First step for a lower seed in a seven game series: Split the first two on the road. Second step: Take game three. Third step: let's not get ahead of ourselves. The Sixers took one of two in Boston, now they need to take care of their home floor. Tonight, the Celitcs will look to take home court advantage back and send a message to the Sixers. That's the narrative they'd like to follow. I've got something different in mind.
You can look at this series two different ways. The first is the way the national media has chosen to view it. The Celtics are clearly the better team and they merely took the Sixers lightly in Boston. The logic is the Celtics will now realize they can't underestimate the Sixers and they'll dig deeper, or try harder, and put the Sixers out of their misery. There are a couple of problems with this logic. Number one, we aren't talking about the 2009 Celtics here. We're talking about an old, shallow team that had to overextend its oldest players for the past eight weeks or so. Second, the Sixers aren't playing like the team that finished 15-22. They haven't played like that team in about a month.
The national narrative has the Celtics stomping on the Sixers tonight. The Sixers have been lucky in the first two games to even keep the game close. In fact, only Boston's apathy kept them in those games in Boston. Well, I've watched the same games and what I've seen is a Boston team fighting for its life because they know they're on borrowed time. Actually, they aren't on borrowed time. Their time has flat out passed them by. They struggled with the Hawks, a young team. Now they're doing worse than struggling with the Sixers, an even younger team.
Tonight, the Sixers have a chance to break Boston's will. I'm sure the Celtics will try to muster everything they have for this crucial game in the series, but there are only so many times they can throw their best punch and watch a stronger opponent shrug it off and counter. If the Sixers can maintain their composure, if they can stand up to the initial punch, at some point, Boston simply won't have another left in them.
They key is to be relentless. There can't be any slippage at all in this game. The message needs to be sent that not only do the Sixers belong, but they're the superior team in this series. If they can do that, if they can continue to meet run with run, and make every single inch Boston gains hard fought, eventually the Celtics will break. It might not happen in this game, but it will happen in this series. Keep attacking. Attack the rim, attack the Celtics on the defensive end. Treat every loose ball like a battle to the death. No layups. No freebies. Make it perfectly clear to the Celtics that you know exactly who they are, exactly what they're about, and you know what, you're not scared. Not in the least.
For all the history the Celtics franchise brings with them into this series, I honestly think the Sixers played a better team in the first round. The Bulls were definitely a better defensive team, or at least a tougher matchup for the Sixers considering their interior presence. They were a much better offensive team throughout the season, even without Derrick Rose. Boston has name power. So far, the only players who have gotten caught up in the names on the back of Boston's jerseys have been the guys wearing the green and white.
Come out, execute your game plan, be the aggressors for 48 minutes and the first swing game of the series will fall in the win column. The only thing you can't do is give Boston life, you can't let them start believing they're five years younger all of the sudden. They're old, you have to make them feel it every time you make the extra pass and they have to fight through a screen to rotate. You have to make them feel it every time they drive the lane and scrape themselves off the floor. They have a finite amount of fight left in them, make them use up every bit of it, and find they still need more to beat you on your home floor.
The tip is at 7pm on TNT. Game thread will land around 5. Question for you guys: Does Brand's light workload in the first two games pay huge dividends in the next two, at home, against a tired Celtics front court?
I really love what DC has done with Evan this season. While at first I thought he was completely messing up things, I have to completely change my views on the matter and acknowledge the work Doug has done with Evan. It also shows how strong Evan is, because let's face it Doug has been doing this he started coaching and most rookies couldn't handle his passion. Evan and Doug found each other and it shows on the court, hats off to Doug.
And Lavoy is awesome! I love the way he plays. Wished we could see some more of Thad though, he got us some key wins with big plays but he never really dominated which he should be able to do versus Boston. And Lou looks really awful out there, he needs to move the ball around. I saw some of the best Sixers basketball with JTI and Lou and that was when Lou was passing the ball, once he starts playing solo it all falls apart and Doug has to take him out of the game.
This is a key game. If they can get Game 3 I'm sure Game 4 will follow, Boston needs this win. They're getting slower each game.
I hope your right about Elton, all year he stepped up in big games and none were bigger than this. One more bruiser to pound their frontline wouldn't hurt.
Nice recap, Brian. When I was thinking about a comment to your preview I was thinking exactly about the 2 opposite narratives that this game 3 might entail.
one is boston coming out strong, showing the young guys that experience matters, using every trick in the arsenal and any kind of psychological means to intimidate the sixers, stealing the game and, probably, the series;
the second is boston coming out strong, showing the young guys that experience matters, using every trick in the arsenal and any kind of psychological means to intimidate the sixers only... to fail in their goal and see the sixers youngster outrunning them, outhustling them and sending boston the signal that their time is over.
I think this game 3 is crucial in the sense that it can decide whether it's time for boston to pass the torch or for the sixers to go back to school and study more.
as for the game, I hope for Lou to step up: he's been more of a liability than an asset so far and it's time for him to show his "good Lou" side in a playoffs game: maybe giving the sixers a decisive lead at the end of the third beginning of the fourth quarter.
I feel a big game from ET and Iggy tonight. I think tonight the whole team plays like we belong in this playoff race. No more of this learning bs, we trying to win this thing.
No wide open kg jumpers like the first game.
I love the way they aren't calling every little foul in the playoffs. It makes the games way more fun to watch. I also think it helps the sixers cuz we don't get those calls (except lou will gets them sometimes for som reason) so now the other team doesn't either.
has eb, thad or good lou shown up at all in the playoffs?
it would be nice if they did tonight
LOVE IT!
Attack the paint all night long. Wear them down on the offensive end and our D will more than make up for whatever they throw at us. No settling for long 2s or jumpers period.
I was really bitter when several different ESPN analysts didn't so much as acknowledge Philly in this series. Instead they were talking about the Miami - Boston matchup. Ha!
Eat crow haters!!!
ps. Brian you're right. Chicago was a much tougher squad. I think the Sixers are actually growing up right before our eyes
Blog: Expect Garnett to be more assertive in Game 3:
http://www.phillyburbs.com/sports/sixers/expect-garnett-to-be-more-involved-in-game/article_7e9c2198-5bea-5f4f-920a-97f6f31a98e5.html
I felt like this team had the opportunity to blow out the Celtics in both games, but they let Boston get back in it due to missed layups on the fast break and careless turnovers.
I'm a fan of Lou Williams and he's the only backup PG/SG we have on this team but there were certain times in the game were he took too many ill-advised jumpers. At what point does Doug need to take him out of the game and let Jrue and ET play extended minutes?
I don't know what the deal with EB is. In game 1 of the 1st round he carried the Sixers, but since then he has been very pedestrian. I think he was running on fumes in the latter part of the season and know his age/injuries have caught up to him.
Last season we saw Nocioni, Antonio Daniels, and Speights get minutes in the playoffs. This year, we haven't seen Battie, Vucevic, or Sam Young get any playing time.
The deal with Elton is he's a lead-footed hack (see illustration above) with a flat jumper of late. Left hand on the body, right arm for a club. Works for him. Ask Mbah a Moute and Calderon about his "class"; it's not imperative though. :)
heh. Not sure what you're talking about w/ Mbah a Moute, did he give a hard foul on him or something? I know he dislocated his shoulder trying to block Mbah a Moute's shot a couple years ago. The Calederon thing wasn't intentional.
Buck & Raptor events - matters of interpretation. As surely as the sun has risen, we disagree once more. I'm "old school"... it's NOT all good.
What was the "Buck event?" When Brand got hurt?
Yeah. When karma turned on Brand and slugged him.
Heh. The blown achilles wasn't enough bad karma? God hates Dukies, I suppose.
God hates Dukies, I suppose.
Yeah, but can you blame him/her/it?
I don't care if he's from Duke, MIT, Oxford or Dubuque. He's a bully on the court, a cheap shot artist, likes to throw his weight around and hurt people.
Came at Mbah a Moute with both knees flyin', made sure he landed on him.
Intentionally elbowed an exposed Calderon. Sneaky dirty stuff.
Want a visual reminder of his typical foul play? Go to youtube, type in "Javale McGee Big Dunk as Brand pushes him (Nov. 23, 2010)," watch clip of his dangerous flagrant and ejection.
But "he's such a professional," says Doug and Doug's sheep.
Heh, when he injured his shoulder it was more because he avoided landing on him with all his weight than he was trying to hurt him. You really don't like anyone on this team, do you?
if Brand is such a hack I have to wonder what his feelings are on the big punker from boston
4th Quarter, 3 minutes to go => You don't give away easy baskets. If you fault, you fault him hard not some weak ass fault so your opponent can go for "and one". Nothing wrong with doing the fault, he wanted to fault him hard so he couldn't get the ball up but McGee was faster than him. If you know any basketball you'd know why Brand did what he did there. People used to play a lot harder back in the day, that's why the Celtics play like they do. If the refs let it happen, they'll continue to do so. If they blow the whistle, they'll stop making the faults it's easy as that.
brand fouls sometimes cuz he is too slow to get over there. its like he is stuck in cement sometimes.
on that mccgee foul i bet he was trying to foul him and foul hard but mcgee just landed awkwardly. sixers were up late in that game, not sure what the point of doing some crazy foul that would hurt ur team. he doesnt do ish like dwade. dwade is a little b!t$h
The deal with Elton is he has an injured neck. Very tough to shoot with a sore neck.
Yeah, I heard or read that too. Must be REALLY sore.
Last 6: 12 for 37 from field, 4 for 12 from line! Where's Shelton Jones when you need him?
Shelton Jones. I think he was the first guy to start in Julius Erving's place the season after he retired. He may have started 2 or 3 games.
EB did make 3 jumpers in a row in the 3rd quarter last game.
Paul Pierce begging for fouls and Garnett post ups. There will be a lot of this tonight!
I hope the sixers stay in their game and do not double off anyone. They got killed in Game 2 in the fourth when they starting doubling garnett. He swung it for an open 3 and a few layups.
You take your poison with Garnett shooting 25 times so that it does not give others open looks. He also has had less success posting up Allen.
If they can stay close after the initial push of the 1st quarter, they have to have Lou and Thad step up offensively to end quarters. Lou needs to dribble drive and find thad for easy layups.
Lou playing a good game can't be defined as no bad fallaway shots, but scoring 15 points, dishing ourt 4 assists and no turnovers against the Boston 2nd team. No excuses!
It was obvious to me in game 2 that Lavoy is stronger than KG. Let him post up as much as he wants--I don't think he can be efficient against our guy from Trenton! Can't get to the blocks, can't back him down. Lavoy will just have to make sure he gets out on that jumper.
I believe Lavoy's from Morrisville, but close enough...
Meh, he's from jersey, the town is irrelevant, jersey is jersey :)
Morrisville is in PA. It's right across the river from Trenton. I don't know exactly where Lavoy's from, but he went to highschool at Pennsbury High in Fairless Hills, PA.
Always thought MOrrisville was in jersey for some reason...learn something new every day (the point about jersey being jersey still is something I stand by, doesn't matter where, it's all the same :) )
If Stub Hub is an accurate barometer, more excitement for game 3 of this series than game 3 in the first series. Tickets are almost 50% more expensive day of game.
Not meant to be a reply. My reply to your bash on the lovely Garden State was "Those are fighting words!"
Hey, it's not your fault you were born in Jersey...how long since you lived there for 365 days.
Let's face it, North Jersey is a suburb of New York, South Jersey is a suburb of Philadelphia.
It's like Connecticut, but with less money, and more pollution (and nuclear power plants)
:)
As for the stubhub thing - all the old timers who couldn't care less during the regular season are psyched about sixers/celtics match up (PS - was there a flyers game on the road the same time as game 3 last series?)
Well, in about a month I'll be living there 365 days/year for quite some time. And yes, there's a Morristown in NJ, I'm moving pretty close to there.
Hope you've got your moat built
Yea tickets are a lot more expensive. Probably shouldve gotten tickets earlier when they were cheaper. After game 2, they really went up
You're both (kinda) right.
Morrisville is in Bucks county. Lavoy was born in Trenton. He moved to Morrisville at 9 and played high school at Pennsbury.
There's a morristown in new jersey though right?
Morrisville.
Thanks Derek. Stop picking nits, Big Will! :)
Hollinger on the series
No insider, anything worth noting?
Here's the summation:
What kinda contract u guys think Lavoy allen will get being that we don't have him on a rookie deal can u guys see him coming back and at what price.
I'm not 100% sure what the max he can get is. First, they have to extend a qualifying offer, which will probably be around the minimum. He might be eligible to make all the way up to the full MLE in restricted free agency, though.
Meh, he's a minor consideration to me in the off season. Small sample size is ignored come playoff time
Yea hopefully we can get him back on a cheap contract. I also don't believe we need to get rid of iggy that dude gets it in for real honestly underated he does it all and imo the best one on one defender in the league.
According to Hoops Hype, Lavoy does have a qualifying offer of 937k next year. While I think he can get more than that, I doubt he can get anything close to the MLE from anyone. Despite his solid play this postseason, most GMs might still view him as the 50th player in the draft with limited upside. Plus, this is a pretty good draft for power forwards. But, #60 Isaiah Thomas had a very good year so maybe that might make front offices a little more open minded.
My guess is that he has a better chance of making more money here than anywhere else. I think 8-10 million over three years is a respectable offer at this point.
This should be a glorious game, and hopefully ET tries to throw down with Garnett like he almost did with Durant back in Feb...either way we'll be talking about this series for a long long time...
...and in case anyone didn't see it in the last post, i can't make it tonight but have two tix available three rows from the Celtics bench, email me das411 @ gmail ASAP (or if you have already, check yours bc i answered you back) if interested!
I'm not sure Brand's workload is not 100% injury related and we might not get much from him at all this series. I agree 100% on the depleted Bulls being better then the Hawks team the Celtics beat. Even without Rose and to an extent without Noah the Bulls are defensive beasts and monsters on the glass. The Hawks do nothing much better then anverage and always seem to outperform there statistically profile in wins every year by a large margin. Even with that if Josh Smith doesn't get hurt I'm not sure we aren't playing the Hawks right now.
Dollar bill should just come out the closet & admit he really doesn't like sixers. Rarely do u give them any credit even now they lucky the Celtics aren't inspired & u still haven't proven how that isn't so.
Haha; yeah. He kinda forced me to reply...something I barely do.
Won't be able to watch this live. I'm gonna have to be checking this game thread all night. Sure it'll be a good one.
Till very recently I was not able to watch any games but between the box score and the game thread here I get a very good picture.
Many thanks to Brian, eddie's heady for the colorful commentary.