Hooped Up

Soon to be free agent James Posey was important to the Celtics championship run and Paul Pierce wants him back next year.

“Posey’s very important to what we’re trying to do around here and what we’ve done, man,” Paul Pierce said. “He’s invaluable to me, and you could see it in these playoffs when I got into foul trouble. When I go out, he comes in and fills in so amazingly that I can sit out, and it doesn’t hurt us too bad. You don’t always see it with the numbers, but he brings a lot to the team. He’s so smart. He’s got a great basketball IQ. Then he has that great ability to knock down shots and play defense.”

Boston Herald

What do you do if your team wins and NBA Championship after 17 years? How about mashing up public property to commemorate the victory…sounds good.

One season removed from being at the bottom of the barrel Kevin Garnett finally reached the top of the heap.

Last season Garnett was with the going nowhere fast Minnesota Timberwolves, that finished the season with 32 wins; third worst in the West. The Boston Celtics, finished with 24 wins good for second worst in the league overall.

Then on July 31, 2007, the Minnesota Timberwolves reached a deal to trade All-Star Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics for Al Jefferson, Theo Ratliff, Gerald Green, Sebastian Telfair, Ryan Gomes, two first-round draft picks, and cash considerations. The largest combination of players and picks ever traded for a single player in NBA history.

Now Garnett the defensive player of the year and the Celtics are NBA Champions, finishing with a league best 66 regular season wins. The Timberwolves got even worse finishing with 22 wins third worst in the league.

If the Timberwolves would have surrounded Garnett with talent from the beginning that 17th banner that now hangs in the Garden might have been in Minnesota. Yet, it now looks like Minnesota is as far away from a championship then they have ever been in there franchises history. What a difference a year makes.

Maybe Kevin McHale should get a ring for handing the Celtics a NBA Championship?

Hooped Up

Did anybody get the license plate number of that green and white Peterbilt with Shamrocks on it?

In a game the Lakers needed and the Celtics wanted the Celtics crushed the Lakers for the 2008 NBA Championship 92 - 131 in Game 6. It took 6 games to lower the Lakers to their plot and tonights game makes it look like the Celtics played rope a dope with the Lakers to celebrate in Boston.

The “Big Three” had a big night with Kevin Garnett scoring 22 with 14 boards, Ray Allen scoring 26 and finals MVP Paul Pierce scored 17 with 10 dimes. While firmly keeping their collective foot on the Lakers neck.

Rajon Rondo also had a big game with 21 points and 8 assist to contribute to the slaughter.

Kobe Bryant finished with 22 but looked like he accepted his fate late in the third quarter as did the rest of the Lakers.

This is the 17th time the Celtics have been crowned kings of the NBA and their first title since 1986. Snapping a 22 year drought for the franchise.

Hooped Up

Lakers guard Sasha Vujacic, things the Celtics are getting away with playing too rough.

“They (Boston) foul a lot. They get away with a lot of fouls,” Vujacic said. “When we go back to Boston, we know that they are going do a lot of moving picks like they do, and they’re probably going to get away with it. But we got to stay smart, stay focused, and play with poise.”

The Los Angeles Daily News

Welcome to the playoffs Sasha.

I love the emotion and the Michelle Tafoya compliment, KG is a true original!  Congratulations Boston Celtics fans!

In a crazy series things went nuts again, as the Lakers hung on for a unlikely 98 - 103 win last night. The Lakers jumped on the Celtics early, leading by as much as 19 points again before the Celtics closed in at the half. Both teams were very sloppy combining for 35 turnovers.

Kobe Bryant finshed with 25 points followed by Lamar Odom who had another strong game posting 25 points and 11 rebounds. Paul Pierce had a great game leading the Celtics with 38 points and 8 assists in a losing effort that saw him go 16 - 19 from the line.

Down the strech the Lakers got very lucky and the Celtics couldn’t exicute missing key free throws and turnovers. Not to mention Doc Rivers had several miss cues in the roation he had on the floor, in the dying moments in the game.

The stage is now set for a game six in Boston for either the Celtics to close out the series. Or the Lakers to force a game 7 Tuesday night. No team has ever come back down three games to one in a series to win.

Hooped Up

Maybe the worst playoff collapse in Lakers history, or the best playoff comeback in Celtics history.  Take your pick. Either way, the Celtics were down by 18 at the half and at one point down by a 24 point margin to the Lakers.  Despite that the Celtics clawed back into the game and pulled out a 97 - 91 victory.

Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 20 points, while Ray Allen  was a key factor down the stretch with 19 points. Lamar Odom led the Lakers with 19 points while Kobe Bryant had 17 points and shot an abismal 6 - 19 from the field.

 The Celtics now only need only one more win for the series an will have a chance Sunday night at the Staples Center.

Kendra Wilkinson is a big Lakers fan and a Playboy bunny and both of these worlds collide at her 23rd birthday bash. Can you even buy that Lakers gear anywhere or is that a Bunny special issue?

[Show as slideshow]

Well the chance of a sweep is gone as the Lakers won game three in the Staples Center on Tuesday 81 -87. It wasn’t as much that the Lakers won the game as the Celtics gave them the game. Kobe Bryant scored an efficient 36 points and had Ray Allen looking like he was on skates all night.  Sasha Vujucic was on fire all night for a playoff high of 20 points.

The Celtics for the most part with the exception of Ray Allen offensively two thirds of the big three could not hit anything. Kevin Garnett was 6-21 from the field for 13 points, and Paul Pierce was 2-14 from the field for 6 points.

Despite this woeful shooting the Celtics remained close right to the end, and still had a chance to win as the fourth quarter came to  the final whistle.

If the Celtics forget to show up tonight look for the series to be knotted at two a piece tonight.