This is not a blog about the Celtics being one and done, but it does play into my prediction from last year.

Funny thing about predictions, you can always bring up the ones that are correct and just forget the ones that are way off. Even timing just gets in the way of the truth. It is kind of like golf, fishing, or stock investing. Hey, did you hear about my fishing trip last summer? There as this fish and it was so big that it barely fit into the boat and, oh, there was this golf hole, number 5, and using a 7 iron, uh then there was that small company in my portfolio and it just zoomed and , wait, wait, wait…We were talking basketball here.

Last year, my prediction/concern was that one of the 3 amigos would get hurt. They didn’t and Boston won. This year Garnett did get hurt (the 3 amigos are getting old and brittle.) and Chicago may steal the series.

In the NBA, there are few office pools because there are few series upsets. The higher seeded home teams should win handily at home and lose by a bucket on the road. That is not happening here. In Boston these two teams look equal. Chicago may get at home and win easily.

Ben Gordon almost out dueled Ray Allen to win this last game, while Derrick Rose and Rajon Rondo each had super games.

”I really liked our team’s poise. Obviously, Ben Gordon was tremendous. I love the grit, love the toughness of our team, but we can’t get outrebounded like that and expect to win.”

They nearly pulled it off, though, thanks mainly to a postseason career-high 42 points by Gordon, including the Bulls’ last 12 points. Gordon was 14-for-24 overall and 6-for-11 from three-point range.

”He’s one of the best at hitting clutch shots,” Bulls point guard Derrick Rose said. ”I don’t know how he blocks everything out, but he always finds a way to hit the shots.”

As hot as Gordon was down the stretch, he was matched by Allen, who was able to shake off his shaky play in the first six quarters of the series — a total of six points — to score 28 of his 30 in the second half.

Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo had a triple-double with 19 points, 16 assists and 12 rebounds, while Rose — the Game 1 hero with 36 points — had 10 points and seven assists.

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Paul Pierce takes turns scoring lots of points with Ray Allen

Maybe Boston is just bored, but they just went through a period where losses came more often than wins and that has been rare the last two years.

Boston 115 Toronto 109 OT

Now they turn to Paul Pierce for 39 points to beat a Toronto team missing both Calderon and O’Neal. Sunday they needed 36 from Ray Allen to be Toronto. The big 3 has turned into the big one at a time. Now it is Garnett’s turn to beat Toronto one would assume.

“Ya’ll need to start playing some of that ‘Superman’ theme music in the building when he’s going like that,” Garnett said of Pierce’s 39-point, 49-minute performance, all of it on a sore right knee that nearly kept him out.

“This is Clark Kent right here, ladies and gentlemen,” Garnett said. “He was 13-for-26 tonight with 39 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Superman.”

Not bad for a player who, prior to yesterday’s shootaround, was a 50-50 shot in the mind of Doc Rivers to even play.

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Digging a little deeper one sees that Kevin Garnett held Chris Bosh to 1 – 4 shooting in the 4th quarter and 0 for 0 in the OT. Garnett proving why he is so valuable to the Celtics once again.
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Kevin Garnett dreaming of a second NBA Championship

The Boston Celtics will come into the season as the odds on favorites and for a reason. They are loaded. Just having Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen gives you the early nod, but other players and a staunch defense were developed last year as well.

Before we go all gaga over the Celtics, keep in mind that LeBron James took them to 7 games, until his team, the Cleveland Cavaliers held him back. Also, don’t forget the Pistons with their young players starting to stretch their muscles. Orlando will also have some say with Dwight Howard. And lest we forget, the young Philadelphia team picked up Elton Brand.

Boston lost some key players too and it is always hard to come back after winning.

Will winning the title temper the fire and selflessness they displayed last year? How will they compensate for the loss of reserves James Posey and P.J. Brown? Will age finally catch up to Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett (both will be 33 by the end of the season)?
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And what changes were made in the Celtic roster over the off season?

Added: Patrick O’Bryant (Golden State), Darius Miles (Portland), Bill Walker (rookie)

Lost: James Posey (New Orleans), P.J. Brown (retired), Scot Pollard

Posey and Brown played key roles in the playoffs, but Darius Miles is an interesting player trying to comeback in the NBA.

The Boston Celtics are still the kings until someone knocks them off.

Photo source Newscom

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It appears the diet drugs were working for Darius Miles

Miles, who signed a non-guaranteed contract with the C’s over the summer, was with the Portland Blazers last season and is attempting to come back from chronic knee trouble.

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Before you get all uppity and start talking about dope smoking hoop stars, let it be known that Darius Miles was not puffing on the weed or at least he did not get caught for that, which does not imply that he does that. Darius took a diet drug called phentermine and he took it last spring.

If Darius ever plays up to his potential, he will be a fine addition to the big three of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen. Unfortunately, potential has been the tag on Miles since he entered the NBA.

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You know Kevin Garnett is happy to hear that Sports Illustrated ranks Boston 1st for next year in the East

Marty Burns of SI predicts the top 6 in the East.

He has Boston number 1.

1. Celtics: The loss of veteran forward James Posey (via free agency to the Hornets) could hurt, especially come playoff time, but for now Boston has to be considered the East favorite again. General manager Danny Ainge re-signed key reserves Eddie House and Tony Allen, and Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen should be even better with another year together (assuming they’re not too worn out from last season’s long playoff run). The bottom line is that the defending champs didn’t make any significant moves … but they didn’t need to.

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The only real surprise was dropping the Detroit Pistons to 6th.

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Robert Parish joined Larry Bird and Kevin McHale in the Original Big 3

Image details: Boston Celtics served by picapp.com

You knew this was coming. The comparisons of this great Celtic team with the Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish big 3 of 1986.

In my mind, feeble as it is, the 1986 team was awesome. They would kick the tail of this current team. Now that is just my opinion and literally means nothing really. The 1986 team ended up winning a lot of titles. Maybe it would be fairer to see if this current Celtic team can win any more titles, before we start making wild comparisons.

Still…Mike Freeman at CBSSports.com is going with the current team.

Speed and athleticism and speed. And did I mention speed?

Speed is the reason why if you took almost any championship team in any sport and matched it against ancient predecessors, the more modern group would usually win. Belichick’s Patriots would beat Lombardi’s Packers. The athleticism of the Shaquille O’Neal-Ko-Me Bryant Lakers would beat Magic’s version.

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Ok, the problem to start with is that modern training methods have produced superior athletes and no one argues that. Kind of makes most comparisons unfair. Mike has a point here, but he did not stop there.

Let’s begin with Bird. In this game, Pierce would guard Bird and Bird would eat him alive. Because he’s, well, Bird.

Pierce, however, on offense would reciprocate the beating. Bird might drop 40 but Pierce might score 30 to 35 points of his own on Bird. Pierce wouldn’t be able to defend Bird and Bird wouldn’t be able to defend the stronger Pierce. It’d be a wash.

Pierce may have the muscle tone of 14-year-old debutante, but he is quicker than most people give him credit. He’s definitely quicker than Bird.

The next matchup is where the speed and athleticism difference would be far more visible. Garnett and McHale would face one another and Garnett would deliver a weapons-grade ass-kicking.

Garnett’s speed would be the difference. You don’t understand how quick Garnett is for his size until you see him in person. It’s astounding.

McHale’s only chance is that he could coax Garnett into foul trouble.

This is where you will get some argument. Larry was not a great defender, but a clever one and he was a big boy. Man, my mind is stuffed with images of Larry Bird drilling shots from the corner like they were nothing and then if you went out to defend him, he just blew by you. Pierce is not putting 35 points up on Bird, because the Celtics played team defense. Pierce would meet the hammer of McHale if he drove to the hole. The Original Big 3 played a physical brand of ball.

Speaking of McHale there is this image of him putting up 50 on my Pistons. Kevin was unstoppable in the low post. Garnett is too thin to have stopped McHale down low. This isn’t Pau Gasol we are talking about.

And what is this Johnson stuff? Parish, the Chief, was the 3 of the big 3. Robert would eat Kendrick Perkins alive. Parish had this move in the paint where he took steps on his tippy toes every time, but it was his signature move so no ref ever called it. When he shot the ball it was high over his head. Unblockable.

As for Ainge and Johnson, they were both shooters and passers to the postup players. Both of them very disciplined. You had to play them honest.

Hey, let’s not take away from the 2008 NBA Champions. Today’s Celtics are great, but, please; do not tarnish the Original Big 3.

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Kevin Garnett – anything is possible

Image details: NBA Finals Game 6: Los Angeles Lakers v Boston Celtics served by picapp.com

It seems like yesterday that my Piston won the world title, the Larry something trophy, in the NBA.

My friends were on a high that lasted a week.

Boston fans feel like that right now. You could sell little kid sippy cups with Boston Celtic logos on them and the fans would scoop them up by the hundreds.

They sound just like we did. Our team is great. We will win next year and maybe the year after that! Forgetting, of course, that they barely got past the Atlanta Hawks. Yeah, the Atlanta Hawks.

Maybe it was better expressed by Kevin Garnett. He was on such a high that he could hardly speak, screaming “anything is possible, anything is posssssiiiibbblllee!” Man, you have to love Garnett, for it was a long wait. Nobody wants to be the next Charles Barkley and go out with no title.

Paul Pierce had a great playoffs and towards the end there was no stopping him. It was fun to watch. The Celtics Danny Ainge brought back the old stars and solid defense and taught us all what Joe Dumars has been telling us. These old guys know how to win and how to play D. Hats off to Ainge and crew.

Doc Rivers, truly a nice guy, proved us all wrong. He really is a great coach, not just because he won, but because he made a lot of subtle adjustments throughout the playoffs and they all seemed to work.

When the Boston Celtics built a new practice facility, they surrounded the court with their 16 NBA championship banners and left a blank space for No. 17.

The message was a bit too subtle for Doc Rivers.

The Celtics coach turned a spotlight on the empty spot on the wall at the beginning of this season so there would be no doubt about the team’s goal.

“They can turn that thing off now,” guard Ray Allen said early Wednesday morning, his left eye still red from the first-half face-raking and the postgame champagne spraying that accompanied Boston’s title-clinching, 131-92 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

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With the core group of Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Kendrick Perkins, and Rajon Rondo, anything is possible and you have to think that next year could be another Lakers with Kobe Bryant and Boston Celtics with the Boston three party back at the NBA title game.

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Boston Celtics rule the world or at least the NBA World.

Paul Pierce is MVP and played fantastic.

Kevin Garnett reminds us that anything is possible.

Defense rules and the Lakers better get one.

Redlasso gives us this video from after the final seconds.

source RedLasso

Kevin Garnett was so emotional that he was crying one moment and shouting out the next moment. Boston absolutely dominated the last game of the series.

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Paul Pierce cannot be stopped. Not by Kobe. Not by anyone.

Image details: NBA Finals Game 6: Los Angeles Lakers v Boston Celtics served by picapp.com

Sam Posey or SAM missile. He just keeps burying 3’s.

Paul Pierce, not Kevin Garnett. It is the Paul Pierce series. Hey, Kevin is averaging a double double, but it does not matter. Paul Pierce is dominating.

Pierce had waited for his chance to be one of those generational Boston sports icons, and the Celtics had stopped surrounding him with a fighting chance. It was getting late in his prime, late in his patience. He watched Tom Brady win his Super Bowls and David Ortiz his World Series, and he could take it no more. This town is the best in the world for winners, and just the worst for everyone else.

These forever New England stars are remembered for the most clutch championship performances. Pierce was the forgotten, dismissed talent, a victim of unfair circumstance when the city never had less tolerance for losing causes.

Suddenly now, Pierce returns for Game 6 in these NBA Finals on Tuesday within a victory of a championship, within a whisper of his wildest dreams. Maybe the regular season belonged to Kevin Garnett for the Celtics, but the playoffs belong to Pierce. History is closing fast.

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Phil Jackson has a pink top of his head. What is that?

Pau Gasol racks up the stats, but plays soft most of the time. Lakers need Andrew Bynum.

Kobe Bryant can’t score on 5 Celtics at once. They are playing great defense. Kobe will get his, but it will take a lot of shots.

Boston by 23. Is this a series of big leads by both teams or what?

Ray Allen had his eye poked in the first quarter and has done nothing since.

Halftime.

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Kobe Bryant is ready, but is Pau Gasol ready?

Image details: NBA Finals Game 4: Boston Celtics v Los Angeles Lakers served by picapp.com

The Lakers blew it in game 4. A 24 point lead and still they did not win. The Celtics stepped up the defense and Paul Pierce went crazy on offense and that was it.

The Lakers have to face game 5 as a game to get respect.

Let me lay it out for you.

First off your leader has to be cool. Kobe Bryant is the ultimate cool right now.

Bryant insists the Lakers have moved on since their Game 4 collapse. There’s no time to dwell on what happened, all that counts now is what happens next.

“We’ve got to take care of business on Sunday,” said Bryant, who spent much of the past two days relaxing at home with his family. “So what are we going to do? How am I going to get my teammates in the right frame of mind, make sure they’re energetic, and that’s what it’s been all about.”

Bryant said he spent much of the past two days reading a Harry Potter book to his daughters.

“It was awesome,” he said. “He had more problems dealing with Voldemort than what we have dealing with the media and the Celtics.”

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Lord Voldemort? Hmm, that would be interesting.

Garnett goes up for a rebound and what is this? Lord Voldemort has pulled out his wand and, oh my gosh, the ball just exploded. Did you see that? Kevin Garnett is just lying on the floor in a crumpled heap.

Anyway, secondly you cannot think beyond this next game.

The finals are in a 2 – 3 – 2 format. The Lakers almost came from 20 down to win game 2, but did not. The Celtics came from behind to win game 4. That made the series 3 -1. Hopeless is the major feeling right now. No NBA team has come back from 3 -1.

Even if the Lakers can get up for game 5 after the major disappointment of game 4, they would still face game 6 and 7 in the house of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen. Not to mention the ghosts of Celtics past like Red Auerbach and Larry Bird. It is human nature to just not believe you can win all three games in a row, but you can always convince yourself to win the next game, the one right in front of you.

Third the Lakers have to play a complete game with enthusiasm. Derek Fisher is a veteran and understands the playoffs, but does Pau Gasol or is he and his other teammates just happy to be there?

Fourth, Kobe Bryant has to get hot. He cannot just dribble into the paint and dish off. If he is the best player in the league and Phil Jackson is such a good coach, then a new strategy has to be devised to make Boston unable to stop Kobe. Right now Boston is over playing one side of the court and it is working. LA has to find a way to get down low or get open shots on the weak side.

Back to game 5. The Lakers need this game for respect, and then if they lose in Boston, they lose in Boston and that is that.

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