Well, now THAT was close

This is probably what the Boston Celtics, or at the very least their fans, are saying after Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals in this 2009-10 NBA Playoffs.

The C’s, after doing the unthinkable in the previous round by eliminating the infallible LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers from the playoffs in 6 games, waltzed into the O-Rena in Orlando and escaped with an almost too-close-for-comfort 92-88 victory despite a dominant performance for the first three quarters and slightly beyond.

Sometimes it’s just funny how easy it is to forget that stuff can change rapidly within the course of a 48-minute game. It didn’t look at any point like a Magic comeback would be anywhere in the cards. Like, not even David Copperfield’s brand of magic could get this Magic back into it. Okay, probably not the best comparison, but you get the idea.

Seriously, Boston is clearly the straight-up tougher team (maybe the toughest in the league). A friend who’s a Boston sports fan posted on facebook about halfway through the game that he was watching the Celts punch the Orlando Magic in the mouth, which pretty much summed things up at the time. They’re sort of like the Bad Boy Pistons-era teams in terms of their ‘Don’t Eff With Us’ vibe. But it’s kind of business as usual for the Celtics. This is the brand of ball they play regularly, and it’s what they did to oust Miami and then Cleveland from the postseason over the past few weeks.

Orlando took a decidedly less challenging path to get here, bull-whipping veteran-less, leadership-lacking and overmatched squads Charlotte and Atlanta to reach the EC Finals. Alright, maybe that’s a little unfair, but not entirely inaccurate. Let’s put it this way … the Magic shouldn’t be counted out, and have plenty of skills. In terms of matching up, executing, playing defense and hitting shots, they’re certainly not worlds apart from Boston. The Celts do have a championship season under their belt from two years ago, something the Magic don’t have.

But the most crucial difference, unless Orlando toughens up in a hurry, is the fact that the C’s are just better at getting in there and making things happen by sheer force of will. It didn’t help that the Magic started off with such a cold shooting performance in the first half. But they showed their intestinal fortitude and battled back to make it close by the end of the fourth quarter. Problem there is, Boston has been in that situation many times before and is never the one to lay down and roll over either.

No matter what, the rest of this series promises to be as intriguing as Game 1 was. But the C’s snaking Game 1 on foreign soil was a hugely positive way for Boston to kick this series off.

Oh and one last thing … for all of Orlando’s depth (which is considerable), it didn’t seem to matter which lineup Stan Van Gundy (or as my wife likes to call him, thanks to me, Ron Jeremy) put in there. Boston had an answer no matter whether the Magic went small-and-fast, or bigger with a more patient half-court type of game, or a combination of the two. Dwight Howard made his presence felt and had some impressive moments (killer defense, lots of blocks). But tough, smart, minimal-mistakes play will always hold up in the end (see Boston, Game 1 of this series).


------------------


One other nugget of information that probably warrants mentioning … through some inexplicable amalgamation of timing, impulse-purchasing and circumstance, I’ll be attending Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals series between the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers and the Phoenix Suns, taking place in Phoenix next Sunday. This is what happens when an opportunistic vacation destination and a little advance research intersect. I’ve got Lower Level Baseline seats for my brother-in-law and me. I’ll be sure to file a full report as soon as possible afterward, but since El Presidente will be taking a much-needed vacation at that time and the full week after, I’m going to have to take a wait-and-see approach as to when that actually happens.

Either way, this factoid transitions perfectly into the other NBA Playoff Series that will be taking place leading up to the Finals. Suns vs. Lakers is what I was hoping for, and by all accounts it should be quite the thrill-ride. The Lakers have the size and experience advantage, while the Suns have the inimitable Steve Nash, are riding a wave of momentum and possess an unlikely group of players that have somehow found their own formula for postseason success. In the WC Semifinals, Phoenix swept the Spurs … the four-time-in-the-past-13-years-champion San Antonio Spurs. That dynasty is pretty much over. So it seems like anything is possible. But then, there’s also the hope that they didn’t release all of their chi by now, if you get my drift.

And check it out nerds, I’m basically promising to hit you all off with some more fresh material on the regular. After all, a president can’t effectively govern when he (or she, relax ladies) only surfaces once in the blue. Ya feel me? And if ya don’t know, now ya KNOW.

What in the Name of …

… the NBA Playoffs is happening exactly? The Boston Celtics … that’s right, the aging, lifeless, couldn’t-care-less, going-through-the-motions, not-going-to-win-the-2010-NBA-Title Boston Celtics … are tied at 1-1 with the mighty, top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers after decisively winning Game Two (104-86) of their Eastern Conference Semifinal Playoff Series.

Oh, and for at least the first half and well into the third quarter, it looked for all the world like they were going to win Game One also, until King James (Lebron, as if anyone doesn’t already know that) spearheaded a courageous comeback effort to give Cleveland the win.

Brings to mind that classic adage ‘This is why they play the game.’

I’ll admit, I didn’t see this coming really, although I was impressed by how tough Boston looked against Miami in the first round. Granted, the Heat didn’t have what it takes to go far in the playoffs this year, but Boston looked like a completely different team than the out-of-sorts, inconsistent, who-gives-a-crap group that slogged its way through much of the regular season.

I guess they were saving it for the playoffs, which is kind of what a lot of these teams have to do these days, it seems. It’s a long-ass regular season, and these guys take quite a beating physically. It’s not the same type of beating that NFL Players have to put up with, but it’s a wear-and-tear on the body that has equally, or possibly more, debilitating effects that are caused in a different way. It usually makes me wonder how many times players are actually dogging it out there when they seem like they’d rather be anywhere else, or if it’s authentic exhaustion.

Either way, don’t look away just yet because the Boston Frigging Celtics actually have a fighting chance to dethrone the seemingly impenetrable Cavs. I can just see Lebron’s reaction if that happens. Last year after Orlando ousted Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Finals, it was pretty well publicized that James immediately fled the court and refused to speak with the media. He later acknowledged this, indicating that his frustration in those first stinging moments after such a loss got the better of him, but it seems insane that this far into his unbelievable career he is still without a championship ring – and still might be in June. Wouldn’t THAT be some shit.

There’s still a lot of ball left to play, but right now it looks like Cleveland will have to work its ass off to be the champ this year. It’s amazing how the tide can turn from regular season to playoffs. For those first 82 games, it appeared to be only a matter of time before the Cavs would be standing tall, trophy in hand and a grinning David Stern at their side in mid-June. During that same stretch Boston looked like a washed-up contingent of overpaid superstars coasting on their reputation and past glories.

Now? The C’s are putting on a clinic these days and looking tough, pissed off and ready to take down anyone. They’re obviously playing with a bit of a chip on their shoulder since, you know, whenever anyone talks about the teams with a shot to win it all this year Boston is immediately excluded from the conversation. Probably a mistake. Can’t wait to see how the rest of this series plays out.

_______________

Oh yeah, as for those other series … well, Atlanta needed 7 games to put away feisty Milwaukee in Round 1 while Orlando put it in cruise control to beat Charlotte. The emergence of Jameer Nelson as a top-tier playoff point guard for the Magic takes them to another level. With their depth on the bench, Nelson running the point and Dwight Howard killing it on the boards and on defense, Orlando is going to be a tough out. The series with the Hawks hasn’t even started yet, but I’d put the Big O back into the EC Finals right now.

Out west, Utah was eliminated by the L.A. Lakers the last two years running in the NBA Playoffs. Who took Game One of their Western Conference Semifinals series Sunday? The Lakers. Who closed out game one? (which really could have gone either way) – Kobe Bryant. A lot of us would love to see the Jazz flip the script this year, but this type of stuff just doesn’t happen usually (especially to a team that loses its two most valuable big men going up against a squad with a couple of talented 7-footers in the low post – Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum). Despite the best efforts of Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer and the rest of Utah’s team, Hollywood will likely move on.

And finally, we’ve got Phoenix vs. San Antonio, which should actually be a barn-burner of a series. Run-and-gun Suns vs. the controlled style of play from the grizzled veteran Spurs. Phoenix took game one, and although the Spurs have that patience and championship caliber of players, the Suns seem to have that look in their collective eye this time. Dudes like Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire and Grant Hill want it bad this year. The Spurs are always going to be peskier than a roomful of fruit flies in July, but if we’re lucky, Manu Ginobili’s busted nose and one too many satisfied-with-previous-titles Spurs vets won’t be able to dig S.A. out of the fire this time. (Is it difficult to tell who I’d like to win this series, by the way?). Suns-Lakers would be one hell of an entertaining WC Finals.

Any thoughts? Anyone else mildly obsessed with the NBA Playoffs this year? What’s that? NHL Playoffs? Baseball? Yeah, I think I’ve heard of those things before.