Can Steph Help the C's Get Their Swagger Back? Plus..the Playoff Picks

Don't try and convince yourself, that was not a close game last night. The setting was perfect for them to make a statement, and because of that it would have been nice to see a sense of urgency. Even if they hadn't been sliding, this was a huge game. I had it circled in December, during the midst of a huge winning streak, because I knew Cleveland was right on our heels (those were good days..) and I knew that this was a possible Eastern Conference Finals matchup. This should have been one of the most epic games of this regular season. And yet, the only player on the court that seemed to grasp the magnitude of the night was LeBron James.


Now, I'm not panicing by any means. Kelly Dwyer has been saying this week that what we're seeing from the Celtics is "regression to the mean". I like the way that sounds. Normal NBA teams go through these types of skids. But, something happened this morning that I never expected:


I woke up, got out of bed, and said to myself "man, we NEED Stephon Marbury."


I was livid when I first read the reports that the Celtics were interested in bringing Marbury on board. But, this morning, it makes sense. They said on the radio last night that Rondo has been in a lot of pain from being knocked hard to the floor so many times. We're not even halfway through the season. He's going to need some stretches in which he plays fewer minutes. On top of that, although he did have a stretch earlier this year where he looked like the best point man in the East, Rondo is still a work in progress.

Marbury would give the Celtics a guy that could play a lot of minutes when Rondo struggles. Additionally, he will keep defenses more honest than Rondo or House can. Teams cannot leave him open to shoot as they do with Rondo, and yet he can create offense and handle the ball better than House can. In fact, he could be very dangerous on the floor with the starting unit.

Marbury's "cancer" effect is well documented (if you haven't read this yet, get on it!). But, I'm not really concerned that he will be able to negatively change the chemistry of this team. The leadership is too solid. On top of that, who in the NBA has more to prove than Marbury (you could argue several people here, but just stick with me)? The guy DOES NOT WANT to be a cancer. He grew up devoting his life to basketball. I'm sure it kills him that he has developed this reputation. I think the sense of rejection that he felt from the Knicks this season really hurt him and led to the actions that we're seeing (sorry, I've been attending native american peacemaking circle training for the past two days and I am going for the final day in about 15 minutes). I think he will be ecstatic to be joining such a great organization, and I think he will be happy to contribute.

I have heard several people on the radio make the "Manny to the Dodgers" comparison. That doesn't work that well for me. I think Randy Moss to the Patriots is a more accurate comparison. The Oakland Raiders and the New York Knicks parallel one another in many eerie ways. Marbury is a real talent, and I think he would relish the opportunity to join forces with guys like KG, Pierce, and Ray Allen (as Moss felt with Tom Brady). This is a shot at redemption for him.

So, there it is. I'm crying out for Stephon Marbury. We need some swagger back. We need to shake it up. I also really, really hope PJ Brown is working out right now and that he and Danny Ainge have already had phone conversations about when exactly he will be joining the team, but only time will tell.






The Picks:

TITANS OVER RAVENS: This is going to be a battle, but I expect the Titans to run on Baltimore. The Titans will lock down McLain and Mcgahee.

CAROLINA OVER ARIZONA: The line is something insane (I think 9.5) on this one. I don't expect it to be that lopsided, but Williams and Stewart will keep Carolina's offense on schedule.

GIANTS OVER EAGLES: A new season starts now for the Giants. If you've actually been watching the Eagles, they aren't that scary. If Philly plays the game they played last week, the G-Men will run away with this one.

SAN DIEGO OVER PITTSBURGH: The Steelers can't protect Ben Roethlisberger, and I don't think their offense will be able to do anything against the Chargers, who have just the right kind of momentum right now.