There are lots of theories floating around out there as to why the Celtics are not winning on the road. From where I sit it comes down to one thing : aggression. When the Celtics play with passion and abandon on the defensive end it translates to their offense. When they shoot threes and settle for jump shots they become passive on the defensive end. In game three they still did a nice job of making Lebron’s life miserable, but forgot about everybody else. And the reason Boston didn’t have any free throw attempts with half of the second qtr gone was simply that they hadn’t done anything to make the officials blow the whistle. Refs in the playoffs tend to let teams play. You have to be extra aggressive to get a call, any call. The C’s have been that way at home not on the road. If they don’t get their defensive passion/aggression back tonite, we are in for another long series.

Rosalie
Waltham

Mike - I know it took a while to knock off Atlanta, but, why is it so easy for the press and broadcasters (not you or Tommy!), to
jump off the bandwagon of a team that has been so successful all year. Kevin Garnett is taking it on the chin from alot of these guys, and it just doesn’t seem fair. Nor does it seem right that PP has had such bad press also. I guess I take it personally when someone attacks the team they way they have this last week. Written by a die hard, long time
Celtic fan who watched Tommy play!!

Mike: Positive news unfortunately doesn’t sell newspapers or increase talk show ratings. Hopefully fans like yourself will have the last laugh.

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Scott Tomassetti
Rajon vs. Delonte

Back in seattle I can remember that Delonte kind of got the better of Rajon. How do you think that match up will go this series?
Personally, I think Rajon has grown so much since then that he might overwhelm delonte with his D. Delonte still needs to stay close to Delonte to keep him honest at the 3 pt line.

Just want to say it before all this gets underway. If Magic, Michael, Larry and Lebron are all 23 and sitting in the green room waiting for David Stern to call their name, if I have the number 1 pick I’m taking Lebron. That said - Celtics in 6.

Pretty hard to believe we are about to play game six and according to the old saying this series hasn’t even begun yet. Hopefully the Celtics will put an end to that tonite and win in Atlanta. It’s no mystery as to what they have to do. Joe Johnson must be double/triple teamed as soon as he puts the ball on the floor and has to be run off threes. To a lesser extent the same can be said about Josh Smith. On the offensive end the Celtics must continue to take the ball to the basket. They cannot fall in love with the three or even the fifteen foot jump shot. Jump shooting teams never get to  the line, never get easy baskets, and most of the time don’t win games, especially on the other guys court. Time for the C’s to get their swagger back and ground the bothersome Hawks. 

Also will be interesting to see how the Wizards fare at home tonite against the Cavs. A surprising number of basketball people think Washington may actually be better without Agent Zero. We’ll see.

Name: Dennis
City: Nashua

Comment: Mike, 1986 vs. 2008 Celtics…who would win in a best of seven series if they played each other? I know it is tough to answer hypothetical questions like this, but if anyone would have a good reasoning, it would be the man that broadcasted both teams.

I know this sounds like a cop out but I think it would be anybody’s guess in seven games….the match ups would be fascinating with nobody having a defensive edge….who covers Bird…. KG…Pierce…Allen…McHale….it’s a pick’em if I ever saw one.

Name: Barry
City: Medford

Comment: Which player will have the biggest impact down the stretch for the Celtics?

KG…he is the heart and soul of this team.

Name: David B
City: Falmouth

Comment: Hey Mike, I always wonder how you get all of your stats? You have some crazy ones on spot all of the time. Do you have some sort of a display?

I have a guy named Dick Lipe who sits next to me who is the best stats guy in the business. He is responsible for all the stuff you hear.

Name: Gerry
City: Peabody

Rondo. One minute you’re agreeing with the Chris Paul MVP argument and the next Rondo is playing him even for eight quarters with no indication anything’s changing anytime soon. Rajon’s emergence from the shadow of the big three is the year’s best unexpected storyline.

KG is the MVP. End of subject. C’mon, have you forgotten 20 something wins so quickly? Do you miss wondering if Gerald was going to come around ? That was just 11 months ago.

They’re about to win 60 something games. Last year people felt sorry for the C’s, now they’re afraid of them. Sure Paul Pierce is having his best year and Ray is an assassin and Rondo’s a talent and Perk and Powe are all one could hope them to be. But without KG they’re fighting for first round home court advantage. KG raised the first time he sat down at the table. He makes everybody around him work harder - get better. That’s what MVP’s do. Kobe, Lebron, CP3 all great players, maybe even better than KG. But more valuable, no way, not even close.

A great week of basketball fell just a quarter short of perfection last nite in New Orleans. For the longest time it looked like the Celtics would sweep a five game road trip for the first time since one of Tommy’s teams did it back in the early 70’s. However a flurry of uncharacteristic turnovers enabled Chris Paul to salvage an otherwise un-MVP like game and stop the road winning streak at 8. But even a defeat cannot change the fact that the Celtics are exactly where they want to be with three weeks or so left in the season. The defense is fierce, the offense is efficient, and the chemistry is as good as it has been at any time this year. Sure it would be better if the playoffs started next week, but let’s just savor the games that are left, enjoy the eye popping development of Rondo, and make plans for a spring and early summer of basketball. Something we haven’t had in a long time.

In a season full of superlatives last night’s win in San Antonio has to rank amongst the very best. 22 down to the defending champs in their building in a game they needed like oxygen. No Ray Allen and a first five minutes from Rondo that made you want to send him to the D league. You could just hear those guys on the “family of networks” piling on. But then after 11 points in the first quarter the C’s put up 32 in the second. Rondo was back to being Rondo. Tony Parker was suddenly going to have to play at both ends. Udoka and Oberto were suddenly Udoka and Oberto. Duncan was a ten point eight rebound guy and only the brilliant play of Ginobili prevented the Celtics from turning 22 down into 22 up. KG went for 21 and 8. Pierce was 8 for 13 - 22-8-5 a steal and a block. Sam I am went for 17-5 and Rondo went from worst to first finishing with 20-6-6-3st and just 2 to’s. If this was the first NBA game you ever saw- he was the best point guard on the floor. Bigger wins- maybe if I thought about it. But I don’t want to. 1-0 in Texas and a great match up on tap in Houston. Who thought we could have this much fun in the NBA in March.

Thats the number of consecutive quarters the Celtics have played with the lead. You have to go back to the third quarter against Atlanta a week ago Sunday to find the last time Boston trailed in a game. That’s how dominating they have been in this recent streak. I know some national services want to rate the C’s third to the Lakers and Spurs - Boston by the way is 3-0 against those two. But right now only the Houston Rockets have any place in the discussion and in case you have forgotten, Boston beat them back in the beginning of January. The best team in the NBA right now wears green.