This isn’t the regular season, this isn’t Rome and this isn’t a mid-afternoon shootaround. This is the National Basketball Association playoffs, a time for dedication, relentless vigor and overall outstanding play.

As I sit here in my dimly lit office on a dark and damp Friday night, I can’t help but think that the Boston Celtics must grow up. They have to do it quick and at the same time learn that the playoffs are a different beast. This isn’t some run of the mill mid-term exam; this is the SATs of basketball, a time of the year where everything but your heart and inner self is put aside. What I see before me now is gutwrenching and totally contrary to what was on that floor during 82 regular season games. There is no sense of urgency at all!

I do have to give credit where credit is due. The Atlanta Hawks have matured immensely in this series. I’d be hard pressed not to say that they will be a serious threat to anyone that sleeps against them next season. They are a developing squad, a fused group of young guys trying to find their way, and it appears they have. The truth is in the numbers; well, if you’re not counting foul shots. Former Celtic Joe Johnson is averaging 20.7 points per game in the playoffs (21.7 ppg in the regular season); Josh Smith is averaging 17.2 ppg in the playoffs (17.2 ppg in the regular season). The list could go on, but what I’m trying to say is that what these guys did in the regular season stat wise is seeping into the extra set. They are developing their games, maintaining consistency and digging right into the heart of the Celtics. It’s as tragic as a Shakespearean play!

The “Big Three” or the “Boston Three Party”, whatever you want to call them have been great, and so has point guard Rajon Rondo. But they have to learn how to handle getting a combo to the mouth, and return with a counter jab of astronomical proportions. Knock them out! You have three perennial Hall of Famers in Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. You have a coach that has seen it all. You have savvy veterans like Sam “I am” Cassel and P.J. Brown. You have a solid bench mix of Leon Powe, Eddie “Where have you been” House and James Posey. There are guys on this team that have been there before. Where is the leadership? I know Garnett is the voice of this team, but the Celtics need guys that have been there before like Cassell and Posey to voice their past efforts and tell this team what it takes to win a championship.

I firmly believe the Celtics will take the cake tomorrow, but it won’t be easy. They need to step up and play against the Hawks like they played during the Texas trip. I know that the Celts have been out shot at the free throw line 204-133, which is borderline suspicious, but they need to overcome that. This is judgment day for the C’s, if they get past this series and avoid a choke that will go down in the annals of sports history, I firmly believe the rest of the road won’t be as rocky.

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