Foil in the Oven: Tonight's the Night

I'll be honest, I don't have much for you today. I spent this morning procuring myself a ticket for tonight's game, and at this point I'm really a little too anxious to talk. It's more than I ever imagined myself spending to go to a sporting event, but the magnitude of this sporting event is also greater than any event that I ever realistically imagined attending. Hopefully that makes sense.

The hole on the floor that Kendrick Perkins usually occupies was glaringly obvious on Sunday night. Perk is a huge part of this team, both literally and figuratively. All around Boston, people seem to either love him or hate him. Obviously, it frustrates me when he has to sit down with two fouls and there are still ten minutes left in the first quarter. But, regardless of how anybody feels about Perk, they can't deny that he is a great defender and that the Lakers get to the rim when he's not playing. I've scoured the Internet like crazy over the past couple of days, and at this point it seems like nobody knows for sure whether or not Perk will suit up tonight. However, I'm not overly optimistic about his chances.

Even without Perk, I'm confident about tonight. I'm not going to do the broken record thing here, so you can look at yesterday's Foil in the Oven for reasons why. But, look, this team has been totally rejuvenated every time that they have returned home in these playoffs. What killed them more than anything in LA was getting off to slow starts. That doesn't happen in Boston. They will be amped. You can see in Paul Pierce's eyes how much he wants this. Kevin Garnett is going to be seeking redemption after his performance Sunday night, and he more than anybody else on this team seems to up his game for the Garden faithful. I know that Ray Allen has been with his son in the hospital, but all reports are that he will be ready to play. Certainly, I'm concerned about Allen's family. When you play for UCONN and the Celtics, we consider you part of our family. But, all reports are that his son is fine, and I don't expect this to phase Ray. Ray is a veteran, and one of his strengths is that unlike his two running mates, he doesn't ever seem to let his emotions take over. He's much more calculating than that.

The Game 7 performances that this team has turned in have been outstanding thus far during this post-season. They always seem to come out with a great sense of urgency, and they flat-out out work their opponents. This is how things were with Atlanta and Cleveland. I expect tonight to be like a game 7. The Celtics are home after what must have seemed like forever on the West Coast, and they all know how dangerous it would be to give the Lakers hope. Right now, the Lakers are still a long shot. But, if they win tonight, suddenly they're right there and they'd have the momentum. The Celtics and their fans will treat this like a game 7. I think I just shat my pants even though I'm not wearing any.

More to come tomorrow, you all know what they need to do. They know what they need to do. They will do it. Tonight's the night.


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Our t-shirt sales have been increasing lately and I want to thank all of you who have bought them. I even heard rumors about a roomofzen Lion Flag T being spotted at the Tom Petty show on Saturday evening. Thanks for buying. If you haven't been to the store lately, check it out (above). We've added a bunch of new designs and remember that half of the proceeds are going to be given to the American Cancer Society (we're going to give it every 6 months, the money automatically goes into a paypal account that we don't touch).

We've hired a very attractive male model to show off the black shark t for you. As you can see, this is perfect shirt to wear out on the weekends.



This shirt is rugged, and pairs well with beer.

One final note on the shirts, if you ordered a Paul Pierce t-shirt and it had a misprint on the back (saying "ths" instead of "this") please email us at oracle@roomofzen.com and we'll replace your shirt. We've had two people with a misprinted shirt. One of the people got three, two were fine and one had the misprint. I have no idea how this happened, and it really doesn't make sense that three would be pressed for the order, 2 fine and 1 bad. But, we have fixed the issue, and we are eager to replace your product. Also, we have invoices for the orders, so we know who ordered the Paul Pierce shirts. So, please don't lie to us and pretend that you did. That really goes against the whole spirit of this site.

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Read Ted's post below on Tiger's amazing performance at the US Open. I am an extremely causal golf fan. I hate playing, and I really just watch to see Tiger. Now, the fact that I was all jacked up for the Celts on Sunday night may have played a role in this, but seeing Woods sink that putt on Sunday night was far and away the most exciting moment of my golf-watching career. It was incredible. I want to watch the next major now, and I don't even know when it is.

Then, I'm watching PTI last night, and they get fan mail from somebody suggesting that Tiger shouldn't throw his clubs down after he hits a bad shot and that he shouldn't have yelled "fuck yeah!" and pump his fists. The reader, who is obviously a Tiger-hater said that Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus never would have behaved in such a deplorable manner. Wilbon ate the e-mail alive and I loved it. Of course you never saw Palmer and Nicklaus doing that shit. They didn't have HD cameras zoomed in on them for the entire goddamn tournament! I find it hard to believe that they never swore on camera or showed their frustration.

And, furthermore, that passion on Sunday was exactly was roped me in. Golf has always lacked that for me. Tiger pumping his fists, showing genuine emotion, swearing, this is what sports is all about. Don't we want these guys to be intense? Don't we want them to show emotion? How are we to be expected to be passionate about the sport if they are not? I've heard all of this stuff about it being a gentleman's game, but that's bullshit. I've seen John Daly. I remember the shit that Fuzzy Zoeller said after Tiger won the master's back when I was in seventh grade I think. What these people, and that fan who wrote the e-mail, want is for golf to remain a sport of the elitist country-club men. That's fine for them, but it doesn't make it exciting to watch. I love the NFL, the NBA, and college basketball so much because they are exciting. Sunday was the first time I ever felt that same excitement with golf. I hope Tiger shows more emotion in the future. Trust me, it will help his sport.

Tiger, if you're out there man, we'll send you a roomofzen shirt to wear in the next tournament. Then you can really let loose.

And, while we're on the topic of fans being too old-fashioned, I think it's time for baseball fans to loosen up as well. As a Red Sox fan, there have been no better players to watch in my opinion than Pedro Martinez and Manny Ramirez. These are guys that just act like themselves. They have personality. We need more of that. Everybody gets bent out of shape when Joba Chamberlain gets fired up after a strike out. He should! I would be! When Manny hits a home run, why not raise your arms and do a little showboating. These guys are all millionaires. As Babcock said so well back in November, "if you're getting paid millions of dollars to play a sport then you have the right to get your ass kicked on national television." Furthermore, you have the right to be made a spectacle of by the person doing it. Some more emotion please. Not just in golf, also in baseball.

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Another late night writing a paper last night meant listening to more old episodes of the Basketball Jones podcasts. I've got two to highlight here:

First, this one , from before the season, which ponders how far the Celtics can go with Garnett, Allen, and Pierce. It's nice to hear some smart commentary instead of the bullshit that ESPN churns out. These guys say, very logically, that a team with those three players is bound to go very far. And, my favorite part about it is that JE Skeets makes the point that I made over and over again. OBVIOUSLY any team that has injuries is going to stumble! I couldn't stand people before the season talking about how potential injuries might be a downfall for this team. Anybody that paid attention to Ray Allen's ankle surgery knows that he was only having bone spurs removed. Structurally, his ankles were fine. In fact, as he said, it was like getting two new ones. There was no indication that he would have chronic ankle problems. Is it really neccesary to devote air time during the summer to whether or not a team will suffer injuries once the season starts? I hate ESPN. And yet, I watch, everyday. Goddammit.

Second, this one , which really epitomizes why I like to listen to these podcasts. It's hilarious (great Vince Carter line at the start) and they discuss whether you'd rather have Chris Paul or Deron Williams at point. Those types of conversations are really why we all watch sports in the first place. Great stuff.

Also, Chris Sheridan had Paul and Williams as on the bubble for Team USA in the next olympics. As you all know, I'm against pros in the olympics, but if we're going to send them over and really go for the gold, why not send both of these guys and leave Jason Kidd at home. These two guys are undeniably better (did you see that Mavs/Hornets series?) and they are the perfect one-two punch. If Paul is getting bodied too much by bigger guards, throw Williams out there. If Williams needs a rest, throw Paul out there. I know Jason Kidd is the captain and whatever, but either we're selling out of the olympic spirit for a gold medal or we're not. The fact that we send NBA players means we are, so let's make the right decision. Just tell Jason Kidd that I want him to be punished for being part of the worst goddamn trade in league history. GOD WHY DOES THAT STILL BOTHER ME! I HATE YOU MARK CUBAN! I DON'T EVEN LIKE THE MAVS! I NEVER HAVE! WHY DOES IT BOTHER ME! IT WAS JUST SO HORRIBLE! 2 FIRST ROUND PICKS AND DEVIN HARRIS! YOU DUMB MOTHERFUCKER!