What a great comeback by the Boston Celtics in these Eastern Conference Finals. Down 0-3 and looking to be done these Celtics have roared back with physical play and some pretty good defense.
Coach Joe Mazzulla says Marcus Smart is the soul of his basketball team and indeed it was Marcus getting the shot which went in and out and was then put in at the buzzer by role player Derek White to put us at this cusp of basketball history.
I like both teams and both coaches so I have no dog in this fight per se. I pretty much feel the very well rested Denver Nuggets will prevail over either one of these teams, but for the sake of pure human competitive drama these Eastern Conference finals have turned into a blast for us NBA purists who like to delve much deeper than the usual Little Nick Gallo bullshit Thunder drivel in relation to Sam Presti’s developmental program in Oklahoma City which in reality is glorified G League ball with a taste of what the Big Boys do in the NBA.
For these Miami Heat who were a play-in survivor over the Chicago Bulls it has been a miraculous run to just get to within a putback by Derek White of advancing to the NBA Finals for the second time in three seasons.
I would guess Boston is somewhere around a Vegas 7.5 home favorite tonight against the Heat. It would seem that last shot by Derek White would drain the last resolve out of the gritty/courageous Heat who along with another No. 8 seed in the Florida Panthers were hoping to make it a dual South Florida NBA/NHL Finals month of June.
Both Florida teams were No. 8 seeds. Both teams play gritty/blue collar games. The Panthers are led by Matthew Tkachuk, the Heat by Jimmy Butler. Both teams have traveled improbable roads. The Panthers got it done, while the Heat have faced a much tougher last hurdle than the Panthers did with Carolina.
If I’m Joe Mazzulla this isn’t a time to stray from the physicality of Marcus Smart, Robert Williams and Grant Williams. Stay with what turned this series around. Yet it is a time to urge Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to show the basketball world it could only be the storied Celtics coming back from the dead to become the first team in NBA history to rise from the ashes of 0-3.
The basketball gods of Red Auerbach Bob Cousy, Bill Russell, aand Larry Bird are firmly in play tonight in Boston where one would expext a rowdy crowd.
Here’s the thing though, the Florida Panthers only got to the Stanley Cup Finals by beating the iconic Boston Bruins in a road Game 7 thriller themselves. Go figure.
I’m jacked for tonight to just witness the human drama of this story played to its conclusion with the NBA universe poised to see if Boston can be the first ever from 0-3 and make it 1-151 in the history books.
I can’t wait.
It’s been a nice Memorial Day week-end. Skip Johnson’s Sooners made the NCAA field and Patty Gasso’s young women continued their run towards a third straight national championship.
Lest we forget Kenzie had a huge three run homer last season in the College World Series over the hated Texas Longhorns. It really didn’t surprise me a bit when Kenzie went yard on Staurday in the seventh inning with another clutch homer to save the Sooners’ 48 game winning streak and break Arizona’s record.
Kenzie is my favorite Sooner on the OU softball team. She’s the catcher, a junior, and a big reason why OU is making a run at a threepeat in this College World Series.
We can only hope someone on Brent Venables football team will evolve as a leader for this upcoming football season.
“It’s about the fight and that gladiator mentality.”
If only Brent Venables could find six or so on his defensive unit who could embody what Kinzie brings to the field it might be a magical football season for the Sooners.