LET'S GO CELTICS

This will be last time over the next few weeks that I'll write this note. Just carry it along in future posts: I know most of you don't care. But I don't care that you don't care. I say you should care. If you don't care, and don't want to read, that's OK. We'll see you later.

On with the business at hand...

The Boston Celtics are in the NBA Finals. It's the morning after their fantastic Game 6 win in the Eastern Conference Finals over the Detroit Pistons (in Detroit), and I'm still a giddy, giddy little boy. Fantastic.

It's been a stressful six weeks. The Cs have played pretty much a game-day, off-day schedule for nearly two months. It's a rhythm that has you ready for a game one day, assessing the game and the prospects for the next one the next day, and then right back at it. It's been all-consuming. It's been, in the end, a great ride.

What have we learned? Well, that the Celtics can be beaten by high-energy, high-athleticism teams. We've learned their defense is as good as advertised. We've learned their offense can disappear inexplicably at times. We've learned Sam Cassell has little left in the tank. We've learned Ray Allen can be a headcase, but that we appreciate his dead-eye shooting all the more when it magically returns. We've learned coach Doc Rivers is a little shaky (and that's putting it charitably today). We've learned young guys Rajon Rondo and Kendrick Perkins, and old-timers P.J. Brown, Eddie House and James Posey can suddenly combust. Brown and House will be remembered for their offensive outbursts, but Posey's fourth-quarter defense last night was tremendous.

We've learned that the Celtics are still sometimes unsure headcases, best displayed during the can't-win-on-the-road travails, which were absolutely painful. We learned they can win on the road, and we learned that since Game 4 of the Cleveland series, there are times when they've played some very, very, very good basketball (Games 3 and 6 are exhibits one and two, not in that order). We've learned they belong here. We've learned they have a very legitmate chance of winning the championship.

We learned two more things, that are probably most important of all.

First (maybe we didn't learn it as much were reminded), Kevin Garnett can't play a bad game. He doesn't have to put up 30-20, but he can't go 12-6, either. In the ugliness of Game 4 -- a game all but handed to the Celts on a platter -- Garnett stunk. He was out of sorts, and not in the flow of the game. In the first half of Game 6, he couldn't make a basket. He started to warm up in the third quarter, and played a valuable secondary role in the fourth. He needs to play well for the Celtics to win. Not dominate, but play well.

Second, we learned the answer to a question that has hung over this team since the day Garnett was traded here. If Game 7 of the Cleveland series wasn't definitive proof, last night was. When the Celts need a score, when they need someone to take over the game, that guy is Paul Pierce. You could see Pierce itching to take over early in the fourth, and slowly he did. He ignited the 10-point run that tied it up, and carried the Celts home from there. He was the best player on the court in the fourth quarter, and usually the team with the best player on the court in fourth quarters wins playoff games. Paul Pierce is a front-runner. When things are going bad, he pouts, complains, is generally not a good teammate (maybe was). When things are good, he's one of the best players in the league. Right now, you must love Paul Pierce. He is four games away from officially being a Celtics legend. His time served, Game 7, and last night make him a debatable retired-number candidate. If they win it all, book it.

So, here we go. I was on youtube past midnight last night, watching chunks of the 1984 Finals. It's Celtics-Lakers. I'm just thrilled the Celts have made it. The whole Lakers thing is just icing on the cake. Film of Kareem sucking oxygen, please.

The Celtics aren't going to get a whole lot of national media love in the next five days. There is much, much, much love for Kobe Bryant right now. He's the best player in the league. One of the all-time greats. The Celtics can't hold him down. They need to figure out a way that he doesn't absolutely kill them when he's ready to take over games late. I'm not sure they can do it. No one else has. They'll have to double out high (see Joe Johnson, LeBron) and hope for the best, in all likelihood.

The Lakers certainly have other parts, chief among them Pau Gasol. But let's be honest, if the Lakers win this series, it's because Bryant takes over games late. No way around it.

The Finals are the horrible 2-3-2 format, which puts more pressure on the Celts to win the first two. It also moves Game 5 out of the Garden, which sucks. If they can hold serve, win one of the three out west, all of the sudden Game 6 is clinch night. It's just that easy, right?

Here we go. Let's go Celtics.