Celtics lose Game 7 88-101 to the Heat

The Good – The Celtics played their heart out for 48 minutes, but seemed to lose it half-way through the 4th (they were right there in the 4th leading 82-81 with about eight minutes in the game).  Ray Allen had an awesome first half scoring and ended up with 15 points and 3 3-pointers.  Rondo also had a good night, notching another triple double, although his shots and passes seemed to fall short towards the end of the game.

The Bad – The NBA writers and analyst got their wish in a Durant-Lebron Championship.  Over the next few weeks they will rewrite history about how the Heat dominantly got into the Finals to face off against the Thunder.  What will be forgotten (especially after all of these “experts” chose the Celtics after Game 5) is that the C’s outplayed the Heat for 4 straight games, from Game 2 till Game 5.  No one can tell me that if the refs could take back 2 or 3 of those horrendous calls in Game 2, the Celtics wouldn’t have won that game and closed out this series in 5 games.  They would then have had rest for the Finals, and would have sent the Heat organization into a tailspin of anger and scape-goating.  The analyst instead will say how the Heat were the better team and how it was an aberration that the Celtics won 3 games.

The Future – As much as it sucks that the Celtics lost tonight, I am glad that the future still looks great for this team.  Rajon Rondo has turned into triple double machine and has morphed into a mini-KG (or I should follow Menino’s thought process and say Hondo has morphed into a mini-KJ).  He has the chip on his shoulder of a champion and has the keys to this team.  Pierce will come out strong next year, as he does every year, and continue to score in the high teens every night.  Avery Bradley will team up with Rondo, becoming one of the most dominant guards in the league defensively, while his offensive game should improve also.  And Danny has 2 draft picks in the first round of a loaded draft to work with.  KG and Ray might be gone, but honestly after seeing them last night and over this series, I have a feeling both would take a home-court discount to stay here in Boston.  And of course the X-factor of the whole team is Doc Rivers.  Although early in his Celtic career I was not a fan, I have to say that Doc has morphed into one of the best X’s and O’s coaches, and by far the best motivator of players in the game (check out his pregame speech for example).  I expect this team to be every bit as competitive for next year.

The Finals will be tough to watch as a Celtic’s fan, but it should provide for the exciting basketball and hype that David Stern wanted.  I will be rooting for the Thunder and the anti-Lebron, Kevin Durant, to take this series.  And although everyone might say that Lebron has turned a corner and turned into a classy, mature player, I just don’t buy it.  His new look persona was probably written by the same PR firm that made his last NIKE commercial (the fake reading of The Hunger Games before games, and the scowl and non-smiles after making shots just seems too contrived).  I hope that the Heat lose this series not only for Durant and Perkins sake, but so we can see Lebron turn back into the same asshole we know him to be.

Thank you Celtics for a great year, and I hope you all come back with a little help for next season.