Patriot Fatih

 After a shocking week two defeat, many NFL fans and professional bloggers are writing the Patriots off. First of all it was Tom Brady's first regular season lost since 2006 and has not played in over a year. People are ready to anoint the Jets the new AFC East champs after two impressive wins. Last season after beating the Patriots many experts were calling the Jets the favorite to reach the Super Bowl. At 8-3 the New York Jets won one of their last five games; missing the playoffs with a 9-7 record. While at 2-0 no one is calling for a Jet Super Bowl appearance, they are certainly jumping on the bandwagon fast. By the time the Patriots and Jets next meet in Foxboro Massachusetts, Bellichick and Brady will be more than ready to exact revenge.

   Granted the AFC East and the Jets are vastly improved this is still New England's division for the taking. The Patriots had an off game and the Jets played great, but as Jet's head coach Rex Ryan said: "we were the better team today". It was nothing more than an early season abberation and the Patriots high octane offense will reemerge soon. Tom Brady is still not back in rhythm with his offense nor the flow of the NFL game, but look for him to steadily improve each week. On NFL Network's NFL Gameday show last sunday; Deion Sanders said: "He seemed like his rhythm is still off, like his knee is still bothering him. In the past you didn't blitz Tom Brady like that". Normally if you blitz so aggressively against the Patriots, Brady would just get rid of the ball quickly to the right receiver. This week however was a different story, as number 12 was under duress all game. The pressure from the defense ended up causing an interception and many other errant throws. Brady hates to throw interceptions and he hates to lose; you know he will delve into preparation this week with his signature feverish work ethic. As shocking of a loss as this was, I am fully confident the Patriots will ratchet up their efforts and performance in the coming weeks. Although their upcoming schedule is difficult with Atlanta and Baltimore coming to Gillette Stadium, they will win both games. This Patriot offense will let lose upon the young Falcon defense (this week) and will never settle for a non touchdown game again all season. The last thing the rest of the league needs is a determined Belichick and Brady on the war path together again. New England Fans just need to have a little Patriot faith and the rest of NFL fans need to have a little Patriot respect.

Seymour to Oakland?

Parting ways with successful NFL players so often was one way Bill Belichick developed a reputation of arrogance. Many felt he did not need any player no matter how talented they were, because he thought so highly of himself as a coach. That his coaching ability and football genius were so superior to anyone else in the NFL; players were expendable. Belichick's unfairly perceived arrogance was confused with his dedication to the "system over starpower" philosophy. Perhaps that is still the case; as days after my "Re-education of a Coach" blog post Belichick seems to have taken a step back towards his trusty old philosophy

After pronouncing Belichick the employer of a newly developed coaching method; he goes off and trades Richard Seymour. It seemed as if Bill understood that he needed system and starpower to be successful; not system over starpower. By resigning Randy Moss last off season (three years 27 million) and reloading the roster with other veteran talent this year it seemed this was the new approach. Yet out of nowhere three time Super Bowl Champion, five time pro bowler, and eight year Patriot Richard Seymour is traded. The trade is with the Oakland Raiders and has Richard Seymour being exchanged for a first round draft pick in 2011. After describing the depth of the defensive line at length (in the previous post) Belichick decides to rid the defense of its' best player? The line is deep enough to still be effective, but it would have been great to Seymour leading the charge.

Despite Belichick's success in the past with letting high caliber players leave New England; this move is a mistake. Any hope of having a dominant defense in 2009 could be soon flying on a plane to California. The Patriots do have enough depth to be a good defense, but not a great one. A good defense and a great offense is certainly enough to win a championship, but if they fail on defense we know where to place blame. A great defense and a good offense gives you a better chance to win, when compared to what New England is attempting this year. There will be no double teamed Seymour and Wilfork, which would have opened the floodgates for Patriot blitzers. However, does this truly matter if New England is the Super Bowl favorite either way?

This is a team that needs to win now and a team that needs to complete its dynastic journey with four Super Bowls in the last ten years. Tom Brady is 32 coming off a severe injury to his knee and despite his pronounced desire to play until he is 40; may only have a few prime years left. Tom Brady is the New England Patriots and while you have him you need the best supporting cast possible. Trading away Richard Seymour instantly makes the team worse. No one in the NFL will tell you that this move makes the Patriots better this year. This negative reaction is a personal one obviously, where as Bill Belichick is able to discern between emotions and football. As a fan you hate to see a cornerstone of all those Super Bowl wins be traded away on a whim. Such a whim in fact that even Seymour is in shock. He has not yet reported to Oakland to become a member of the Raiders. Not expecting to have to move across the country out of the blue, nor expecting to leave his family 3,000 miles away, Seymour remains undecided.

Emotions aside I understand why the Patriots feel this deal has tremendous value, but even with an open minded approach it makes no sense waiting so long. After all Seymour has contributed to the organization it would seem appropriate to at least inform the man sooner. Belichick's decision does make financial sense and has excellent potential for the future, but just like the word potential there is inherent risk. If the defense falls short then the move looks even worse, but more importantly what if the Raiders have a better season? Since 2001 the Raiders have been the worst team in the NFL and Belichick is banking on that trend to continue. He is hoping that the Raiders again yield a top ten draft choice for the Patriots to acquire. If the Raiders improve and have an 8-8 season or somehow better, than you will have traded Richard Seymour for a normal round one draft pick. The value is if the Patriots could get a top ten draft choice, which could very well be worth more than Richard Seymour (age 30). The intelligence in this move is also shown further by the fact that next season there will be a salary cap on rookie signings. In recent years the top ten draft choices have been making increasingly exorbitant amounts of money. Which is the reason why the Patriots have been trading out of the first round the past few drafts. However, in 2011 there will be a rookie salary limit and New England will be able to afford even a top five draft choice.

It seems unfortunate that with one year left on Seymour's contract the Patriots could not have waited until the end of the season. Yes, they do get possible great value for the future and yes they will save money, but at what cost remains to be seen. They also wanted to avoid having to chose between Vince Wilfork (also in the last year of his contract) and Richard Seymour. Potentially risking losing both players to free agency would have been more devastating to the team. For these reasons I understand what has happened here, however I still feel this is the incorrect move; a step away from becoming more dominant on defense. Belichick's latest move is most surely a "system over starpower" move with the team's future in mind. A team who had already lost such leadership and talent in the departures of Rodney Harrison, Teddy Bruschi, and Mike Vrabel needed an addition of starpower; not a subtraction.

The Re-Education of A Coach

Allow me to preface this entire post by saying that team Owner Robert Kraft and (former) General Manager Scott Pioli also deserve much of the credit. They worked in a close partnership with the head Coach. Bill Belichick's philosophy has always been "system over star-power" and this line of thought has carried him to three Super Bowl Titles. The Patriots dynasty has been built upon the concept of overall team depth. Belichick never wanted the star players, but more so players who he knew could perform a certain skill set and fulfill a specific role on the team. Now certain players would become stars, but that was never the reason they were chosen to be Patriots. You were chosen if you were smart, hard working, and could fill a certain role. The Patriot method was to have as many players as possible who fit this very mold, so that the team could sustain any personnel loss imaginable. In 2001 the Patriots lost their starting Quarterback in Drew Bledsoe and their most talented wide receiver in Terry Glenn. That year they won their franchise first Super Bowl Championship with an essentially rookie Quarterback and a roster not even close to the most talented. After the 2002 season the Patriots lose their fan favorite and best defensive back Lawyer Milloy. Milloy, the only Pro Bowl player from the year before, feels he has great value and demands a big money contract. Under the system over star power mindset, Bill Belichick knew not to overpay simply to keep a star player. He knew that the team depth was strong enough to handle the loss of talent. Therefore, in a much scrutinized move he opts out of resigning strong safety Lawyer Milloy. Week one of the 2003 season the Patriots square off against the Buffalo Bills in an embarrassing defeat. Former Patriots Drew Bledsoe and Lawyer Milloy led their new team to a 31-0 blowout of New England. Bledsoe threw for over two hundred yards and a touchdown, where Milloy had an interception and a sack on Tom Brady. After the shutout loss there was public displeasure from fans and some players about the whole Milloy situation. However, all would be forgotten when the Patriots embarked on the longest winning streak in NFL history. A streak spanning from week 5 of the 03' season through the playoffs and a Super Bowl victory, all the way until week 8 of the next year.

Even after the historic era of winning three Super Bowls in four years, Belichick's "system over star power" ideology has proven great success. Since 2005 the Patriots have lost Ty Law, future Hall of Fame kicker Adam Vinatieri, Asante Samuel,Willie McGinest, Deion Branch, Corey Dillion, Daniel Graham, David Patten, David Givens and several other important players. Yet the system continued to prevail as the Patriots remained a strong force in the AFC. Perhaps the departure of Branch was the most surprising. Deion Branch was a close friend of Tom Brady's at the time and it was publicly stated he did not want his favorite receiver and good friend to leave New England. Brady offered to take a pay decrease if the team would resign the 2004 Super Bowl MVP (Branch). This gave even more evidence to Bellicheck's commitment to the Patriot system. If he would follow system first even over Tom Brady's wishes, you knew this head coach truly stood firm on his beliefs.

The Patriots would be 22-10 over the next two seasons and make an appearance in the 2006 AFC Championship game. After losing 38-34 to the Colts by blowing a 21-3 lead at halftime, the system that had worked so well finally came into question. In 2005 and 2006 the Patriots were still Super Bowl contenders making it far into the playoffs both years. However, it seemed as if the lack of talent on the Patriots roster was finally rearing its ugly head. The fact that Tom Brady significantly raises the production of any wide receiver he passes to had carried the Patriots to incredible heights. Troy Brown, David Patten, David Givens, and Deion Branch were Brady's favorite and most productive targets. None of them will be Hall of Famers and none have since experienced even close to the level of success they enjoyed with Brady as their QB. On his own merit Brady increases the value of any offensive pass catcher in a Patriot uniform period. With a receiving corp of an aged Troy Brown, Reche Caldwell, Jabar Gaffney, Doug Gabriel, and Chad Jackson Brady still took his team to within one win of the Super Bowl. This was arguably one of the worst group of receivers in the league, and certainly the worst of Tom Brady's career. Reche Caldwell was the Patriots leading WR that year with 760 yards and four touchdowns. Before Caldwell joined Brady on the field his career highs were 28 catches, 352 yards, and three touchdowns. Brady more than doubled Caldwell's previous bests; and has thrown 36% of the receiver's eleven career touchdowns. The system had worn thin after so many years and the Patriots simply needed to surround Brady with more talent. The crushing defeat of that 2006 AFC Championship Game brought forth many team weaknesses; none of which were Tom Brady himself.

An aging defense got exposed in the 06' campaign and the offensive talent around Brady was just simply not good enough. With these lessons in mind the 2006 off season began with an entirely new approach; accumulate star power and then focus on revamping the system. First the offensive talent issues were addressed as the Pats acquired slot receiver Wes Welker and deep threat Donte Stallworth. Next Belichick and company surprised the entire league with a lucrative contract offer to former Raven standout Adalius Thomas; easily the best available defensive free agent. Thomas was part of the highly respected Baltimore Raven defense and had great versatility which Belichick loves. Thomas played several different positions in Baltimore accumulating 50 sacks and seven interceptions. Thomas still stood out even on a team brimming with defensive talent. At age 30 he would become the youngest starting linebacker on the team; an influx of youth was something the Patriots desperately needed. Already having an excellent off season there was one more crucial acquisition on the horizon; their best. Future Hall of Fame wide receiver Randy Moss would become a member of the New England Patriots; the offensive transformation had come full circle.

The 2007 season would be the first time in his career that Tom Brady would have a receiving corp as talented as any in all the NFL. From 2001-2006, with average and some above average receivers Brady threw 147 touchdowns and 78 interceptions. With highly skilled wide outs Tom Brady passed for 50 touchdowns (NFL record) and only eight interceptions. He would throw 34% (50/147) of his first six year's worth of touchdowns in one amazing season. Brady's previous career high for touchdown passes was 26, but what is more impressive than nearly doubling this total is the number of interceptions. What other QB can set a career high in yards, touchdowns, completion percentage, quarterback rating, yards per throw, and yards per game while also having a career low in interceptions? While setting personal and league wide records left and right; to only throw eight interceptions on 578 passing attempts is truly phenomenal. The 2007-2008 NFL season saw the New England Patriots score the most points for one season in NFL history. Tom Brady set an NFL record 50 touchdown passes and Randy Moss broke Jerry Rice's single season NFL record with 23 touchdown receptions. As a team they became the first to ever complete a sixteen game season undefeated. Yes the records were great, and yes in the wake of spy gate it was great to prove the Patriots were dominant with or without "cheating". However, none of this truly mattered to Belicheck, or Scott Pioli, or Robert Kraft, or Tom Brady, or even Randy Moss. All that matters was did the Patriots win the Super Bowl? 18-1 says no; they did not.

Bill Belichick had gone against his former motto of "system over star-power"and it made the Patriots a true Super Bowl contender, but something was missing. Belichick had failed and for some reason his team could not win the most important game of all. Was the defense still not good enough? Was it Tom Brady's injured foot? There are endless amounts of questions/reasons as to why the Patriots were unable to complete the perfect season, but Coach Belichick is the master of now and how. How can we get better next season? This is his only question.

As 2006 had been a lesson to get Brady more offensive firepower and get younger on defense, 2007 would offer its' own message. This message rang loud and clear in the ears of Bill; continue to get younger on defense and combine old and new Belichick to become a better coach. "System over star-power" had made the Patriots an NFL Dynasty, however it also lead to failed playoff runs in 2005, 2006, and 2007. Eventually Belichick's continued negligence of his aging line backing corp and his skill depleted secondary would hold the team back. To get younger on defense in 2007 the Patriots added a great linebacker in Adalius Thomas, and drafted a promising young safety named Brandon Merriweather. The drafting of linebacker Jerod Mayo along with cornerbacks Terrence Wheatley and Jonathan Wilhite in 2008 again reinforced the defensive commitment. 2008 proved that Belichick's system had undergone some regrowth as his team was able to post an 11-5 record even without Tom Brady. System first has always protected the Patriots from injury, free agency, and trades in the past; 2008 was no different. Veterans Randy Moss and Wes Welker carried first year starter Matt Cassel and the offense. On the defensive side of the ball Jerod Mayo emerged as a viable NFL linebacker (named Defensive Rookie of the Year) and second year safety Brandon Meriweather came on strong at the end of the season. The system was strong; as there may be no other team in the league who can lose their starting Quarterback and still win eleven games.

This year's draft saw the completion of transforming the defense from old to young; with defensive tackle Ron Brace, safety Patrick Chung, and cornerback Darius Butler. The youth talent pool has been refilled with only four players over the age of 30 and only one over 33. The Patriots also acquired pass rush specialist Derrick Burgess (31) from Oakland. Derrick is also a versatile player who has played at linebacker and defensive end. Burgess had his best years in 2005 and 2006 where he accumulated 27 sacks and was elected to two pro bowls. In 2005 he led the league in sacks with 16, but since his totals have dropped from 11 to 8 and last season only 3.5. However, it has been proven many times that Belichick and the Patriots organization can revitalize the career of a disgruntled or under performing player. Best exemplified by Corey Dillon who went from outcast to pro bowl Super Bowl Champion, and Randy Moss from three touchdowns and locker room cancer to twenty three touchdowns and playing in the Super Bowl. Now Burgess will be the next forgotten Raider to bolster the New England Patriots roster. Belichick wants players who fill a specific role well, and all Burgess has to do is rush the passer. If Burgess does not get a sack, he may get pressure on the opposing Quarterback in turn altering his throw for an incompletion or interception. That is exactly what this head coach wants; a yes answer to this question; Does this player fill his role? With Burgess and Richard Seymour rushing the passer, and Vince Wilfork clogging the middle, you bet he does.

The strongest evidence of the return to the true Belichick system comes in the following example. When the Patriots starting defensive line is temporarily out of the game, the second string unit can perform the same functions seamlessly. The depth on this team is so strong and has so many players well placed in specific roles. When Burgess or Seymour are on the bench, you bring in Jarvis Green and Ty Warren. Belichick will be able to dial up a blitz with any number of mixtures of defensive lineman and linebackers. More often than not Richard Seymour and Vince Wilfork will be trapped in double coverage. This event will be responsible for opening the door to a host of possible blitz opportunities. With these two drawing four offensive lineman alone, that leaves one offensive lineman to block an oncoming blitz. This blitz could be anywhere from one to eight players strong; and if there is not serious help from other blockers it will be impossible to protect against. One man cannot block so man combinations of such talented players attacking them. If teams are not doubling covering the 6'6 310 pound Richard Seymour, then they are most certainly always needing two against 325 pound Vince Wilfork. The Patriots have one of, if not the best front sevens in the entire NFL. There is such depth and versatility along the defensive line, in the linebacking corp, and a good mixture of veteran and young talent back in the secondary.

Among the defensive backs in the secondary there is less known depth, due to the inexperienced young players. Nonetheless, the veteran talent is quite good; as Sean Springs and Leigh Bodden (2007 pro bowler) are the best Patriot cornerback tandem since Milloy and Law. James Sanders is a quality free safety and strong safety Meriweahter is coming off a promising 83 tackle four interception rookie season. This secondary will benefit from a dominant front seven and some semblance of the signature Belichick defense will finally be back. Coach Belichick even admitted that the 2007 team was too offensively focused; based more on finesse than toughness. The Belichick defenses of 0'1, 03' and 04' were dominant Super Bowl caliber stingy defenses. This 09' defense does not have to be dominant, but you can't win with offensive firepower alone. The 2007 Patriots torched opposing defenses all season, but in the Super Bowl when the offense was unable to win; the defense was left to lose the game. You can see Belichick has revamped the depth on his defense and he knows as well as anyone that defense wins championships. Anyone can score points, but only the great teams can stop you when it matters most. They do not need a dominant defense like championship teams of the past, but they need to implement another Belichick motto. "Bend don't break" was always the defensive way of saying, give up as many yards as you have to, but make the big play. Do not let the other team score when it matters most. The defense will be younger, faster, and the best Patriot defense since 2004. They will bend, but they will not break.

By closing the gap of importance between star power and system, Belichick has become an even better coach. For instance, the Patriots resigned superstar Randy Moss with a well paid contract. The awesome combination of Brady to Moss is starpower that you can't ignore. Belichick still will have system be his most important aspect; he will still stock pile draft picks and fill his roles. However, he will also place a new emphasis on starpower. Knowing he needs Moss, trying to get Jason Taylor and Julius Peppers, and signing Fred Taylor, Leigh Bodden, and Derrick Burgess. This is an influx of talent and the invested interest in starpower. Offense and defense, youth and talent, roles and stars, and system and starpower; all make up the 2009 New England Patriots. New Belichick will use system and starpower to lead his team all the way to their fourth Super Bowl Title in ten years.

Drought in Bay Area

With the water and budget droughts troubling the Bay Area, some may find solace in the hope of an end to the football drought. Both formerly esteemed NFL franchises of the Bay Area, the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders, have been wallowing in failure since 2002. Seven years ago the Oakland Raiders lost in Super Bowl XXXVII and the 49ers were defeated in the Divisional (2nd) Round. Is this finally the year where the Raiders and/or 49ers post a winning record on the way to the playoffs?

If the debate were which team has been worse since 2002 , the nod goes to Oakland whose highest win total since 2002 has been five. The Niners aren't significantly better with seven games being the most they have won since '02. It is far more probable that San Francisco will achieve a winning record in the upcoming season. Returning after a mediocore 7-9 campagin which saw the 49ers win four of their last five games, the expectations for '09 are to be a winning team. Head Coach Mike Singletary is entering his first full season as Coach and has the bar for success set high. With the 49ers buying in to their coach's philosophy and system look for them to post a winning record this year. However, there are many question marks on this team and it will require more than a strong willed head coach to answer them. The major question mark shadowing above this team's success is how effective can Quarterback Shaun Hill be this year? Although Hill has a winning record as a stater (5-3) he is still unproven and inexperienced in his new role as a full season starter.

The 49ers are also going to need a strong defense to be successful this season, as they look to 2007's Defensive Rookie of the Year (Patrick Willis) to anchor the defensive effort. Willis is entering his third year in the NFL and has already been elected to two Pro Bowls. Recording 315 tackles in two years (including 18 in one game) to establish himself as the dominant young Linebacker of the NFL. If the Niners can play tough defense, run the ball with Frank Gore, and get solid Quarterback play they will win between nine and eleven games. All of these facets of the game will be required as San Francisco has a very difficult schedule which pairs them against the NFC Super Bowl representative Arizona Cardinals twice. Also along the road they will twice face a rejuvenated Seahawks team and several playoff teams from the 2008 season. Teams who made last year's playoffs including the Colts, Titans, Eagles, Falcons, and Vikings will play against the Niners. Meanwhile, on the other side of the Bay the Raiders face a far more challenging road ahead of themselves.

The Oakland Raiders have compiled the worst record in the NFL over the last six seasons. On the way to this abysmal 24-72 record, the Raiders have blown through five head coaches and five Quarterbacks. Eighty year old owner Al Davis seems in utter denial of the fact that his team has won 33% of their 96 games since the Super Bowl appearance in 2002. In 2007 Davis said that he will not retire until the Raiders win two more NFL Championships. Every team's goal should be to win the Super Bowl, but the Raiders need to learn to crawl before than can walk again. The focus for a team that has been this terrible in recent years needs to be on winning more games than you lose. To even consider the Raiders a playoff team is a wild prediction, let alone Super Bowl contenders. If they were to improve on their 2008 season mark of 5-11, the Raiders would need to answer many challenges. The biggest concern for the Raiders has to be the starting Quarterback position. With the first overall pick in the 2007 draft Oakland selected QB JaMarcus Russell to be the future of the franchise. After a contract dispute and long hold out Russell appeared in four games that year throwing two touchdowns and four interceptions. In 2007 he started 15 games and showed some signs of progress with a 13-8 touchdown to interception ratio, but this improvement did little to help the Raiders weak offense. This team will go where JaMarcus can take them, which is unfortunately not very far. The back up QB is thirty nine year old Jeff Garcia who gives the Raiders a much better chance to win. If Russell struggles don't be surprised to see the four time Pro Bowl Garcia get behind the wheel.

Garcia has taken three different teams to the Postseason, and gives you a veteran presence at the Quarterback position. Garcia joins the Raiders with 26 career rushing touchdowns and a 4.6 yards per carry average maing him a legitimate threat to run as well as pass the football. Now the only question is how much does Jeff Garcia have left in the tank? Can he stay healthy at age 39? The advantage of Russell is his immense size and arm strength compared to Garcia who is not known for a strong arm, but more so his competitive fire, mobility, and leadership. The Raiders will need to solve their Quarterback controversy before anything else can be determined. The lack of a passing game has been the major failing point for this team over the last 6 years, and without it the Raiders will not win more than five games again.

On defense they have the best Cornerback in the NFL, (Nnamdi Asomugha) a strong linebacking corp led by Kirk Morrison and Thomas Howard, and a solid Defensive line headed by newly acquired Greg Ellis. Oakland's best skill on offense is the ability to run the ball, which believe it or not they can and will do. With 2007's 1,000 yard rusher Justin Fargas and speedster Darren McFadden the Raiders have a dymanic running attack which they can and will employ this season. Unfortunately for the Raiders their passing game is so miserable that their defense is always on the field getting tired and exposed. Then on offense opposing teams load up against the run because they are not convinced they need to fear a pass play. It all comes down the fact whether or not the young unproven receiving corp can meld with an emerging star in JaMarcus Russell, or join Jeff Garcia for an improbable run in the winter of his career. The chances of Russell living up to his number one draft pick name or Garcia finding the fountain of youth are low. If anyone ends the winning football drought in the Bay Area it will be the 49ers.

....

Too upset about this loss to write about it today, but I found someone who was willing to write about it. 

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/9585910/Celtics-had-no-chance-at-repeating-without-K.G.

Collision Course?

Even before the playoffs began experts and fans alike assumed the NBA playoffs would be a formality resulting in a Cavaliers VS. Lakers Finals. I too fell into that projective mindset, selecting the Caviliers to defeat The Lakers for their first ever championship. The road to this outcome was paved with a Celtics Cavs Eastern Conference Finals, and the Lakers coming out of the West unscathed. However, with L.A. and Boston now each facing elimination in Game 7 situations anything could happen. Also, the Denver Nuggets are playing as well as any team in the postseason and represent a threat to the Lakers that no one previously foresaw. Perhaps the collision course is still a reality, but things certainly have become interesting.

Just as the year before, the Boston Celtics find themselves in their second Game 7 within the first two rounds of the postseason. Last year the team had a valid excuse of their first trip to the playoffs with The Big Three; along with the fact that they won a league best 66 games, facing no real adversity all season. This season what is the excuse? No Garnett? No Leon Powe?No James Posey or PJ Brown? Whatever the reason may be, come Sunday there will be yet another Game 7 in Boston. If the Celtics wanted to have a fighting chance against Lebron James and company they desperately needed some rest. By winning Game 6, the injury plagued and fatigued Boston Celtics would have finally had a chance to recuperate. Instead they now face another Game 7 on their home floor; against a younger and more talented Orlando Magic squad. Boston has played 14 games in the last 28 days and already at less than full strength, fatigue becomes a concern. Not only have they played 14 games in the last month, but there were seven periods of Overtime against Chicago in the Quarter Finals. With Lebron laying in wait having only played eight games this postseason, Boston's future past this Series looks grim.

 

In Garnett's absence Kendrick Perkins has become the defensive anchor of the team. Despite an increasingly aggravated shoulder, Perkins has held his own against Dwight Howard and played excellent interior defense. However, if this shoulder injury becomes an interference the Celtics will finally be too thin on the defensive end and be eliminated. Perkins is the last line of defense and will need to keep Dwight Howard in check (as he has done most of the series) if the Eastern Conference Finals will include the defending champs. Already short one Hall of Famer (in Kevin Garnett) and key role player Leon Powe, the Celitcs have the odds stacked against them. To close out this series the Celtics will need to play Championship level defense with Perkins at the core, and will need heightened intensity from Ray Allen. Allen, the hero of the first series against Chicago has been a non factor against the Magic. In defeat, Allen made zero of seven three point shots and only scored five points. 

 

Orlando may be younger, and more talented, (with KG sidelined) but the Celtics still have the advantage in mental toughens and heart. Orlando has no assassin in the fourth quarter who will make the clutch shot under playoff duress. This series has seen the Celtics lock down Orlando in the fourth Quarter several times as this was best seen in Game 5; with the C's coming back from ten points down to pull out their second consecutive win. This very defensive intensity won a championship a year ago, and if the Celtics want to return to the Conference Finals they'll need to call upon their defensive prowess. The Lakers and Cavaliers are still thought to be on a collision course to the NBA Finals, but let's see if the Celtics can alter that course. Expect another win at home for the Boston Celtics and another trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.

From Stub to Ticket and Baby to Man

When the Celtics acquired the 35th pick overall (Glen Davis) from the Seattle Supersonics, along with Ray Allen; hopes were high for him to be a large framed player who could rebound and have an offensive post game. I formally owe Glen "Big Baby" Davis an apology for my comments and feelings towards him last and much of this season. I always wanted him to use his size to rebound, play good defense, and serve as a backup to Kendrick Perkins. When I saw him taking jump shots and missing it was very frustrating as it seemed he was playing the wrong style. Why was Big Baby taking shots when you have Ray Allen and Paul Pierce? Each brick and each airball continute to reaffirm the notion that he should not be taking shots. What I failed to see is that he was working on a jumper that is now keeping the Celtic's season alive. So far during the Playoffs Glen Davis has been spectacular for his team; by hitting the mid range jump shot all series against the Bulls and now is still being left open against the Magic.

Big Baby was 9/14 from the field (64%) and scored the winning basket on a twenty one foot jump shot at the buzzer. The buzzer beating score by Davis as time expired was the climax of a tense last possesion by the Celtics. With seven seconds left Rondo had the ball at the top of the key, as I feared he would take a hero three or get blocked, but he passes to Pierce with nearly four seconds left. As the two Orlando defenders rush to double team Pierce; thoughts of him taking a fadeaway jumper over Dwight Howard and Reshard Lewis and missing badly seemed a likely outcome. A younger Paul Pierce or a current day Kobe Bryant would have taken that shot, but Pierce knew to get the ball to an open Glen "Big Baby" Davis for a game winning play. As Doc Rivers once told his young power forward, "if you prove you can make shots, you can take them" and that is exatcly what he has done. What made this last shot even more improbable was that the Celtics offense looked dismal, going nearly three mintues without scoring in the closing moments. None other than Glen Davis makes a free throw with 6:27 left in the contest, but this would mark the beginning of a Celtic drought. Boston did not score again until a free throw from Rajon Rondo with 3:52 remaining. In this final sterech of time Boston would only produce four points and only one Celtic would score again. That Celtic of course was Glen Davis; hitting shots with 0:33 and 0:01 to even the best of seven series at two a piece.

When it was known that Kevin Garnett would be out for the postseason, it was also known that Glen Davis would replace him as Boston's starting power forward. To lighten the mood and foreshadow his self confidence Davis proclaimed himself the "Ticket Stub" as Garnet had been called the "Big Ticket". Without Garnett's defensive intensity it seemed a grim situation for the Celtics even against the Bulls. Big Baby will never be even half the defender KG is, but he can contribute on defense with his size, and I thought he could rebound and combine with Perkins for some solid defense. However, I never though he would become Garnett on the offensive end. The Ticket Stub has averaged over sixteen points per game since starting for the injured Garnett and has converted the mid range shot all postseason, even in the clutch. The second year power forward out of LSU will never be the defensive presnce that Garnett is, but this postseason on the offensive end you've got to tip your cap to Big Baby. Perhaps the Ticket Stub has become a Ticket, and Big Baby has become a Big man for the Boston Celtics.