Celtics (35-9) at Magic (33-8)

[celticinorlando]

Tonight the game felt like a true playoff game. Grind it out, trade baskets, hold a precarious lead for long stretches, play half-court basketball, and win with execution down the stretch.

Maybe now people will agree with me that we could handle Orlando in a playoff series. In the playoffs, the pace decreases and the game changes in a way that takes away the types of shots Orlando likes to take.

TP..i agree...boston has laid out the blueprint to beat orlando...the magic would not win a game in boston....celtics would not have too much trouble with them

[twinbree]

I wouldn't mind so much if the Lakers shared a city with a competitive team but the Clippers c'mon.

[greg683x]

thank god we didnt have Reggie Miller doing our game, im already getting the urge to change the channel just so dont I have to hear him

[celticinorlando]

clippers are a high school team...they don't even try anymore

[ChainSmokingLikeDino]

The most deserving award that cant be won with padded stats or popularity is the MVP award.

I'd offer Steve Nash as two-time MVP as argument against that. Stats padded by playing in the Phoenix offense and popularity contributing heavily to his wins. Look at other multiple MVP award winners. He is nowhere in that category.

True but you could argue that but Nash is the motor for the Phoenix high powered offense, hes the one running it, and not to mention Phoenix was a team that looked to be one of the favorites to win it all those years, so its not like hes on a lackluster team doing it.

Yes, Nash had the ball in his hands as the PG but I would argue you could a)have found other players who could have stepped into that role and done a similar job and b)his stats were still entirely bloated due to the offense they ran. Take a look at David Lee, who I love as a player, him in Green would be great, but he is second in the league in double-double's not just because he is a great rebounder but because of the D'Antoni system he has so many more rebounding opportunities. Just saying stats get inflated in scenarios like that.

And being a favorite to win is part of the popularity issue.

John Stockton never won an MVP and I don't think if you asked people in the know anyone would tell you Nash is a better player, let alone a two-time MVP winning better player.
John Havlicek never won an MVP. Nor did Elgin Baylor, Isiah Thomas or Jerry West. Jerry West! He's the NBA logo but never an MVP! Just showing how the MVP is corrupted by popularity and stats and is pretty ridiculous an award.

Multiple MVP award winners:
 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
• Bill Russell
• Michael Jordan
• Wilt Chamberlain
• Larry Bird
• Magic Johnson
• Moses Malone
• Tim Duncan
• Karl Malone
• Steve Nash
• Bob Pettit
 
Who stands out in that crowd?  

Good Point, TP.

Regarding Stockton, yes I would rank him much higher, but with an award like the MVP, with only ONE person winning out of the whole league there are certainly players that will be left out during their careers, especially during the Jordan era.  Those other players you mentioned that never won an MVP, are great players and they all should have won an MVP award in theory, but to make that true, youd have to take an MVP award away from someone also.  Its easy to say that someone should have won one, not as easy to make a case as to why someone shouldnt have.....which is why Nash sticks out like a sore thumb, because its easy to point out why.

Either way, my point was made in a discussion about how All Stars and MVPs should be selected, and I would hope you'd agree that Nash at least deserved to be in the discussion those years because he had the stats, and was a leader on a team that was contending for the finals.

Totally. I think we mostly agree, and of course Nash should have been in the discussion in those years. Was just pointing out that the MVP is as much of a joke as the All-Star game in determining how good a player truly is. I hate when Hall Of Fame credentials are being discussed and MVP's, All-Star Games, Gold Gloves (in baseball), etc are thrown out as things that determine the worth of a candidate. They are all swayed by issues of popularity, media friendliness, etc etc and shouldn't be taken as be all end alls as they are by many in the media.

Also, I've always thought Nash to be horribly overrated. As good as he can be on offense his production on that end is nearly negated by how awful a defender he is. As that is 50 percent of the game it seems particularly agregious that such a horrible defender is a two-time MVP.

[nickagneta]

Are you kidding me??

Sunday's game is national on ABC with no Tommy and Mike again??

I'm really starting to hate how many games they have the C's on national without the local coverage. I mean really really hating this. The national announcers are just unlistenable to this year with all the Holy Trinity love(D Howard, Kobe, LeBron) and all the Cav and Laker favoritism.

Wanna know how bad it is. On Sunday's game play a drinking game. Everytime the national announcers mention Kobe, Howard, LeBron, Cleveland and/or the Lakers during the Boston-Dallas game, bottoms up on your drink and get another. My guess is you will have to be rushed to the hospital for alcohol poisoning sometime before the game ends.

[GroverTheClover]

Are you kidding me??

Sunday's game is national on ABC with no Tommy and Mike again??

I'm really starting to hate how many games they have the C's on national without the local coverage. I mean really really hating this. The national announcers are just unlistenable to this year with all the Holy Trinity love(D Howard, Kobe, LeBron) and all the Cav and Laker favoritism.

Wanna know how bad it is. On Sunday's game play a drinking game. Everytime the national announcers mention Kobe, Howard, LeBron, Cleveland and/or the Lakers during the Boston-Dallas game, bottoms up on your drink and get another. My guess is you will have to be rushed to the hospital for alcohol poisoning sometime before the game ends.

Before the game ends? I'd say halftime.

[Greg]

Are you kidding me??

Sunday's game is national on ABC with no Tommy and Mike again??

I'm really starting to hate how many games they have the C's on national without the local coverage. I mean really really hating this. The national announcers are just unlistenable to this year with all the Holy Trinity love(D Howard, Kobe, LeBron) and all the Cav and Laker favoritism.

Wanna know how bad it is. On Sunday's game play a drinking game. Everytime the national announcers mention Kobe, Howard, LeBron, Cleveland and/or the Lakers during the Boston-Dallas game, bottoms up on your drink and get another. My guess is you will have to be rushed to the hospital for alcohol poisoning sometime before the game ends.

I love the fact that most of them still think that Leon Powe is our sixth man.  And at least two or three times per game:

"Yes the Celtics are winning, but can they do it in the playoffs after the losses of P.J. Brown and James Posey?"

Haha.  Every game.

[Redz]

Are you kidding me??

Sunday's game is national on ABC with no Tommy and Mike again??

I'm really starting to hate how many games they have the C's on national without the local coverage. I mean really really hating this. The national announcers are just unlistenable to this year with all the Holy Trinity love(D Howard, Kobe, LeBron) and all the Cav and Laker favoritism.

Wanna know how bad it is. On Sunday's game play a drinking game. Everytime the national announcers mention Kobe, Howard, LeBron, Cleveland and/or the Lakers during the Boston-Dallas game, bottoms up on your drink and get another. My guess is you will have to be rushed to the hospital for alcohol poisoning sometime before the game ends.

Such is the price of being champs

[NoraG1]

Cannot stand Webber and Paytons 'commentary'

[Fafnir]

Are you kidding me??

Sunday's game is national on ABC with no Tommy and Mike again??

I'm really starting to hate how many games they have the C's on national without the local coverage. I mean really really hating this. The national announcers are just unlistenable to this year with all the Holy Trinity love(D Howard, Kobe, LeBron) and all the Cav and Laker favoritism.

Wanna know how bad it is. On Sunday's game play a drinking game. Everytime the national announcers mention Kobe, Howard, LeBron, Cleveland and/or the Lakers during the Boston-Dallas game, bottoms up on your drink and get another. My guess is you will have to be rushed to the hospital for alcohol poisoning sometime before the game ends.

Such is the price of being champs

I'll take it!

Great game I just got home from the bar with some friends where I watched it. I couldn't cold onto every play like I do at home but it was great win. BBD came up huge in the fourth along with Pierce to keep them outside of striking distance despite all the fouls.

My only question is why was Perkins playing so few minutes? Was he slow/winded or just ineffective. Obviously BBD produced at the 5 for us late, but I was confused by that.

[Fafnir]

Cannot stand Webber and Paytons 'commentary'

Me either. It seems like they're trying to emulate Barkley but they just don't have the force of personality to pull it off. Payton in particular bothers me. Webber I'm okay with most of the time. Payton just says outrageous things somewhat randomly to get into the conversation.