The foursome of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Rajon Rondo have been together for five seasons, winning the Eastern Conference twice and the NBA Championship once, in 2008. The arrivals of Garnett and Allen in the 2007 offseason and the rise of Rondo to that of an All-Star caliber player brought the long dormant and once proud Boston Celtics franchise back to NBA prominence. The odds are significant that the rebirth effectively will die tonight.
NOT A CLOSE OUT GAME, BUT...
Yes, this is a best of seven series. No the home team has not lost yet in the series. But never in the history of the NBA has a team fallen behind 0-3 in a best of seven series and come back to win. It is extremely rare in professional sports, period. A Celtics loss will put them in an 0-3 hole; Garnett and Allen are probably not coming back next year.
The Celtics must win all three of their games at home and, minimally, win one game in Miami, who has been a tough out at home, to win the series. Their best chance to nab that difficult road win likely came on Wednesday night in an overtime loss. Rajon Rondo (12 PPG, 12 APG) was Superman for a day with 44 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds in Game 2.
The Celtics are 2.5 point favorites tonight, very slim. The Fat Lady hasn't sung, but she is warming up. Should the Celtics lose tonight, it will all but close this exciting chapter in the annals of the Boston Celtics and the NBA.
 |
| 2008 NBA Champions |
No comments:
Post a Comment