I can’t believe we’re going to Game 7. Unlike Games 3 and 4, where the Hawks played out of their head, the Celtics lost this one by choking in the clutch.
In a 5-minute stretch in the fourth quarter everything went wrong. They suddenly turned into a bunch of cowards. There was no offensive movement so the point guard would hold the ball waiting for something to happen. It wouldn’t. They’d dump the ball into Garnett. Garnett would make some nifty looking moves. But you could see he didn’t want to actually attack the basket or shoot, he always kicked it out. The Hawks got two steals by anticipating that pass and stealing it. Rondo slashes into the lane, jumps far above anyone else and looks to pass it instead of laying it in. Another steal. This went on for five minutes until they somehow found their cojones.
A minor helping of scorn for the refs. The double-technical on Cassell and Johnson should have only been on Johnson. Two of Pierce’s six fouls were completely wrong. In a tight game, these can make the difference.
Special scorn for Kevin Garnett. Holy cow, just take the ball in. Yes, there are some good blockers but not good enough to stop you. Get the fouls on them. Or wait to pass until they do commit themselves. You are a better player than they are, you’re the goto franchise player. You need to score, or at least sell the scoring act.