Goodnight, Dwight

For those of you who may not know me or my philosophy on basketball all that well, a major component is my distaste for front running players and writers alike (mostly the writers). It seems to me that everyone gets so caught up in the hype and the swings from game to game that a lot of the thoughtful analysis and much of the beauty of the game of basketball gets lost in the shuffle. Even good, insightful writers fall victim to this trap, in no small part because one's ability to make bold predictions and then spend 1,000 words saying "I told you so" is apparently how we evaluate and judge sports writers and analysts today. Unfortunately, that brand of analysis is what a lot of fans like to read about and want to hear, but I can't help the feeling that it cheapens our knowledge of the game and is hurting the narrative that we use to discuss basketball.

Whenever I think about basketball or write about the game, I try to make a conscious effort to avoid that pitfall (I am not nearly as successful as I would like to be). Anyone who knows me will tell you that I take plenty of delight in being right when others are wrong, and I like to make sure that everybody knows just how right I was. I can play that game, but it makes me feel empty and I don't think that my skills as a writer or my knowledge of the game improved as a result of that indulgence. I am constantly looking for the even keeled perspective on the game, the series or whatever, and as a result I cannot be so authoritative in my "I told you so" moments and I tend to temper all my observations and subdue the strong desire to fall back into the mode of making wild predictions and statements based on short term results or small sample sizes.

As such, my last post contained more questions than answers as the Celtics headed into game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Orlando Magic and despite their recent play I still wondered whether or not the Celtics could sustain their focus without a lapse that would give Orlando hope for the series. After Saturday's performance, it is safe to say that the Celtics answered my questions authoritatively. The Celtics did not lose focus, they did not let up the same way they did against Cleveland, and now my only question about the 2010 Boston Celtics is "what have you done with the stiffs that were wearing your uniforms for most of the regular season?"

Game 3 against Orlando was a convincing victory to say the least (even the final score of 94-71 belies just how badly Boston dominated Orlando), and what impressed me the most about this virtuoso performance was that the Celtics put forth their most consistent effort yet and set out to crush the will of the Orlando Magic. In a situation where the Celtics could have easily lapsed, they came out firing on all cylinders and determined to control the game from start to finish. Although Boston has dominated Orlando for the vast majority of this series, in both games one and two the Magic were able to capitalize on minor mental lapses from the Celtics and scrap, claw and fight their way back into the contest. There was no such let up in game 3, and by the end you could see that the Orlando players were beaten and broken and ready for summer vacation. Tonight, I fully expect the Celtics to send them packing.

It must say something about the inconsistency of this Celtics team that I still have some reservations about their focus and drive with such a commanding lead in this series, but at this point I am very confident that the Celtics will put Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic to sleep for good tonight and head back to the NBA Finals to face the Western Conference Champion. Boston is too talented, too balanced, too focused and too determined to be deterred, while the Magic appear to have checked out of this series and their season last week.

I'm still not totally sure how much comes from the Celtics' otherworldly play and how much Orlando is to blame for their own predicament, but that hardly matters at this point. What is important is that the Celtics have an opportunity to get back to the NBA Finals as a healthy unit that is firing on all cylinders at just the right time of year. I am stuck here at work until 6 PM PST, but will hopefully catch the majority of the game and be able to provide timely insight and analysis during and after game 4. The Celtics are right there and should dominate again, look out!