If the rest of this series is anything like game 1, we may be in the midst of the greatest Celtics/Lakers showdown of all time. This game tonight was an all-out slugfest complete with all the drama, suspense, and pageantry of the legends my elders have told me about the glory days of the 60s and 80s. The second half in particular was an emotional roller-coaster ride that seemed to last for days. To be honest, I feel like I just watched all seven games of this series. I knew it would be amazing to watch this team in the Finals, but there was no way that we (the younger fans) could have prepared ourselves for that kind of intensity.
As I've said, I think I went through the whole spectrum of emotions during the third quarter. When the Celtics cut the lead (mostly thanks to a key 4-point play from Pierce) early on I was fired up.
I can't even begin to describe the sinking feeling I felt when I saw Pierce go down. Like many Boston fans, he's my favorite player and has been for some time. He is our emotional leader and our best scorer. To see him going back to the locker room in a wheelchair was the worst basketball sight I can imagine short of him being taken off in a stretcher. Then, when Perk went out, it didn't even seem real. The ground seemed to be coming out from underneath us. Suddenly, when he came back out, a huge weight was lifted. If he could walk out of the tunnel, you knew he was going to play. This guy is one of the toughest competitors in the game. I don't think I can ever remember experiencing such highs and lows so close together. And, even with how happy and fired up I was seeing Pierce emerge, I couldn't help thinking about how much I hate this commentating crew. Paul Pierce just left with what appeared to be a potentially season-ending injury, then walked back out of the tunnel to put his body on the line against the Lakers in the NBA Finals, and all Jeff Van Gundy can talk about is how Phil Jackson is the master of calling time outs. Seriously, shut the fuck up. He called a time out after the opponents’ best scorer, and the biggest matchup problem, just checked back into the game. It's not ground breaking.
Here is a video of Pierce emerging, and Van Gundy and Jackson off air deciding that they're going to talk about how Phil Jackson is "the best time-out taker" in the NBA. I just checked Phil's profile on the Basketball Hall of Fame website, nothing about time-outs. Can somebody add "the best time-out taker of all time" somewhere next to all the impressive stats please.
And then, the two threes he hit after re-entering the game:
Both of those videos courtesy of Odenized.
I'm sure that I'll have more thoughts between now and Sunday as things become a little less jumbled in my head. I'd also love to hear from our readers, in comments and e-mails about your impressions of the game. Here are some final things to think about:
1) It's easy to forget now, but the Celtics did not look good in the second quarter. The Lakers were killing them with that pick and roll. There cannot be a defensive let down. The Lakers move the ball too smoothly and efficiently.
2) I'm watching Kobe's press conference right now. He's keeping a pretty mellow tone of voice, but he looks like he's about to turn into the Incredible Hulk and tear everyone's limbs off.
3) Did anybody else think it was strange that after Cassell hit his first three shots, the Lakers put Kobe on him? I did. I guess they wanted to keep him from getting shots off and wanted to try to pressure him into turning the ball over. Still, it threw me off.
4) The Celtics were strong on the glass, out rebounding LA 46-33. But, they could have been better. The play that is etched in my mind right now is the play where we had two guys in Kobe's face, he airballed a fade-away, and Odom was allowed to just move underneath the shot and lay it in. These things need to be cleaned up. There were many emotional wildcards tonight (game 1 at home, pierce and perk leaving and coming back) that won't be present from here on out.
5) Back when we first acquired him, did you ever think PJ Brown would have this kind of playoff impact? What a great move.
6) Tonight was amazing and a game that I'll remember forever. But, the problem is that it was game-7 drama in game 1. The Celtics need to put everything that happened tonight behind them and stay focused on the larger goal. The Lakers are going to be dialed in on Sunday night. Also, I am worried about how Pierce's knee will feel once he cools down and tightens up. This extra day off will be huge.
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So, I'm a huge transformers nerd (many of you know that). I have the original movie (the cartoon one from the 80s) on DVD and I watch it more than someone my age should. I came across this video today, a parody of the awakening scene in "The Return of Optimus Prime" done by Dr. Smoov. I think it's hilarious. Watch the whole thing. Remember, this takes place right after the movie, in which Optimus dies, gives the matrix to Ultra Magnus, who loses it to Galvatron, who used to be Megatron, who is getting it for Unicron, who is a giant planet eating transformer, and in the end (after much robot carnage) Unicron is defeated and Hot Rod becomes the new carrier of the autobot matrix and is called Rodimus Prime. That's where this picks up. It's a joke using voiceovers with the scenes.
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It seems like bad timing given the intensity of that game tonight, but a promise is a promise. So, here it is, the first edition of Friday 90's Rock Talk:
The 90s were a great time for music, and I feel very fortunate to have been young and impressionable during this time. My mom left very early for work every day, and there was no bus stop within walking distance of our house, so I always spent several hours awake at my aunt’s house each morning. This was good, because I could do all my homework in the morning and watch sports on television at night. Every morning, my TV routine was the same: Sportscenter, MTV Jams with Bill Bellamy, and Rude Awakening with John Sencio. Great music was coming out in all of the genres (I don’t get anywhere near rap/r and b stuff that comes out now. But, the Chronic in ’92, Doggystyle and 36 Chambers in ’93, this was all great stuff even for someone who listens to virtually all rock music). It was great to have all this groundbreaking stuff coming out and being so accessible to a kid. The changes that were happening in the music and media industries lead to all kinds of new creative sounds. In the end, maybe it was MTV and this whole media craze that killed popular music and turned it into what we have today. Maybe I was part of the problem. But please, don’t blame me; I was still wearing sweatpants to school on a daily basis.
Anyways, a lot of the music I still cherish most came from this period. And, I feel like since this was really the last great era of popular music (unless something changes in the future), I’d like to talk about it every Friday during Foil in the Oven.
Today’s topic is one that I’ve argued both sides of to no end at different times in my life. The question is this: Which album, Siamese Dream or Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, do you consider the defining Smashing Pumpkins album? People seem to feel strongly about this, and I’d love for our readers to weigh in.
I can see the arguments for Mellon Collie. It is a double-disc, it has very unique and ornate cover art, and there were a lot of quality singles that came from it. In fact, Muzzle is probably my favorite Pumpkins song of all time. Let’s check out some of the highlights:
Bullet with Butterfly Wings, probably the most popular song from the CD (and a really sick video).
Tonight, Tonight : Not my favorite, but still very popular:
Zero, rocks pretty hard
There were a lot of other good songs besides these. 1979 was a pretty popular single with a popular music video. Muzzle, as I have said is sick. Here Is No Why rocks pretty hard. Stumbeline was different. This album may have been the crowning achievement of everything that Billy Corgan worked to convey through his songwriting. There is an overall feel of hopelessness and passive-aggressive surrender communicated throughout. However, overall it feels like a concept album to me. It did when it came out (I got it for Christmas and listened to it and nothing else for like a month) and it still does.
When I think about the Smashing Pumpkins, Siamese Dream is what pops into my mind. To me, the definitive album of a group must have the band’s seminal song on it. What was the Pumpkins’ seminal tune? I would say Cherub Rock. You could also say Today. Maybe Disarm. I have had people tell me that Bullet with Butterfly Wings was the seminal Smashing Pumpkins song, but I disagree completely. Everything on Mellon Collie has its own unique and self-contained feel. Siamese Dream, to me, almost served as a Smashing Pumpkins mission statement. An introduction. It’s not as pieced together as meticulously as Mellon Collie, and I like that. It’s more raw and it rocks a little harder in my opinion. Although it was their second album, it was their first that was hugely popular. When I think of the group, one of my favorite from the 90’s, this is the album I think of. This is their defining album.
How many times can we play this Cherub Rock video on this blog? 5? 6? 7?
They played this video all the time on MTV when it first came out:
This was my first attempt at Friday 90s rock talk. Already I think that moving forward I will reduce the number of videos and stick with one or two live performances.
Next week: Why I believe, as others do, that Kurt Cobain must have helped Hole write the album Live Through This. That album is awesome, and Hole was just really not so good overall.
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don't forget to buy your Paul Pierce shirts
6 comments:
A couple quick thoughts:
1) I really hope they played the Jack Nicholson "you can't handle the truth" video on the jumbotron. It works on so many levels.
2) Can somebody please pull a Tanya Harding on Sam Cassel? They'd be saving about 100 people in the Boston area from dying of heart attacks when he's in the game. Doc left him in WAY too long last night.
3) The reason why the Lakers beat the Spurs is that Kobe hit the shots he was missing last night. Not sure if he will do it all series, but there will at least be a game or two when he is unstoppable because of that jumper. Loved how they stopped him from getting to the basket, though.
4) The Larry O'Brien trophy at midcourt is hideous. Its like a cartoonist from the Simpsons drew it.
5) The Cassel, Allen, Posey, Powe, Brown lineup to start the 2nd was ridiculous. Though not quite as bas as it was in the last three series when Ray Allen was shooting medicine balls.
6) Finally... really liked your comments to Shea. I've found myself getting so into the games this postseason that its almost tough to enjoy them (probably in large part due to some of the atrocious games they've played). Last night I think I was able to enjoy the game for what it was: a great and exciting game. As a sports fan for a team for which you have really high expectations, sometimes you forget to enjoy the ride. Thanks for reminding me.
Yesterday was one of the most anticipated sports days of my life. I could feel it coming when my girlfriend decided on Tuesday that it would be best for her to not be around me for the game. When she does that, I can tell things are getting intense and she might legitimately be scared of me when my teams play big playof games. I had to leave my office at 3:00 yesterday because I was unable to function in my job. I went home and watched game 4 of the 1984 finals, which I recorded from Classic. When I found myself getting off my couch and yelling at the biggest cry baby of all time(Kareem) I knew that it was going to be a great night. When the brawl broke out during the Red Sox game, I was fired up on a KG level.
That game last night was GREAT on so many levels. It was nice to finally see good basketball. The Pistons and Cleveland series were miserable to watch because the Cavs and Pistons both play defense by fouling on every posession and hoping the refs only call it half the time. It was a grind. Last nights game was a breath of fresh air and an honorable chapter to the greatest rivalry in basketball.
I loved the way we played defense in the fourth quarter. That was one of our best defensive quarters of the season and this bodes very well for the series, especially in relation to how we defended Kobe. We didn't let him get to the rim and he settled for tough jumpers. It was perfect. Kobe chalked it up to "a few lucky bounces" in his post game interview, but that was great D. I hate Kobe.
The scary thing is that we played pretty inconsistent D through 3 quarters. We gave up too many offensive boards and missed a lot of rotations. If we tighten that up, we have an even higher ceiling and can create more offense of turnovers like we did last night. There will be plenty of adjustments for Thibideau to make in film study. The Lakers, on the other hand, really didn't play so poorly and just missed a lot of shots. If we can play better D all game, their improved shooting the rest of the way shouldn't matter much.
The one thing that terrifies me is that KG had another shaky 4th quarter. I'm sorry, and I know Nick disagrees, but he panics when the game is on the line. There were some key posessions in the 4th quarter where he simply didn't want the shot and actually chucked it out to Rondo when he was in the paint at one point. He simply cannot have the ball in his hands in big situations. He should be crashing the boards, as evidenced by that sick dunk to ignite the crowd.
My only other complaint is that Doc insists on playing Cassell. I know he helped in the first half, but he almost cost us the game at the start of the 4th. We need House.
Game 2 is huge. If we win we have them where we want them.
Great comments guys. I was obviously writing on adrenaline last night and riding some serious emotion.
In thinking a little more clearly and evenly today, you both make some good points.
- yes casten, it was good to force kobe into taking jumpers. But, as Mike says, I think he and Vujajic had some really good looks. They did everything perfect, and yet I still feel like they normally hit a lot of those shots. The Celtics could feasibly play that well and lose a game.
- Cassell had a chance to work his way back in to our good graces last night and he failed. After he came out and hit his first three, he should have just stayed within himself and kept playing. But, instead he turned into that retarded spider monkey that fires shots up in any situation. He can't be trusted. If they are going to keep doing this thing where they put Kobe on Cassell (or House) to try and simulate the Lindsey Hunter pressure, it may be good to start the offense with Pierce up top again (Obviously I love that, I talk about it all the time).
- I do agree that KG goes cold a lot of time in the fourth, and I'd like to see him attack the basket more when this happens (for example, that dunk putback on which it looked like a lightning bolt hit the hoop). I guess I just didn't like the negative tone of Simmons' article. He still plays great D at the end of games. But, I can't argue with the fact that his jumper was cold in the fourth. BUT, he played a great game.
- Great point on the basketballjones.net today about how anti-climactic it was to have James Taylor after all of the intense introductions.
and, worth mentioning that he (KG) was a little more aggresive at the end last night after he was missing some jumpers. But, obviously we'd rather have the ball in Pierce or Allen's hands in those situations.
nick - post these comments on the main page
under fan comments
good stuff, guys
i made a joke, which i now regret, to nick last night:
"pierce looked like byron leftwhich last night, getting carried off the court by his teammates."
obviously pierce is ten times better, but it was still funny at the time
i always wanted to see weird al do a video on bullets with bufallo wings, making fun on the pumpkins
what nick fails to neglect here, despite his awesome post, is that pumpkins go majorly downhill after melancholy and other aborted projects.
I like them, but its hard to say they rock anywhere near as hard as, say, Nirvana or Pearl Jam...
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