Wednesday, February 6, 2008

I'm Beginning To Miss That KG Guy

We are at the time of season where funky things happen night in and night out, and it is hard to determine if any of it matters in the long run. Or so we expect. Cleveland shot the lights out last night, and for the first time in a while the Celtics decided to let their defense rest. So if anything the only surprise was that the C's were able to hang in there. I attribute much of this to Pierce, who seemed likely to vomit on the court, and still gave a gallant effort in defeat. People hardly give Pierce credit for being incredibly tough. This guy fights back time and time again, which is why I can't agree with The Fox when he criticizes Pierce for being too full of bravado. What makes PP different than contemporary wings like Kobe, Carter and McGrady is his complete workmanlike determination. He might bring you back, but it will not be in the balletic fashion of the aforementioned. Rather it will be through the silt and scrum of tearing through opponents at wild angles and hitting off-kilter shots that seem impossible to drop in. This doesn't make Pierce superior (it might actually imply inferiority), but it truly is what he is. Pierce would not be a king, he would be a knight.

And we already know what LeBron would be. I don't like matching up with the Cavs. I know Mike Brown is often in over his head, and that their offense is adequate at best. But Cleveland is a matchup problem for us, and it goes beyond just James. Without Garnett this is magnified. If you asked me a week ago I would have thought KG would be back by now, but surprisingly he is not. That hardly is an ominous sign, but of course everything changes without him on the floor. The Celtics will be unstable until he returns, but given the time of year I am fully accepting of that...

As for the Marion-Shaq deal I hardly know what what to say yet. My first reaction was utter shock, I see it as being a terrific deal for Miami, and had a vision of Steve Kerr pulling off a mask and Isiah being underneath. But we shall see, nothing is official as of yet.

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