[woodsguy]

If blowing the biggest lead in NBA Finals history, at home, isn't a 'choke' I don't know what is.

Playing like ****, which is what the Pats did in the super bowl, is not choking. That's called getting beaten.

Well duh. In order to choke you have to get beaten. Its not a choke if you win. Choking to me is not playing to your abilities. The Pats o-line didn't come close. The Lakers on the other hand never showed any evidence that they were the better team.

 

[narlus]

Well duh. In order to choke you have to get beaten. Its not a choke if you win. Choking to me is not playing to your abilities. The Pats o-line didn't come close. The Lakers on the other hand never showed any evidence that they were the better team.

how can you muster a 24 point lead by not showing you are the better team? i left for my show after the first quarter and it was a massacre...

 

[Westy]

how can you muster a 24 point lead by not showing you are the better team? i left for my show after the first quarter and it was a massacre...

You can push too hard, blow your wad and get tired. The other team can figure out how you were beating them and make adjustments. Who is to say that the Celtics just sucked ass the first half and straightened themselves out.

 

[jimmydean]

how can you muster a 24 point lead by not showing you are the better team? i left for my show after the first quarter and it was a massacre...

The Celtics blew a 20 point lead in game 2, they just had the presents of mind to not lose the game.

LA fans are funny, too. If the Lakers even start to lose, they head for the door. You notice how quite it gets in the Staples Center when they are down, it's sad.

 

[cannondalejunky]

The Celtics blew a 20 point lead in game 2, they just had the presents of mind to not lose the game.

LA fans are funny, too. If the Lakers even start to lose, they head for the door. You notice how quite it gets in the Staples Center when they are down, it's sad.

celtics fans are funny too...when they do really crappy for a long time no one goes to their games, and no one really cares about them...but then they have one good season, and all of the sudden the whole country is a die hard celtics fan

 

[jimmydean]

celtics fans are funny too...when they do really crappy for a long time no one goes to their games, and no one really cares about them...but then they have one good season, and all of the sudden the whole country is a die hard celtics fan

So you are saying I should have been like .PitSteeler. for the last 21 years and started a thread every other day about how THIS is the year they go all the way?

Garden fans stay to the end, regardless of score. Lakers fans head to the door if they are down at the half.

<edit> Ever team in ever sport has a collection of bandwagon followers.

 

[Hunter]

Great game. I was in Vegas and put bets down for the Celtics overall and for the Celtics to hit more 3s than the Lakers. Free drinks watching the game, and doubled my money by winning both wagers.

The Lakers fans far outnumbered the Celtics fans in Vegas. They were loud and rowdy in the first half, then nothing but groans and silence the second half.

 

[cliffster5]

No team has ever come back from this deficit in the finals and this Laker team for sure will not be the first one to do so. Good on Ray Allen... he's had a redemptive series, easily making up for his problems in the Hawks, Cavs, and first part of the Piston match ups. Lakers ought to think about having Bynum in the line-up next year and making a comeback of their own. They'll have a hard time forgetting last night's second half though.

 

[Rip]

Not a basketball fan at all, but I have to say that it isn't looking too good for the Lakers, as they are getting smeared somewhat.

 

[ridiculous]

this is hilarious, 37 point lead. My audio keeps cutting out I wonder what the fans are shouting?

 

[Westy]

I've seen Globetrotter games less one sided than that.

 

[jimmydean]

I loved the old series, but I loved both teams then, too. I hate Phil Jackson and can't wait to see them lose in 6 games.

Quoted for awesomeness.

 

[jimmydean]

ESPN:

No way. No how. No chance.

Boston's 39-point win surpassed the NBA record for the biggest margin of victory in a championship clincher; the Celtics beat the Lakers 129-96 in Game 5 of the 1965 NBA Finals.

 

[dhzion]

this is hilarious, 37 point lead. My audio keeps cutting out I wonder what the fans are shouting?

na na na na hey hey hey, gooodbyyyyeeeee Chobe is gonna cry!!!

 

[skinny mike]

i was in north station when the game ended. absolute craziness.

 

[I Are Baboon]

I am very happy for Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce.

 

[narlus]

There is no defence that can handle Kobe.
Lakers in 6

the lakers D couldn't handle rondo last night.

 

[Westy]

the lakers D couldn't handle rondo last night.

Defense? You mean standing still in the paint with your arms in the air?

 

[Sherpa]

All the Boston fans make me laugh. You guys almost lost to the Hawks. Lakers in 6, take it to the bank.

Don't worry Boston fans, I'm basking in my fail.

 

[binary visions]

Perfect.

 

[ultraNoob]

All my neighbors were silent last night. I was prolly the only one in a square mile that was happy!

 

[skinny mike]

one of the funniest parts of my night was going through this massive crowd at the bar i was working at and suddenly seeing one girl in a lakers jersey right in the middle of it. i don't think she had such a good night...

 

[narlus]

from Bill Simmons:

(Speaking of the Zen Master, for someone who's allegedly the best coach of his generation, how could he not figure out how to stop the high screen with Pierce and KG in Game 5, and why can't he figure out a way to get Kobe going in this series? Throw in the disrespectful way Kobe treats him during games -- Damon's crew was shocked by that running subplot, by the way -- and is anyone else starting to wonder if Jackson coaches the Lakers just because they pay him a ton of money and he's dating the owner's daughter and that's it? I mean, he can't LIKE most of these guys, right? He sure doesn't seem like he's enjoying these games, that's for sure. Do you think he goes home after every Lakers game, pours himself a glass of wine, lights up a Cuban, watches one of the old Bulls games from the '90s and just fights back tears for an hour or so thinking about how much he hates coaching Kobe? You wouldn't rule it out, right?)

 

[stevew]

Allen Iverson plays better defense than the Lakers team combined.

The highlights I saw on ESPN were pathetic.

 

[I Are Baboon]

from Bill Simmons:

Kind of funny that Phil Jackson got outcoached by Doc Rivers.

 

[narlus]

another good bit Simmons had on Rivers and his coaching ability:

THE TERRY FRANCONA AWARD
During the 2004 baseball playoffs, back when we still weren't sure if Francona was a competent manager or not -- funny in retrospect because I'm convinced now that he's the best manager in Red Sox history -- Francona had that incredible eight-game stretch (four against the Yanks, four against the Cards) where every move worked, and I joked that he was like a guy splitting 10s and hitting on 18s at a blackjack table who somehow kept winning every hand. Well, Doc Rivers broached that territory in Game 5 with some truly ludicrous decisions, from starting Leon Powe (huh?) and never playing him again, to playing four different guys at point guard (including Tony Allen!!!!!!), to running isolation plays for Sam Cassell when he's shooting negative-12 percent in the playoffs, to inexplicably sitting Ray Allen for most of the second quarter, to running the same high screen with KG and Pierce 35 straight times in the fourth quarter ... and amazingly, the Celts were down by two with the ball in the final 50 seconds.

I gotta be honest: For the life of me, I can't figure out if Rivers is doing a decent job at this point. I can tell you that he coached poorly for most of the Atlanta and the Cleveland series, and that the Celtics came within a couple of lucky, turn-the-tables Rajon Rondo 3-pointers from getting blown out by the Cavs in Game 5 and earning a death certificate in the land of LeBron in Game 6, followed by the end of the Doc Rivers era in Boston. I can also tell you, had P.J. Brown not climbed in a time machine in the final six minutes of Game 7 and inexplicably turned into the best player on the court (no really, watch the replay some time), they would have blown that game and that would have been the end of the Doc Rivers era in Boston.

I also can tell you the players are killing themselves for him, although it's a team of character guys, so you could argue they'd be killing themselves for anyone. He has been given a roster and a coaching staff that hides his single biggest weakness as a coach -- a complete inability to coach defense, as witnessed by everyone who watched this team from 2004-07 -- enabling him to concentrate solely on offense, rotations, motivating his team and handling the media (three of which are his strengths). He lost an NBA record number of playoff games (10) and finished the playoffs 3-9 on the road. He changed rotations from game to game and series to series, something that ranks right up there with "don't snort cocaine with your players during timeouts" and "wear underwear and pants" on the list of coaching no-no's in the postseason. It's also impossible to evaluate him fairly when EVERYONE in the media -- the Boston guys, the national guys, even ABC's crew for this series -- genuinely likes the guy and wants him to succeed. (And in many cases, some of those people consider him a friend.) Criticizing Doc Rivers is like criticizing the pope. It really is. I can tell you that from first-hand experience. Unfortunately for me, I'd probably criticize the pope if he played Sam Cassell over Eddie House for three straight playoff rounds, even if it earned me a trip to hell.

Here's what else I can tell you: Rivers got noticeably sharper as the playoffs went along. He outcoached Phil Jackson in the first four games. He helped shepherd two memorable comebacks -- Game 6 in Detroit and Game 4 in Los Angeles -- and has to get credit for that. Regardless of the reason, his players ARE killing themselves for him. And if you think it's easy to coach a team with Eddie House, Sam Cassell and Rajon Rondo playing point guard, you're crazy. So, either he's the luckiest coach on the planet, he has been getting better as the playoffs went along, he's better than I thought, he's worse than I thought or the truth lies somewhere in between. Regardless, anyone who wins a title has to be considered at least "decent" as a coach, right? Um ... right?

(I'm still confused. Thoroughly. Let's move on.)

 

[berkshire_rider]

:beerjam:

 

[splat]

 

[jimmydean]

Wow, that kicks a lot of ass. Somebody needs to photochop Danny in there somewhere

 

[BurlyShirley]

All these "Celtics Fans" coming out of the woodwork cracks me up.

 

[skinny mike]

All these "Celtics Fans" coming out of the woodwork cracks me up.

on rm?

just because we aren't always discussing the celtics doesn't mean that we haven't been fans for very long.

 

[woodsguy]

So the general sports fan but not necessarily for that particular sport isn't allowed to get excited for their local team when they are doing good?

I've never been much of a fan of basketball but since the beginning of the season I have followed the Celtics and even watched a few regular season games and most of the playoffs and finals. It was fun to see Boston bring home another championship. I don't see anything wrong with being a "fair weather fan". I don't marry a sports team. I watch them because it is fun to do so. And if they aren't winning, it isn't much fun. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy sports for the sport as well (sometimes the best games are when you don't care who wins) but to be a "fan" (short for "fanatic") they need to be winning for me to be passionate about them. Otherwise why would I waste my time and go through the heartache.

 

[I Are Baboon]

All these "Celtics Fans" coming out of the woodwork cracks me up.

Yeah, these Boston sports fans are usually a quiet group.

 

[jimmydean]

Yeah, these Boston sports fans are usually a quiet group.

It's tough to get excited and start a thread to celebrate a 24 win season.

But hey, .PitSteeler. does it, right?

 

[Heath Sherratt]

Funny thing, when I started watching B-Ball it was Majic's day vs. the Celtics. Back then I was an avid Lakers fan, I watched every game, every night, every highlight. It's what gave me the love of the sport. After Shaq came, I didn't like the style of game the Lakers ran any more and was a fan of the way the Bulls played. After Jordan retired I lost interest as my life changed but was still a fan of the game and of a few players, Webber, Ray Allen, and I noticed KG and his abilities and began watching his games just to see if he was really as good as they said. As you know, Minnesota sucked hard so it was difficult to watch KG no matter how hard he played. The kings were awesome with Webber and white chocolate-J-Will and then they had the now infamous run in with the corrupt ref, but it was a good run and fun to watch. Since then I have hope for KG to get traded and when this whole Boston thing went down I knew it was his time. I was so excited I began watching every game and highlight again hoping this year would be his year and in the process I became a huge fan of the team and the way they played. Doc has done an amazing thing here with this squad and they are my favorite team out there right now. I like Lebron a lot as well, but that team has some work to do to get to the level of Boston. I like Detroits team as well and I even like the new Lakers a bit. A little disappointed with their performance but some good players, Bynum would have made a different series for sure. maybe the next finals will be with the same teams and we'll see a more balanced battle ensue, but all this to say that when I became a fan of b-ball, i was a Lakers fan, now 22 years later I am a fan of their greatest rival. No fair weather, just a fan of great players and great teams. If I was a local fan and had to pick a team regardless of players etc. I would say I'm a Warriors fan but that's not how I roll. I like the individuals that make the sport what it is today, and right now Pierce, Allen and KG are the guys that set the bar and they set it pretty high. I gotta root for that. Awesome series and a fantastic final! Beat LA!!

 

[cannondalejunky]

oh well hopefully kobe leaves the lakers so he can play to his full potential next year...i'm gonna follow kobe where ever he goes...he obviously wasn't playing his top game last night...seems like the whole team pretty much just gave up

 

[splat]

All these "Celtics Fans" coming out of the woodwork cracks me up.

LOL

well I am not be a Huge Basketball fan, the Celtics championships Victories have usually be very Memorable, when they won it all in 84 , was my First Full year living in the City of Boston , what a Night , that ended with me making out with "choice Joyce" for the first time. and in 86 I was Out side the old Boston Garden with the Chants of "Sampson is a Sissy" going on. , and while the time have not been very good since then , with Len Bias , and Reggie Lewis ( of Whom I knew Personally, not well , but he was doing the chick across the hall from me back in college, so I had a few drinks with him, and he knew me by name ) have made for some lean Years . but I have always Follewed them.

 

[dhzion]

All these "Celtics Fans" coming out of the woodwork cracks me up.

I'm NOT a Chobe fan, i.e. a Celtic fan last night, kapiche?

I'm not sure Chobe can go anywhere else and fit in. I don't see him going to a "starting over" team. I don't see any other stars stepping aside to let him and his ego take the floor. I don't see another coach giving him the reign he has in LA. He has cried until he's gotten what he wanted there continually, as I'm sure he will again. Bynum is back next year, Gasol is solid and the young guys got a good dose of playoff basketball. I'm sure he's already practicing his boohoo act to get himself a new PG or Forward.

He's good, don't get me wrong, it's undeniable, but he's a selfish baby as well.

 

[narlus]

from a friend of mine:

Well this was pretty funny.

There's a big parade going on outside my office now in honor of the Celtics.
And many people are wearing all kinds of Celtic garb.
And you know how Jack Nicholson is a world-famous Laker fan.

They got a T shirt for sale.
It' a big picture of Nicholson, and a big celtic logo.

And it says:

Hey Jack!

You Can't handle the Truth.

Celtics are NBA Champions.

 

[narlus]

i love bill simmons.

If legendary poet Tyrone Green rewrote "Images" about Game 6 of the 2008 NBA Finals, it could have gone something like this:

Dark and lonely on a summer night
Kill the Lakers
Kill the Lakers
Kobe barking, do he bite?
Kill the Lakers
Kill the Lakers
Raining 3s and and grabbing their neck
Then their hopes we start to wreck
Got every reason -- what the heck?
Kill the Lakers
Kill the Lakers
C-I-L-L
The La-kers