This script has happened too many times to count this season for head coach Doc Rivers. This script was also followed in game four of the NBA Eastern Conference Semi Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers. The problem for Rivers was this script was followed by the 76ers and Boston lost a chance at owning a commanding stranglehold on this series.

The Boston Celtics came out hot and built a huge lead. The 76ers chipped away and kept the game within striking distance in the first half. The third quarter would have the 76ers come roaring back with turnover forcing defense and timely shooting. The fourth quarter saw some terrible Boston offense as the passing was non existent and the attack the basket philosophy was dead for Boston. The offense struggled and the turnovers mounted. Philly on the other hand executed down the stretch on offense with Andre Iguodala getting hot and finishing Boston off.

Doc Rivers has some work to do before the pivotal game five of this series. The Boston Celtics need better execution on the offensive end. They also need better rotations and help defense on the other end. If the adjustments are not made, then this script might get followed again. This time Doc Rivers does not want that to happen. Remember Go Green Or Go Home!!!!!!!

The fact the Boston Celtics won is not as important as how they won the game. The Boston Celtics have established themselves as a grind it out on offense team that plays tremendous defense. In game three they showed that they are more than capable of playing an uptempo offensive game and can dominate. The Boston Celtics dominated the post game, the transition game, and half court offense by mixing it up at different times in the contest. The Celtics would torch Philly’s defense for 107 points on the road and have leads as large as 27 points.

The one word that could describe Boston’s offense was attack. They were looking to attack the Philly defense from every angle at all times. The fact that the 76ers came out and gave their best punch in the first quarter and scored 33 points as they hit shots that seemed like prayers and still on the road the Celtics did not fold or even fall far behind. Boston just kept attacking the basket and scoring in the paint. Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Rajon Rondo just kept going to the paint and scored at will. The alleged Philly defensive wall went down quicker than the Berlin Wall did.

The offense for Boston started with Kevin Garnett. KG knew this was a big game like this entire post season he played like this game meant so much more to him than everyone else. KG established himself in the paint early and often. It did not matter who Philly put on him, KG took them to the basket with his wide range of post moves and scored. After they started playing off him for fear of him driving into the post KG would just bury shot after shot from mid range. KG would lead the charge with 27 huge points.

Boston had other players got to the paint all night long as Rajon Rondo shredded the Philly defense and either scored or hit the right man open for easy baskets. Rondo also ran the 76ers into the ground. The 76ers defense had zero time to set up as ROndo just pushed the ball every time he had the chance. The Celtics were clearly the better team in transition and Rondo was the reason why. Rondo’s 23 points and 14 assists show just how easy he dominated the 76ers.

The other great news was Paul Pierce finally played like Paul Pierce. Despite the knee injury, Pierce attacked the basket all night. Pierce may have missed shots early, but his two drives to the basket that ended in thunderous slams early on let Philly know that he was going to be attacking all night. Pierce would get himself going by driving and either scoring or getting to the line. His juices were flowing and that led to a big 24 points from the “Captain”.

The Celtics also got great games from other guys. Mickael Pietrus kept up his hot shooting as he buried a couple threes and ended up with 14 big points off the bench. Brandon Bass also had a strong game. Bass took it to the basket at the right times and shot the open jumper well. The result was Bass scored 10 points on only 5-10 shooting.

The Boston Celtics went into Philly looking to send a statement. KG and company did just that. Philly now knows that unlike them, they can go off at any time offensively and put up serious numbers on their defense. Philly still has not figured out Boston’s defense as evidence by the fact Philly struggled to score 91 points even after Boston emptied their bench in the fourth. This means one can plan on Boston taking this series sooner than later. Remember Go Green Or Go Home!!!!!!!

The fourth quarter has never been LeBron’s friend. The meltdowns have been epic. The Eastern Conference Finals in 2009, the Eastern Conference Finals in 2010, and of course the NBA Finals of 2011 are some of the more epic collapses in this man’s career. The fact is during those games LeBron has looked like a guy that wants no part of taking control of the game in order to get his team the win.

Last night was more of the same from LeBron. James missed four free throws in the final frame and then wanted no part of the ball in the final minutes of a close game. The ball was like a hand grenade as LeBron would give the ball up almost before he got it. People will blame the Heat head coach for not giving him the ball, but those people are foolish. LeBron did not want the ball. He did not want to go to the line because he felt he would fail there like he had already. Mario Chalmers would be forced to try to win the game and of course he missed and the Heat are now tied in their series with Indiana.

Could you imagine Larry Bird or Michael Jordan not demanding the ball with the game on the line? The stories of Larry Bird ripping up coach KC Jones’s plays and saying give the ball to me and get out of my way are famous. Jordan got the ball and everyone knew not to even ask whether he wanted the shot or not. It was their game to win and they wanted the ball in their hands with the chance to win and no one was taking that from them. Oh wait…I forgot that LeBron was playing power forward and that effected his game. Maybe he should have asked Magic Johnson how to win a game in a different position like when Magic playing center his rookie year won an NBA title.

I still find it hard to believe that the most physically gifted player of all time does not understand how to dominate the game. When you are that much bigger and stronger than your man and you can take him to the basket at will, that is what you should do. When you can elevate above your man with ease, you should take the jump shot and hit it with ease.

The simple fact is no one is ever going to hand you an NBA title. You have to go out and take it. You have to force the issue and drive the lane on the defense. You have to in short dominate. However, LeBron does not get that. This is why he chose Miami. Dwayne Wade has won a title and knows that he needs the take the game over. LeBron did not have to win the title because he thought Wade would win it for him. This is why those epic fails continue to take place. Miami once again is favored, but until their best player realizes that he needs to win the title for his team, they will always be also rans despite the star power.

Bone spurs are probably one of the worst injuries a basketball player could get especially in the ankles. The pain is akin to having a hot knife stab at the area every time there is movement. A guy like Ray is going to be constantly moving and jumping causing the area in the ankle to become active and be afflicted by the is shooting pain. The spurs also cause inflammation and swell. This limits movement in the body in an area a basket ball player needs to move a lot. Bone spurs cost Larry Bird an entire NBA season. This injury has also caused Ray to not only miss regular season time, but the first couple games of round one of the NBA playoffs. Ray will require surgery after the year is over to truly get over this affliction.

The surprise is not only is Ray Allen playing, but he has thus far picked up close to where he left off. He is still fighting the pain to move throughout the maze of screens and picks to get free for his shot. He is still getting the needed lift to bury his deadly jump shot. In game two Ray provided a needed offensive spark by burying two threes on his way to a team high 17 points in 33 minutes of work. When one considers he is doing this with an injury that should have shelved him, 17 points seems like so much more.

Ray Allen has always been considered a freak of nature. Overcoming this kind of injury only adds to the legend. The taste of a possible title fuels a man like nothing else. When one is as motivated as Ray Allen already is, then one can accomplish some amazing feats. Ray averaging double digits off the bench is an amazing feet. I just hope his ankles continue to hold up. Remember Go Green or Go Home!!!!!!

The last few games before game two, KG did just that. He looked for his offense and was aggressive. Inside he would look to either beat his man or fade away in the post. KG would find his sweet spot for his jumper and fire away. The results were what Boston needed. KG would finish off the Hawks with a 28 point out burst and then stick the dagger in the 76ers in game one with 29 points to lead the way. His offense made up for the lack of offense from Pierce and Bass and gave Boston that scorer they need to compliment their lockdown defense.

Game three saw the team get away from KG being the focal point. Granted he struggled early, but that does not mean to stop going to well with the best shot at yielding the needed results. The evidence of this is the team looked away form him in the second and third quarter at times and struggled. The fourth quarter they went back to the big man and he responded. He led the team in fourth quarter scoring and nearly got them a win.

The fact is KG only took twelve shots. He had less touches as well as evidence of his only one free throw attempt. This means he was not attacking the basket either. Brandon Bass struggling took fifteen shots. Pierce shot the ball nine times getting no results. Heck even the pass happy Rondo shot the ball twelve times. Your best option should have the most touches. The touches got to be more for KG and less everyone else. Your best option should get the most looks and that means KG needs more shots.

If Boston goes back to the KG well, they should win this important game three. My money is on Doc Rivers to do just that. KG will get his points, but he will hurt Philly in other ways as well. I then plan on seeing Philly double the big man and that will make it much easier for the other guys to score. Even if Philly begins to double, KG is smart enough to find the open man and make them pay. Remember Go Green Or Go Home!!!!!!!

People really do not understand the effect that Bradley has on the team’s defense and the rotations. Bradley is a unique weapon that can completely shut down and frustrate his man. Bradley can do this without needing a lot of help. He is just so smart and athletic that he can beat his man to the spot or keep his man in front of him. The fact that he can do this allows the Celtics big men like Kevin Garnett and Greg Stiemsma to stay with their man or help out elsewhere. This is huge in shutting down a team’s ability to get in to the paint and get great scoring opportunities. When KG was not in the game,Greg Stiemsma and Ryan Hollins looked terrible without Bradley on the floor to make their jobs easier. Bradley was an amazing plus 18. That number is even better than defensive specialist Kevin Garnett’s plus 16.

When Bradley left, the 76ers were able to penetrate a little easier and that meant the struggling 76ers found a way to get open shots by either getting into the paint and scoring or getting the extra pass for an open jump shot due to the Celtics defense being forced to rotate one too many times. The result was Boston’s lead vanished and then they were forced to play catchup.

The Paul Pierce injury argument does not wash with me for a couple reasons. Pierce could not buy a basket and the team still held the lead and control of the game until eh Bradley injury. The offense the Celtics had even with a struggling Pierce was more than enough due to the fact the 76ers were struggling more. When the defense was not as good, the Celtics weak offense was noticed. This means the defense after Bradley left was the real culprit in the loss.

The bottom line is Avery Bradley may not be the same player on offense that he was pre injury (the three ball in the corner during the fourth was nice, but with a busted shoulder do not expect that kind of shot to fall all the time), but the man can flat out still shut down his man. I just hope Bradley’s shoulder can hold up for the rest of the playoffs to give Boston the stopper that they need. If it does, than Boston will handle Philly in this series. Remember Go Green Or Go Home!!!!!!!!!

The warm memories surrounding the 2008 “Human Victory Cigar” that was Brian Scalabrine are still burning bright as his name was serenaded the moment his red haired face hit the screen. Scal played it up and made a gesture like he was going to remove his sport coat and step on the floor. This sent the Garden crowd into a frenzy.

Those that do not understand the cult status of Scal in Boston just need to know that his funny personality endeared him to the fans. The fact that he was the guy that was put in once Boston had the game won also helps. People also appreciate the fact his teammates loved him. His former Celtics teammates felt he was another coach on the sideline and played hard in practice.

A cult hero is a guy that fans love for whatever reason. He makes them smile due to some warm memories they associate with them. Brian Scalabrine is that guy in Boston. He has been seen now in two straight games in Boston. I hope he is somehow looking for a job on Doc Rivers coaching staff. The warm memories then will come more often. However, even if he is just taking in the game, something tells me fans will be seeing more of Scal one way or another. Remember Go Green or Go Home!!!!

The final seconds of this game showed the difference between a very good NBA coach and a great coach. The first mistake Collins made is that he failed to call timeout after Philly secured Paul Pierce’s miss in the final seconds. This bled precious time off the clock in a very tight game. After Rajon Rondo waited for Jrue Holiday to get past half court he wisely fouled him up three points to force only a two shot free throw trip for Holiday. Collins then made a crucial error and elected to have him make the second free throw to cut the lead to one instead of trying to miss and gain a rebound against a terrible rebounding Celtics team for a chance to tie or win the game.

During the timeout Doc Rivers showed just how brilliant a coach he is with a tremendous play drawn on up to secure the win. The 76ers thought inside the box and thought that the Celtics would look to get the ball into Ray Allen or Paul Pierce to try to get one of those two to the line to give Boston a three point advantage again. They guarded them like they were forcing the ball out of their hands. Collins wanted the ball to get to the foul line troubled Rajon Rondo.

The only problem was Doc was thinking outside the box. Doc had the inbounds get thrown to the guy that Philly wanted to get the ball in that situation past the half court line to one Rajon Rondo in stride. Rondo sprinted to the ball as a helpless Philly defender tried to recover from leaving Rondo to double team. He chased Rondo, but could not foul him before time expired. Doc had out maneuvered Collins in the pivotal final moments.

Coaching in the playoffs can win or lose a game. A great coach can steal aright game going d own to the wire by making the right calls. Doc has proven that he makes the right calls and wins games by making those right calls. Game one was just another example of this great play calling. Boston has been given credit for having the advantage in a lot of areas in this series, but perhaps the largest is coaching. If coaching decides this series then Boston will be advancing. Remember Go Green Or Go Home!!!!!

The closing moments of a tight game are the moments the players decide the fate of a game. This game two looked like it would end in that way with the players deciding it as the officials stepped out of the way. The refs let both the 76ers and Celtics play physical defense in the paint and on the perimeter. The refs wanted no part of making really any call that might effect the outcome including missing a blatant travel by Evan Turner in the closing minutes of the game that gave Philly a crucial basket. Then Danny Crawford felt the need to get his hands on this game with 10 seconds to go.

The Celtics were down three with the ball with twelve seconds left with the ball and time for one desperation shot to tie the game. Off the inbounds Boston Celtics center Kevin Garnett was whistled away from the ball for a ridiculous offensive foul. After letting these guys play for an entire fourth quarter in one of the pivotal moments of the game, Danny Crawford made the most cardinal sin in all of sports officiating. He made himself a part of the game. The Philly defense did not stop Boston on this final possession. The Boston Celtics did not get a shot a clutch three to force over time. Neither team got to win or lose this game. Danny Crawford made the final call that decided this game.

Crawford has had his issues in the past with the Boston Celtics most famously, but with other teams as well. He is an awful official that just does not understand that he is not a part of the game. He is just there to make sure the game does not get out of hand physically and make the calls consistently and down the middle. In plain english I should not notice him or even know his name. I should not be writing about him. I should be writing about players that decided a game, but Crawford just could not help himself as usual.

The sad part is the way Paul Pierce was shooting, he probably would have missed that tying three point shot, but I will never know. Philly won, but they did not have the final say in this game. Danny Crawford did. David Stern should take action, but he will not and that is sadly why the NBA is only two steps above pro wrestling. Remember Go Green Or Go Home!!!!!!!

Last night against Philadelphia, Rajon Rondo’s game was on full display. Rondo struggled with his shot early, but by crunch time in the fourth quarter his elbow jump shot was falling. He hit some big fourth quarter shots on his way to a solid 13 point effort.

His passing was of course his best work as be carved the Philly defense up by making smart passes to the right man most of the night. When he attacked the basket, he found the open man for an easy jumper or finish in the paint. The result was an amazing 17 assists effort.

The one facet of his game that amazes me is the fact Rondo is a solid rebounder at the point guard spot. He is never afraid to get dirty in the paint and fight for a possession. Rondo finished with 12 rebounds and not many point guards grab half that many rebounds.

Rondo just has the extra gear for big games that most guys do not have. Jason Kidd (11 playoff triple doubles) is the only guy with more career triple doubles in the playoffs than Rajon Rondo (8 triple doubles). Bare in mind he only has a three game edge with twice as many games played. He has more triple doubles than the likes of LeBron James, Chris Paul, and Derrick Rose.

A guy that can play that kind of all around game and dominate is priceless. The triple double overshadows his great defense and four steals that he recorded. He does on a consistent basis come playoff time what the world is still waiting for LeBron to do and that is take his game to another level. People can have their Deron Williams or Russell Westbrook. I will keep my Rondo because I know come playoff time when it counts Rondo will be the guy that makes the most impact. Remember Go Green Or Go Home!!!!!!!!