Paul Pierce's knee is at 20%. Greg Stiemsma's foot is as bad as it's ever been. Mickael Pietrus will need offseason surgery to clean out his knee. The Celtics are being forced to rely on Ryan Hollins and Keyon Dooling.
I'm sorry to tell you, but Marquis Daniels, Sasha Pavlovic, and E'Twaun Moore are not going to carry you to a title.
Fact: KG can't do it for 40 minutes EVERY night
The Celtics have absolutely maximized Kevin Garnett's production. He'll probably go out there Saturday and demolish Philly. But to play him 40 minutes every other night takes its toll. And against a guy like Lavoy Allen, who is big, strong and tough, it's just too hard to do it EVERY game. Doc doesn't have much choice but to ride KG as much as he can. But when you're constantly running on fumes, some times you run out of gas.
KG dropped 20 and 11 last night, but like Doc said, it wasn't the kind of scoring the C's needed. He's nevrer truly been a post player, but he's tried like hell to be one this series. When he gets tired, though, he becomes a face up guy who can get his shot off even with guys in his face because he's 7-feet tall and his release is probably at 9 and a half feet. He's ridiculously good at that shot, but after 17 years… man… it's all just too much.
Fact: This is the end of the Big 3 era
Even if they all come back, this isn't the "Big 3" anymore. Avery Bradley is the starter now. Kevin Garnett will play 30 minutes or less next season. New guys, be they Jeff Green, E'Twaun Moore, JaJuan Johnson, or others, will step up, assume new, expanded roles, and the Celtics will transition into Rajon Rondo's team (assuming he sticks around this offseason).
I'm sorry to say that this is over, but it is. Whenever this particular ride ends, so will this new era of Celtics greatness.
I believe these facts to be the honest truth. I don't want them to be the truth. I want them to be wrong. I want Ray Allen to magically find his form, but he's more liability than anything else. He's a warrior for trying, but he's no longer truly effective, and he won't be until he gets his ankle fixed. I want the Celtics to shock the hell out of us and put an incomprehensible title run together. But they won't. Miami, Indiana, San Antonio, and Oklahoma City are all too much better than Boston.
I say these things not to shake faith or diminish fandom. I say these things to fulfill my obligation to be honest with you, and, with myself. This is what the Celtics are.
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