The Truth Seemingly Wills Celtics to Victory

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The Boston Celtics looked like they were destined to be down two games to none. They were down by 11 in the second half of Game 2, without their two starting guards, and running out of energy because of a short bench. Someone had to take over and that someone was Paul Pierce. Pierce came out on fire scoring the Celtics' first nine points of the night, but labored through a stretch of poor shooting in the second and third quarters. But he had not come this far just to watch another game slip away.

Starting towards the end of the third quarter, Pierce aggressively took the game over. His toughness on offense when combined with lockdown Celtics defense on the other end of the court resulted in the Celtics making a run. Pierce's run surpassed the Atlanta Hawks' lead single-handedly. Pierce's 18 points down the stretch, including 13 in the fourth quarter, outscored the whole Hawks team (15 points) over that stretch.

After making a couple free throws with just over a minute left to seal the comeback win, Pierce paused on the way back to the bench and tebowed as he thanked God. Celtics fans certainly have Pierce and God to thank for the victory. The win swings the home-court advantage to Boston, where the Celtics will at least have Rajon Rondo back from suspension. Ray Allen will likely be another game-time decision. Paul Pierce has breathed new life into this Celtics team. He may be past his prime, but he can still showcase his vintage clutchness from time to time. Simply put, that is the truth.

Individual Players' Poor Choices Costing Teams Chances to Win

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Everyone knows who egotistical athletes can be at times. We have all acted that way at one point or another. What is unfortunate is when you allow these attitudes to turn into actions that affect other people. That is what three NBA players who are often in the spotlight have done. I already blogged about Metta World Peace elbowing James Harden. His seven-game suspension was a weaksauce move by the league. The Lakers still won Game 1, but the lack of depth and cohesiveness in the playoffs, could come back to bite them in the playoffs.

Sunday, the Boston Celtics were frustrated by how they played and some of the officiating in the game, which was understandable on both accounts. However, Rajon Rondo let the frustration get the better of him. After a loose ball foul call on Brandon Bass, Rondo yelled at the official, which earned him his second technical of the game, and proceeded to chest bump the official. This left the NBA with no choice. I am sure that the league didn't want to suspend Rondo for a instance like this, but they didn't have a choice. The rules are very clear about player contact with the officials. Today, Rondo was suspended for Game 2. This leaves the Celtics, who are already down one game to none in the series, without one of their best players and substantially less guard depth. This puts his team in a real predicament.

Tonight, the Miami Heat beat the New York Knicks to take a 2-0 series lead. The Knicks were obviously disappointed, but one star player acted rashly as a result. Amare Stoudemire punched the glass around a fire extinguisher following the loss. He suffered lacerations on his left hand, which required stitches. Stoudemire is almost certainly out for Game 3, basically a must-win for the Knicks, and possibly out for the whole series. The Knicks clearly need him to have a chance in this series. Poor choices have consequences. It is unfortunate, but they most certainly do. When an athlete puts his or her personal ego first, it hurts the team and its chemistry badly. What I would suggest to athletes is that they need to work on thinking being for they act. The choices they make affect lots of people.

Clippers Clip Grizzlies in Astonishing Style

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The Los Angeles Clippers trailed the Memphis Grizzlies by 21 points at the end of the third quarter in Game 1 of their playoff series. Clippers point guard Chris Paul pleaded with Head Coach Vinny Del Negro to let him in the game to start the fourth. The Clippers, who were down as much as 27 in the game, gained some momentum in the fourth. Paul and bench player Nick Young led the way. Paul, despite struggling for most of the first three quarters, finished with 14 points and 11 assists. Young gained additional playing time when Caron Butler broke his left hand. He brought the energy the Clippers needed to comeback. Young scored 19 points, including three from beyond the arc.

So as I said, the Clippers tried to make their frantic comeback in the fourth quarter. With Paul and Young leading the way, the Clippers went on a shooting spree and played stifling defense, which combined with cold shooting by the Grizzlies helped close out the game. The Clippers were down by 24 points with under eight minutes to go in the game. All the Clippers managed to do was go on an incredible 28-3 run to win the game. The victory set the record for the largest comeback after three quarters in NBA playoff history.


I am not sure what I should take from this game. The Clippers had a miraculous comeback, but played poorly for the vast majority of the game. The Grizzlies, on the other hand, looked super convincing, until their drought over the final nine minutes. What does matter from this game, is the advantage and confidence gained from this experience and victory. Ultimately, the Clippers stunned the Grizzlies to say the least.