I'm so conflicted.
Game 6 NBA Diary
When the Knicks played the Spurs in the 98-99 NBA Finals, I was at the barbershop getting a haircut during Game 5. Subsequently, it wasn’t my best haircut. Tonight, without even realizing the error in ways, I ended up at the barbershop once again during a Finals clinching game. Luckily for me, I was done by the end of the first quarter. No drama, no bad haircuts. Its just too bad that this NBA diary begins several minutes into the second quarter. Before I begin, there are a few things I noticed while at the barbershop.
– Rajon Rondo is redeeming himself for Game 5. He’s got three steals already. He might just beat out Chris Mihm for T-Mobile Player of the Game. Oh yeah, and Robert Sarver? Remember when you traded the draft rights for Rondo to the Celtics for basically nothing? Joke’s on you, huh?
– Holy crap, its Big Baby Davis. Doc Rivers never ceases to amaze me with his rotations.
– Did Kobe make a bet with someone that he could outscore his teammates in the first quarter of every game?
9:55pm- James Posey just hit an open three to take a six point lead. And then a steal, followed by another three from Eddie House. Maybe defense really does win championships.
10:00pm- Ray Allen is still in the locker room after getting poked in the eye. Oh wait, here he comes. Is this going to be another Willis Reed comparison?
10:02pm- How am I supposed to find the balance between watching this great game and watching The Office on TBS? More or less importantly, I want to order chinese food before halftime but I dont know what I want.
10:14pm- Kobe just split the defense and kicked it out to a semi-wide open Jordan Farmar, who eventually turned it over. He may not be back after halftime
10:16pm- Personally, I like the Celtics’ chances tonight. Dick Bavetta isn’t calling the game so at the very least, it’ll be a decisive win with no conspiracies.
10:19pm- Halftime stats. Celtics have a 23 point lead. Paul Pierce is insanely close to a triple double. And I think Mike Breen has mentioned Ray Allen’s kid like 10 times already. Mike, we get it. Its on his mind. Side note: I sometimes wonder what players think about on the free throw line.
10:29pm- Crabmeat fried rice with fried crabsticks. Yeah, I know. I like crab.
10:44pm- According to Mike Breen, the Lakers might not be able to come back because “it can be so deflating, especially when the crowd is so loud”. Thats some damn good analysis.
10:48pm- This game is over. It really is. It feels like the Celtics just want it more. And I know that sounds so cliche, but they’re playing like the world is going to end tomorrow. And Ray Allen just hit a wide open three after a steal by Rondo. Come on. Seriously?
10:56pm- So far this game, outside of Kobe’s 3 3-pointers in the first quarter, I haven’t seen Black Mamba check in.
11:01pm- As much as I hate the city of Boston, you have to give it to them. Chanting MVP while Paul Pierce is shooting free throws is sort of a double entendre. Not only are they saying that Paul Pierce is worthy of the NBA Finals MVP award, but in a way they’re mocking the Lakers crowd, who obviously don’t understand the rules of chanting “MVP”.
11:03pm- By the way, I did pick the Lakers to win this series. I admit it. I was wrong about the Celtics. But could you blame me? The Celtics were barely winning games against Atlanta and Cleveland. However, I’m going to go with my original preseason pick. Yes, thats right. Before the season started, I picked the Celtics to win the title. And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m glad Boston is about to win. Kevin Garnett deserves a title. Paul Pierce and his 11 stab wounds deserve a title. Ray Allen a.k.a Jesus Shuttlesworth deserves a ring. How else is Denzel going to be able to get out of jail early in “He Got Game 2: Papa’s Coming Home”??
11:11pm- God I can’t wait for this game to end so I can start hating the entire New England area again.
11:17pm- You know a game is over when Trevor Ariza is in the game in the fourth quarter of the NBA Finals.
11:19pm- T-Mobile Player of the Game? You guessed it. Chris Mihm. On a more serious note: Its Rajon Rondo. But wouldn’t it be funny if Chris Mihm was a choice?
11:29pm- I cant even think of anything funny to say right now. I might as well just stop now and start studying for my test tomorrow.
11:31pm- The Celtics just broke the record for most steals in an NBA Finals game. Next up, the record for most lop-sided victory. That record is 42 points. The Celtics are currently up by 36. Ray Allen also just tied the record for most three pointers in an NBA Finals game at 7.
11:39pm- Thats a damn good “Na Na Na Na, Hey Hey Hey, Good Bye” from the Boston crowd. In unison, loud, and clear. Kudos to them.
11:49pm- They might be able to break the point differential record right here… never mind.
11:51pm- Was that the first ever NBA Gatorade bath? Now that floor is going to be sticky. And I don’t know if that huge circle mop is gonna do the job.
11:55pm- I knew Garnett was going to cry.
11:58pm- Apparenty, Kevin Garnett thinks that anything’s possible.
So, now that the Celtics have finally won it, I can go back to hating the entire city of Boston. But first, I have to say that there aren’t too many people in sports that I can say deserve a championship more than Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen. Three men that anyone can say they truly admire in sports. They give everything they have to their teams. When Kevin Garnett was trying year after year to get out of the first round, he stayed loyal to his organization. To this day, as we just saw, he holds Minnesota in high regard. Ray Allen would probably have never left Milwaukee if he hadn’t been traded and he’s always been a loyal, respectable guy. Paul Pierce stuck around in Boston when he could have left several times. And how about Doc Rivers going from lame duck coach to NBA champ.
As a Knicks fan, there’s so much to hate about this Boston team. PJ Brown, Sam Cassell, the city of Boston itself, and in some cases… the color green. Thats right. I said it. That city makes me hate the color green. However, for the very limited time span involving the NBA Playoffs, I put aside my hate for everything New England related and rooted for the Celtics. Not because I don’t like Kobe. Not because I don’t think Phil Jackson is that great of a coach. (Side note: I think he’s a hell of a coach and I think Red Auerbach was wrong to say that Phil Jackson has always had great players to win him championships. Red Auerbach may be a legend, but he’s wrong. The way I see it, Red had as many good players as Jackson had, if not more.) My reasons for wanting the Celtics to win this year goes beyond words. Primal screams are necessary to explain my thoughts on it. When Kevin Garnett screamed at the top of his lungs, thats what I wanted them to win for. When Doc Rivers was doused in Gatorade, thats what I wanted them to win for. When Paul Pierce held that trophy up for the crowd, thats what I wanted them to win for. The Celtics winning the championship not only solidified the careers of three hardworking individuals, but it also shows that there’s something to be said about sacrificing and winning as a team.
As always, here are a few things going around the sports world that have piqued my interest.
– Pacman Jones doesn’t want to be called “Pacman” anymore. Instead he wants to be called by his given name, Adam. Personally, I’d have picked a better video game character. “Niko Bellic” Jones, anyone?
– How about George Martin walking across the country for 9/11 workers… what a guy.
– How about that new Giambi mustache. He looks like the second coming of John Holmes. No pun intended.
– To all the people that thought the Mets were finished because they were four games under .500 and seven games back in the division, I say to you… eat it. The Mets have won three of their last four games and are about to start a series against the worst team in baseball. Oh yeah, and they’re three and a half games back in the division. Its never over til its over.
– In a new mock draft, Chad Ford has the Knicks taking Russell Westbrook from UCLA… over DJ Augustin. I don’t see it, but hey, thats why he’s Chad Ford and I’m not. Furthermore, I don’t think I’ll be doing a mock draft this year. It gets harder and harder every year with stupid general managers, trades, and international players.
– Although its incredibly old news, as a Mets fan I have to throw in my two cents on the firing of Willie Randolph. First off, I dont think he should have been fired due to the fact that he’s had to deal with injuries and a short bench. He’s also had to deal with the pressure of a front office that doesn’t support him and a general manager willing to throw him under the bus at any given moment. In my opinion, its as much the players fault, and its as much Omar Minaya’s fault, as it is Willie’s. If you give your manager a 41 year old outfielder with a history of injuries, what are you expecting to happen. When you give an overrated second baseman a 4 year deal on the downside of his career, what do you expect to happen? I’ve said this time and time again. I think Omar Minaya feels that he missed out on winning a championship with the 1994 Expos and trying to bring back as many of those guys as possible. Don’t be surprised to see Rondell White in a Mets uniform. Don’t believe me? Then why are there two members of the ’94 Expos on this current Mets roster? As if Cliff Floyd has stayed, there would be three. Also, take into consideration that managers don’t play the games. It wasn’t Willie that made Billy Wagner blow those three saves. It wasn’t Willie that made all those errors. It wasn’t even Willie that signed all these washed up veterans. The point is that firing him was a bad idea, and it makes the Mets front office look stupid for firing him on a road trip… after a win. If you wanted to fire him after the 2006 NLCS (when Beltran didn’t even swing), then do it. If you wanted him gone after the collapse last season, pull the trigger. If you wanted to fire him before they went on the road trip, go right ahead. But don’t fire the guy at 3am in the hotel after his team beat a very good offensive team.
Any questions or comments, email me at s_talouis@yahoo.com
