CELTICS GREEN BLOG by and for boston celtics fans: Random Thoughts For a Layoff Betweeen Games

If you haven't checked out the Tickle Me Elbow on Celtics Life yet, you have to do so. It is hilarious. I laughed so hard at this that tears were running down my face. To get the real effect you have to go to the site (here) so that when you run your cursor over his elbow you can make him whine. Priceless.

Much has been made of Danny's towel throwing. To me it is much ado about nothing. First, it wasn't even distracting enough to make Hickson miss the free throw. We know that GM's, owners, etc are also fans and so they should get to have a bit of fun at games. I mean, this is what Celtics fans had to deal with while shooting free throws so what's a towel or two. I'd love to see the Celtics give out towels for Friday's games so all the fans can toss it, not just for free throws, but every time the Cavs go to shoot the ball.

The Celtics have been playing excellent basketball, especially on the defensive end. They look rejuvenated and like contenders again. In game 2 in Cleveland the Celtics were so dominant that they were even able to win with the refs trying to give the game to the Cavs. So, why am I so nervous about Friday night's home game? I guess it is the inconsistency that we have seen this team have all season, especially at home. I'm hoping that they really have flipped that switch and that we will see that same consistent effort at home and no let up or lack of focus that has plagued them in the regular season. I'm as nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs. I'm just hoping that the Celtics want this thing as much as I do.

I keep reading articles like: "What's wrong with Shaq?" and "The Cavs Just Aren't the Same" and "What's Wrong with the Cavs?" The answer seems pretty obvious to me: Defense. As for what's wrong with Shaq, I suspect it's the same thing that was wrong with Jermaine in the Heat series: Perk's defense. And the same for what's wrong with the Cavs. Could it be that the Celtics defense is just so good that the Cavs are struggling because of it? The key to the Celtics winning this series is whether or not they can keep up the kind of smothering defense they played in Cleveland.

There is a report circulating that LeBron's elbow is even worse than is being reported, saying that he can't lift anything heavier than a basketball. I just don't buy it. He had no trouble hefting that MVP trophy and that has to weigh more than a basketball. He also didn't seem to have any problem blocking Tony's shot with his boo-boo elbow. And his boo-boo elbow hasn't stopped him from clearing space by jamming it into any Celtic within reach. I just don't buy it. I'm wondering if Doc isn't a little tired of the boo-boo elbow excuse and so is playing up the Celtics injuries a bit too. I know I'm way beyond tired of hearing about LeBron's boo-boo elbow and I, for one, don't put much credence in the reports about the injury. He's fine.

Doc and the Celtics have been very careful not to say anything bad about the referees while still trying to call attention to the fact that the Celtics have been in constant foul trouble and that the Cavs have shot 30 more free throws through the first 2 games. The Celtics have out played the Cavs in both games but in both games, the Cavs have been able to make a "run" when the refs start calling everything their way: the out of bounds balls, the fouls, everything. In game 2, during the Cavs' "run," there was an out of bounds ball that clearly went off the Cavs but they gave them the ball. There was the jump ball that was deemed a Cavs time out even though the Cavs didn't call the time out, the ref did. And there were fouls right and left called on the Celtics and no calls right and left on the Cavs. In spite of that, the Celtics prevailed because of their defense. During that stretch of 19 minutes and 26 seconds, the Cavs weren't called for a single foul while the Celtics were whistled on almost every possession. In the first halves of games 1 and 2, when teams are trying to establish a rhythm, the Celtics have had 31 fouls called on them compared to 12 for Cleveland.

The refs couldn't be any more obvious about their agenda if they tried. Yes, home teams get some home cooking from the refs, but that is ridiculous. That's not home cooking, that is a complete smorgasbord. I don't expect much to change in Boston either. The refs and the league have an agenda to get Kobe and LeBron into a finals matchup. I mean, they've spent all that money on the puppet commercials and they want to get some returns on it. The Celtics aren't going to get any love from the officials and so it is up to them to continue to play in spite of the bias by the refs. They proved they can do it in game 2 and have to continue that type of dominant defense and play as the series moves to the Garden.

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