I don't know about you, but the color green turns my stomach when I see it on the basketball court. The Celtics are the enemy, plain and simple. Pierce, Garnett, Rondo and Allen are a scourge on my basketball world and there's nothing I enjoy more than seeing the Sixers beat them. Tonight, the Sixers need to tap into some of that hatred, they need to stir it up, relish in it, and send a message to a rival and possible first-round opponent.
There's a twisted sort of symmetry to tonight's matchup in Beantown. If the Sixers beat the Celtics, they're taking a giant step toward securing a first-matchup with Boston. The Celts are in a tight race with Miami (currently a half game behind the Heat), and the Sixers need wins to hold off a suddenly hot NY Knicks team (or a NY Knicks team who suddenly found an extremely easy stretch of schedule, whichever way you want to look at it). With a win tonight, the Sixers will go into tomorrow's meeting with the Knicks carry no worse than 1.5 game lead. With a loss, they could be only a half game up (The Knicks play at home vs. the Raptors tonight).
If the Sixers can win tonight, they will split the season series with Boston, and their two losses will have come on last-second shots by the Celts. I'm sure the seed of doubt will creep into the swollen heads of the Celtics players, and the Sixers will have some confidence heading into a first round tilt with the hated Green. Really, this is how the story should be written. The Sixers should win this game, they should hammer the Knicks tomorrow night, then they should be able to rest guys with the #6 neatly tucked in their back pockets. Lou Williams should recover in time for the playoffs and we should have a hell of a first-round series against the Celts. If the Sixers don't win tonight - and they are 6.5 point underdogs - well, then nothing is going to be easy over these final five games. They're going to have to scratch and claw to stay at #6, if they actually want to stay at #6. They could possibly let the Knicks pass them, which would be a moral defeat, in my book. Really, nothing good comes of losing.
So how can they win? I still stand by my hack-a-Rondo theory. That guy is deathly afraid of going to the line, if you send him to the floor a couple times with hard fouls, he's going to stop driving the lane, and if he isn't penetrating, no one else on that team is really capable of creating their own shot. Especially not when Pierce is being blanketed by Iguodala. Everything begins and ends with Rondo for their offense, and there's a strategy you can use to completely take away his strength. Maybe Doug is just keeping that one in his back pocket until the playoffs get here.
The main weakness for Boston is the middle of their defense. Shaq is hurt, again. Nenad is hurt. Jermaine O'Neal is probably about to be hurt again. Glen Davis and Jeff Green are going to have to see a ton of time at the four and five for Boston, we need to take advantage of their lack of shotblocking and size in the middle. It's not going to come from our bigs, it has to come from the perimeter. Jrue and Iguodala need to drive, drive and drive some more. Put fouls on Garnett, force him to cheat off Brand to clog up the lane, then dish to Brand for easy elbow jumpers. Force the whole defense to collapse to protect the lane, then kick the ball out to Jodie or Jrue for open threes. Put Turner at the point and get him the ball in the post. Just attack. The Celtics are no longer the tough, intimidating team they used to be, they're just a bunch of old guys with a big hole in the middle and a talented, yet flawed point guard.
Prediction: PHI 97, BOS 90
The tip is at 7:30pm. Game thread will land 90 minutes prior. Welcome to Philly, Antonio Daniels. I'm waiting with baited breath to see if you'll get in the game.
I feel you Brian
The only thing that annoys me more than Boston is Boston fans in Philly... every time they play at WFC it looks like 30% of the arena is packed with Celtics fans, how come ??
As for the heck-a-Rondo theory I'd agree with you, but I recall in the last games vs us he hit like 3-4 shots from 16-17 feet, that was pretty shocking...
I say we have to control the defensive board as much as we can and try to run a lot, they can't keep our pace
It might have to do with the all white starting lineup they had in the 80's
Wow, I would love to see this prediction come true. Can you imagine a win over the Hated Celtics and then beat the arch rival NYK ? Can't get any better in my book for Sixers basketball.
That green to me is like the green Kryptonite to Superman. I hate it. Never stopped hating it, but finally the rivalry is gaining importance again in the post-season. 76ers have always seemed the underdogs, even in the Dr J years to the dreaded Celtics, but I never stopped hating on Boston. I'd love to see the 76ers upset them in the first round (if they meet up) and crush them, even if we go out in the 2nd round. I know the likelihood of it happening isn't great but a man can hope.
Ray Allen is the only player I like from the Celtics. I can't stand their over-celebrations, the way they try to make each moment into a disney movie, and the way they exaggerate their injuries.
Just looking at that picture pisses me off.
I went to a Sixers game in Boston in '02 and the place was full of Iverson jerseys, with very few Pierce jerseys. It depends on how much a team is winning. The home fans stay home when their team is bad, and the "foreign" fans take the seats. I used to see a lot of Sixers fans in LA for the Lakers, even though they were good.
I like Brian's game plan. I just get the feeling we're not going to see any of that. Do you think Turner will play more than 6 minutes? Will Hawes and Brand make shots? I'm really pessimistic when it comes to this match-up. Too many bad memories. (But a lot of good ones, too, such as Game 7 in '82.)
I always thought the green was ugly and yes i've never liked Boston. Two hours to tip-off, can't wait. Let's get the W on this one.
Thorn confirms that Brand is playing with fractured hand:
http://ow.ly/4tTor
God it didn't take me long to be reminded of how much I hate Paul Pierce. He's the face of the Celtics so yea that fits.