Barstool Blog

How's this for a cliche; game 4 is an absolute must win for the Celtics.  After getting waxed on their home floor friday night, the green team will need to even the series today, if they have an aspirations of playing into late May, or even June.  And, with the Big 3 likely on their last title run, this game carries even greater importance.  I must admit, it's pretty scary to think about both the long, and short-term future of this club.  This team, as currently constituted, will not take the floor again next fall.  With a General Manager that isn't afraid to shake up the roster, and a group of aging veterans, there are likely wholesale changes coming this summer, win or lose.  For Celtic fans, the proposition of re-builing this team is pretty frightening, considering we spent almost 20 years fighting to become relevant, and now that relevance is seemingly on it's last legs, if you will.  Prior to winning their 17th title, the team was mired in mediocrity, at best, and suffered some serious hard luck, highlighted by the death of two players, poor drafting, bad free-agent signings, and overall mismanagement.  There was a dark cloud looming over this club for a long time, and I fear that this cloud may be waiting to cast it's ugly shadow once again.  There's only one way to build a great team, and that's luck.  You become a bad team, enter the draft lottery, and hope that the ping-pong balls take a friendly bounce.  If luck is on your side, you give yourself the chance to get a franchise player, if it's not, you're screwed.

Now, despite all of the prognostications of doom, I'm told the Celtics will indeed take the court today against the Cavaliers.  Honestly, there isn't a more reactionary fan base than the fan's of this team.  I understand that friday's performance was dismal, but it's still only one game, and there's still plenty of hooping to be done, hopefully.  I'm hoping the building is a little more lively today, as I'm told friday's atmostphere was somewhere between a funeral, and 6 o'clock mass at the local church.  I know the celtic's didn't help matters, but you gotta bring it people, they need you, and it really does help.  This morning I envisioned Kevin Garnett reinacting that scene from Rocky IV, the one where he leaves in the middle of the night, get's in his sports car, and just drives, all while "no easy way out" is playing.  In the movie, Rocky is contemplating whether or not to fight Drago, after Apollo had died against him in the ring.  Similarly, KG knows this is likely his last chance at another ring, so it's time to leave everything they have on the floor, starting today.  I know a lot of fans have given up, and many actually jumped off the tobin bridge friday night, but a win today and it's all knotted at two, baby. 

On Monday night, Rajon Rondo was, once again, the best player on the floor, as the Celtics continued their dominance over the Cleveland Cavaliers.  As elated as I am that the Celtics head back to the Gahhhden with the series tied at 1-1, it's hard to not to think that we should actually hold a 2-0 edge.  The Celtics have taken it to Cleveland for 7 out of 8 possible quarters in this series, reminding the rest of the league that the boys in green are legitimate title contenders.  Prior to this series, all ten ESPN NBA analysts picked the Cavaliers to roll over the Celtics, with several actually calling for a four-game sweep....pfffft, nice work boys, but I wouldn't have expected any less from the same blo-hards that said we would get fleeced two years ago in the NBA finals.  Aside from Rondo's performance, and the broadcaster's mentioning Lebron's elbow over 400 times during the telecast, Rasheed Wallace's effort may have been the biggest story of the night.  Wallace finished the game with 17 points, in only 18 minutes, off the bench for the C's, and in the process, managed to get everyone off his lazy-ass for at least a few days.  Honestly, I didn't see an increase in effort at all, I just think his shots were falling, albeit a refreshing sight after a dismal shooting year for the back-up center.  Apparently the lashing from Kevin Garnett that Wallace received may have worked wonders.  I know KG demands a great deal of attention anyways, but when he approaches you in the shower, of all places, you're bound to listen, apparently.  Kevin is a pretty frightening figure on the court, and I'm guessing that get's taken to a whole new level when it's just you, him, and....nothing else, literally.  Also, kudos to Celtics President Danny Ainge for not only being the architect of this team, but one of their most passionate fans.  Late in the third quarter of Game 2, Danny was seen throwing a towel in the air, while Cavs forward J.J. Hickson attempted a free throw.  Gotta hand it to the man, he was one of the more annoying/get under your skin players during his career, and seems to have succesfully carried that over during his tenure as a member of the Celtic's brass.  This guy is a true Celtic, and I'm guessing that will be the last time the Cavaliers will seat him so close to one of the baskets.  He'll likely get fined, but at least this story has partially trumped the status of Queen James' elbow.  With game 3 set for Friday night, I expect the Celtics to play with a sense of urgency, knowing that home court advantage now rests firmly in their back pocket.  Hopefully the injuries to both Kevin Garnett, and Kendrick Perkins aren't enough to soften the C's frontcourt, but we'll have to wait and see.  Although I won't be there for either game, the Garden should still be rockin' enough to give the hometeam the energy when needed.  Also, I believe we have shot 30 fewer free-throws than the Cavs throughout the first two games.  Those numbers should start to swing in our favor as the series shifts to Boston.

This was a tale of two halves, the first half was amazing, while the second was a virtual nightmare.  I thought Rondo was phenomenal in this game.  He drove to the basket, constantly abusing Mo Williams, and anyone else that attempted to guard him.  If he wasn't finishing at the rim, he was kicking it out to open-shooters, great stuff.  Rondo took a serious beating, paying the price for going into the paint on several occasions.  I thought in the thrid and fourth quarters Rondo had a difficult time playing with those 4 fouls, forcing him to become less aggressive, and allowing Mo Williams to catch fire and ignite Cleveland's run.  Kevin Garnett looked great tonight (18 points, 10 rebounds), but should have continued to post-up Jamison in the second half.  I love KG for being unselfish, but sometimes I wonder if we'd be better off if he was.  Paul Pierce started out strong, then proceeded to go ice-cold when we needed him most, that simply can't happen again.  Finally, the bench was atrocious tonight.  Big Baby, where were you?  And don't even get me started on Rasheed.  If I'm Doc Rivers, not only do I not give him any meaningful minutes, I would demand that he physically leave the team for the remainder of the season.  Just go home, and come back in October, if you feel like actually producing.  The referees were extremely biased in the second half, but hey, it's the NBA.  Cleveland was bound to make a "run", and with a little help from the officials it turned out to be deadly for the green team.  There were a couple of downright brutal calls, but over the course of the series, they pretty much always even out.  Oh, and how's the elbow, Lebron?  What a friggin diva that guy is.  The status of that stupid elbow is the biggest non-story in the history of sports.  Just another way for this attention-starved baby to have the cameras on him.  What a jerk.  You're the best player on the planet, and in my opinion, the most dominant force the game has ever seen, drop the unneccessary antics, and just play.

I'm still stewing over this loss, and we are almost 12 hours removed.  It's going to be excruciatingly painful waiting for monday night's tip-off, and even more difficult for the team, who have to be thinking that they should have a 1-0 series lead, with home-court advantage now on their side.  Not only that, but the team has to stay in Cleveland, which isn't exactly Miami or La-La.  I don't know this for a fact, but I'm guessing there are high rates of depression and suicide in that midwestern cesspool.  I will say this, in the first half Cleveland must have been uttering a collective "Oh sh*t, this definitely isn't the same Celtics we saw in the regular season."  Many fans are now writing the Celtics off, because of their seeming inability to close out this game, but I'm not giving up yet.   We can play with this team, and I'm pretty confident this series is going the distance.  Keep the faith ya'll.

After a two week hiatus, the blog is back in full swing.  And, luckily there's no shortage of topics to touch on.  The months of April, and May are a busy time in the world of sports, with both the NHL and NBA playoffs getting underway, the Masters, the NFL draft, and oh yea, baseball season(meh, talk to me in six months, it's too early for baseball).  There is a story, however, that has been nawing at me for several weeks that I simply have to vent over, it's the Ben Roethlisberger incident.  First, in an attempt to make myself feel better, I have chosen a few alternative names for Mr. Reothlisberger, I hope you enjoy.  About 8 weeks ago, the Steelers quarterback was accused of sexually assaulting a 20 year old girl in a nightclub bathroom, in the college town of Milledgville, GA.  Not sure what the 29 year old Ratlburger is doing in a college town to begin with, but we're clearly not dealing with a normal individual, and I'm assuming this low-life loser still gets a woody over the "hey, it's Ben Roethlisberger" rumbllngs he hears whenever he arrives with his entourage.  Maybe it's understandable for a guy with a face only a mother could love, or knowing that if he couldn't throw a damn footall he'd be pumping gas in some red-neck town in Arkansas.  if I looked in the mirror and saw that deformed mutant face lookin back at me I'd make sure I had a special talent too.  Anyways, the commisioner of the league recently suspended Ruthlessburger, despite the lack of actual criminal charges being pressed.  Good move, Roger, because if you hadn't, this could have turned into a racial issue, if one of your star quarterbacks, who happens to be white(surprise-surprise) is treated differently than the likes of Pac-Man Jones, Chris Henry, etc.  And, this is clearly not about race, but about entitlement, and a young woman will have to live with endless amounts of shame for the rest of her life.  If there's any justice in the world, this scumbag will have 4 beautiful daughters, so he can spend 20+ years praying that some jerk(like him) doesn't prey on them.  But, then again, justice is often absent in these situations, especially when money and power come into play.  It's funny, a few days ago I saw one-time Duke point-guard, and former #1 overall pick, Jason Williams on ESPN, working as an NBA analyist.  Several years ago, both Williams, and Ruthlessburger were injured in motorcycle accidents.  Jason, who is, by all accounts, a very good person, never played another game again.  Ben, on the other hand, walked away virtually unscathed, and went on to win two superbowls.  I guess God works in mysterious ways, it's just sometimes really hard to figure out.  Of course, Ratburger has since said all the right things, and vowed to be a better person.  Sorry, but you can't teach an old dog new tricks, and once a scumbag, always a scumbag, period.  That goes for you too, Tiger.  You'll be back at it real soon, hitting on everything from strippers, to the waitresses at Waffle House.  And nice work using your dead father in an advertisement to sell golf clubs.  I know you've lost some endorsements, but are you really that strapped for cash?  Hopefully, the galleries at some of your upcoming tournaments will start heckling you, unlike the ball-washers at Augusta.  What a joke, both of these guys are bad people, and sometimes it's alright to seperate the athlete from his personal life, but that's not my style.

Saturday the Celtics head to Cleveland to take on LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.  Unlike our first round matchup, against Dwayne Wade and 4 scrubs from the local YMCA, King James has a solid supporting cast around him, with several players actually presenting matchup problems for the Celtics.  Two guys, in particular, have been a thorn in the green team's side over the past two seasons, and have caused me to lose somewhere between 10-15 years of my life from chronic stress on the heart.  The first is Andy Varejao, the Cavaliers "energy guy", if you will.  He rebounds, takes charges, can hit the open jumper, and typically flops around like a fish out of water.  He is, without question, the most annoying player in the NBA, unless of course, he is on your team, at which point he becomes a certain fan favorite.  This guy has absolutely killed the Celtics on the glass, especially when we have failed to put a body on him.  It's going to be up to guys like Glen "Big Baby" Davis to neutralize the effects of Varejao, or we have absolutely no chance in this series.  The next guy is Mo Williams.  The Cavs point guard, who has actually made the all-star team thanks to his ability to hit open 3-pointers, and playing alongside the best player in the world.  That's the thing about the Cavs...all LeBron's teammates have to do is make their open shots.  James draws so much attention that, often times, 3 or even 4 defenders will collapse on him, leaving his teammates wide-open for uncontested shots.  Williams, to his credit, is a very good outside shooter, and certainly has the ability to pile on the points in short time span, ultimately igniting the crowd, and often breaking the opposing team's will.  Rondo will have a difficult assignment trying to stay within the team's defensive scheme, while not leaving Williams alone behind the 3-point arc.  It is going to be crucial for the Celtics to take one of the first two games on the road.  Not an easy task, but something they are defintitely capable of.  It's also going to be important to get out to a quick start, which will take the crowd out of the game.  If not, this building can be a very difficult place to play, and the Cavs do a nice job of feeding off their energy.

The Bruins

With all of the bandwagon jumping, towel waving hoopla surrounding the Bruins, I feel it's my duty to bring everyone back down to earth a little bit here.  First, every B's fan should be counting their blessings that their team has been granted, without question, the easiest road to the conference finals in league history.  In round 1, the Bruins faced the weakest #3 seed in the history of organized sports, period.  That Buffalo team stunk, and without their top scorer, Thomas Vanek, they were downright atrocious.  Next, the Bruins will face the #7 seed, Philadelphia Flyers, who ultimately limped into the postseason thanks to a shootout win on the last day of the season.  The Flyers are now without several of their front line players, another gift from the hockey gods, who are seemingly shining down on the Bruins after 30 some-odd years of the team laying turds in the playoffs.  Now, I realize that I'm being a little harsh, but I'm tired of people giving the Celtics crap for underachiveing during the regular season, while giving the Bruins a pass for stinking out the TD garden for over 90% of their season.  If I recall, the Bruins were picked by many to reach the Stanley Cup Finals, and proceeded to take those lofty expectations right to the bottom of the standings, and nearly out of playoff contention.  And who could forget about that no-show performance during the five minutes after Marc Savard nearly get his head taken off?  Have a couple of wins, against a bad team, erased all of this?  If so, fine, but get the hell off the Celtics case, especially you Michael Felger.  You, have done nothing but bash the Celtics over the last month for "flipping the switch" before the playoffs, while wearing your Bruins pajamas, and waving your yellow towel shamelessly.  And how convenient it is for you to forget the fact that you were barred from the Garden for ten years for call their owner a cheap fraud.  What?  Do you think this guy cares about this team now?  No, he cares about the bottom-line, and I still stand by the fact that this team won't win a thing until he's gone.  Have fun buying tickets, and giving your money to that penny-pinching jerk.  And while your sitting in the stands, try not to be blinded by the green and white banners that are littered all over that building.  The Celtics hang World Championship banners, while the B's hang banners for winning the divivion, hah, and we still have more.  Just remember, the Celtics own that building, just like they owned the one they knocked down almost 14 years ago, that's fact, not opinion.  Congrats to the Bruins for avoiding Sidney Crosby and the Penguins, and the embarrassment of getting hosed at the same time.  Playing a 7 seed to get to the Conference Finals is an utter mockery.  At least the Celtics will have to play a real team to get to their respective conference championship.

The kid is 6'10", handles the ball like a point guard, is a pure-shooter with unlimited range, and can post-up on the block with the best of 'em.  I dont know what's scarier, the fact that Kevin Durant is going to be in the league for another 10-12 years, or the degree of respect his given by the refs at the age of...21?  The dude can flat-out score, but last night, he was getting to the foul line a little too frequently.  As Kevin Garnett pointed out, he(Durant) got to the line almost as much as the entire Celtics team.  That's inexcusable, especially on the road, where away players typically aren't treated to home cookin' by the officials.  I don't know if the free throw discrepancy cost the C's the contest, but it certainly didn't help in a game where both teams shot an extremely high percentage from the floor.  With the loss, the green team now fall into the 4th spot in the conference, which means a potential matchup with the Bucks could be lurking.  Although they won't admit it publicly, I'm sure Doc Rivers and Co. would prefer a matchup with the Miami Heat, as opposed to the Bucks, who are playing good ball, and bear striking similarities to that pesky Bulls team from a year ago.  The same Bulls team that took us to 7 games, including several multi-overtime thrillers that left the Celtics gased going into the next round.  This isn't to say that trying to contain Dwayne Wade would be a simple feat, but it just seems like a more favorable matchup for the defensive minded Celtics, who have had success with these types of teams. 

I'd like to preface this post by saying that I'm not a member of Red Sox Nation.  I don't have a membership card, wear a Sox army hat, or own a copy of Daisuke's greatest hits(that's not a joke, they actually released a CD of his favorite tunes).  I also realize that Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline was written about a girl(albeit an 11 year old...kinda creepy), and not for all the yahoos that belt it out every 7th inning at fenway.  However, unlike all of the pink hats, and frat boys that have sent the bandwagon into overload, I understand the game, the team, and their outlook for the upcoming campaign.  And, contrary to my obnoxiously biased opinions on everything Celtics and Patriots, my take on the sox has the potential to be much more objective.

It's no secret that pitching is crucial in baseball, especially in the AL East, where quality arms are needed on a nightly basis to combat some of those high-powered offenses, like the Rays and Yankees.  Luckily for the Red Sox they can likely lay claim to owning the best staff in the game, with Beckett, Lester, and Lackey headlining a deep rotation.  If they can stay healthy, that trio is going to give opposing managers fits, as each guy has the stuff to be an ace on any team.  Although the newly acquired Lackey is going to steal a lot of attention this spring, Beckett is still the ace of the staff, and the most dominant of the bunch when he is "on".  The southpaw, Jon Lester, will provide a different look in between Lackey and Beckett's starts, and the ability to take the ball into the 9th inning, which is a welcoming thought for the entire bullpen.  Rounding out the rotation will be some combination of Matsuzaka/Bucholz/Wakefield, depending on availability and matchups.  It will be interesting to see who is going to be the odd-man out, and, if any, or even all three of those guys could be making appearances out of the pen.  Speaking of the bullpen, I'm expecting a big year from Jon Papelbon, whose numbers were down considerably from previous seasons.  If Papelbon continues to decline, which isn't out of the question considering the short shelf-life of guys at his position, look for the sox to start giving Daniel Bard some opportunities to close-out games. 

For all of the optimism surrounding their pitching staff, there are a great deal of questions concerning the position players heading into the 2010 season.  The team's brass seemed to employ a change in philosophy this offseason, opting to bring in some players that will help shore of the defensive aspects of the game, while (hopefully) not conceding offensive production in the process.  With Beltre replacing Lowell, Scutarro taking over the revolving-door at short stop, and Mike Cameron roaming center field, the Sox will have the look of a new club come opening day.  Offensively, I think this team is going to be extremely well balanced, getting quality production throughout the order.  The only potential void is in the power department, where we used to enjoy the perks of an Ortiz/Ramirez tandem.  Those days are obviously over, but that doesn't mean that some of that slack can't be picked up by the likes of Youkilis, and Martinez.  And as long as Pedroia and JD Drew continue to produce this club should be able to score enough runs to support their pitching staff.

The good news for all you baseball fans is that we have 678 games for all of these questions to be answered, and scenarios to be played out.  Baseball has a looong season, which is one of my main concerns with the sport, but I digress.  There are a couple of things that I know for sure.  First, this team is going to make the playoffs.  Second, they will go into a major slump at some point during the early summer, at which point everyone will freak out and abandon ship, forgetting this happens EVERY year.  Finally, I'm certain that I will want to scream everytime I hear Sweet Caroline or Shippin up to Boston, ugh, I'm already dreading it.  Anyways, it's prediction time.  I'll go with 98 wins, which is good enough to win the division, and eventually the world series.    

In the latest installment of Why I love Rajon Rondo, this young man continues to make the game look easy, firing passes to his teammates and wreaking havoc on the defensive end.  On a night where the Celtics clinched their third straight division title, Rajon Rondo stole the show, leading the C's to another home win against the Sacramento Kings.  Despite scoring only 6 points, Rondo unquestionably dominated the game at both ends of the floor.  As the green team continues their solid play at home, their point guard is showing everyone why he was an all-star, and the key to any future sucess for his team.  Once again, Rondo showed just the right amount of flash in setting up his teammates for wide-open looks, bringing the home crowd to their feet on several occasions.  Rondo's 18 assists may have been the star of the show, but his three steals put him in the team-record book for most in a single season, while Pierce, Allen, and Garnett continue to climb the all-time scoring list.  It seems like members of this team are setting records on a nightly basis, which is both good and bad.  It's good because, well....it must mean they're good, right?  It's bad because it's a reminder of how old we are, with the average age on this team being somewhere between 70 and 75, or so it seems.  You'll notice that the other names on these lists, or the players that they're passing in the process, are almost all retired, and some have even died, which is a sobering reminder of this team's ever-closing window, and impending mortality.  On Sunday, the C's will continue their homestand against another team with some players that are currently eligible for senior discounts, the San Antonio Spurs.  If the C's were hoping to cruise through this upcoming contest, they had better think twice, as the Spurs are fresh-off a convincing win against the league's best Cavaliers.  There is some symmetry bewtween these clubs meeting on the parquet tomorrow evening.  Both clubs are littered with veterans, pass-first point guards, and the experience of winning a championship.  Both teams have been written off by many so-called pundits, but both teams will also provide a less-than desirable matchup come playoff time, with older team's typically stepping-up their game in the post-season.  Anyways, it's another good test for the C's who are undoubtedly trying to sweep this current homestand, and hopefully lock-up that coveted #2 seed in the conference.   

After countless home losses to playoff contenders, the Celtics finally fleeced a good team on their home floor, clinching a post-season berth in the process.  So, after weeks of pedestrian play from the green team, they finally appear set to make a legit run.  I know this is not the same team as two years ago, but I'm starting to see glimpses of that group in this year's edition.  Unfortunately, I don't think Kevin Garnett will ever return to 100%, but he seems to be adjusting to some of his physical limitations, and redefining his role with this unit at the same time.  Also, with the roster (almost) completely healthy, guys are able to find their niche out on the floor, especially the bench players, who are ultimately fighting for minutes on a nightly basis.  Last night, the offense seemed pretty balanced, with almost everyone contributing in some fashion, and the defense did a nice job slowing down one the associations high-powered offenses.  The Rajon Rondo Show was in full effect last night against the Nuggets.  Mr. Rondo finished the night with a triple-double (11 pts, 11 reb, 15 assists), using his full arsenal of tricks to dazzle the Garden crowd.  I'm not sure which of his statistics I like more, the 11 rebounds, despite being the smallest guy on the floor, or the 15 assists, which is refreshing in an era of shoot-first point guards.  I'm not going to turn this into a Rondo gush fest, but I find it hard to make a case for any other player being more important to this team.  It's pretty simple; Rondo makes this team go.  When he's on, they're next to unstoppable, when he's not, they're noticably average.  With the Nuggets out of the way, the Celtics will continue to face some of the Western Conference's most dangerous clubs in the Spurs, Thunder, and Kings.  If the Celtics can continue to play well at home, they will take the crucial steps towards re-establishing a dominant home court, which is something they'll need if they have any aspirations of playing into late May, or even June.

The Celtics squandered another first half lead Tuesday night, falling to the Jazz in Salt Lake City.  With the loss, the C's end their three game road swing, with a solid 2-1 mark, and head for the TD Garden for a much needed home-stand.  While some of the more reactionary fans will (again) be jumping off the bandwagon this morning, I really didn't have a problem with the loss.  That was close to a playoff atmosphere, and I thought the Celtics responded well in the first half, and simply looked gased in the second.  Utah was bound to make a run, and they did at the start of the third.  From that point, the Jazz were getting a lot more calls, and the momentum never swung back in the green team's favor.  Simply based on the eye test, the Celtics played hard in this game and look like their continuing to improve.  The upcoming six game home-stand gives this team a chance to establish a dominant home-court before the playoffs.  There are some inferior teams coming to town during this stretch, but the biggest test will likely come tomorrow, when Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, and The Denver Nuggets come to town.