Some random and disorganized thoughts after watching game 4 today. Curious to hear others' thoughts...
* I like many others couldn't believe the softness of the Celtics' rebounding in this series. For God's sake, the Celtics made Timofey Mozgov look like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Olynyk's inability to box out was disappointing, but not entirely surprising (just ask Evan Turner, who commented on it after the game). Zeller on the other hand was unfathomably bad and impotent on the defensive glass. It confirmed my impression of him that there is no way he's a starter on a contending team. Just way too soft.
* Don't know how anyone could be disappointed by Marcus Smart's rookie year. (Oh sorry, I meant Marcus Banks 2.0 of course.) Dude: he's a rookie. Tonight was representative of who he is as a player. Jump shot wasn't falling, but the guy made plays and buckled down on D down the stretch when some of his teammates were wilting. Smart is a winner and an important building block. Let him work on his offensive game over the next couple years -- his D is already among the best in the league -- and let's see what this kid turns into.
* Kevin Love's sprint off the floor after injuring his shoulder was revealing. I know that must have been painful, but to paraphrase Eddie Murphy, he didn't exactly look like the most masculine fellow in the world. Love's assessment of Olynyk's intentions after the game, I thought, said more about Love than they did his opponent. After the game I was thinking about Flip Saunders's comments on Love prior to trading him to Cleveland, and how Saunders was curiously lukewarm on what Love had offered the Wolves to that point. Talented player, but there may be something to the argument that if he were so good, the Wolves' record should have been better. Not thrilled about the idea of the Celtics going after him if he opts out.
* The Cavs -- and especially Lebron, but secondarily Kyrie Irving -- lazily fell into one-on-one offense very frequently in this series. There is no way David Blatt is coaching Lebron James to do this. This is something that you can get away with against a 7th seed, but when these guys play the likes of the Bulls, Hawks, or whoever emerges from the west, that type of hero ball won't get it done. I personally am hoping that Chicago throttles them in round 2.
* Crowder was a breath of fresh air in this series and this year in general, but let's not get carried away. He's still just a nice depth guy, an energy/3-and-D guy off the bench. If the Celtics are going to take the next step, they are going to need to acquire someone at the small forward spot with more offensive creativity and skill.
* What might the Celtics do with that cap space, not to mention that $13m trade exception from the Rondo deal, and Wallace's expiring contract? Who knows, but what I find intriguing is the possibility that they might capitalize on the disappointments of certain superstars whose teams flamed out early this year. Could they capitalize on an OKC teardown if that's the path that franchise takes? Could they pry away a disgruntled Lamarcus Aldridge? Who else fits in this category? Never say never, which is exactly what most of us did when Kevin Garnett was emphatically rejecting Boston as a trade destination, before he was sold on the idea following the Ray Allen trade.
* Caught Michael Felger on CSN tonight ripping the Celtics fans for cheering their team off the floor following a 4-game sweep. It is so emblematic of the way the C's are covered in this town by the assorted Felgers, Tanguays, and Massarottis. No sophistication, no depth, no nuance. Just terrible and completely frustrating.
* Lastly, and this will sound like some major sore-loserdom, but I've been on this for years. There's lots of debate currently about Lebron and where he ranks among the NBA's all-time greats. Specifically, folks are talking once again about who should be considered the greatest small forward of all time, Lebron or Larry. The answer is the latter, for one simple reason: Larry Bird wasn't on steroids. I'm not saying Lebron is the only one using, whether it be steroids, HGH, or whatever. I believe it's probably rampant in the NBA. But to play 82 games at heavy minutes per game, plus practices, and then come out on the other side with muscles like that is simply impossible. The guy is supremely talented, smart on the floor, everything. But even the best athletes in the world aren't supposed to look like that and move like that. There's no doubt in my mind that this is true, my only doubt is whether or not it ever makes it into the public domain.