The Dirk Show

It's all we've got left people.

Short of being a headcase of epic proportions and nailing Gloria James, Delonte West is a totally replaceable somewhat useless part. He's a decent shooter and average defender who turns the ball over way too much to be taken seriously as a point guard. Zero and I mean zero basketball IQ. There's a reason this guy can't find a permanent team. I don't understand Doc's overtime lineup with him out there. I want Delonte on the next train to the Bermuda Triangle never to be heard from again. Now that I've vented....

This all comes back to Rondo's missed layup with about a minute left. That was the equivalent of a 1-inch putt in golf. Fucking Judge Smails would've tapped it in. I know his elbow's banged up. But how can that be an excuse if he played (other than that) a pretty good game? He makes that layup, Celtics have a 2-point lead, LeBron's layup merely ties the game, the Celtics can re-take the lead on Pierce's ensuing drive and all they have to do is play D to win. Which they did, when LeBron coughed up the ball leading to Pierce's bucket.

Doc's crunch-time lineup in this game was perplexing too. And no it had nothing to do with the Perkins trade. Sort of. Because while Perkins didn't play in crunch time anyways......if you aren't going to use Big Baby in that spot (who's regressed to levels he's never sunk to in the NBA), why not play Jeff Green, who you acquired for Perkins in the first place, in that spot? Is he really a downgrade from Delonte? The dude went to Georgetown. He's not dumb. He's put up scoring numbers that Delonte has never matched; he's a better defender; and with the height advantage, he's certainly capable of creating match-up problems for the Heat. Not his finest hour here either.

It didn't help matters tonight that Ray Allen was a non-factor and KG couldn't buy a basket for his life. Yet where do they go from here? Is this team really capable of winning three in a row against the Heat? Sure they beat them three straight in the regular season but those were spaced out over a manner of months. It ain't midnight yet, but it's 11:59 and those heels are clicking. I really felt if the Celts won tonight, they'd win the series. Now? Just re-read the title of this post. Because sadly, it's the only place we can put all our marbles in at this point.