It started with 5:27 left on the clock in the 4th quarter tuesday night for the Cetlics with the starters on the bench and the likes of Gabe Pruitt and Brian Scalabrine finishing up the franchises record setting 19th consecutive victory, which coincidentally marks the best start to a season in NBA league history at 27-2. The sound that started coming fast and furious from the crowd was not about the record or the streak it was regarding the next opponent on the schedule for the Boston Celtics.
BEAT LA!!! BEAT LA!!! BEAT LA!!! Today’s Christmas day match-up has been on everyone’s mind for quite a while, especially the Lakers. For the Lakers this started the moment Game 6 ended last June.
While the Celtics will say they are approaching it as another game, another test and another opportunity to get better you know that down deep, somewhere, that tomorrow means that much more. They know the rivalry has returned. They know the torch has been officially handed to them from the past great teams and players to them. They know they hold Celtic Pride and Tradition in their hands on a daily basis, on and off the court. I am sure they are also anticipating the Lakers coming out with a great effort as the decisive Game 6 is still looming in their minds day and night, conscious or unconscious, win or lose, every day. What the Celtics did last June and have continued through 29 games this season is make the statement that proves that this is all about the TEAM and winning. It is not just talk, which they are very good at as well, this is about execution of the game plan, this is about intensity, this is about sacrifice in order to reach a goal.
The buzz around the basketball world is that this is a bigger game for the Lakers than the Celtics and to a point I agree. The Lakers sit at 23-5, but what differentiates them from the Celtics besides their record is the Lakers have been picking and choosing when they put their foot on the gas since the ten game mark into this season. Of the Lakers five losses four of them are against the Eastern Conference. Los Angeles is extremely talented but when what seemed like the entire basketball world anointed them the clear favorite to rise above Boston this season they forgot one very important element: Toughness. Some teams just have it. Other’s create and build upon it over time but some other teams never quite get there. Can the Lakers become a tougher team on both ends? I believe they can. But there is nothing that says they will just become that team overnight. Do you think by just the sight of the Celtics today that the Lakers will become tougher? If they have that ability now would be the time to use it because the Celtics are not walking into LA on Christmas Day treating this like a game that they can afford to lose.
The Celtics have the same focus each night which is what makes them so special: Improve as a unit and figure out a way to win the game. They have been successful closing out 88-85 victories in a hostile road environment as well as out dueling very motivated and scorching hot opponents in their own building. The Celtics prepare very well but what they also do is make great in game adjustments and decisions. Those things can not go overlooked when examining their 27-2 start.
Expect a great game today in Los Angeles, but more importantly expect the Green to remind the world who the Champs are.
2 comments:
Good post. Too bad the Celtics folded like a cheap lawn chair in the last 2 minutes of the game. They played scared at the end. And Eddie House? Really? Bad coaching down the stretch. Guess the Lakers decided to put their foot on the gas today...
Am I the only one counting the days until Coach reveals his '09 resolutions???
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