In my mind, the main reason that there are trap games in the NBA is because even the worst teams are still talented enough to rise to the occasion on any given night and topple even the mightiest of titans (even Jordan's Bulls lost every once in a while). So even though the Kings are an abysmally bad team (they're worse than the Warriors AND the Clippers for cryin' out loud), they could still play spoilers tonight and end the Celtics' winning streak at 8. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and again, and if that blind squirrel has Kevin Martin to shoot and make plays for it, I'm not prepared to rule anything out.
While I don't believe that the Celtics will lose this evening, there are a few specific reasons that do give me pause and may be bordering on cause for concern. As I said, the first reason to be wary is Kevin Martin. Now he may be inflated by the good-player-on-a-bad-team (for further case studies see Zach Randolph circa 2006) to a certain degree, but this kid can flat out play, and despite his funny looking form can fill it up with the best of them in the league. He's been hobbled by injuries this year and is languishing in the purgatory that is Sacramento, California, but he can still be effective even against some of the Association's toughest defenses (against Cleveland last night Martin posted 35/7/7 on just 17 shots).
Secondly, the Kings lost to Cleveland last night and had to endure a triple-double from LeBron James and an astounding 43/8/11 from Mo "I'm putting Cleveland over the top this year" Williams. But the Kings only lost by seven points, and managed to hang 110 on the tough-as-nails Cleveland defense, showing that they can hang with some of the NBA's elite teams and players. Now, I'm not calling this a moral victory (I'm not big on those in general), and frankly, I think that this game was only going to be as close as the Cavs let it be, but that kind of mentality is the crux of the trap game problem. What if a few buckets here or there go the other way, or a crucial call goes for the Kings? Sacramento could have easily won last night because of Cleveland's failure to take them seriously, and while it's unusual for the Celtics to underestimate an opponent, it has happened before (seven game series against the Hawks last year, anyone? Even I counted the chickens before they hatched on that one...).
And finally, tonight's game is a shot at redemption for the Kings, who were obliterated 108-63 by the Celtics earlier this season in Sacramento (their rear ends are still a little red from the whupping they got back in December of 2008). In their last meeting, the Kings shot 28% and made only 19 field goals in the game (that's the fewest in the shot-clock era in Kings history), got pounded on the glass 53-31 and turned the ball over 18 times which turned into 25 points for Boston. That game was a smack-down of epic proportions, and after being embarrassed in front of the dozens of fans in ARCO Arena, you'd better believe that the Kings are going to give the Celtics their best shot tonight.
Normally, I'd also point to a nationally televised game against Detroit this Friday as a potential pitfall for the Celtics, however this team is too good to look ahead and the Pistons aren't the same team they were last year, so I doubt very much that the Celtics feel the same way about Detroit now as they did last year. I fully expect the Celtics to win tonight and continue their streak of dominant play through this week and into next Thursday's match-up with the Lakers in Boston on February 5th. Come to think of it, I'd say that next Sunday's early game against McHale's Navy (that's the Minnesota Timberwolves, by the way) is a much better trap game scenario for the Celtics, because the Wolves are more talented than the Kings and have been playing great basketball since the New Year. Oh yeah, and they have Al Jefferson and co. who could have a classic "revenge game" against their former team.
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