I watched the Celtics consistently throughout the playoffs and was so excited when they won it all. After the big final game, I spent some time pondering the team and to me, the key person who enabled this  was Ray Allen. Huh, you might be asking, what about Pierce or KG? Well, clearly they were instrumental as well, but keep in mind, Ray Allen was the key to enabling success this year. Let me explain why.

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I am currently watching the Celtics playing in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals. I have been very excited with the progress that the Celts have made so far, but am feeling frustrated. The guys in green seem to have this dual personality. When they play well, they are outstanding and when they play poorly things can go south rapidly. One of the most annoying elements is that they can change from one extreme to another rapidly.

We saw this change in Game 4 where they had a lead of 10+ points at the end of the 3rd quarter, and then barely squeaked by with a 4 point win at the end. During the last few minutes of that game, the two teams were actually tied! Here in Game 5, the Celts are at it again. They were up 6 points at the half and here at the end of the 3rd, they are imploding yet again and are down by 8.

This not to take anything away from the Pistons, Detroit is a great team. They are putting lots of pressure on the Celtics, but when the Celtics implode, they just make really stupid turnovers and fouls that just drive me crazy. It is like the tale of two teams and you never know which will show up for a given game or a given quarter for that matter.

Update: 

Perhaps my post above motivated the Celtics and they turned it on in the 4th quarter and won!  Yippeee, now it is going to be an old school final -- Lakers vs. Celtics. 

I have been watching the NBA playoffs. The series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Celtics was a tough one. The two teams played very closely and it continues to frustrate how the Celtics were unable to play consistently on the road. It was the same trend we saw in the Hawks series and clearly does not bode well for their success in the playoffs. You cannot expect to go to 7 games in every series and have the energy to go all of the way. It is interesting to see what happens with the Pistons series. Currently, the Celtics are ahead.

I wanted to talk briefly about Lebron James. The guy is clearly an incredibly talented player. One of the other things that impressed me was his character. So many NBA players seem to have this attitude and arrogance about them which I find troubling. Lebron handled himself in a very professional and mature manner. This is unexpected of someone of his young age and wealth and he deserves credit for it. Thus he is unusual not only for his talent, but also for his maturity and personality.  Kudos to Lebron.