Oh What a Night!!

*Ok, so I have a serious post about the Celtics. Serious is something we don't do very often here at "The Takeover". Stay tuned for a more typical post following this one.

When Mr. KC Jones and I headed into Boston last night to see Game 3 of the Celtics/Heat series, I'll admit, I was nervous. Truthfully, after the disasters we witnessed in Games 1 & 2, I can't say that I would have been shocked by another collapse in Game 3. Not because the C's aren't great, but because they are tired, their starters are older and injured, and about half of the roster is completely inexperienced in these situations (thanks Danny Ainge). Anyway, all I knew is that I would have been happy with a 1 point win, in double overtime if that's what it took.

But from the second we entered the Garden (despite looking like drown rats due to downpours), you could feel it was going to be an outstanding night for the boys in green. Now, you all know how the game went, so I don't need to get into it. The Celtics brought it, and they brought it big time. It was a totally different team compared to the one that showed up in Game 2. They played like men possessed, realizing the importance of the task at hand. With an immeasurable amount of passion, determination, and stifling defense (the final score reflected that as the C's were able to hold the Heat to 81 points in 48 minutes), the Celtics put the Heat back in their place and I can guarantee that they will feed off this energy for the rest of the series, and they will emerge victorious.

 Consider what happened: They were down 0-2 and could have folded easily because they truly do have every excuse in the book. Fortunately for Boston fans, they don't use excuses. Shaq returned, and despite injury and age, he was all in. His numbers weren't great, but his presence was. It's the intangibles, which are all too frequently overlooked in sports. Once again, the Celtics were victims of the worst refs in ALL of professional sports. Then, the unthinkable, Rondo's elbow was dislocated with a little help from D-Bag (aka DWade). We were pretty sure that was the end of him for the series, and we KNEW it was the end of him for the night. Guess we don't know anything at all though, because he returned, playing using only ONE ARM...and doing it well, along with a guarantee he WILL be playing on Monday night as well!

So, for all the ribbing I take from Big Ran and others for being a sports bigamist, etc, I just want to end this post by saying the Celtics deserve respect. Like them or not, they are unbelievably hard workers, and, in the words of Tony Allen, they 'nerquit'.  This doesn't mean I don't love my Spurs. This doesn't mean I don't love other players on other teams and love the league in general. But, what it does mean is that the Celtics are where my heart is.

-KC Jones