Anything Left in the Tank?
I have my worries about Game 1 against the Magic on Monday night. There's a good chance the Celtics will be hungover. It's a textbook "letdown" game.
Despite the seven game series and all the OTs, Pierce insists he's not fatigued:
I sent a text message to John last night in the 1st quarter saying Rondo looks gassed. Turns out Rondo had gas. Yup, he said an extra-spicy pre-game meal caused an upset stomach. What is it with this kid's pre-game eating habits? Remember the Chick-Fil-A incident against the Hawks? Stick with basic chicken and pasta, please.
The Celtics went 2-2 against the Magic this year, winning the first two with KG and losing the final two without him (actually he played a limited 16 minutes in the last game). One of the losses was that Sunday afternoon (March 8) game where they cut a 22-point deficit down to 3.
I like the Celtics in 6 in this series. But they need to defend like they did in the regular season (even without KG), not the way they defended against the Bulls. Orlando isn't as physical as Chicago. If we hold Howard in check (and by check I mean 25 pts, 15 reb), and just contest their three-point shots, we'll be ok.
On the injury front, the Magic will be without their starting shooting guard Courtney Lee (fractured sinus cavitiy) for the first few games. The C's injury situation remains the same. After the game Perk said his shoulder "spazzed up" but it's fine. Oops...I forgot Orlando's fat blowhard coach Stan Van Gundy doesn't like to talk about injuries.
Cool move by Doc; he had the game plan for the Magic put in the guy's cars after they arrived at the Garden for last night's game. Had they lost, you probably would have found several of the binders along the side of the Pike.
Today's Links: Globe - Short and Sweet | Sights, Sounds of Game 7 | Heavy Hitters for Next Round | Rondo Built Himself Up in Short Time | Herald - Celtics Survive Bull Fight | Ben Doesn't Break Foes | Brad Miller Back in Enemy Territory | Perk Shoulders Big Load | A Total Classic | ESPN: All Good Things...
After the jump - crazy Bill Murray, our favorite Celtics dancer and Rondo getting floored by Noah.