Starting five: Celtics 97, Cavs 92
3. My favorite highlight? Probably when House outhustled Wally Szczerbiak to a loose ball, resulting in a pair of free throws for James Posey. Runner-up? Garnett pick-pocketing Szczerbiak at the top of the key and drawing what should have been a flagrant foul on the other end. Did I mention that the way Wally Zoolander plays the game at this point in his career annoys the hell out of me, and it was delightful to watch him do his best to shoot the Cavs out of the game in the first half. That's the bricklaying, back-patting phony I grew to despise during his time in Boston.
4. I almost felt bad for Ray Allen (4 points), who was a complete non-factor to the point that I began wondering if Sam Cassell might get some of his minutes in the second half. If that's not a sign of desperation, I don't know what is. In the third quarter, Allen bricked two wide-open threes, including one in which he could and should have passed the ball back to an open and scorching Pierce. I give Doc Rivers credit for planting Allen on the bench for much of the fourth quarter, though it was encouraging to see Allen return and stick a pair of clutch free throws in the final moments. I'm not sure what's going on here, whether he's tired, his talent is eroding, or it's just a slump, but I do know the Celtics need him to be a factor if they are going to get past Detroit.
5. As for today's Completely Random Basketball Card:
Bring it on, Chauncey. (And who names a kid Chauncey, anyway?)
About Touching All The Bases
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Irreverence and insight from Chad Finn, a Globe/Boston.com sports writer and media columnist. A winner of several national and regional writing awards, he is the founder and sole contributor to the TATB blog, which launched in December 2004. Yes, he realizes how lucky he is.
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