The Fox Hole: Monday May 3, 2010

Some thoughts while figuring out what to do with this stupid hat I wore to my friend's Kentucky Derby party...in the city...

The Celtics have a chance against the Cavs. They do. They were up by 11 in the third quarter Saturday. Of course they blew it. But even though the C’s had the lead most of the game, they really didn’t play all that well. They have the potential for more, and that gives me hope for the rest of the series. Sure, Rondo was over his head. But Ray and Paul are capable of more than 27 points on 11-31 shooting. The bench really didn’t do much. Now, you must decide: is the Cavs defense good enough to choke out the Celtics’ top two scorers or will they bounce back? Do you expect anybody on the bench to contribute anything in this series? I don’t trust Wallace more than I would Hot Plate Williams at this point, but as Brick said in conversation the other day; he’s going to have to score a little bit this series. It would help.

I don’t know about you, but the officiating is driving me crazy. Is it because I’m a Celtics fan that I wanted to put my fist through the Magnavox every time a foul was called for excessive breathing on LeBron? Rondo got to the line 14 times on Saturday but he was FOULED. I feel the same way watching Kobe against the Jazz – what the heck are these guys calling? Then I remember the NBA is a superstar-oriented league: good teams like the Celtics or Jazz or Spurs aren’t rewarded by the refs. It’s the big-name players. You know, the guys who hold the ball at the top of the key until six seconds are left on the shot clock, then go hurtling uncontrollably into the lane, flailing their arms and looking for a call. Which is exactly what’s been wrong with this league for the last 15 years…back in my day…blah blah blah…OK I’ll stop. And yes, I realize Paul Pierce used to be a master of the above-described action, but he no longer has the ability to “hurtle uncontrollably.” I would say it’s more of a “lurch.” But his flail is still top-notch.

I’m pleasantly surprised with the Bruins. It was nice watching Marc Savard score the game-winning goal Saturday. OK? I’m going to stop before I jinx the whole thing. And yeah, Marco Sturm may borderline stink but at least he’s a body, with skates, who sometimes displays the ability to put the puck in the net. And the Bruins desperately need guys like that.

The Red Sox are a mess. I could pull out my laundry list of offseason moves I thought were dumb (I went over all of them on GameTime last winter) but the real reasons are injuries and the fact that so many guys aren’t playing up to their own personal standards. This was explained phenomenally by Chad Finn over at the Globe and by Amanda Comak of the Back to Base Knocks blog at my beloved Cape Cod Times. We don’t know what this team is capable of because this season hasn't even remotely resembled a normal season. And it’s gonna take another month, or maybe more, until we find out if this is a normal season, or a debacle like four years ago. I just hope there aren’t any more injuries, and I hope the Yankees and Rays haven’t lapped this team R.C. Pro-Am style when that finally happens.

You might have noticed I’m back. You might not have. Either way, I didn’t go anywhere, I just kind of went away for a while (if that makes any sense). We’re bringing back the radio show. For good. This month. Stay tuned.