Celtics - Heat

Originally posted by no1marauder
He didn't cheap shot anybody and was ejected because he got a second technical for arguing. No fine, no suspension.

Apples and oranges.

It was a bonehead play from a person who you called the "most clutch player in the NBA" a couple years ago. I actually think the Celtics could have won that game if it weren't for Pierce's thuggery.

Originally posted by no1marauder
Pierce's shot at the end of regulation was difficult, but makeable for him; I really thought it would go in. If it had, the series would be up for grabs.

It would have worked had the very same shot been taken from the right instead of the left. Why not take it to the paint? I don't know anything better than throwing a brick. If they don't make it then OT, but still a better try for heaven's sake. You know that after the Mavs I love the Celtics best. A potential Mavs-Celtics series would have been quite interesting.

Originally posted by no1marauder
They didn't bother to cover anyone and put up little effort until the 3rd. Then once the game was unquestionably lost some of them acted like poor losers and thugs. I fully agree with this assessment:

Not much in the way of nuance, gray area or degrees. Plain and simple, this was an inexcusable performance by the two-time defending cham ...[text shortened]... ver. Some team play with pride even in adversity and some act like the Lakers.

😞

It takes more than a little sad face to explain the feelings of Lakers Nation over an embarrassing display of thuggery. Losing the series is nothing compared to bad sportsmanship!

Originally posted by scacchipazzo
Losing the series is nothing compared to bad sportsmanship!

Here is a clip of Doc Rivers talking about sportsmanship:

YouTube

Originally posted by MoneyManMike
Here is a clip of Doc Rivers talking about sportsmanship:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0ydB5nFAr8

Are you suggesting that little JJ Barea was acting? Did you see the bloody nose after the Artest clothesline? Did you see the ribs going inward with the elbow to the ribcage after the Bynum foul? You think he fell hard on purpose? You think Nowitski was acting when Odom got ejected? I don't doubt it happens. I certainly think these were not examples of that. Now just who made Bynum tear off his shirt in a display of machismo and bravado after picking on someone a foot smaller than he is? I'm sorry, but lkaers tranished their image and legacy. If I were the owner I'd cut these three thugs!

Originally posted by scacchipazzo
Are you suggesting that little JJ Barea was acting? Did you see the bloody nose after the Artest clothesline? Did you see the ribs going inward with the elbow to the ribcage after the Bynum foul? You think he fell hard on purpose? You think Nowitski was acting when Odom got ejected? I don't doubt it happens. I certainly think these were not examples of ...[text shortened]... , but lkaers tranished their image and legacy. If I were the owner I'd cut these three thugs!

Guess that is why no owner has you as a GM.

Originally posted by scacchipazzo
Are you suggesting that little JJ Barea was acting? Did you see the bloody nose after the Artest clothesline? Did you see the ribs going inward with the elbow to the ribcage after the Bynum foul? You think he fell hard on purpose? You think Nowitski was acting when Odom got ejected? I don't doubt it happens. I certainly think these were not examples of ...[text shortened]... , but lkaers tranished their image and legacy. If I were the owner I'd cut these three thugs!

I am not denying any misconduct on the part of Artest, Bynum, or Odom. I am just pointing out that the Celtics aren't pillars of society like you and No1 make them out to be.

BTW...props to Lebron. That was probably the best close-out performance of his career.

Originally posted by MoneyManMike
BTW...props to Lebron. That was probably the best close-out performance of his career.

Kudos indeed. He was on fire! Celtics should have never gotten rid of Perkins. Made a huge difference. Forced Garnett to play more D than O. Worked against lesser teams like the Knicks, but never against an offensive powerhouse like the Heat!

What does everyone on this thread think of Miami's postgame celebration? I think they likely jinxed themselves by behaving as if they won it all!

Originally posted by scacchipazzo
I think they likely jinxed themselves by behaving as if they won it all!

Yea hopefully. I can't stand the cheats!

Originally posted by MoneyManMike
Yea hopefully. I can't stand the cheats!

How did they cheat? Objectionable as they may be I don't believe they are cheats!

Originally posted by scacchipazzo
How did they cheat? Objectionable as they may be I don't believe they are cheats!

Bosh, Lebron, and Wade made the rest of the NBA think they could sign them, which in turn affected the other teams' free agency decisions. Whether or not this harmed the teams is irrelevant, but I suspect that the Super Friends did mean to harm them. There is no coincidence that after all the big free agents (Amare, J Johnson, Boozer, Durant, Pierce) signed with their respective teams, the Super Friends announced that they would be signing with the Heat. Lebron and Bosh even had matching contracts in terms of dollars. What's that all about? Do you really think that they sat down in one day and came up with those numbers? No. The thing that gets me is Bosh was telling everybody that he wanted a max contract -- $125 mil, yet he ended up taking $15 mil less to play with the Heat. Now I don't have a problem with friends wanting to play together. There is nothing wrong with that. But don't go around trying to deceive everyone into thinking that they have a chance to sign you...

Now lets contrast the Super Friends' deal with the "Boston Three Party" during the summer of 2007. In June, the Sonics completed a sign-and-trade with Boston to get Ray Allen. Subsequently, Ray Allen said that he was excited to play with Paul Pierce and Al Jefferson. He didn't know that KG was coming to town! Almost two months later, the Celtics had to literally gut their team in order to get KG and also take on his huge contract. There were no cute deals like the Super Friends thingy three years later. The Celtics had to make huge financial sacrifices in order to put together that 2008 Championship Team, and it has hurt them in the long run. Yes injuries did hurt their chances to get that second championship, but the Big Threes' huge contracts certainly limited Danny Ainge's flexibility in terms of free agency. Here are the first year combined salaries of both "Big Threes" :

Boston Big Three: $56,200,000

Super Friends: $43,200,000

Surely Boston could have done some thing with that $13 mil to increase their chances to get a second championship, but they didn't cheat like Miami.

Originally posted by MoneyManMike
Bosh, Lebron, and Wade made the rest of the NBA think they could sign them, which in turn affected the other teams' free agency decisions. Whether or not this harmed the teams is irrelevant, but I suspect that the Super Friends did mean to harm them. There is no coincidence that after all the big free agents (Amare, J Johnson, Boozer, Durant, Pierce) ...[text shortened]... rease their chances to get a second championship, but they didn't cheat like Miami.

Wow! I hate them even more now! They have always been one of my most despised teams. I dislike the Lakers from a purely competition standpoint, but otherwise they are harmless. Manipulating a whole system is truly despicable! I hope Chicago tans their hides, although I would love nothing better than a Mavs-Heat rematch with the Mavs taking it all! That would be poetic justice. That celebration after putting away the Celtics was horrible. I've seen championship winners celebrate more understatedly than these bozos!