Celtics Update: Series to End Friday Night

By: Jason Devaney

Celtics will win in four games. Five at the most. No question.

Hot damn. Celts looked awful tonight. We’ll nip that forgotten NBA team in Game 4.

Oh jeez. Here we go again. Can you say Patriots-Giants? Super Bowl? Helllooo???

Wow great game tonight. C’s looked awesome. No question we’re back. Celtics in six.

Those are the emotions I’ve gone through the last few weeks as I watched the Celtics-Hawks series unfold before my 20-something-year-old eyes. And I had to do some major cutting. And editing.

We Boston fans are a rare breed, I tell you what. The Sox looked awful last weekend, getting swept by the Tampa Bay “Heart and Hustle” Devil Rays (I was in Florida a few years back and saw a billboard for the team; “Heart and Hustle” was the slogan.). We were all down in the dumps Monday morning because of this, but we also knew that the Sox had played about 427 games in a row without a day off.

Our boys have gone 2-1 since then, so everything is back to happy-land. Until they lose a few more, of course.

This Celtics series has caused me much agony and mental suffering. The difference in how they played between the first two and the second two games was on display for the country to see (courtesy of our good friends at TNT and the four-letter network), and you got me as to how it happened. But then the Green returned to the comfort of home and roasted the Hawks Wednesday night.

So what gives?

I’ll tell you one thing, the feeling I have about Friday’s Game 6 is not something I’d like to discuss in the family-friendly space that is the Live Feed. Philips Arena will be packed with rabid fans wanting nothing more than to rip out the proverbial heart belonging to Celtics Nation, stomp on it and crush our hopes of facing the Lakers in the NBA finals. That series is the dream of every NBA executive and probably a majority of basketball fans – except the ones down in Hot-lanta.

Joe Johnson and the Hawks played out of their freeking minds in Games 3 and 4. Will Johnson have another 25-plus point night on Friday? Will the Celtics stop playing defense again and cause the wrong end of the scoreboard to grow?

Methinks no. The Boston fan in me wants to worry and panic and stress myself out about the game until I am no longer able to complete daily tasks without assistance. We love that. Hell, that’s what we were born to do.

But I think this series is over. Ovah. Fini.

Ray Allen will drop a boatload of three’s again and look for Kevin Garnett to silence Philips Arena with his usual arsenal of blocks, dunks and fadeaways that seriously make me feel dirty. Oh so dirty.

And I’d love for Paul Pierce to flash some more gang signs. Why the hell not? If representing the bloods gets him jacked up, I’m all for it. That reminds me, would someone please knock Al Horford on his rear-end? The kid’s gotta learn not to employ his thug tactics on the best team in the land.

This Celtics team is based on the team approach. Not one player averaged 20 points a night during the regular season, and only one guy – Garnett, of course, has reached that plateau in the playoffs (21.4). If they just stick to their game and not be swayed by the circus atmosphere, the Celtics should wrap up this series behind enemy lines Friday night.

If not, start takin’ numbahs along the railings of the Tobin.

Comments