This Guy's The Man.

See more here on Ball Don't Lie . The President attended Friday night's matchup between the Wizards and his hometown Bulls. It probably shouldn't matter to me that he enjoys taking in an NBA game and drinking a beer. I did the same in Boston on Friday night. Perhaps we are of the same minds. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Leave your thoughts.

Honoring the Diesel: A Look Back on All-Star Weekend 2009

Before we begin, the greatest of all the Shaq youtube videos. Trash talking to Vlade Divac set to the Cheers theme song:





Whenever I've watched the Suns play this season, I've forgotten who number 32 is. I know he's out there. He's too big to ignore. I know that he is significant, but at this point I tend to think of him more as the figure that marked a cataclysmic identity shift in his team (which now has no identity). It's a strange feeling, because there are very few players that I have seen in my lifetime that I respect as much as I respect him. I don't know if people will realize how significant he was, both on and off the court, until after he has retired.

The NBA has changed drastically over the past couple of years, as an influx of young and talented superstars have taken the torch and led the league into a new and promising era. As we headed towards All-Star Weekend 2009, I was looking forward to seeing these superstars put their talents on display. The addition of Shaquille O'Neal to the Western Conference team was sort of an afterthought. The idea that this might be the final All-Star appearance for one of the game's all time greats never even entered my realm of thought. However, I could not be happier with the way that things turned out. I will always remember All Star Weekend 2009 as the opportunity for all of us to witness one of the last great moments of one of the league's greatest icons. That, more than anything, made this All Star game a special one for me.

I enjoyed Sunday night's 27 point blowout even more than I enjoyed last year's game (which is saying a lot). It wasn't close, and yet it was incredibly fun to watch. The first half was intense, hard fought, and featured some of the toughest defense I can ever remember seeing in an All-Star game. I felt very satisfied at halftime, particularly with Paul Pierce leading all scorers. The second half, which was totally different, and tickled my fancy in a totally different way. It was fun. It was a show, which is really what All-Star games are all about. We got to see things that we would never see in a regular season game, and Shaq was a big part of that. As soon as he started taking the ball out on the perimeter, and bringing Dwight Howard out there with him, the mood of the game totally shifted and it was awesome. The Diesel was also able to turn back the clock and turn in some vintage Shaq dominance in the low post against the undersized Eastern Conference reserves.

Play of the night, hands down. The big Shaqtus goes through Dwight's legs and executes a nice give and go with Chris Paul:



Shaq up top, Chris Paul down in the paint.....this is what made Sunday night so great.

I started to get emotional on Sunday night when Shaq performed his dance with the Jabbawockeez during introductions. I realize how ridiculous that sounds......I really do......but that was the moment when it suddenly hit me that I was probably never going to see him on this stage again. He was the face of the NBA for a long time. He was the NBA in the same way that Jordan was the NBA before him and Kobe and LeBron are the NBA now, and I think he did it better than any of the others. On the court, he measures up in every way: statistically he is one of the top ten players of all time. Off the court, his humor and charismatic personality have made him more accessible than any player in history. LeBron and MJ are great in commercials, but nobody can entertain us spontaneously in press conferences and interviews like Shaq. He's a natural performer. Usually, when players dance, I cringe. But, how could you not love this? I could have watched it for hours:



It's hilarious. And, whether or not it was rehearsed, nobody else could have pulled it off.

So that was All-Star Weekend for me, all about Shaquille O'Neal. I don't think he should have won the MVP, but he was also the reason I went to bed feeling completely entertained and excited about the 27 point blowout I had just witnessed, so I guess that's pretty valuable.


Before I move on to the rest of the weekend, let me address a few questions that will naturally rise in opposition to this post:

1) Was the Shaq-Kobe co-MVP artificially created by the NBA?

--Most likely. Kobe was the MVP of that game. The NBA started hyping up the Bryant-O'Neal reunion as soon as it was announced that Shaq would be part of the game. I find it hard to believe that the two of them tied in voting. Now, the NBA could not have set this ahead of time. But, they certainly could have encouraged Phil Jackson to get Shaq heavily involved. This decision was definitely made before the fan votes were all in.


2) Should Shaq have even been an all-star?

--Obviously not if you are basing the answer strictly on what he has done in '08-'09. He plays very limited minutes on an average team, and does not even play on back to back nights. However, the man is one of the great icons ever to play in this league and I totally support the decision to let him participate in All-Star weekend one final time (most likely). The fact that the game was in Phoenix makes it a no-brainer. Magic Johnson was voted a starter in the 1992 game (and was the MVP of that game), and he was retired!


3) Was that lovefest between Shaq and Kobe real, and will they end up together before O'Neal retires?

--Probably not. Kobe has to smile and go along with whatever the league asks. His rare abilities have allowed him to move back into the good graces of NBA fans over the past few seasons, but he really has no choice but to remain warm and fuzzy. However, you'd better believe that he's just as likely to take up residence in Eagle, Colorado as he is to willingly team up with Shaq again.

The way Shaq was acting was much more puzzling to me. He does not like Kobe. It was not long ago that we were watching him on stage freestyle rapping about how Kobe is nothing without him and asking Kobe how his ass tastes. But, this weekend, he seemed almost desperate to convince the public that there is no issue between the two of them. I understand that he might be trying, by going through the court of public opinion, to convince the Lakers that they should bring him in for their title run. But, the odds of that happening are very slim, and I don't think it's worth it for him to start changing the story now. We are all convinced that Kobe was the untrustworthy, selfish scumbag in that situation. Shaq was just the funny, loveable big man. We all collectively cheered when the Heat defeated the Lakers on Christmas Day, and Shaq won his championship sans-Kobe. We cheered because we Kobe was the culprit. That was the story. Why would Shaq want to change that?

So no, that was not genuine. In fact, I would go as far as to say that they were asked to play around before the game (when we saw Kobe playfully defending Shaq out at the three point line).

It was all part of the league's marketing plan. Well, I just wrote an entire post about Shaq and Kobe. Well done NBA.


As for the rest of the weekend, I have some thoughts:

- Kevin Durant should have been an All-Star, and he proved it on Friday night. Early in the night, I thought we were going to see a rare rookie win. But then, Durant elevated his game to another level...an all-star level.

- The Skills Competition has to go. Every year I get amped up for the Saturday night festivities, and every year I end up tuning this crap out about half way through. It lacks the suspense of the three point contest and the excitement of the slam dunk contest. Guys throwing balls through hoops and running around cones....it just doesn't translate well to television. Luckily, we have a solution........

- HORSE was a huge success, and I think it is just what we need to fill the first Saturday night slot. Guys shooting long range, from the stands, with their backs to the basket, it's all exciting. It belongs inside the arena, and I think that moving it to a primetime spot will spawn more planning and creativity in the shots.

- As I've grown older I've learned that the dunk contest, because of how subjective it is, is something that you just have to enjoy regardless of the result. A few years ago, I got all worked up because I felt like Nate Robinson did not deserve to beat out Andre Iguodala. This year, I felt that Robinson was totally deserving of his victory. That being said, I have some thoughts on it:

The first dunk of the night, JR Smith's double bounce, should have gotten higher scores. That looked very difficult to time up. Smith's second dunk (with Sonny Weems) was lame and required many attempts, so I don't feel bad that he didn't advance.


Like many people in Boston, I was rooting hard for Rudy Fernandez to fail in successfully completing his dunk with Pau the llama Gasol. That being said, it was an impressive dunk. If he had nailed it on the first try (maybe if Gasol wasn't being an asshole and trying to throw it behind his back), I think it would have been a 50.

Of all the night's dunks, this one (the first, off the side of the backboard) impressed me more than any others:



Off the side of the backboard has been done before....but look at that extension on the arm. Nobody else could have not only reeled that ball in, but thrown it down so hard. The guy is a physical freak.


I've heard a lot of people take issue with Howard attempting the leap from the free throw line as his final dunk, because it "doesn't look that great when you're 6'11". Fair enough. But, just remember, he weighs 265 pounds. And, most 7 footers in the league have little to no leaping ability. Imagine yourself standing at the foul line shooting a free throw....now imagine you weigh 265 pounds and you're jumping from there...what are the odds you're going to make it to the rim? Not very good. I'd need a rocket pack.

But, Dwight stepped over the line and I have no problem with the outcome. I thought both finalists put on a great show. But, overall it was not as exciting as last year and it certainly will not be as exciting as next year.

There Are No Words........

Sick. (via freeTA42)

Roomofzen Podcast Episode #2: Avocados Grease the Wheels of Progress

Episode 2 is in the books. We tried to script things a little more this week........and ended up going longer (a full 2 hours) than we did last week. Who knew that these microphone headsets would feel so good. But, there's some really good stuff in there. Ted joined us for the first 40 minutes or so, which was a great addition. We've decided that next week we are going to record separate 30 minute segments to post on different days. One will be an NFL picks segment, one will be a Celtics segment, and one will be an overall NBA segment. We like to go off on tangents, and that can be entertaining during a 30 minute show. Not so much when the show is 2 hours. We think shorter, more focused segments will be an improvement for our listeners. For the time being, it is long. I think it would lend itself well to a long car ride. So, if you're going to be driving anywhere this weekend you may want to open it in a new window (click on the blue icon on the right side of the player), download the file, burn it to a CD, and enjoy the sweet sounds of the roomofzen on the road.


Here it is, Episode 2, in all its 120 minutes of glory. There are less mistakes this week than last week. Ted once refers to the Indiana Pacers as the Indianapolis Pacers (which is indeed the city in which they play). Also, Babcock and I discuss the implications of AI in Detroit and somehow get lost on a tangent (big surprise) before we can even discuss the cap space he will free up this summer (which is really the whole reason they made the move anyways). But, other than that, it's pretty solid:

Boomp3.com


In case you don't have time for the whole thing, here is a guide to how episode 2 breaks down (if you open it in a new window, you can skip around pretty easily):

first fifteen minutes: Reader e-mail (be warned, we talk about the NHL)

Rest of the first hour: NBA talk (Babcock and I use our powers of persuasion to convince Ted that Ron Artest was a huge addition to the Rockets and that the Celtics win on Tuesday night was a big one)

Second hour: NFL picks, Analysis of Van Gundy/Jackson duo, and why we're glad Comcast Sports Net fired Cousey.


Also, we weren't able to get our musical intro. Babcock did attend the first ever Boner Salad recording session on Tuesday evening, which will forever be known as "The Lost Session" since there is no recording of which to speak. You can expect a post from him on that experience soon. We expect that music to be ready in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, please accept this Blind Melon video:




Again, please stay tuned for next week when we present you with smaller and more digestable segments.


In case you missed it, here is Episode #1 from last week.

Wiz-Ards Opener

Ten thoughts from the Wizards home opener:

1) We lost to the Nets last night and despite having Vince Carter (who is still nasty by the way), the Nets should have been an easy win. But then again, the Wizards usually start off slow, so I will give them the benefit of the doubt here. The real test will be Saturday night against the Pistons, a team that will kill the Wizards unless they bring their "A-Game."

2) We paid Arenas way too much money. I hate to say that, but it's true. How can you reward a guy whose constantly injured with a 100 million dollar contract and then expect the franchise to thrive in the long-term? Maybe you pay Lebron or Kobe that kind of money, but this is Gilbert Arenas we're talking about here: unless he's healthy and passing the ball, he has very little potential to lead this team to a championship. I love the guy to death, but he is a supporting player at best on a team with rebounding and inside, post-play. Sorry, Gil. The Wizards don't have that.

3) We have to rely on youngsters because of Gilbert's injury, but they are still an unproven quantity. Blatche is good at times, but he still gets in trouble off the court; he also has problems putting fourth constant effort each night. Nick Young shows flashes of greatness, but like Blatche, he's very off and on during the 82-game grind. Maybe this year they will turn a page, but Andray is on season 4 and Nick has to start playing well immediately. Will that happen this year? I hope so.

4) Etan Thomas is back, but his poetry still sucks. Nothing new here.

5) Eddy Jordan will still make this team good, despite what everyone says about Arenas and the youngsters. Why? He is one of the best coaches in the NBA and he's also one of the classiest. So to say that the Heat will finish above the Wizards this year JUST BECAUSE they have D-Wade back, is frankly insulting. The Wiz-ARDS made the playoffs three years in a row despite having the worst possible injury situation you could imagine. Gilbert got injured, Caron got injured, and Antawn was constantly beaten-up. Yet the Wizards always played hard and pulled through thick and thin. You have Jordan to thank for that and I have no doubt he'll do it again. The Miami Heat, however, have no proven quantity at head coach, nor do they have a guarantee that Stoudemire will stay healthy or play consistent basketball. Even if Wade is dominant this year, there is no guarantee Udonis Haslem and Stoudemire will have what it takes to make this team good again. The Wizards, however, have a track record of three veterans constantly leading their team to the playoffs.

6) Caron Butler needs to have a career year and I expect him to do so...Tough Juice just needs to stay out of dance clubs at 3 AM before playoff games...

7) The Western Conference will be nasty this year, but the East has improved as evident by the Celts, the 76ers, the Raptors, Magic, and Wiz. Why do you think TNT is putting more Eastern Conference games on primetime this year?

8) As I mentioned above, Eddy Jordan is one of the classiest coaches in the NBA. His temperment is first class, he never uses foul language, he never unduly criticizes people or refs, and he never complains about his team's injuries or uses them as an excuse for his performance as a coach.

9) DC may get the trifecta this year -- good hockey, football, and basketball. This hasn't happend in my lifetime. But unlike Boston, I doubt they will win a championship and spoil every fan in this area for years to come.

10) Javale McGee is going to be nasty some day. He is 7 feet tall, runs the court well, passes, and has a 10-15 foot jumper. Not bad for a rookie.

Embrace the Weekend.......

We've got a great lineup of college and pro football, the Red Sox playing to keep their season alive tonight, and the whole time we will all be anxiously waiting for the association to tip off in 10 days. I love this time of year.

Here are my week 7 picks

Here is Babcock's Take 5

Here are some sick Michael Jordan highlights:

Foil in the Oven: This Game is Electric

The view from section 311

The 2007-2008 Boston Celtics were not about entertainment. That they were one of the most entertaining teams in Boston history is undeniable, but ultimately inconsequential. This team made me jump out of my chair in disbelief countless times this season, completely awed by the talent and personality with which they played every night. But this team was not put together to be a spectacle for fans to drool over. This team was assembled with one singular purpose in mind. Every team in the league says publicly that they share this goal, but you can tell who believes it and who doesn't. Not only did this Celtics team believe in this goal, they hungered for it more than any group that I can remember. From the first day of pre-season all the way through the final seconds of last night, you could see this goal manifesting itself in everything that this team did on and off the court. Kevin Garnett stated it very matter-of-factly last night when he told Michelle Tafoya, "This is the reason we came here. This is the reason we got together, and Danny made it go down. This is it right now.''

It's important for us to remember that this was not a decision that Garnett took lightly. Most players with his talent and competitive drive would have been begging to be dealt out of Minnesota as soon as possible. But, Garnett was never a public malcontent. Even in the darkest days of his career in Minnesota, he still was known for staying later than anybody else shooting and lifting. He gave the team that took a chance on him everything that he had for 12 seasons, and I think that if it were possible he would try to pass on this feeling to the fans in Minnesota. But, ultimately, Garnett is a competitor and no matter how hard he worked, a championship was never coming to Minneapolis. He has nothing to feel guilty about, but I'm sure that giving up on that dream could not have been easy for him, and I'm sure that in a strange way he felt just as much of a responsibility to the people of Minnesota as he did to the people of Boston. He wants them to know it wasn't just about playing for a better team. It was about last night.

I'm hesitant to discuss the Celtics motto of "ubuntu" in this post because I hate the phrase "cowboy up" more than just about anything and I don't want ubuntu to turn into that same monster. But, given that the Celtics embodied this motto all season long, I am going to. Desmond Tutu says that a person with ubuntu "does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole." The Celtics as a whole embodied this motto, but perhaps no player epitomized it more than Ray Allen. Allen has been a star in this league for a long time. He has scored over 15,000 points. He is second all-time in NBA history for 3-pointers made. He is an 8-time all-star. And yet, he has toiled away fruitlessly for most of his career due to the fact that he played for Milwaukee and Seattle. It would have been easy for Allen to come to the Celtics with the goal of finally getting the recognition that he deserves in a big market. However, much like KG, Ray did not come to Boston to accrue individual accolades. He came here to win a title.

Ray Allen is much more understated in personality than Kevin Garnett or Paul Pierce, and he did not receive as much recognition as a result. My girlfriend, a huge UCONN fan, has pointed out to me numerous times that despite Allen having great numbers, the headlines often read "Pierce, Garnett lead Celtics to victory." She has also pointed out that all of the Celtics post game press conference seem to feature Pierce and Garnett, but Ray is nowhere to be found. Bill Simmons joked in a column a few weeks ago that the Big Three should be called "the big two featuring Ray Allen." Although Simmons was not being serious, this really is how these three have been perceived by many. The truth is that when these three guys are on their games, Ray is the third best player on the team. However, to have a player of his caliber in that role is unheard of. Furthermore, despite his rough stretch in the post-season, we can't forget the contributions that Ray has made to this team. How many huge shots did he make in the regular season? How huge were his 48 minutes in game 4 of these finals? Who else on this team could run around the floor all game with Rip Hamilton? I'm sure that Ray never felt under appreciated by his teammates, and I hope that all of us will remember how valuable he was for this team.

Everyone talks about KG throwing out the first pitch. Ray's has gone somewhat unnoticed

Also, I'm still pissed that he didn't get the MVP of the all-star game. There's no way the East wins that game if he doesn't get hot in the fourth quarter. They had LeBron pegged for that thing before the game even started. I know that it seems irrelevant at this point, but it would have been a great honor for a guy that has completely put his ego aside for the good of his team.

I don't want to spend too much time running down the individuals here, because this championship was defined by team play, but I just want to say how happy I was to see Paul Pierce hoist the Finals MVP trophy. In fact, it was this image that I couldn't get out of my head as I pondered whether or not I wanted to splurge on these tickets. In the end, seeing him hoist the trophy, and hearing him address the fans in person, made those tickets worth every penny.

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As for the game itself, I can't imagine a more satisfying performance. I promise this is the last time I'll say this, but we've all known that the Celtics are far superior to the Lakers. They've shown flashes of it in this series, and certainly the game 4 comeback showed them asserting their dominance for part of a game. But, last night they played as well as they could for the entire game, and erased any doubt that people might have about who the best team in the NBA is. The game was just as lopsided as the scoreboard showed.


Scal knew who the better team was all along:

Some thoughts:

- Defensively, the Celtics were outstanding. They forced 19 turnovers by the Lakers offense, the best in the NBA. Although Kobe hit some three pointers early in the game, the green did a great job of locking him down and not allowing him to penetrate. Credit James Posey for playing ridiculous defense on Bryant.

- We've seen time and time again, and I guess it's not surprising considering he's the point guard, that Rajon Rondo is the key to this team achieving maximum output. As Rondo goes, so go the Celtics. He was outstanding last night and it was great to see him play so well after struggling in Los Angeles. 21 points, 7 boards, 8 assists, 6 steals, and 1 turnover. What more could you want from your 22 year old point guard in the biggest game of his career?

- When he was able to play, Perk did a great job bodying up Gasol. The guy is a game changer defensively, and is the perfect compliment to Garnett. And, he's only 23. With the big three only in their early 30's and Perk and Rondo 23 and 22, respectively, I don't want to hear people saying that this team can't repeat next year. But, I also don't really want to talk about it today.

- Ray Allen, in the biggest game of his career, coming off a stressful ordeal involving his son being hospitalized, goes 7-9 from the three point line, 8-12 from the field, and scores 26 points. There are some who argue that the Lakers quit in the second quarter. I have a hard time believing that. At least, I have a hard time believing that Kobe Bryant quit. Ray Allen's 6 second half three-pointers are what made the lead insurmountable and broke the back of the Lakers.

- Also, Allen had 26 despite spending a huge portion of the first half in the locker room. That number could have been much higher.

- I've been saying that I love the way that the offense runs when Paul Pierce brings the ball up. He was a great offensive facilitator when Rondo was out last night. I was shocked when I realized that he already had 7 assists during the second quarter last night. He finished with 10 all together.

I'm not a big fan of the Gino thing, but nothing could bother me last night.

-The fourth quarter was amazing to watch. A note on this:

I don't know how many of you know who I'm talking about, but if you do then I'm sure that you can appreciate this. There is an old man with a bit white beard that wears a yellow sports coat and a Pierce st. Patrick's day jersey to the game. His wife wears a Rondo t-shirt. They show him on the jumbotron several times at all of the games, and you see this old white-bearded man pounding his chest. It's great. I was a little bummed out last night that they hadn't showed him. I assumed that he had not gotten finals tickets and had not been able to afford them. However, they finally started showing him in the second half.

When we got on the T after the game, I squished in, looked down, and saw that the man and his wife were sitting right next to where I was standing. I was shocked. I wanted to talk to him, but I wasn't sure what to say. Finally, I said "how about when Tony Allen threw down a reverse dunk on that alley-oop. That was awesome, huh?" Now, this is not a way that you would typically start conversations with old men. But, this is also not your typical old man. "Oh, just amazing" he said, "What a beautiful sight to watch in the fourth quarter. That's the best part about this sport. When a team is playing loose, and having fun, the game becomes beautiful almost like a ballet. I'm really happy that we got to see that." He then stood up on the top of his seat back while holding on to the poles around him and started screaming "let's go Celtics." Then, he sat back down. Awesome.

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I think that the unique circumstances, coming just one season after being the second worst team in the NBA, of this championship have helped to give me (and I hope all of you) a greater appreciation of this sport and what it means to see your team win a championship. I'll explain:

I will always look back fondly on the 2006-2007 Celtics, as strange as that may sound. Obviously, they were horrible, but they were fun to watch. Now, that is probably because there were zero expectations for this team after Pierce went down. Without the Truth, I resigned myself to the fact that I was going to watch games without any expectation of winning. And, as I said, it really was an enjoyable team to watch. It was great to see Big Al's offensive game move to the next level. Tony Allen looked great until he blew out his knee. Delonte West was always scrappy and always intense. Ryan Gomes was consistent. Gerald Green showed flashes of greatness at times. And, perhaps the greatest part of the season was watching Rajon Rondo develop. No matter how bad things got, this team remained intense and never seemed to lose their edge. They also never seemed to win, but again by this point the result had become secondary. Even once they were in full tank mode, Leon Powe seemed to up his level of intensity in order to give us a reason to keep watching.

The point is, particularly in New England, we have a tendency to focus too much on results and not enough on the excitement of the actual games themselves. Last season helped me remember that sports are great, and that I love watching them regardless of how things turn out. Now, I always watch sports, probably more than I should. But, often times when my teams are losing, I become frustrated and miserable throughout the season. The Celtics have been bad in the past, but I can't ever remember them being quite so bad as they were last year. When Pierce went down I said "ok, this is rock bottom, just take these games for what they are and be happy when, and if, the Celtics win some games." And surprisingly, I found myself not only not unhappy, but even looking forward to each game. Last season helped get me out of the "my team needs to win all the time and needs to win a championship or else I will be miserable" mentality that I had clung to for my entire life. And, for some reason, three of my favorite teams have the championship since that shift. I can't explain it, but it's awesome.

Now, to be clear, I'm not saying it doesn't matter to me whether the Celtics are good or not. What I'm saying is that appreciating the games regardless of the outcome helps me to appreciate these championships more than I would have before. Before, like with the Red Sox in 04 and UCONN in 99 and 04, it just felt like I was getting something that I had been missing. I just felt normal again. Like someone who is hungry getting food. Now, by appreciating every game for what it is, I can appreciate more how truly remarkable this Celtics season was at a greater depth than I otherwise would have. Perhaps this doesn't make sense to you, because it's tough to articulate. But, send in an e-mail to the oracle if you need clarification.

I'm sure I'll have more on the game as my head clears throughout the rest of the week, but that's it for now.

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!

Into Tiger's Lair - Woods and the US Open

Summary:

• Tiger Woods is a badass
• Was it Tiger's knee or Rocco's gameplay which made the Open so close? Answer: both.
• One of the best US Opens we've ever seen
• Game 5 was a circus
• Why is ABC airing Bill Walton?

We all know Tiger’s father was a Green Beret who fought in Viet Nam. Translation? Tiger comes from a family of badasses. We also know that Woods has never lost a Major while leading on the final day of golf. Translation? Tiger is outrageously clutch and will continue winning as long he builds early leads. But something weird happened today: a 45 year-old golfer, ranked 154th in the world, almost beat the legend in two rounds. (And when I say almost, I mean within a razor’s edge) Either Woods’ knee is a lot worse than we thought or Mediate played the equivalent of two rounds from another galaxy. So which one was it?

I think it was a little of both – a perfect storm, so-to-speak. You can certainly argue that a healthy Tiger would have blown out the competition on Sunday. But then again no one, including the top ten players in the world, was scoring below par. Torrey Pines was brutally unforgiving so that makes me think that even with a healthy knee, Tiger still would have even with Rocco going into the final round. Let's also give the relative "closeness of the tournament" some perspective. The Golden Bear (Nicklaus) placed second in Majors 72 times (!!). In other words, it's not uncommon for even the greats to keep these tournaments close, which makes Tiger's 14-0 record going into Sundays even more ridiculous when you think about it.

But then again, Tiger’s knee clearly bothered him throughout the US Open. You couldn't miss the pain even if you tried -- NBC panned incessant reruns of THE KNEE and subsequent grimaces after each drive. With a healthy knee, would Tiger double bogey the first not once, but twice? Would Tiger continue having the same problems with his driver with a healthy knee? Academic debate, I guess. But you have to wonder. Woods looked like he was in serious pain. So was it a lot worse than he was letting on? And how did he let Rocco creep back into the tournament? (The more I think about that pain, which was apparent, the more I realize how special this win was. 91 holes of gut-wrenching golf, peppered with multiple come-behind birdies to even the score. Do sports get any better than this?)

What I do know is that Rocco Mediate went toe-to-toe with one of the best golfers of all time. His final two rounds were epic. I will save you from the cheesy metaphors, but it was like entering the lions den, with all the lion’s trainers rooting against you, and instead of getting mauled and eaten within 30 seconds, you last five minutes while the lion slowly eviscerates you. Unpleasant for sure, but entertaining for the rest of us. Did you really think Rocco had a chance, deep down inside? As Miller on NBC commented, “Rocco looked like the guy who cleans Tiger’s pool.” And this is why I love professional golf: average dudes can win the sport. See Daly or even Arnold Palmer. Yesterday was undeniably awesome.

Onto the Celtics. Last night’s second quarter was like ground-hog day for me. Instead of 24 points, it was 19 points. I think there’s an unwritten Karma rule which states that two on-the-road comebacks are impossible during the Finals. Either the refs or the basketball gods will enforce this rule no matter what (or maybe Stern dropped off some cash under Bavetta’s hotel door last night, or sent him a few hookers). But if the Celtics had won last night, I would have been stunned: You had Sam Cassel flying around. Tony Allen getting lay-ups. And Chris Mihm getting PT! It was like a fucking circus last night! Can anyone explain to me the rotations last night?

It took me awhile to figure out what was going on, especially when Luke Walton and his father did a half-time piece. That simply blew my mind! Here we have the Celtics going for an NBA title and ABC shows the Waltons awkwardly “reminiscing” over child-hood memories. I couldn’t stop laughing for some reason. Maybe it was Babcock’s analysis from earlier this year. In any event. I thoroughly enjoyed the game last night, despite LA’s near win. If LA can force a game 7 and KG can explode for a 30 point game in the fourth quarter, I will be in hog-heaven. Nick – can you arrange for this happen?

Foil in the Oven: The Hitter's Count

Consider Eddie House unleashed.

Holy shit. That was the greatest playoff win I have ever seen, by any team. 2002 was great, but it doesn't hold a candle to the significance of what the Celtics did last night. Maybe now people in the national media will finally concede what we've been saying on this site ever since the playoffs began. THE CELTICS ARE BETTER THAN THE LAKERS. When the Celtics are playing well, the Lakers can't touch them. If last night's historic come-from-behind win didn't convince you of this, then nothing will.

I don't want to dismiss the poor play from the first half. This was a pivotal game, and this team should have come out aggressive from the opening tip. Instead, they came out with the same lack of intensity that we saw in game 3. They never should have found themselves in that hole in the first place. But, the way they played in that second half was incredible. We've seen impressive defensive stretches from this team in the past, but I can't ever remember a game like that. Remember, the Lakers are the NBA's number one offense. To see the Celtics playing so poorly in the first quarter was disappointing. Seeing them dig deep and find a way to come back on the road is something that I'll never forget, and I imagine that last night's victory will be remembered as the pinnacle of a season that has been marked by one great moment after another.

In his post-game press conference, Doc Rivers was asked by a Los Angeles Sentinel Reporter about the general belief that the Celtics still have not played at their best during this series. He agreed, and said that he told his team that after the game. It's true, the Celtics are yet to play well for all four quarters of a game. And still, they lead 3-1. At this point, it's not a matter of whether or not they will win this series, it's a question of when. And, I guess that in a lot of ways that depends on the Lakers and how they respond to this soul-crushing defeat. Apparently, Kobe plans on drinking heavily:

Some thoughts on the game:

Great move by Doc to stick with Eddie House for most of the second half in order to space out the Lakers defense and open up more scoring lanes. We've been calling for Eddie to be unleashed, and last night was just what we had in mind. It will be interesting to see how the point guard situation plays out on Sunday. I'm sure Rondo will see more minutes. But, as the announcers stressed time and time again, Rondo can't pass up those open shots. Even if he's not making them, continuing to shoot them will attract more defensive attention.

Paul Pierce did not look good during that first half. And yet, it was Pierce who asked Doc Rivers if he could guard Kobe Bryant during the second half. Paul has been impressive on defense all year long, and there are a number of games that stick out to me. But, he was incredible last night in the second half. He didn't bite on any of Bryant's fakes. He didn't allow Bryant to get him off balance. This was the best player in the world that he was defending, and he had him locked down.

Also a great move by Doc to play James Posey for so many minutes down the stretch. By having all shooters in the game, he opened up a lot of one-on-one opportunities for the Celtics to exploit. An example of this was Ray's fleecing of Sasha Vujacic at the end. Doc was really reacting well to what the Lakers were doing, which is crazy for him.

Sasha Vujacic practicing for his audition to become the next Slovenian Idol

I've heard the question of "if the series were to end right now, who would be your MVP?" thrown around a lot over the past couple of days. There seems to be a consensus that Paul Pierce would be the front runner if the Celtics win the series. Look, Pierce is my favorite player, and nothing would make me happier. But, I'd like to throw Ray Allen out there right now as a possibility. Ray has had a great series, and he is the only one of the big three that has played consistently well throughout all four games (both Pierce and Garnett sucked on Tuesday, and Ray was a big reason why the Celtics were still in it until the end). Furthermore, Ray has done a great job on Kobe Bryant, and he played at a high level for all 48 minutes of last night's game.

Speaking of Ray, how about that leg-scissor that Sasha put on him. I've tried to find it on youtube but no luck. Instead, why don't we all just watch this clip of Ray abusing Vujacic on one of the game's final possessions.

Last night was one of those nights when you try to think of a play of the game, and you can't decide because there were so many huge shots. I'm going to go with the three-pointer that James Posey hit to bring the Celtics within one. I believe the score was 81-77 before he hit it. Please feel free to disagree with me below in our comments section. Obviously I'm talking about offensive plays. Otherwise, every fucking defensive possession in the second half could be considered the play of the game.

For some reason, the There Can Only Be One commercial last night towards the end of the game had a very powerful effect on me. Seeing those guys' entire faces while they read the lines was like seeing Darth Vader without his mask for the first time in Return of the Jedi.

Last night was incredible, and now the ultimate goal is within reach. As I've said, the Celtics are the better team. They just need to play hard and come out more aggressive on Sunday, and banner #17 will take care of itself.

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FRIDAY 90's ROCK TALK, VOLUME 2

People tend to write off Hole without ever giving them a shot. At least, that’s the way it was back in the 90s. Courtney Love became this sort of sad and tragic figure, and people never seemed to take her seriously as a musician because of it. I will certainly concede that she has seemed to be a bit outlandish at times, but I think that we can all agree that we can’t really say for sure how we would act if our spouse had blown their head off and we then had to deal with intense media scrutiny. Not really taking a stance either way here. Just saying.

Anyways, I can’t say that I celebrate the entire Hole catalog. In fact, I have no interest in most of it. In particular, I think that Celebrity Skin sucks. It’s not that I don’t think there was talent there, I just don’t think talent always produces results (sort of like the Nuggets I guess). But, like many bands do, Hole did manage to catch lightning in a bottle in 1994, and produced one of my favorite 90’s rock albums, Live Through This.




Here’s what David Fricke of Rolling Stone said in his 1994 review of Live Through This:
"Forget, just for a moment, everything you've heard about Courtney Love for the past three years – the tales, apocryphal and otherwise, of substance misadventure; her, uh, lively marriage to Nirvana's Kurt Cobain and checkered passage into motherhood; the endless Yoko Ono comparisons and dragon-bitch disses. Then go straight to the lusty, vengeful, lung-busting "Fuck y-o-u-u-u-u!" that blows the roof off "I Think That I Would Die" three-quarters of the way through Live Through This. Even if you have serious reservations about punk-rock brats living on major-label largesse or believe profanity is the last refuge of the inarticulate, the sheer force of Love's corrosive, lunatic wail – not to mention the guitar-drum wrath unleashed in its wake – is impressive stuff, a scorched-earth blast of righteous indignation as feral and convincing as anything in Johnny Rotten's bark-and-spittle repertoire."

Live Through This was one of the best rock albums of the 90s. I’ll stand by that statement until I die. This album epitomizes the grunge movement of the early 90s, and I think it stands up to anything that was put out by other grunge bands of that era (Nirvana included). If you own it, you know what I mean. If you don’t, and you loved the grunge rock of the early 90s, I guarantee that you can find it for cheap somewhere on the Internet and you won’t be disappointed. Plus, it’s only about 38 minutes long, so it won’t take long for you to appreciate it.

Now, there have always been rumors circulating about as to the level of involvement that Love’s husband, Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain, had on the album (which was released only four days after he was found dead). There are even some that claim he wrote the entire album. However, these rumors seem to be built more on a lack of appreciation for Love’s musical abilities than any actual facts. Here’s what I’ll say: I’m sure the two of them bounced ideas off each other all of the time. That’s what musicians do. But, I find it hard to believe that he wrote the album. First, neither of them seem like the types that are driven to compromise their artistic integrity for money. For both of these individuals, their music seemed to serve as more of an emotional release than a product designed for financial gain. Second, look at these videos. These performances seem too genuine for these songs to be coming from someone else. I was discussing this with this dude last Friday night while drinking heavily. The person was a musician my age that makes their money playing in local bars and clubs. His answer to my question was simply “I think that you tend to be much more creative when you are around creative people.” I felt pretty content with that answer.

Not on the CD, but still sick:

Foil in the Oven: Pay the Prophet

This has been an incredible year in sports for me. I never thought I would be accused of being a bandwagon hopper for being a Red Sox, Giants, and Celtics fan (note: I'm omitting the UCONN Huskies here because they have been strong for my whole life and were not strong this year). And yet, here I am, a fan of the World Series champs, the Super Bowl champs, and in the midst of watching my favorite NBA team play for an NBA title. The Giants Super Bowl victory gave me a feeling like none I have ever experienced because it was so unexpected. It took five full days for me to even write about it on this site because I was so awed.

Not a day has gone by since the Super Bowl that I have not woken up and thought about the Giants Super Bowl. Really. Some days my alarm has gone off and I say in my head "oh fuck it's early....The Giants won the Super Bowl" and I spring out of bed. Some days it's "Jesus I bet it's cold as shit outside. I would cut off a finger if I could just stay in bed right now.....Holy shit, the Giants won the Super Bowl" and then I work my way up to the sitting position. Some days it's "Holy shit my head hurts. I'm a fucking idiot. Ah, the Giants" and I somehow find myself at work several hours later, apparently having gone through my normal routine. This is really how it's gone. And, it doesn't end there. Watching this video to start my day has been my key to success for several months now. Every day I watch it, and then hit the ground running, ready to kick ass all day:



That video still gives me goosebumps four and a half months later, and I expect that it always will. But, eventually, I would have to shift my focus away from basking in the glory of 07-08 to focusing on the challenges that lie ahead in 08-09. I was prepared for this. I just didn't think that it would happen so soon.

Many challenges lay ahead of the Giants, some expected and some unexpected, as they took the field yesterday at their mandatory mini-camp. For the first time in 15 years, Michael Strahan is not in the plans for this season. I was ready for that. Jeremy Shockey attended but did not participate. Hell, this was more than I expected, but I still have no idea how that situation will play out. What caught me off guard, and what seems to have caught the media in general off guard, was the fact that Plaxico Burress refused to practice because he wants a new contract. I don't know why but this popped the Super Bowl fantasy bubble that I had been living in for nearly five months now. Super Bowl 42 is a great memory, but I've now put it behind me, and I'm ready to focus all of my attention on the season at hand.

I've been tossing around this Shockey situation for months now, and I've gone back and forth.
The guy is a great player, no doubt about it. His receiving skills are well-documented, and he is an exceptional blocker. In fact, I think it is his run-blocking that is most valuable to this Giants team. On the field, there is no question that the Giants are much better with Shockey than without him. He's an impact player. Anyone who tells you otherwise is an asshole. But, they can't keep him on if he continues to act the way that he has been for the past few months. It could potentially ruin the team. The guy is a constant distraction as it is. Him being unhappy with the organization will only exacerbate his distracting effect.

The 06-07 Giants were like a circus by the end. There were so many distractions and bits of drama in the media. It was horrible. It left such a bad taste in my mouth. I thought they were crazy for extending Tom Coughlin another year after that, but I'll give him credit for turning the team atmosphere around last season. This team can't fall back into their old form. If dealing Shockey is what it takes, then that's what they need to do. I hate to say it, because he's such a good player, but I just don't see any other way for this to resolve itself. Other than a trade, he hasn't indicated that he wants anything. There don't seem to be any contract issues. What options do the Giants have?


I'm not worried about the Plax situation. The Giants will pay him, and this is certainly not the kind of thing that would affect the team's chemistry. Usually, I get bummed out whenever I read about an NFL player holding out for a new contract. I never like being reminded that this is all about money at the end of the day. But, in this case, I think Plax is justified. What he did for the organization last season was incredible. He played hurt for almost the entire season. He caught 70 balls. He had over 1,000 receiving yards. His performance in the NFC championship game against Green Bay will go down as one of the greatest individual performances in the history of the franchise. And, in case you've forgotten, he also caught the winning touchdown in the Super Bowl.

There are three years left on Burress' contract, and his average salary during those three years will be 3.5 million. Certainly, he's underpaid for his abilities. His agent is also Drew Rosenhaus, the same slimy, crooked motherfucker that represents TO. So, this isn't something that is just going to go away. And, like I said, I don't have a problem with this. Burress very well may have shortened his career by playing hurt this season. And, because there are no guaranteed contracts in the NFL, he needs to make sure he gets his money now before it is too late. And, before you start judging Plax and declaring that he should honor his contract, ask yourself whether or not you hold the players and the organization to a double standard. Many times, people criticize players for not wanting to play out their contract and then don't seem upset when an organization cuts a guy that they don't feel is earning their money. The bottom line is that the man needs a new contract. The Giants need to get this done before training camp.




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I couldn't focus on anything yesterday. The anticipation for Game 4 has been building, and I expect to be at a pretty steady rage by tonight. Pierce and KG will be rested and they will play better. Rondo's injury scares me, but it sounds like he's playing. It's a sprained ankle, which guys play on all the time obviously, but I just worry about whether or not he'll be able to get any penetration. I read several sources that said Doc may consider playing Tony Allen at the point, which could be disastrous. In my mind, you play Rondo or House. If that's not working, then give the ball to Ray or Pierce and have them bring it up. There's no need for Cassell or Tony Allen to be on the court. Who knows. It's the Finals. No excuses. If the Celtics are aggressive and play a physical game, I'm confident that they take tonight. Just pound the shit out of them.



The picture below is the new addition to my desk. Hopefully it can inspire me to write some more creative things. The man in Mexico that sold it to me said it was made out of shells, but who the hell knows if that's true or if I even understood him correctly.

Foil in the Oven: the Heist Was Almost Complete

Before I get into this Foil in the Oven, I need to break this news. Last week, while the Lakers were staying at the Four Seasons in Boston, a Lakers rep called down to the desk saying that they needed someone brought in to give Kobe Bryant a pedicure. I'm not naming any names here, but this is a very reliable tip. You heard it here first.

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The Celtics almost stole one last night. They didn't play well enough to win in any phase of the game. As dynamic as this offense can look when they are in sync and playing an aggressive style, they have at times throughout this post-season looked completely disjointed and confused. Now, give the Lakers credit for doing a much better job of holding down the interior on defense, but it was so frustrating to watch this Boston offense. The passes were rushed and sloppy. The over-passing reared its ugly head again. The team seemed content to shoot jumpers for the entire first half. It all reminded me of Game Four against Detroit. At one point, when the Celtics were running around, heaving arcing passes to one another and passing over their heads backwards to the man behind them, I screamed in a fit of rage "what is this? The Traveling Circus?!" I don't really know what this meant, but I'm sticking with it.

Defensively, the Celtics didn't bring the level of energy that they did in the first two games, which is the level at which they need to play against this offense. In fact, the fourth quarter was the first time I really felt like they played defense with any urgency. Now, certainly they knew that they were going to be at a disadvantage with the officials, and that may have affected their play, but by not being physical they were abandoning the biggest edge that they have in this series. Maybe they were feeling fatigued from the first two games and the flight. I don't know. But, they weren't sharp. It made me sick to see Gasol beat us on the offensive glass twice in one minute (once with the tip in with about 5 left, and then the offensive rebound and layup), and then run back pounding his chest like some kind of rowdy bearded woman that has had too much to drink. Gasol and Odom are soft, and they should never get those kind of second chances. Perk should have had Gasol smothered on those two boards. It shouldn't have even been an issue. That was lack of intensity, nothing more.
This was a low point for me, even though I was laughing

I don't want to second guess Doc here, because we do enough of that already on this site. But, I'd really like to know what happened on the possession at the end that ended with a Vujacic three. I understand trapping Bryant, but not double teaming him in the middle of the floor at half court. And, even if you are going to do it out there, I don't think you do it with Garnett. And, even if you are going to do it out there and you are going to do it with Garnett, I don't think that you leave the Lakers best three point shooter wide open. I'm assuming there was a miscommunication somewhere. How about the Kobe three pointer from the top of the arc? He stood there like it was a foul shot before letting it go. Not a single Celtic came out to contest it. This was such a frustrating goddamn game.

Don't even get me started on Pierce and Garnett, who were a combined 8-35 from the field. This was the worst passing game I can remember Pierce having in a long time. Both of these guys were far too content to shoot outside jumpers at the start of the game. I don't have a problem with them shooting like that if they are falling, but they shot horribly in the first quarter (neither had a field goal), and at some point they needed to start attacking. When this team settles for jumpers, they are not good. We've talked about this so many times.


Even dunks were low percentage shots for KG last night.

SOME MORE THOUGHTS FROM THE GAME:

- I can see why the Lakers took Kobe off of Ray Allen early in the game, and Ray made them pay. He's the only reason that the Celtics stayed in the game. Granted, Kobe was free to expend much more energy on the offensive end. But, I don't think anybody else on the Lakers matches up well with Ray.

- Did anybody else feel a little weird when they clearly had that feel-good moment with Kobe talking about his family at halftime? We've seen 8,000 specials on him as an intense on-court guy and teammate. That whole thing was obviously designed so that he could talk about his family and they could push the good guy Kobe agenda. I couldn't help but feel like the overall message was "don't worry, me and my wife are fine. She hasn't been ashamed about showing her face in public for a while now." I don't really think that Kobe's a bad guy. But, still, I thought it was weird how they stuck that in there.

- Leon Powe only played 6 minutes last night. He wasn't great, but I would have liked to see more of him. He always brings energy and intensity onto the floor, and it seems like he really gives Lamar Odom problems.

- Eddie House played great. I don't want to see Sam Cassell again. It was nice to remember how well our second unit used to play in the regular season with Eddie at the helm. 1) He doesn't look to shoot first, which means that the Celtics get better scoring chances 2) He works harder on the defensive end 3) They can't lose track of him on defense because he will make you pay from the outside. His inconsistent minutes have affected his shooting touch, so he will only get better if Doc sticks with him.

- Mark Jackson said that Jordan Farmar is a starting point guard in this league.

- I'm sure this was more exaggerated pronounced yesterday because of everything that happened with Donaghy, but why won't they show us replays of questionable fouls? The offensive foul on Ray Allen? The traveling call on KG? I want to see these replays.

- Speaking of Donaghy, I think this guy is just trying to get his sentence reduced. There's no way for us to ever know if those two series were fixed, but I absolutely don't believe that the NBA office has ever fixed a series. Furthermore, Donghy said that referees were told to try not to eject stars in the playoffs. Doesn't that go without saying. Don't you expect the league to say that? In a way, that's the league MAKING SURE that the referees don't decide games. Look, NBA officiating is very subjective. It always will be. And, there will always be certain players that have issues with certain referees. That doesn't mean the game is fixed. I'm more concerned with bad officiating than I am with crooked officiating.


Look, I'll say the same thing I've said time and time again throughout these playoffs. The Celtics played pitifully. They only shot 34.9% from the field. They shot less than 70% from the line. They weren't aggressive on either end of the floor. They gave up 36 points and 7 boards to Kobe Bryant. Paul Pierce was in heavy foul trouble for the whole night. They weren't physical at any point in the game. They only out rebounded the Lakers, a horrible rebounding team, by one (45-44). That they were only down three with two when Vujacic hit that three (with 1:53 left) is a miracle, and speaks to the fact that the Lakers also did not play well. But, Kobe did play well. Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett did not. Am I still confident? Absolutely.

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Charles tries to accomplish what David Blaine could not:



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Hilarious piece from the Blowtorch on Lamar Odom's ineptitude.