Celtics Win #17: The World Bleeds Green Once Again

For the unprecedented 17th time.

The Boston Celtics are the NBA (National Basketball Association) Champions.

And they made it look easy this past week with a resounding 131-92 drubbing of their rivals—The Los Angeles Lakers—in game six of the 2007-2008 NBA Finals.

But that wasn’t always the case.

Longtime Boston Celtics beat writer Peter May shared that at the start of the 2007-2008 NBA season, Celtics’ Head Coach Glenn “Doc” Rivers urged his stalwarts—specifically team captain Paul Pierce and newly acquired NBA All-Stars Walter Ray Allen, Jr. and Kevin “KG” Garnett—of the importance of “seizing the moment” as “the can’t afford to wait” (since they are getting up their in age and opportunities to win a championship are few and far between). Rivers added that the talented trio need to play with a sense of urgency and liken their situation to being their “one and only chance to win.”

Rivers, 46, sold them on the concept of defense and Garnett was the first one to follow his lead—eventually ending the season as the league’s top defensive player—the first of his decorated career.

And that wasn’t all.

An exodus of more than half their players from the 2006-2007 NBA season in order to acquire Garnett from the Minnesota Timberwolves and Allen from the Seattle Supersonics posed to be yet another challenged to the 24-win club.

By the time the season started, the green and white has nine new faces on board—the aforementioned Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, free agents James Posey, Eddie House, Scot Pollard, rookies Glenn “Big Baby” Davis, Gabe Pruitt, and returnees Tony Allen, Kendrick Perkins, Leon Powe, Brian Scalabrine (whom some sources have said, has the same basketball IQ as the legendary Michael Jordan), Rajon Rondo, and the Captain Paul Pierce. Before the close of the regular season, The “C’s” added two more faces, 15-year veteran P.J. Brown and guard Sam Cassell.

Cohesion and lack of bench strength were points brought up by critics all season long and despite a 66-16 season—successfully securing home court advantage throughout the playoffs and the NBA Finals. It was the largest single season turnaround in NBA history, yet the critics still kept on talking.

It didn’t help that their journey to the NBA Finals was a rocky one.

The young 8th seed Atlanta Hawks (37-45) brought the Celtics to 7 games in the first round. LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers (45-37) also pushed the Celtics to the distance in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals (and if it were not for Paul Pierce’s 41 points—who knows how that may have turned out). As for the Eastern Conference Finals, well, that series went six grueling games against the cohesive Detroit Pistons (59-23).

The Celtics went 10-1 at TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, Massachusetts and 2-8 on the road for the duration of the playoffs. Doc Rivers put it best when he said, “that's why the regular season is so important. We fought for it all year” (Pertaining to home court advantage).

Onward to the NBA Finals.

After winning the first two games at home and stealing one of the next three at the Staples Center—The Boston Celtics were on the cusp of greatness—an unprecedented 17th World Championship.

By halftime of Game 6, the outcome had already been decided as the Lakers seemingly lost the fight in them.

58-35 at the end of two—A twenty three-point deficit.

The Celtics were running on all cylinders, led by their injured point guard Rajon Rondo, who finished with a stat line that Jason Kidd would be envious off (21 points, eight assists, seven rebounds, six steals, and only a single turnover in just under 32 minutes of action).

Ray Allen also recovered from a first-half eye injury to finish with 26 points (7-9 from downtown). Associated Press Sports Writer Howard Ulman added that Allen also set a record “for most 3-pointers made in a finals series with 22. The previous mark of 17 was set by Dan Majerle with Phoenix in 1993 and matched by Derek Harper with New York in 1994. Allen’s seven 3-pointers also tied the finals record shared by Houston’s Kenny Smith and Chicago’s Scottie Pippen.”

The Celtics juggernaut didn’t end there as Kevin Garnett tied Allen for game high honors with 26 points and 14 rebounds. James Posey (whom Pierce considers “invaluable”) finished with 11 points (perfect from the field, including 3-3 from downtown) three steals, and a block. And who can forget the performance of Paul Pierce (17 points and 10 assists) thought the series.

In the end, it was only fitting that the Celtics Captain be named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Finals as he had certainly endured a lot of heartaches over the last 10 years in a Celtics uniform.

With a title now safely under his belt, those days are certainly over.

17 banners. Jersey Numbers #1, #2, #3, #6, #10, #14, #15, #16, #17, #18, #19, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #31, #32, #33, #35 and #00 also hang from the rafters.

Could #34 be that far behind?


Addendum:

- The Celtics played an NBA record 26th post-season game when they stepped on the Red Auerbach Parquet Floor for Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Associated Press Sports Writer Howard Ulman wrote:

- The Celtics’ 39-point margin in Tuesday night’s championship clinching win is the largest in a decisive NBA finals game.

- In fact, Boston now has four of the six biggest margins in games that clinched titles. The Lakers have the other two in championships won while they were in Minneapolis. The previous biggest winning margin in such games was 33 points by Boston on April 25, 1965, when it beat the Los Angeles Lakers 129-96.

- Boston’s 52 baskets from 3-point range erased the finals mark of 51 set by San Antonio in 2005.

- The Celtics also put on a record-setting defensive performance Tuesday with 18 steals, eclipsing the single-game finals mark set by Golden State against Washington in 1975.

- The Lakers put their own stamp on the record book, despite being crushed in the decisive game. League MVP Kobe Bryant’s 16 steals in the series tied the mark held by some pretty special players—Julius Erving, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Dwyane Wade.

- And Boston broke its own NBA record for most championships with 17. The Lakers are second with 14.

Associated Press Sports Writer Jimmy Golen added:

- The Celtics joined the 1975 Golden State Warriors and the ‘77 Trail Blazers as the only teams to win it all a year after missing the playoffs.

The Champs on Letterman

The next night on The David Letterman Show, guests Walter Ray Allen, Jr. and Kevin Garnett shared:

“How you feeling, champ?” Ray Allen asked KG.

“I feel good,” Garnett replied. “How you feeling, champ?”

Said Allen, “Oh, I’m doing good.”


And with that, the world is right again…

UFC Wired: Featuring Tyson Griffin vs. Frankie "The Answer" Edgar

Been wanting to post this for quite some time now.

UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) Wired over at the Balls network is one show that I really look forward to (in lieu of WWE, which is no longer carried by our cable service provider). Unlike its pay-per-view counterpart, UFC Wired focuses on highlights of three different fights from past UFC tournaments.

One evening, I caught the second match in UFC Wired (originally aired on UFC 67: All or Nothing) that featured a couple of unfamiliar yet unbeaten 155 lbs. fighters— Tyson Griffin (8-0 MMA record) and Frankie "The Answer" Edgar (UFC Debut).

The match was scheduled for three rounds and these guys were lightning quick—throwing one counter after another. By the third round, an Edgar kick lands where no man should be hit and Griffin goes down temporarily.

To make matter’s worse, referee Steve Mazzagatti seemed to be insensitive to Griffin’s plight and calls for the match to continue. With forty seconds remaining, Griffin catches a break and catches Edgar (who at this time is way ahead on points) with a kneebar!

It was awesome! The crowd was pumped! And I really thought that with the way Griffin was twisting and pulling Edgar’s knee in a direction it was never supposed to go…I thought he would concede and submit. But Edgar didn’t relent as he punched and gritted it out until the clock read 0:00.

Edgar could barely put any weight on his battered leg (which he fortunately didn’t dislocate or tear any major ligaments while under the pressure of the 40-second long kneebar) as the split decision was awarded to him at the conclusion of the match.

Wow huh?

Immediately after the match, I went online to try to find a video that I could post here over multiply. Alas, since the lightweight fighters were relative unknowns, there wasn’t any. This “blow-by-blow” report by JB Lederman is the closets I got.

Enjoy!


411's UFC: Wired Report (03.30.08)

Posted by JB Lederman

UFC Wired, (aired 3/30/08)

Welcome to the inaugural edition of UFC: Wired Recap, wherein I review, repeat, and reiterate a recap show.

Joe Rogan welcomes us to the show. Rogan is incapable of letting his arms hang at his sides, have you noticed? Always flexing the biceps. On tap tonight are three exciting fights: Drew McFedries vs. Alessio Sakara, Tyson Griffin vs. Frankie Edgar, and Jon Fitch vs. Luigi Fioravanti.

Second fight (155 lbs): Tyson Griffin (8-0 MMA record) vs. Frankie "The Answer" Edgar (and man with two first names.

Notes:

Battle of the undefeated lightweights! If you asked "The Answer" what the fastest animal in the world is, he would say "the cheetah." Griffin looks really big for a '55 pounder, with a huge trunk. Rogan weirdly says that if Griffin were a girl, he'd have a "badunkadunk." Is that the right way to spell that? Edgar looks in great shape.

Round One:

Standup to start. Edgar stays in the pocket and moves well. Griffin looks a bit more clunky. In a neat move, Edgar fakes a shot, pulls up and lands a left uppercut. He catches a leg kick and takes Griffin down. Griffin tries a guillotine, but Edgar transitions to side control. Rogan notes that a guy would not tap out to a guillotine in side control "unless he really sucks." Griffin works to his feet and tries a double-leg on Edgar. Both men scramble and transition with neither getting the better of the other. Both back to their feet and they exchange again in the center of the ring. Interesting sequence when Edgar tries a Superman punch, Griffin counters with a knee, and Edgar is so fast that he grabs the leg and takes Griffin down again. Edgar is in Griffin's guard. Not much damage being done. Both men back to their feet. The previous Superman punch/knee sequence is repeated but without the takedown. The round ends with both men exchanging on their feet.

Round Two:

Griffin lands an uppercut that sends Edgar into the cage, though it was almost more of a push with a closed hand than a damaging strike. Edgar looking for a hip toss. He is warned for grabbing the fence. Both men on their feet as they separate. The speed of the fight is slowing from the torrid pace of the first round. Edgar catches a leg kick and turns it into a takedown. He is in Griffin's guard. Griffin is looking for a kimura. Edgar transitions to Griffin's back and is landing hammerfists. Both men stand up. Griffin tries three consecutive leg kicks. One lands, one is checked, and the third knocks Edgar off his feet! Edgar stands up. He catches another leg kick and takes Griffin down again. They scramble, and Griffin again looks for the kimura. Scramble again and Tyson now has Edgar's back. He tries a suplex but ends up dragging Edgar down instead. Edgar scrambles to the mounted position! He is landing some shots. Griffin gives up his back. The round ends with Edgar in Griffin's half guard, landing punches as the crown cheers.

Round Three:

Both men look exhausted. Griffin is now throwing arm punches with no real power. They accidentally butt heads, no damage done. The pace has slowed considerably. Edgar tries a knee and the top of his foot connects with Griffin's groin! He grimaces in pain as the insensitive jerk Mazzagatti says, "Fight on!" Does he not have man parts? Edgar now pressing and trying to take advantage! Griffin fights him off and seems to have recovered. The round is nearly over as Edgar lands a double-leg and takes Griffin's back. Griffin rolls through for a kneebar! It is sunk in deep. Edgar will not tap! Griffin traps his foot under the arm for even more leverage and cranks! Edgar still not tapping! He lands hammerfists to Griffin's thigh as the round ends. What a fight! Buffer announces the winner.

Gilbert Arenas and the Agent Zero Manila Tour (July 5-8, 2008)

Saw a poster in Glorietta today promoting the upcoming July trip of former Golden State Warrior and current NBA free agent Gilbert Arenas, Jr. (Gil opted out of his current deal with the Washington Wizards last June 9, 2008).

Gil is slated for some appearances as well as promoting his new Adidas shoes called "The Black President" and "Hibachi."

Arenas leaves a cool $12.8 million on the table (his projected salary for the 2008-09 season) in hopes of a more lucrative six-year deal (that could net him as much as an estimated $106 to $114 million dollars).

Let's hope Gil’s knee (he has had multiple surgeries on his left knee) holds up and whomever he does end up signing up with get their money’s worth.

Now lets look forward to Agent Zero’s trip to Philippine soil.

The seemingly invincible Boston Celtics have shown a weakness

When you really think about it, the playoffs are truly the NBA’s second season.

Seeding really just equates to home court advantage, as all sixteen teams records are the same 0-0.

Some teams see it that way. Others just follow the proverbial script.

Enter the match up between the first seed Boston Celtics and the eighth seed Atlanta Hawks.

The Boston Celtics (66-16) are the NBA’s most prolific team this year—breezing through the regular season and finished as the top dog (along with the highly coveted home court advantage throughout the playoffs). Their match up with the Atlanta Hawks was projected to be a laugher—a sweep. But after the Hawks won all of their home games and clearly diverted from the “script,” the Celtics are in the fight of their lives and “adlibbing” from here on out.

If not for quirky NBA Eastern and Western Conference Playoff format, the Atlanta Hawks (37-45) really don’t have any business being in the NBA Playoffs (especially with a team like the Golden State Warriors that finished with a 48–34 record and still didn’t make the playoffs). But here they are and they are showing that they belong after sending the Celtics to their third loss in a week to even their best-of-seven first round series at three-a-piece.

What are these highflying Hawks doing right?

Well, they are attacking the basket strong on offense. Going for offensive rebounds. And most importantly, they are running.

Running.

The kink in the vaunted Boston Celtics defense has been exposed.

Don’t get me wrong, the Celtics play a great brand of basketball, but I believe that they haven’t been in enough of these situations wherein they play the same team over-and-over again. A team—these eighth seed Atlanta Hawks—that have had some medium of success over them.

I’ve always wondered if the bench of the Celtics would be good enough this year to lend a helping hand to “The Big Three” of Garnett, Pierce, and Allen.

So far, it’s been sketchy.

The Boston Celtics are 27-0 lifetime whenever they have lead 3-2 in a best-of-seven series.

The Atlanta Hawks have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Come game seven, their records will be 0-0.

Can these Hawks become only the fourth team since 1994 to upset a first seed?

Watch.

It could happen.

Just ask Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks.

Addendum:

•Only three eighth seeded teams have managed to win a series versus a first seed: These are the 1994 Denver Nuggets when they finished off the George Karl led Seattle SuperSonics in six games; the underdog New York Knicks that went on to the 1999 NBA Finals after they eliminated the Miami Heat (3-2) in the first round; and most recently, last year’s feel good team—the Golden State Warriors who trumpeted the Dallas Mavericks 4-2 in their 2007 First Round Western Conference match up.

•With their win over the 67-15 Dallas Mavericks, the Golden State Warriors also became the first eighth seed to beat a first seed in the best-of-seven format.

----------------
Now playing: ACDC - Back In Black
via FoxyTunes

Jason Kidd: Triple-Double #100 and A Spice of Drama

April 16, 2008.

American Airlines Center. Dallas, Texas.

New Orleans Hornets versus Dallas Mavericks.

With playoff positioning on the line during the last day of the regular season (If the Dallas Mavericks lost to New Orleans Hornets that evening, they would be relegated to the eighth seed and have to face the very hot Los Angeles Lakers (#1 seed) instead of the Hornets (#2 seed)), the Mavericks goal was to win and secure the 7th seed.

And they did and more.

The more being Jason Kidd’s 100th triple-double.

In just under 37 minutes of play, Kidd was 5-8 from long distance and finished with 27 points to go along with 10 rebounds and 10 assists.

In all honesty, I didn’t think J-Kidd would be able to record his career-high 13th triple-double of the season following the mid-season trade that brought him to the Dallas Mavericks.

Among other things, Jason had to reacclimatize himself to the Dallas weather, familiarize himself with his new teammates, and internalize Head Coach Avery Johnson’s offensive and defensive schemes.

Plus, it seemed as if J-Kidd’s numbers somewhat dipped (which was expected following the trade)—he was rebounding less (more solid “bigs” to gobble up those rebounds) but the points and assists were still there.

So it was a matter time—with a lot of drama to boot—it came down to the last day of the regular season in what was arguably their biggest game of the season.

And it almost didn’t happen.

Kidd said that he didn’t expect to get it because he was just concentrating on staying in front of MVP candidate Chris Paul.

Mavericks’ teammate Jason Terry added that they were trying to help J-Kidd get triple-double #100 during their last two outings (prior to the New Orleans match up) but came up short.

Now here it is—triple-double #100. A feat that puts Kidd in the same category as Oscar “The Big O” Robertson (181) and Earvin “Magic” Johnson (138)—the only other players to record over 100 triple-doubles in their respective careers.

Kidd, is of course, already third all-time in this category.

But you knew that already.


Addendum:

• Jason Kidd recorded his thirteenth triple-double of the season, a feat that serves as his career high (his previous high was twelve that he set last season) as well as the total number of triple-doubles he amassed during his first stint (a little over two and a half seasons) with the Dallas Mavericks.

• Jason Kidd is only the third player to accumulate 100 triple-doubles after Robertson (181) and Johnson (138).

• With 11 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists in their 104-92 Game One loss to the New Orleans Hornets the other day, Jason Kidd missed out on what could have been his 12th post-season triple-double. Currently Kidd is sandwiched between Hall of Famer’s Earvin “Magic” Johnson (30) and Larry Joe Bird (10) for 2nd place in NBA Playoff triple-doubles with 11.

----------------
Now playing: Ray J - Sexy Can I (Featuring Yung Berg)
via FoxyTunes

UFC Fight Night 13: One to remember…One for the books...

April 17, 2008.

It’s about six in the morning and I turn on the tube to the Balls channel over Sky Cable.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was on. And anything and everything that is UFC is good in my book as that is pretty much all I can watch these days with the exodus of the Solar Sports network (that carries most (if not all) of the NBA and WWE telecasts).

A replay of the recently concluded UFC Fight Night 13 that happened last April 2, 2008 at the Broomfield Event Center in Broomfield, Colorado is on and about to “get it on” at that moment are James “The Sandman” Irvin and Houston "The Nebraskan Assassin" Alexander (Don’t you just love it when people give themselves monikers and just don’t seem to ever live up to the hype?).

Both competitors were highly touted by the announcers (they always are. And I wouldn't know them from Adam outside of Chuck "The Ice Man" Liddell, Ken "The Most Dangerous Man" Shamrock, Randy "The Natural" Couture, and Tito "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Ortiz) and rightfully so.

At that point in the light heavyweight match up, Alexander (who debut in 2001) held a UFC career record of eight wins, two losses, and a one no contest, while Irvin (who entered in 2003 but has more career UFC fights) had a thirteen win, four loss, and one no contest record.

I turned to my computer as the opening bell rung.

Eight seconds went by.

And it was all over (click here to see the fight in its entirety).

Referee Steve Mazzagatti called the match a T.K.O. (punches) in favor of “The Sandman” who felled Alexander with what the commentators called “A Superman Punch” followed by three ground strikes.

Irvin went on to mimic “shooting a pistol” several times at Alexander who was tended to by referee Mazzagatti.

Eight seconds. (Tied a 12-year old record for the fastest knockout in UFC history when Frye knocked out Thomas Ramirez at UFC 8 on Feb. 16, 1996.)

That’s all it took to best a man who most likely trained for several months for this event…everyday…three times-a-day.

But those are the breaks of the game so to speak, as (they always say that) the safety of the fighters is paramount in such a physical sport and even for a brief moment Alexander was in no position to rationally protect himself.

Later on, Alexander said in a post-fight interview that his child “punches harder” and that of the number of blows that Irvin did or didn’t connect on—only the last one really was of any merit.

In the end, a win is a win.

James “The Sandman” Irvin has put yet another opponent to “sleep.”

----------------
Now playing: Mariah Carey - Heartbreaker (Featuring Jay-Z)
via FoxyTunes

Is your life Stranger Than Fiction? A Guitar and Playing Ball

Silence.

Our lives usually begin and end with just an act.

But for Internal Revenue Service agent Harold Crick, it begins with the ticking of his (spruced up Hollywood) Timex T56371.

Stranger Than Fiction is a story about a man named Harold Crick and his wristwatch.

But it’s more than that. It is potential a story about you as well.

A serious Will Ferrell plays Harold Crick, a meticulous, introverted, unconventional, obsessive-compulsive who goes about his monotonous way of life without much fanfare for the last twelve years.

Crick’s quirks are apparent from the onset of the film as author Kay Eiffel (Emma Thompson) recounts (in her very prominent British accent) a number of them ranging from the precise hour he snoozes his Timex T56371 in the morning to the diligent precision he takes when he gets dressed, brushes his teeth (76 times broken down into 38 vertical and 38 horizontal strokes), and promptness to make it to the bus stop for the 8:15 that he takes to work.

It’s a preferred albeit poignant existence that Crick has chosen to live in.

Redundancy. A life of solitude. Hey, the man eats alone. And sadly, doesn’t even have time stand up and go to the bathroom to take a leak. (I guess that is another way to utilize an empty plastic jar).

Could this be your life as well?

Well maybe not as eccentric as Harold Crick’s, but are there any similarities?

Usual routines. Frequenting familiar haunts. Or my personal favorite, “I just don’t have time to do that.”

More like, you chose NOT to make time for that activity.

So, do you make the most of your day? Better yet, are you willing to stretch yourself to do just that?

As for Harold Crick, he did just that when he experienced an epiphany when Eiffel alluded to his impending death.

Crick began to live his life. He began doing things that he had always been putting off because of one thing or another.

He learned to play the guitar, be more daring and open, and most of all—move away from his tedious existence.

On my end, I’ve always wanted to learn how to play the guitar—it’s been on my wall for the last 11 ½ years—so…all I just need to do is what I mentioned earlier—that is…to make time. The desire is there, all I need is time (I’m sure we have all heard that line at least once in our lives).

Time to act on it. And I think I’ve taken a right step in that direction.

On my way home this afternoon from work, I decided to swing by our village park. I hadn’t stepped foot there in quite some time but I had a lot of pent up energy and was looking for a friendly basketball game. And with some luck, I found one.

The 3-on-3 teams weren’t really spread out fairly and the odds didn’t look too good for my squad. I mentioned this once to my opponents but then I turned to my young teammates and told them—“don’t worry guys, we will win this one.”

This is coming from a guy who is in pretty good shape but not basketball shape. As you all know, there is a salient difference between the two mediums. In fact, it has been awhile since I’ve dribbled and shot a basketball in a game setting—so this truly was a challenge.

Our opponents were raring to go but I told them that I had to confer with my teammates first (both of whom, I had just met that afternoon). After watching the game that most of these guys played earlier, I was able to ascertain some of our opponents’ tendencies. I quickly shared my insights with my teammates and told them—“Play defense.” “Get your hands up when they shoot”. And “Cut, I’ll get you the ball.”

The advantage of youth. They are eager to learn and more importantly, willing to listen.

I wasn’t even dressed to play. Absolutely no gear. I sported a pair of jeans, had a pair of low-cut Jordan III’s rubber shoes, and I removed my short-sleeved polo in favor of a white shirt. That was about it.

Our opponents ran out of the games to start our match and at one point the score was 5-12 and we were playing till 20—two’s were considered a point while three’s counted as two points. Losers’ outs.

It would be an understatement to say that things certainly weren’t going our way. But we caught up and we did it as a team. With crisp passes as well as everyone helping out to find the open man brought us within striking distance—16-17.

My shot also started falling and I hit a three (two points) to make it 18-17. After some good defense, we got another possession and a chance for a potential game winner.

My teammates trusted me to take this shot (by this point in the game, I had hit about three long distance shots (6 points) and two drives to the basket (4 points)) and after signaling for a pick—I faked right, went left, and launched the game winner.

Game over! Final score 20-17.

My team had overcome adversity and I kept my promise to them. We had won. It was a great feeling.

One I haven’t had in quite awhile. And one that I really enjoyed after I exchanged pleasantries with both my teammates and opponents.

Much like Crick, I could have simply set aside any thought of deviating beyond my regular routine and headed home.

But today, I fought it.

And I feel I am a better person for it.

How about you guys?

Examine your lives today and take a chance.

Make that change! Even for a moment.

Believe me, it will be well worth it—whatever it is that you decide to do.

----------------
Now playing: Maroon 5 - If I Never See Your Face Again
via FoxyTunes