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Rajon Rondo, keep your hands off my man. I mean… let me start again.

There are so many players, Yankees players specifically, that Boston fans hate and attempt to remind Yankees fans that they’d hate too if they weren’t donning pinstripes. In all fairness, Boston teams have had plenty of these players over the years as well. While Manny Ramirez and Kevin Garnett immediately come to mind, perhaps the worst offender in my opinion is Rajon Rondo.

I’ve said it countless times, and I’ll say it again; I maintain that Rajon Rondo is one of the very best players in the game, but he’s also a complete punk. If he wasn’t a Celtic, I’d undoubtedly hate this guy. First off, when you’re 6’1 and 186 pounds you might want to find a new workout program option before you tangle with the 6’9 235 pound Kris Humphries. While that may not really be true (Humphries likely had a pedicure shortly before the game while catching up on The View), the spat that Rondo created against the Nets was not only completely uncalled for, but it will hurt his team now that he’s being suspended for 2 games. And I mean, come on man – Kris Humphries? How can you not love a guy who told Kim Kardashian she’d be irrelevant in a few years while dating her?

Don’t get me wrong – I love the little guy sticking up for his teammate despite the size of the opponent in question. But Humphries’ push of Kevin Garnett was incredibly subtle – literally dozens of such pushes take place in every single game. KG oversold it a bit by going down, but I guarantee you he would have simply popped up if Rondo hadn’t created an unnecessary melee. He’s lucky Humphries didn’t clock him one.

So while every in Boston says, “Hey did you see the Rondo fight?” “Yea it was wicked awesome!” just remember – Rondo’s basketball skills are breathtaking, but his attitude continues to be a work not in progress.

By Jimmy Cunningham, howiGit New York Writer, Manhattan, NY

The drama of the week here in New York was what to do with Jeremy Lin. The Rockets offered the restricted free agent a 3-year, $25 million dollar deal and it was up to the Knicks to match it. Three years at $25 million would be steep enough but the last year at $14.8 million is what made this a killer contract. The Knicks decided not to match the offer and will go with the duo of Raymond Felton and Hamptons party animal Jason Kidd. While I would have loved to see Lin stay on board I think the Knicks made the right decision and here’s why.

The third year of the contract
Chris Paul, Deron Williams, and Derrick Rose are the only point guards in the NBA this year that made more the $14.8 million. Is Jeremy Lin the 4^th best point guard in the league? No. Will he be in 3 years? I doubt it, but maybe. Let’s for argument’s sake say he is. $14.8 million is not the total amount the Knicks would have to pay for Jeremy Lin. Because the Knicks already have Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Tyson Chandler under contract, the Knicks would be in the luxury tax. After luxury tax fees the Knicks would have to pay $43 million to have Jeremy Lin on their roster in that third year. Will Lin be worth $43 million dollars? I cannot imagine how well he would have to play to deserve that.

Is Lin really that good?
Jeremy Lin was a great story last year. A guy who does not look the part, went to Harvard, and had already been cut twice in 2011-2012 took over the NBA for a few weeks. I would probably win an argument that “Linsanity” was the best story of the NBA regular season last year. He put up numbers in his first few games that no one has ever put up. He kept the Knicks alive when their star player was injured. He was able to put on a show night after night. But is Lin actually good? The small sample size makes it impossible to tell. He has only played 35 games in his career. Would you be willing to bet $43 million dollars (plus the $10 million he would get in the first 2 years of his contract) that Lin is the basketball player we saw for a few weeks? The Knicks did not think it was worth the gamble, I can’t blame them.

The Mike D’Antoni factor
Mike D’Antoni is known for being an offensive mastermind. His fast-paced offense is a point guard’s dream. Steve Nash elevated his game to the MVP level twice while playing in D’Antoni’s system. But to compare Lin to Nash would not be fair, even if Nash has never received $14.8 million in a year. A fair comparison would be Ray Felton, the same chubby guy who will replace Lin in New York this year. Both played for D’Antoni in New York for a short period of time. Most would say Lin is a better player then Felton; this isn’t a conversation if Felton is better, right? Who would you pick?

Numbers under Mike D’Antoni:
17.1 points per game, 9 assists, 3.6 rebounds 3.3 turnovers, 42.3 FG%, 32.8 3-PT%, 86.7 FT%
14.6 points per game, 6.2 assists, 3 rebounds, 3.6 turnovers, 44.6 FG%, 32.0 3-PT%, 79.8 FT%

I would assume most people are picking player 1. And the winner is Raymond Felton! Congrats Ray, go have yourself a piece of cake.

I cheered hard for Lin when he was going absolutely nuts earlier in the year. I watched the games I could (thanks Time Warner!) in legit disbelief waiting for the ride to end. And for a while it did not. I wish I could have watched Lin mesh with the Melo, Amar’e, Chandler core. But unfortunately the Rockets made an offer that could not be matched. The Knicks, for the first time in a long time, made a move that was not the flashiest. Three years from now we will know if this unpopular move was the right one.

By Mark McCormick, howiGit Contributing Writer, Boston, MA

A pronounced sadness has hit the city of Boston with the departure of Ray Allen, the NBA’s all- time leader in 3-point field goals made.  While not devastating (please don’t lose hope C’s fans), the loss of such a fine player both on and off the count will linger for quite some time.  Allen, 37 years young, is well past his “prime” but is still in superior cardiovascular shape compared to the majority of his peers – he never stops moving without the basketball, a lost art in the modern game. Who is the first guy out at the pre-game shoot around? You guessed it, the guy who sports a 90% plus free throw percentage and 45% overall field goal percentage for his career while others practice dunks and completely ignore fundamentals. Ray struggled in last year’s playoffs but who could blame him? He was playing on one good ankle, had a young buck breathing down his neck, and could not be nearly as mobile as he was accustomed to being. And apparently Ray was playing with friends and foes alike? (#9 please stand and please mature quickly, you’re too great not to)

What happened here?  Where did it all go wrong and why am I even forced to write this article? This was not how this script was intended to end for this fairy tale; we have been spoiled with this loveable group of characters and now it is a team that is transforming into something different. When did the team who was deemed the big three of savvy vets, that all endured some sense of disappointment in their respective careers before coming to Boston lose the priority of having each other’s backs? Allen struggled to make it to the playoffs most years with Glen “Big Dog” Robinson back in Milwaukee and played on a brutally lackluster team in Seattle who never had a shot of anything resembling greatness. Garnett was mired in a losing tradition in Minnesota for years giving the city everything that he had before shipping up to Beantown. And Pierce may have tolerated the most difficult situation out of all three, with his past decade plus in Boston filled with ups and downs and wanna-be sidekicks like Antoine Walker and Ron Mercer. From the top-down from Wyc Grousbeck to Danny to Doc, the Celtics are a class-A organization that conducts itself in the highest esteem, winning or losing.  But when did we decide to stop playing nice and criticize one of the main contributors to our only championship in the last 25 years? Do we really forget that quickly because a guy struggles for a hot second? Where was Garnett and Pierce to rectify the issues in the locker room and prompt excitement and enthusiasm for next year with a LEGITIMATE shot of winning the championship?

Yes, everyone around us is getting better as the free agency frenzy is on but as we saw with the Thunder losing in five games in the NBA Finals to the unmentionables, talent can only take you so far.  Cohesion is born in maturity and years logged. Throw in a little camaraderie and trust and your chance to succeed is established. I thought my boys had that in spades but I suppose one never knows what truly goes on behind closed doors.

One of the most compelling parts of this story is how will the fans react when Ray returns to the Gahden sporting our biggest adversaries’ cloak? My initial reaction when I heard the news: I hate you Ray Allen, I hate you! But after reconsidering, I was very wrong. While the reported signings of Jason Terry and Jeff Green dull the pain a bit, we will never see a player like Ray Allen again.  Here are some of the top moments of Ray’s time in Boston.  How should we react when he comes back?  You be the judge.

1) NBA Finals Vs. Lakers, June 2008

Ray scored 26 points and nailed seven 3-pointers, leading the Celtics to the decisive win and his first championship.

2) Eastern Conference Semi Finals Vs. Chicago, May 2009

Number 34 poured in 51 points in a thrilling triple overtime loss to the Bulls. One of the best series I’ve ever seen and one of the grittiest performances in Celtics playoff history. His point total was three points shy of John Havliechek’s playoff scoring record of 54 points in a game.

3) NBA Finals Vs. Lakers, June 2010

Allen hit a Finals record eight 3-pointers and temporarily stole home court advantage away from the Lakers. The Celts went on to lose the series and Ray played a crucial part in keeping the series competitive to a game seven.

4) 3-point King, February 2011

Ray became the 3-point king this past season, passing Reggie Miller who was announcing the game. The two legends shared a beautiful bro moment and hugged it out.

Ray’s legacy in Boston can be defined by one word: class. Class out the ass. Thank you Ray for everything you brought to our fair city, for being a consummate professional, and a damn good guy. Good luck and see you soon, my friend.

I can hear the complaints already… “you’re just another Boston fan on a witch hunt,” – but before you pass judgement, hear me out. In February 2011 the Oklahoma City Thunder traded Jeff Green to the Boston Celtics in a wildy unpopular trade here in Boston. Kendrick Perkins, a key defensive player, starter, and a member of the 2008 championship team was sent to OKC along with Nate Robinson.

Trust me, I’m no Kendrick Perkins lover but I was adamantly against the trade. Perkins was a key component of the Celtics defense, was beloved by his fellow starters, and his absence left a notable hole in a Championship roster. Sorry, but Nenad Krstic just didn’t cut it. At the time, the Celtics seemed poised to make another title run, but the trade clearly threw the team off track. Then prior to this season Jeff Green was suddenly diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm – he missed this season and his contract was voided. Next thing you know, Davis Stern is awarding the Celtics with the Thunder’s 2013 second round draft pick (which was not part of the trade)… sounds a little fishy to me, no?

So what the heck happened? According to Stern, the Thunder’s management did nothing wrong. They didn’t know of Green’s condition and hence didn’t let the Celtic’s know about it. But apparently the Thunder’s cardiologists did know about the issue – they withheld the information from both the Celtics and their own management. Again, something seems a little off there to me.

Many will argue that the Celtic’s own team of physicians should have picked up the problem. Frankly, I’m no physician so I won’t comment. But it seems entirely likely to me that with no reason to believe that Green had an aortic aneurysm, tests which may have picked up on the condition were not completed – a typically thorough physical evaluation probably was. At the very least OKC’s team of physicians seem to have acted very unethically, and hence the Celtics were awarded OKC’s draft pick.

I will say that Boston fans have a huge reason to be pissed off. If Green’s condition had been mentioned upfront, the trade likely would not have gone through. I think it’s a fair statement to say that the Celtics would have had a much more likely shot at a title in 2011 with Kendrick Perkins on the team – his absence was the Celtics’ glaring weakness in the 2011 playoffs. Likewise, if the trade had gone through successfully with the Celtic’s obtaining a truly healthy Green, Boston would have had another significant scoring option and a defender much more capable of guarding Lebron James. Make no mistake about it, I think the Heat were the best team in the league this year. But there’s no arguing that the Celtic’s matched up particularly well with them – and the match-up would have been significantly better with Jeff Green on the team.

If you’ll remember correctly, the Celtic’s took the Heat to 7 games this year in the Eastern Conference Finals. They did this on old legs, without a young player with size and length to guard Lebron. Green could have been just that guy, and with the series being as close as it was, he very well could have made the difference.

Of course you can never say “the Celtics would have won in 2011 or 2o12″ with any sort of true confidence. But as a result of some shady and unethical behavior on the part of the Thunder, all we can do is wonder about what very realistically could have been – title number 18 hanging in the rafters of the Garden.

Lebron James got his. Today, Lebron wakes up an NBA champion. No words could put a more enormous smile on that huge mug of his. As for us, the citizens, the “witnesses,” we have a hard reality to swallow. I admit I was very much in the camp of those who didn’t want to see James succeed. But let’s give Lebron James the credit that he is due – the Heat played a practically flawless game to close out Kevin Durant’s Oklahoma City Thunder. And after last season’s Finals, Lebron was able to suck it up this year and get it done. That’s the world we live in today, the world where the villain always wins. Corporations are raking in all the dough, the Red Sox are sucking it up once again, and Lebron James is winning NBA championships.

One thing that is clear to me is that contrary to what I’ve heard on ESPN, Lebron will still have plenty of critics. Rest assured this win was a massive weight off of Lebron’s shoulders, and it certainly cements his place in the history of the game very much so. I’m sure Lebron genuinely feels like he can die happy today, although I know he’s hungry for many more championships. But I think to the average fan, Lebron just can’t win us over that easily. I wrote last week about Tiger Woods being misunderstood, and I think Lebron James is very much so as well (albeit for vastly different reasons). Some of his comments continue to come off with an air of smugness, and even when fans are smart enough to recognize that they weren’t meant in the way that they sound they continue to judge Lebron for this.

Perhaps worse, Lebron continues to get some crazy calls that other players in the league don’t get. Some of it is unfair in that it’s brought upon him by his own incredible talents – his speed and size allow him to take nearly any contact and still finish the basket while seemingly plowing through opponents, but he does also get calls that are just unfair. Derrick Fisher’s apparent “flagrant” foul last night was an absolutely absurd call and an example of pathetic refereeing, for example. But let’s not discredit Lebron or his championship one bit – the man had a triple double last night, led by example, and has been fantastic throughout the playoffs.

Simply put, the Miami Heat played like champions last night, and OKC sure didn’t. I give the Heat even more credit, because I think the Thunder team that they just beat is a significantly better team than the Dallas Mavericks who beat them last season. When you have a player like Mike Miller going 7-8 from the 3-point line (one of the best sharp shooter performances in NBA history) and Norris Cole and Mario Chalmers contributing as they did, this team simply wasn’t going to lose.

So will Lebron James be transformed from villain to hero? Will the man ever be loved? I don’t think that transformation will be immediate now that Lebron has won. I think Lebron has silenced his critics, shown the world that he was right in departing Cleveland for Miami, and proved that he’s matured a good deal. But ultimately it’s easy to hate any prodigy who comes off with any degree of smugness. I think that 20 years from now Lebron James will be viewed very differently than he is today, but I think Lebron won’t be loved by the casual fan until the twilight of his career. At that point people will begin to respect him for all of the championships he’ll win between now and then, as well as for his contributions to the game as whole. For now I know that I’ll continue to root against him, despite the fact that I know he’s a championship caliber player and he’s not the guy his critics have made him out to be.

As for the Thunder, all I have to say is this; Kevin Durant is 23, Russell Westbrook is 23, and James Harden is 22. These guys need to take a couple on the chin, as Lebron did, before they get theirs. But rest assured they will get theirs – and I for one can’t wait to watch the Heat and Thunder go at it again.

Many people in Boston have a tough time reading the writing on the wall – this is no longer the Celtics’ league… or the Lakers’ league, or the Spurs’ league. It’s not Kobe’s league, it’s not Paul Pierce’s league, it’s not Tim Duncan’s league. When the 2012 NBA Finals tipped off last night, the NBA’s transition to a new generation was complete.

For me, nothing would have been more exciting than watching the Celtics’ big three have one final title run. Frankly, Lebron James put an end to that. But the series that is now upon us – the Oklahoma City Thunder versus the Miami Heat – Kevin Durant versus Lebron James – is the most exciting series that the NBA could have hoped for. We’ll have to let it play out before we’ll know if it turns into one of the great Finals in NBA history, but it will go down as one of the more significant. Who will get theirs first, Lebron or Kevin Durant? There seems to be little debate that these two are the best players in the game today. And if the Heat lose again, it’ll be another very, very long offseason for the Heat.

Last night’s game one lived up to the hype. The Heat hit the Thunder early, only to have Kevin Durant go off for 17 points in the 4th quarter to lead his team to victory at home (the entire Heat team managed 21 points in the 4th quarter). When Lebron scored and got an and-one with 2 minutes left in the game and his team down 7 or 8 points, you could see a scared look of despair in his eyes (watch Sportscenter), far from a the determined glare we’re so used to seeing from the Jordans and Kobes of the world. And if I were the Heat, I would be a bit concerned – they received not only a great performance from Lebron last night, but their bench players in Mario Chalmers and Shane Battier were much better than normal yet they lost.

I’m sure there will be many more twists and turns in this series – it’ll certainly be the most exciting Finals (sans Celtics) I’ve watched in years. And like the rest of the country outside of Miami, I’m firmly in OKC’s camp.

Before the shortened 2012 NBA season began, I wrote that the season was largely for naught – the Celtics at their very best would lose to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. While I ended up being right in this regard, I have to give the Celtics a ton of credit – in pushing this series to seven games, they made it a hell of a lot more fun to watch than I expected. I at least got some good nights at Clarke’s in Faneuil Hall out of it. But just thinking that any of the Big Three may never suit up for the Celtic’s again is incredibly saddening.

In the end, the Heat just overpowered the Celtics in game 7. Sure, it very easily could have gone the other way. But let’s give credit where credit is due – despite the entire country’s ill will towards Lebron James, his game 6 performance was breathtaking and he got the job done in game 7 as well. I think we’ve set him up perfectly to lose to Oklahoma City in the Finals. I for one will be watching, donning the James Harden jersey I don’t yet own.

As for the Celtics, I have a sense of deja vu for sure. I’ve written an “end of the Big Three era” article before, and here I am writing one again. Basketball players who are 35+ are simply going to have a tough time consistently staying with their counterparts in their mid-twenties. But one thing that came out of the Celtic’s playoff run for me is a much clearer vision of the future. There has been so much speculation with regards to trading Rajon Rondo – I’m now firmly of the belief that Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley the pieces that the Celtics need to build around. A formidable backcourt with second to none speed is valuable in and of itself, but Rajon Rondo showed me that despite his attitude issues he’s an incredibly rare talent. He needs a coach and fellow players around him who can motivate him, but when the fire is lit Rondo’s competitive spark burns bright. Very few players in the NBA can call out Dwyane Wade and Lebron James then take it to them successfully.

The Celtics are fortunate to be in a position where they have a ton of options. I expect that two of the Big Three will return – likely Paul Pierce coupled with either Allen or Garnett. The Celtics will likely resign any of these guys if they are willing to take substantial pay cuts to remain in Boston. The Celtics have flexibility when it comes to cash, and they also have the 21st and 22nd pick in a deep NBA draft. They need to surround Rondo with scorers – Jeff Green can be a start, but we really need studs not 4th or 5th options.

I have no idea what Danny Ainge has up his sleeve. To be honest, I’m not optimistic. Despite the options and the building blocks that the Celtics have in place, championship teams typically aren’t built in a single offseason. The Heat are a perfect example, as are the Knicks.

Who will help Rondo hang an 18th banner in the Garden? You’re move, Danny Ainge.

I’m the first to admit that I’ve been one of the Celtics many doubters this year – I just couldn’t see these guys making it to the NBA Finals. And let’s not get ahead of ourselves here, the Celtics aren’t there yet – not by a long shot. But the importance of the Celtics’ Game 5 win cannot be understated. These guys hung around all game, then iced the Heat when given the opportunity. ESPN.com perhaps said it best with their headline this morning; “Respect Thy Elders: Take that disbelievers. A team that we all doubted has reminded us how it’s done.“

The Celtics may be old, but their experience is starting to show as these games get into what I like to call “the wild time.” They’re arguably the only team in the NBA that has 4 guys that you’d expect to close you out if given the ball with the game on the line – that’s just flat-out difficult to defend. Kevin Garnett played a beautiful game last night, to the tune of 26 points and 11 rebounds. But there were really three factors that stood out to me in this game as making the difference:

1) Paul Pierce’s 3-pointer in Lebron’s eye with 52 seconds left in the game. An incredibly tough shot from a guy that had been struggling all game. Pierce’s reputation in the clutch is only further cemented.

2) Rajon Rondo’s incredible tip to Michael Peitrus, who then drained a three, following what could have been a stunning Dwyane Wade fast-break inducing block. Say what you will about Rondo, but this guy may very well be the best playmaker in the entire NBA. He’s incredible to watch. The subtle head fakes, eye fakes, and pump fakes that draw a defender 1 or 2 feet in the wrong direction and open up a miniscule passing lane go largely unnoticed. I can’t tell you how many times Rondo burnt Lebron with these moves. If you have any doubts about Rondo, just listen to Magic Johnson talk about him.

3) The Celtics were 9-9 from the free throw line down the stretch. That’s closing.

I must admit, I’m still generally of the feeling that even if the Celtics do close out the Heat they’re still going to be in over their head against the Thunder in the Finals. But the more I look at, who is better; Wade and Lebron, or Durant and Westbrook? I think you can make an argument either way there, but I think that the Thunder have a significantly better supporting cast. The Heat simply don’t have a Harden or a Kendrick Perkins.

I’m trying to keep my butt in my seat, and my expectations remain relatively low. That’s a fun way to watch these games – it certainly makes the losses sting that much less. At the same time I must admit that I’m now letting a little piece of belief creep in. We still have 3 of the best scorers in NBA history on our side, as well as the most exciting player to watch and the best distributor of the ball that I’ve seen in a long time. So why not us?

Yesterday was a big day in Boston sports for me – I got to watch Tom Brady’s Funny or Die video, catch a Red Sox game from directly behind their dugout, and watch one of the finest performances of Rajon Rondo’s career. Phew – what a day. I think I learned a few things along the way…

Let’s start with the Celtics. First and foremost, they lost the game and this series is as good as over. Sure, there were undoubtedly missed calls, but those tend to even out over the course of any series in my eyes. But we did learn a lot about Rajon Rondo last night. I’ve been preaching the Rondo gospel for the past couple of years now, but also faulting him for the attitude that so frequently pisses off Celtics fans. That attitude was on display after game one, where Rondo blatantly called out D-Wade and Lebron James – a particularly ballsy move if you ask me. That said, Rondo put his money where his mouth was and stuck it to those guys to the tune of 44 points, 10 assists, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals. Better yet, Rondo was 2-2 from the 3-point line, 10-12 on free throws, and 16-24 from the field. It was a flat-out fantastic game, and it showed me that Rondo can play with anyone in this league. You get him ticked off enough and not only is the heart there, but he’s going to burn you – even if you are the NBA’s poster boy.

I’ve also been saying for quite a while that Derrick Rose is the single quickest player I’ve ever seen play, and hence, has a better first step than Rondo. Rondo’s entire game was elevated to another level last night – I saw him make crossovers and other moves I’ve never seen from anyone before, ever, Derrick Rose included. But it was Rondo’s ability to hit jump shots that truly showed the player Rondo can be if he continues to develop even a decent mid-range jumper. With his speed and a shot, Rondo would be perhaps the most difficult guard in the league to defend. It’ll be very interesting to see who is suiting up for the Celtics next season.

Transitioning to the Red Sox, I think this team is going to be just fine. While we’re still a little thin in the pitching department, our pitchers have started to actually pitch and I suspect we’ll land another arm at some point this season. Daisuke is still set to return, as are Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, Cody Ross, and Carl Crawford. And even without those guys, the Sox have a surplus of talented players – so much so that we’ve got Adrian Gonzalez playing right field. Ryan Sweeney has been fantastic which was unexpected, Will Middlebrooks may be the future of the Red Sox, Mike Aviles is arguably the best offensive shortstop in the AL at this point, and Jarrod Saltalamacchia may very well be the starting catcher for the AL in the all-star game. The Red Sox are now two games over .500, and the entirety of the AL East is within 2.5 games of each other. Craziness.

Yesterday’s game saw David Ortiz, Kevin Youkilis, and Will Middlebrooks go yard, and a struggling Adrian Gonzalez drove in the go-ahead run. All that said, it was Jon Lester’s performance last night that showed me first hand why Boston is the best place in the world to play baseball. So much is made of the pressure and the expectations that come along with playing at Fenway that often the benefits are left behind. Lester pitched OK last night, pitching 6 2/3 innings while allowing 4 runs and striking out 7. He allowed three early runs, then generally settled down and kept the Red Sox in the game while eating up close to 7 innings. Lester was visibly upset at being  yanked from the game, but received a thunderous standing ovation for his efforts (he’s struggled in general this season) as he walked to the dugout. How many fan bases have you ever seen support a struggling pitcher by giving a guy that went 6 2/3 innings and allowed 4 runs a standing ovation?

It certainly feels like this team is starting to come together after beating Detroit in 3 straight games, with Beckett on the mound for the series finale tonight. Following tonight’s game, the Sox open series with Toronto and Baltimore – and could very realistically be sitting atop the AL East standing at the end of that stretch. Will they? Who knows. But with so many key pieces returning later this year, there’s reason for optimism.

If you’re a Celtics fan, you’ve got to be excited to be in the Eastern Conference Finals – I sure am. I feel kind of like the third grader about to launch a spitball across the classroom, despite the fact that I know the teacher is watching out of the corner of her eye as she grades papers. The inevitable end to the big three era seems to be upon us, precisely as I envisioned it may be.

When I wrote my Celtics preview before this season began, I wrote that the Celtics were too old to win a championship; if all went perfectly right they could at best lose to the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. Yesterday’s game 1, if it’s to be any indication, certainly seems to be moving the Celtics along according to plan.

The Heat were too fast. The Heat were too explosive. Rondo seemed a bit out of it again, KG continued his great play but needs to attack the hoop more, and Ray Allen and Paul Pierce are clearly doing their best to downplay injuries that are affecting their games. These injuries are no excuse – they’re further evidence that the Celtics are simply old, beaten, and battered up. As much as I love Ray and Paul, they need to be at 100% to contend with Lebron and D-Wade. And while I’m nostalgic about this team as well, I attempt to read the writing on the wall – the Celtics are looking at at least 5 years of rebuilding until they have a chance to be a championship contender once again.

Jeff Van Gundy, eternal idiot, must have made his broadcasting employers overjoyed when he introduced the game yesterday by basically stating, “Last year the Heat won this very series 4-1. This time around Chris Bosh is injured, and the Celtics have lost significant personnel and two of their best players are injured.” Wow, sounds like one hell of a series Van Gundy. Maybe I should be thanking Van Gundy for tuning people off of this series and saving the Celtics the embarrassment – I see this thing going down 4-1 in favor of the Heat just as it did last year.

There’s no doubt that the Celtics have closers, and three of the best players to ever play basketball on their squad – three of the best players who were at their best this past decade. But Lebron and D-wade are two of the best of this generation – the current generation – and the Celtics will simply be overpowered.

The most important thing is for the Heat to lose either this round or in the Finals, which I think they ultimately will. But if the Celtics are to make anything of a series of it, we’ll need:

• Rajon Rondo at his very best
• Paul Pierce taking over in the 3rd and 4th quarters
• KG to continue shooting, but also to attack the basket more
• Ray Allen to light it up with threes

I’m not saying the Celts can’t do it – a perfect storm of great play can get it done for them as long as Chris Bosh remains out. But the Celtics will need an A+ performance if they are to advance, which I just don’t see coming.