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Friday, March 12, 2010

Nothing Left in The Tank

One thing that's been evident for Boston's two active teams is that they have no fight. For the Celtics, it's mental. For the Bruins, it's literal. Either way, its frustrating to watch. 


Last Sunday's Bruins game against the Penguins was indicative of both the Bruins' and Celtics' seasons. Marc Savard goes down on a cheap hit from Matt Cooke and his teammates just stand there. No reaction, no retaliation, nothing. Their best player knocked out for the season with a grade 2 concussion, and his teammates do nothing. If they wanted to win the game for him, fine. But, they didn't even do that. In fact, they lost their next game as well; 4-3 in overtime to the Maple Leafs - the worst team in Hockey. All hope was drained for Boston. Sure they beat the Flyers last night, 5-1, but this changes nothing. If the Bruins do hold on to their playoff spot, I couldn't imagine them getting past the first round. Could a retaliation against the Penguins next Thursday galvanize this team? Sure, maybe. But, I doubt it. The Bruins showed Sunday, and all season, that when pushed they don't fight back, just like the Celtics.

On the eve of a matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies, every Boston Celtic found an autographed Manny Pacquiao glove in their locker. Perhaps this was to serve as a message. After a disappointing loss to the Milwaukee Bucks the night before, the old and weary Cs needed something to inspire some fight in them. Yet, it didn't. The Grizzlies were younger, faster, and more determined. Memphis jumped out to a double digit lead early in the first quarter and never looked back. The Celtics didn't even come close to tying let alone leading. Once their back was against the wall, they gave in. The Grizzlies (who right now wouldn't even be in the playoffs) beat the Celtics at home, 111-91. For me, this was the last straw. That night, the Grizzlies proved they are more deserving of a playoff spot than Boston.

The Celtics' performance for this past half a season has been nothing but miserable and inconsistent. Sure, they can get our hopes up by pulling out dramatic wins like the one over the Wizards last Sunday. But that was the Wizards. They've consistently shown they can not measure up to quality opponents. The Nuggets, Hawks, Cavs, Lakers, Bucks, Suns, etc. would all surely be post season favorites over Boston right now. I've heard a lot of people say that despite Boston's troubles, no one wants to face them in the post season. I'm not buying it. Why wouldn't someone want to face the Celtics come April? They've only gotten worse as the season's gone on. After going toe to toe with Boston Tuesday and winning, the Bucks have to be ecstatic about facing the Cs in the first round. We all keep waiting for the Celtics to ignite but, like the Patriots last season, the flame is slowly burning out.


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1 comment:

  1. Looks like the Celts got a refill w/the strong win over the Pacers...ah a glimmer of hope

    ReplyDelete