Celtics Win Game Seven of Best First Round Series Ever
The Boston Celtics have finally eliminated the young feisty Chicago Bulls team. It took seven games and included a record seven overtimes, but they were able to pull it off despite the absence of Kevin Garnett.
The Celtics needed seven last year to take out the young Atlanta Hawks, but this was entirely different. Last year they really should have been able to dispatch the Hawks in five or six games, but it was basically their first year together as a team so it took a bit to get things going. They eventually did and went on to win the championship. This year without Garnett it took everything they had to knockout the Bullls. No one thinks they have what it takes to win the championship without Garnett, but it is satisfying to see all of the role players step up in his absence. Glen “big baby” Davis as flourished in his role as a starter. Kendrick Perkins who was previously lost in Garnett’s shadow has stepped up and led the defense which admittedly is nothing like it was with Garnett, but I cannot imagine how it would look without Perkins. Rajon Rondo has surpassed all expectations. He nearly averaged a triple double for the series and was the best player on the team. Ray Allen had 51 points in game six and they had key contributions from Eddie House and even Brian Scalabrine in game seven.
I was not really sure how much I had left in the tank for game seven, but thanks to Smithwick beer and Digiorno’s Thin Crust Pepperoni and Roasted Peppers Pizza I was able to manage. Really I cannot overstate how enjoyable the game was thanks to them. Smithwick is just about the perfect beer. It is an Irish beer from the makers of Guiness, but it is not nearly as heavy as Guiness. Also I would like to mention that a lot has been said about the NBA being in a golden age of point guards at the moment, but not as much has been said about how we are also in a golden age of frozen pizza. The only place that delivers pizza to my house is Domino’s and their pizza tastes like cardboard. Thankfully my local grocery store is stocked with different kinds of frozen pizza that are better than Domino’s. Sometimes I take this for granted, but tonight I was grateful. I remember years ago when if you wanted frozen pizza it was barely edible. Now it is often better than the chain pizza places. Sure there are better pizza places around, but there are some pretty damn good frozen pizzas as well.
It is entirely possible that without Garnett the Celtics will not be able to beat the Orlando Magic and if they do it is hard to imagine them beating the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Los Angeles Lakers. At the moment though I am not going to stress about that. The series with the Bulls was as good as any I have ever seen and I am going to enjoy the win for now. In fact I am going to get another Smithwicks.
Full Disclosure: As referenced in the post, I have had a few beers tonight. I am not going to proofread the post too much so I apologize for any errors. I would recommend reading Bill Simmons articles on ESPN if you are looking for more info on the Celtics-Bulls series. He is the best sportswriter of this generation and although it can be argued he hit a bit of a wall in his writing lately, this series has him back near his peak again. Without a doubt we will be seeing this series on ESPN classic for years to come.
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