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.
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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.
As soon as my team tanks it in the playoffs again, I'm heading to the Knicks to return that franchise to relevance.
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