First of all, today Gilbert Arenas totally backed up my assertion that the Cavs (despite LeBron James) are ripe for the picking in the Playoffs. I was openly questioning my sanity then, and now I suppose that I should feel a bit vindicated, since I've been backed up by an superstar player. The only problem is that Gilbert Arenas himself is certifiably nuts, and so I think I actually feel worse about my mental health, but better about my NBA IQ. Now, on to business.
Well, the NBA regular season is finally winding down, at least in the East. Unlike the West, where the standings and playoff seedings change hourly, the Eastern Conference Playoff match-ups are pretty much locked in. The Celtics have already completed the greatest single season turnaround in the history of the Association, and have rejuvinated the Franchise and rekindled the city's love for basketball. The Celtics have been doing everything right this year, and they have an NBA best 64 wins as proof that this has been the case.
Tonight, the Celtics square off against their bizarro alter-egos, the New York Knicks. The Knicks represent everything that is wrong with professional basketball, from the owner on down to the end of their pathetic bench, seeming to suffer from a terminal case of every kind of clubhouse cancer or disease (insert Marbury/Isiah joke here) imaginable. The Celtics built their reputation this season by playing hard for the entire game and having unmatched intensity and focus on the court. The Knicks, on the other hand, mail it in almost every night without shame or remorse. The Knicks don't hustle, they don't pass, they don't play defense, and they don't play as a team. Despite one of the NBA's highest payrolls, the Knicks have stumbled to a disappointing total of 23 wins this season. They're not up to the losing standards of the 14 win Miami Heat, but they may actually be more disappointing than the scrubs of South Beach.
It's only the afternoon here in Portland, but I've already got that sinking feeling in my stomach that tonight's game will be a major yawner. And I don't mean the same kind of yawner as the Celtics 104-59 beat down of the Knicks earlier this season (it was like a horrible car crash that made me laugh from start to finish), I mean a real yawner. Here's the strange part, I'm actually rooting for a boring stinker of a game (despite the fact that it goes against my high morals and standards and love for the game of basketball).
The reason I'm leaning this way is because I hope that Doc Rivers will continue to limit the minutes of KG, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. It's the smart play, mostly because the Celtics have nothing to gain by beating the Knicks and everything to lose by playing hard and running the risk of an injury. So for once, I hope that the Celtics mail this one in like only the Knicks know how to. Besides, the game isn't on TV in Portland, I can always forget that it happened if it turns out to be a total travesty.
While the game itself will likely not be interesting, the circumstances and the directions of the two teams meeting on basketball's hallowed ground is. This will likely be Isiah Thomas' last home game as the head coach of the Knicks, giving the disgruntled New York fans one more chance to scream "Fire Isiah!" with conviction and emotion. It wasn't to long ago that cheers of "Fire Rivers" rang out throughout the Garden in Boston and the Celtics seemed doomed to wallow in mediocrity forever. Just one year later, Doc is in serious consideration for coach of the year (though if I had a vote it would be for Mo Cheeks or Jerry Sloan if we're using Kobe for MVP logic) and is being universally praised for his flawless management of the team.
It's just very odd and quite surreal to think about how far the Celtics have come since last year and how drastically the culture of the Boston Celtics has changed. In one off-season, the Celtics did everything that Isiah Thomas has been trying to do fir the past three years in New York. Danny Ainge turned young talent into two All-Star players and turned the NBA's second worst team last year into the class of the league and a dominating force on the court. Isiah Thomas, on the other hand, drove the Knicks into the ground and compiled a roster with twelve guys who all do the same things and fill the same roles.
Looking at the mess that the Knicks are in now and the way that the Celtics have performed this season makes me ashamed to have blasted both Ainge and Rivers in years past. I'm not saying that Knicks fans should give Isiah a break or give him the benefit of the doubt (not at all, in fact), but simply that seeing the cruel and unforgiving juxtaposition of the Knicks and the Celtics makes my spine tingle and reminds me of how lucky I am to be a Boston sports fan. Although tonights game will probably be uglier than a dancing girl at Meadow's, anyone who has watched the Celtics this season should realize that they've been witness to something that is incredibly rare and special.
