Foil in the Oven: Snowed in Friday Edition

Mercury Morris averaged 5.1 yards per carry, so I don't mind throwing him a bone here....



Because I feel like I'm getting dangerously close to alienating our readers, I will do my best not to mention the Giants again during this post. We've got a lot of stuff to hit on so I'll just move right along.

First, I just want to state that I'm not worried about the Celtics at all. Obviously, I'm bummed out about losing two straight. But, I certainly haven't seen anything over the past two nights that changes the hopes that I have for this team. First, the improvement that KG made from his first game back on Tuesday night to his second on Wednesday night was significant. He's still not at full-strength, but he's coming back quickly. Second, it's important for all of us to transition our minds away from football season and into basketball/baseball season. Two losses are virtually meaningless in the course of an NBA season. What's more important than the actual results of these games is how well the team plays over a long period of time. The Celtics did not finish as well as we would have liked on Tuesday night (they missed an unusally high number of layups), but they played with a high level of intensity on both Tuesday and Wednesday night. I haven't seen any decline in the actual quality of their play. Some nights the shots fall, some nights they don't. Some nights more shots fall for the other team than they do for your team. Some nights the referees screw you all game long, twice in particular in the last four minutes. These are things that happen. Third, I really have no doubt after watching those games that the Celtics would beat Denver and Golden State in a seven game series. I am really one hundred per cent confident in that. Two weeks from now, this team will have won many more games than they have lost since the All-Star Break. KG will be back to his dominant self, and these two games will seem like distant memories. All great teams are tested at some point during the season. I think we all knew that this road trip was going to be a big test. I expect the Celtics to be a better and closer team as they return home after this 5-game stretch.

Now, that being said, let's talk about my hopes for this team. Obviously, we all hope for a championship. I want a championship for this team in the worst way. And, this is not an unfounded hope. I want a championship for this team the same way I wanted one for the Red Sox and the Giants. They have the talent, they have the chemistry, and they have the experience. They just need to put it together. Given the quality of the NBA this year, I can't in good conscious say that anything less than a championship would be a failure. What we've been given is a gift. Fans of horrible teams everywhere dream about the type of turnaround that Danny Ainge has put together for the Celtics this year. Our reward for suffering through last year was a guarantee that we will be title contenders for 3-5 seasons.
In order for me to be satisfied, the Celtics need to reach the Eastern Conference Finals. They are one of the two best teams in the Eastern Conference, so they will not have been a dissapointment if they make it this far. Once they get there, anything can happen. Are they better than Detroit? I don't know. I'd like to think so. Are they better than whatever Western Conference team they would potentially meet in the finals? Who knows. Once you get to the Conference Finals, there's no way to predict the outcome. Records go out the window, and all the focus turns to the action on the court. This is why I can't say that anything less than a championship would be a failure. If the Green can't get to the conference finals, I will be left with a very bitter taste in my mouth. If they do, I'm going to do my best to be happy, sit back, relish the moment, and let things play out. That doesn't mean I won't be confident. I have full confidence that the Celtics are capable of beating anyone in a seven game series. The Pistons don't scare me. Neither do the Spurs. In fact, there's only one team that scares me.....

It makes me feel nauseous to say this, and I don't want to just hop on the bandwagon with Legler and Hollinger and all of the ESPN guys, but the Lakers are fucking nasty. If Andrew Bynum comes back healthy and playing as he did before his injury, they are going to be very tough to stop. Kobe Bryant should have been the MVP over the last two years. The fact that he brought that team into the Western Conference playoffs speaks volumes about what type of player he is. Wednesday night's matchup against Phoenix felt like a crucial playoff game, and Kobe showed everyone that the Lakers are for real. Down the stretch, he was unstoppable. The guy is a killer during crunch time, and the fact that he has four other legitimate threats around him now (Fischer, Odom, Bynum, and Gasol) makes him even more dangerous. This guy knows how to win championships, he's the best player in the league, and he's now playing for a contender. The Lakers may not have enough depth to withstand any injuries, but for the time being I have to pick them to come out of the West.

I spent many late nights over the past two seasons watching Western Conference basketball. Generally, after watching the Celtics lose again, I felt a thirst to watch some of the league's elite teams. I never felt that need during the first half of this season. Any Western Conference matchups that I watched during the first half of the season just happened to be on. I didn't plan on it. That has changed since the All-Star break. Suns/Lakers on Wednesday night was definately the kind of game that you get excited about ahead of time. Obviously, Celtics/Suns tonight is the same type of appointment TV. Spurs/Hornets will be another great game this weekend. I just can't wait to see how the West plays out.



Speaking of the Hornets, Chris Paul completely outplayed Jason Kidd on Wednesday. There are two main points here. First, I don't think there's any doubt that Chris Paul is the NBA's best point guard. The guy has been absolutely sensational this year. Along with averaging 21 points and 11 assists per game, Paul has elevated his level of play in every statement game this team has had (Wednesday night included) and the position he has led this Hornets team to is unbelievable. Do I expect them to come out of the West? No. But, the future is bright in New Orleans, and Chris Paul appears to be sitting comfortably as the face of the NBA's next generation.

Second, I hate this trade for Dallas. I really think that Dallas gave up too much here. Dallas gave up a very good point guard with a bright future in Devin Harris, one of their few big men that can bang inside in DeSagana Diop, AND two first-round draft picks. AND TWO FIRST ROUND DRAFT PICKS. I hate this trade. This team has nothing inside besides Erick Dampier, which in the West means they have nothing inside. I understand that Jason Kidd brings a new level of leadership and experience to the team, but at what cost? There are no guarantees in the West this year. Can we say that this trade makes them undeniably better than the Spurs, Lakers, Jazz, Suns, or Rockets? No. If this trade doesn't bring them a championship (and I really don't think it will), how are they going to re-group? Of all the trades that went down before the deadline, I hate this one the most.

I won't say I hate the Cleveland/Chicago/Seattle trade last night, but I will say that I don't know what to make of it. I know that I don't feel any more threatened by Cleveland than I did before. Ben Wallace and Joe Smith have been playing in the East all season long, and their team has sucked. I love Delonte, but he wasn't starting in Seattle. Wally is expensive, injury-prone, and he doesn't play defense. On top of this, Cleveland somehow managed to move Larry Hughes' contract while still making their financial situation worse than it was before the trade (Ben Wallace's contract is 60 million over four years and Wally is making over 12 million this season). But, Big Ben can rebound, Joe Smith can score and rebound, Wally can shoot, and Delonte is scrappy. Add all of those guys with LeBron, and you never know what you'll get.