One of the more prominent themes in my shrink sessions is realizing how to live life in the gray. Life is not simply black or white, things are much more fluid than we all may recognize, but that is not the case tonight.
The Boston Celtics are hosting Game 7 of the NBA's 2023 Eastern Conference Finals after losing the series' first three games. With a win, they'll complete one of (if not THE) the greatest comebacks in not just NBA history but all of North American professional sports....shit, maybe even the entire planet. Should they lose...well, I don't even wanna think about that...but it will suck worse than the last season of Barry. Just because the C's have proven the doubters and haters wrong by getting to this point, a victory is far from guaranteed. Jimmy Butler isn't gonna put up two stinkers in a row, and the Heat have already proven (multiple times over the past two ECFs) that they can win on the parquet. The C's home playoff record the last two years is just 11-11 (with four losses coming from Miami). The fact that they're a win away from back-to-back NBA Finals: Presented by YoutubeTV when they're a .500 team at home in the playoffs, is kind of insane and a testament to how good this team is on the road. I slept later than I would've liked today, and this blog may suffer because of that cause I need to be quick so I can bang out some Memorial Day rides before tip-off, but this game really is gonna result in total happiness or utter disarray. You cannot come all the way back just to lose Game 7 at home. Derrick White's miraculously put-back becomes a footnote in NBA history. All the hate the Jays get will be amplified across ESPN and all the other sports networks for days. This wonderful week(ish) of determination and heart on the brink will be for naught. The options are complete the incredible comeback or become a punch line like the 73-9 Warriors. We're either going to the NBA Finals: Presented by Youtube TV, or spending all summer thinking what could've been. This game is the emotional equivalent of putting your net worth on black/red. You're either doubling that shit and fucking balling, or finding the nearest bridge to cannonball off of. The emotional rollercoaster that was the final few minutes of Game 6 was the appetizer for the final course: Game 7 at home. I'd love to see the C's put up a 2008 vs. Atlanta or the Lakers type of close-out effort where it's never in doubt (or to steal a page from the 04 Sox...a 10-3 shellacking), but I don't see Miami rolling over and dying like the Yankees did. I really don't know what to think. I'd love for them to do just that after getting their hearts ripped out in Game 6. I've watched countless reaction videos from Heat "fans" thinking they won, running away from the screen, and missing Derrick's put-back, and they're all glorious. Still, I'm giving the Heat and their cast of no-name undrafted guys who should not be playing this well a legitimate chance to win tonight. It's all up the C's. They are straight up the better team. When they lose it's usually cause they beat themselves, not because the opponent did. You could be like, "Well, of course, they are; the Finals start Thursday...they gotta be prepared" to the news of Miami scheduling their flight after the game to Denver instead of Miami...I hope the C's take a page from the 2004 Patriots book and use this leaked information as bulletin board material.
I love this team and don't want their season to come to a crashing halt tonight. They're come too fucking far to blow it now.
Game 7s are always legacy games, but this one simply means more for us. Miami is playing with house money. Yeah, it'd suck for them to be the first team to blow a 3-0 lead, but they're the fucking 8 seed. I've said it a million times that they're not your average 8 seed, but they're still the fucking 8 seed. There are plenty of ways to spin this potential choke job. The C's do not have that same luxury. This Celtics team is good enough to win a championship and were expected to get back to the NBA Finals: Presented by YoutubeTV. They're where they're supposed to be. If the Heat somehow win, they'll likely get gentlemen swept by Denver. I'm excited, I'm nervous. I'm stressed that I don't have plans for the game yet (I really don't wanna Stephen Glansburg it). I just want it to be tipoff already. Sorry for this rush job with not a ton of statistically breakdowns, but I had to get some thoughts out before hitting the road for a little. Win or lose, I'll be back to talk about the game. I fucking love this team and have been confident(ish) in them throughout his entire comeback.
This is the team who put up an 18-0 run when they were trailing in the 3rd quarter of Game 4. We've got two All-NBA stars. Fucking play like it tonight and become legends. Go Celtics. #BLEEDGREEN
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
October 2024
|
RSS Feed