Quick discussion point: has there EVER been a more fun blowout to watch than the pounding the Celtics put on the Lakers last night? That game was an absolute blast to watch the entire way through. It felt like a college game! And the Gatorade bath for Doc Rivers???? Fantastic. Weird, but fantastic. The way that the Celtics bench/sideline was about to burst at the seams the last 3 minutes of the game or so?

That was an incredible way to end the NBA Finals. A team that completely let down their guard at the end and looked like a bunch of kids winning the State Title. A crowd that didn't sit down for, seemingly, the last two quarters. Genuine celebration. KG being crazy-ass KG.

Just awesome. Congrats, NBA. You just had the biggest feel-good ending to a season since....well, I don't even know.

And yes, I know that Boston fans are insufferable, and the last thing that town needed was another championship. However, that crowd had to have been one of the best professional championship crowds in the past 10-15 years--especially when you compare them to the ridiculous "crowd" in LA.

So, what did you think of the game last night?

(Note: When I say "has there ever been a more fun blowout than last night," I am talking about blowouts in games that feature teams that you don't care about. Obviously, Nebraska blowing out Florida or Tennessee in their National Championship games is more fun personally.)

Labels: Awesomeness, Blowouts, Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, NBA, NBA Finals

...is George Karl a terrible coach?

I'd say it is a disastrous (for Denver fans, anyway) combination of both.

Not to take anything away from the Lakers. They are damn good. They pass as well as any team I've watched in the playoffs; maybe Boston is equally good.

But these Nuggets are just embarrassing. Think about it: the have Carmello Anthony, who is (supposedly) one of the best players in the league. They've got A.I., who still can ball--I don't care how old he is. They have an explosive PF in Kenyon Martin, and a 2- or 3-time Defensive Player of the Year in Marcus Camby. Throw in a bunch of really good role players, and on paper, this should clearly be one of the best teams in the NBA.

But that's on paper. Anthony is vastly overrated with a shitty attitude. Kenyon Martin, the same. A.I. seems to be the only guy who actually gives a shit as to what is going on during the game (and I suppose Camby). They whine, they swear at the refs, and seemingly blame each other for bad plays on the court. In fact, in the last 5 minutes of this game, Mello got T'd up, every call that goes against them gets an exasperated look from their players and Karl, the crowd is booing every call...and he doesn't call a time-out. Doesn't make a substitution. Doesn't call a play to try to get an easy bucket. Literally, the guy didn't do one thing. And now LA is up 21 points.

If I were a Nuggets fan, I would want George Karl fired not at the end of the season--no, I would want his dumb ass fired during the fourth quarter. Unprecedented move? Yes. Deserving? Emphatically yes. This is just as embarrassing of a performance as you could imagine. Your team goes down in a 2-0 hole, but you've got the home crowd to look forward to (who were jacked up at the beginning of the game)--and you respond by whining and blaming everything on the refs. Meanwhile, the Lakers put on an assist clinic and completely undress you at home. Ridiculous.

Again, no slight against the Lakers--I think after watching these first 3 games, they have to be my favorite to make the Finals. Perhaps us few NBA fans left will get to see the dream Lakers-Celtics series we have been hoping for the entire second half of the season after all.

But ultimately

Labels: Denver Nuggets, George Karl, How to effectively coach your team out of the playoffs, Los Angeles Lakers