Phoenix game

["hironaka@xxxxxxxxx"<hironaka@xxxxxxxxx>]

After the loss I switched immediately to the Philly and 
Nets games in search of schadenfreude. They both deserved 
to lose too - "Kissie Pie" Kidd missed two freethrows 
with his team up by two  but the refs (who else?) bailed 
out the Nets and DC bricked a tying three for the Sixers. 

Instead of alone in first place with a win, Boston is 
back to a 5th seed again, half-a-game ahead of Detroit. 
New Jersey is again the hot team in the East. Philly, 
obviously, is struggling.

I disliked last night's substitution patterns, both 
before and after Obie's ejection. 

I felt Kedrick deserved a second look, because Walt 
played too long and in my mind too ineffectively on 
defense and the boards. Kedrick had a magnificent block 
and had no negative stats, but only played four minutes.

Also, the aim last night was to try to integrate Baker 
into offensive sets with all the core starters, not to 
give Sundogg playing time in both halves. The way Shagdog 
plays defense right now, he'll never be part of any 
playoff equation anyway. Vin needed to get in the flow of 
a confidence building double double, when Obie first 
yanked him for Shaggdog. 

I've said many stupid things on this list in the past, 
but one of them was that Boston has unique 4Q comeback 
ability this year. The reason I thought that is because, 
out of a sheer fluke, they were 15-3 in games I watched 
and 15-1 in games I watched in entirety. 

My attitude watching games has been that in close games 
the other teams' stars will quit before ours ever do. I 
always tell my wife reassuring things like: "don't worry, 
Antoine and Pierce won't quit". ANd I believe it.

What I saw last night was a complete fourth quarter 
choke, as Phoenix upped its defense and their stars and 
Joe Johnson stepped up big. 

Pierce did seem groggy, and I didn't exactly expect a 
repeat Bird "face injury" game. But it wasn't just Pierce 
who handed the game to Phoenix.

For the first time, the Celtics played soft, they showed 
no effort to rally when the game was on the line, and 
they played like a fatalistic team, ready and willing to 
lose like a bunch of sweaty-palmed and frustrated girlie-
men. 

These things, not the refs, are why Boston allowed 
Phoenix to score 20 freaking points above their season 
average. Bad defense against a team that averages 86 a 
night. 

One thing I can't comprehend is a team that lets the refs 
get inside their heads, no matter how bad the calls. 
These things should motivate championship-type teams, or 
at least they should act completely oblivious to it. You 
should only see that with punk-ass, pansy-face highschool 
teams.

We knew going in it would be an ugly and close game, the 
way Phoenix plays great defense and holds opponents below 
90 points. We knew we'd have to "win ugly". That was the 
job description.

So hats off to the Phoenix Suns for turning up the heat 
on a so-called "Boston Celtics" team so eager to fold in 
front of the home fans. Like most fans, I never give up 
on the outcome. But the team did just that because of a 
little adversity. 

Everything about last night's weak-ass performance was 
disillusioning. I'm glad I missed some other lame efforts 
over the years, living abroad. Clutch fourth quarter 
team? Gimmeabreak Walker and Pierce. 

They will have to regroup. They can. I hope the Celtics 
won't choke in front of home fans like that again this 
year, with four minutes left and the game clearly 
winnable despite all the bad breaks, against the weakest 
road team in basketball. 

Instead, we got stepped on by a soft PG and a high school 
PF, who probably never guarded anyone in his life like an 
Antoine Walker. 

We should have walked this win home, with ease. Our team 
intensity was defused by all the distractions.

The Celtics need to drop the excuses, and regroup in time 
for this weekend's B2B games. Nothing's a given anymore.

Joe H.









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