So along these same terms, I let last night's Celtics defeat settle for a few hours, grasp the fullness of it, and what it means moving forward. Don't get me wrong, last night sucked, but I didn't take a bottle of tequila to the face (Super Bowl XLVI), or stare blankly at a ceiling for half an hour (Super Bowl XLII), or cry (Aaron Boone). In those three instances, it's pretty clear the Patriots were the better team on both occasions, and that the Red Sox beat themselves via a managerial [in]decision. And that's what made them all so damn frustrating. But last night?
The better team won.
And it kills me to say that, because the game was tied after three quarters. And because Game 2, above the others, was so poorly officiated. And that for the third time in the Pierce/Garnett/Allen epoch, the Celtics blew a 3-2 series lead. And that it's entirely possible we've seen the last of KG and Ray-Ray on the parquet floor.
But make no mistake about it. The Heat were the better team last night. Don't believe me? The Celtics scored 88 points. You know how many of those came from the bench? 2. Two. Dos. Duex, on a second quarter bucket from Ryan Hollins. Granted, the Heat had only one player come off of the bench who scored, but it was Chris Bosh, who chipped in 19. Including three 3-pointers.
I wrote yesterday that the Celtics would be in an excellent position to win if Paul Pierce scored 25 points. He put in 19, on 7-18 shooting. His quest to secure his legacy in Celtics lore remains out with the jury.
The Celtics were ultimately undone by a lack of bench. Injuries to Avery Bradley, Jeff Green, and even Chris Wilcox really limited the upside of this team. Bradley was proving over the course of the season, and into the post-season, that he was among the best on-ball defenders in the entire NBA. Jeff Green, who's run here could be classified as an unequivocal disaster so far (especially considering what the Thunder have done without him). But you don't think his presence would've taken the burden off of Pierce at any point this season? The Truth, more than KG or Allen, was done in by the lack of scoring the Celtics were able to provide off the bench. Allen, if you remember, was coming off the bench for Bradley by later in the season. And Garnett, for whatever reason, turned back the clock to 2008. But in the end Pierce, the longest-tenured current Celtic, was the largest victim of his age.
Moving forward, I've been on record all along that KG will be back. And why not? Assuming the Celtics draft a real center later this month, KG will be able to cut back his minutes tremendously next season, as he can continue to be spelled by Brandon Bass. Who was outstanding this season, by the way. Let Garnett ride off into the sunset here in the same manner the Spurs are doing with Tim Duncan. You know, like earning the 1-seed in back-to-back post-seasons. And really, there's no reason to let Ray Allen go either. I personally think he'll retire, but if he could come back on a cap-friendly deal, by all means. Could there be a more lethal sixth man in the league than Jesus Shuttlesworth?
The key difference between the Celtics and Spurs again problems, however, is this: we happen to have Rajon Rondo. In other words, even once the Big 3 do move on to the retirement home, the Celtics will still have one of the 10 most valuable players in the NBA. Rebuilding on the fly. It can work.
As for the Heat? Sure I said all the right things earlier, but does that mean I'm rooting for them now?
Not bloody likely. And if you don't understand the significance of the SuperSoncis pennant here, then, clearly you don't know me all that well. Or the follow the NBA, one or the other.
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