Stayin' Alive And Hijacking The Bandwagon - II

For the first time since this Blogger site was founded (September 18, 2005), Blogger has flagged a post of ours and put it elsewhere, forcing readers to click on a link and read the post in its entirety. This was done without my knowledge or consent. The only information I have right now is that "This post was put behind a warning for readers because it contains sensitive content as outlined in Blogger’s Community Guidelines." I have read the Blogger 'Community Guidelines' and determined my most recent posts contained no such 'sensitive content', ambiguous as that phrase is. For what it's worth, I've seen worse posted here. I have requested a review of this situation as noted in this 'Community Guidelines' warning and we'll see where that gets me. In the meantime, I will post it again, with two words altered, as they may have been the items causing deep offense with the censors at Google Blogger:

The Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76'ers yesterday in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Shank's there with a cliche filled column chock full of Shankisms:

Celtics did not go the way of Bruins and the spring hopes of a championship remain alive

Fear not, Boston sports fans. The Celtics aren’t going the way of the Bruins, who dropped out of sight quickly in Boston’s playoff spring of hope and expectation.

The sons of Red Auerbach and Bill Russell Sunday advanced to the NBA’s final four with a pulsating, 112-88 Game 7 thrashing of the Philadelphia 76ers. Jayson Tatum scored an NBA Game 7 record 51 points in a Mother’s Day celebration of Love & Basketball at TD Garden.

Your fabled hoop franchise will take on the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals starting Wednesday on Causeway Street. It’s always a mistake to get ahead of ourselves in these matters, but ... who can resist? If the favored Celtics beat the Heat, there’s a fair chance we’ll get Boston-LA in the NBA Finals, a renewal of Russell vs. Chamberlain, Bird vs. Magic, and Pierce vs. Kobe.

The Celtics are in this position because Tatum channeled his inner Bird/Sam Jones and buried the Sixers with a hail of 3-point heaves and Globetrotter drives to the basket. After struggling in Games 4, 5, and 6 of the series (Tatum shot 0 for 19 in the first quarter of those three games), he lit up the scoreboard and came within 3 points of John Havlicek’s franchise-playoff-best 54 points against the Hawks in 1973.

More bullshit and b*ll $ucking at the link.

Stayin' Alive And Hijacking The Bandwagon

The Boston Celtics beat the Philadelphia 76'ers yesterday in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. Shank's there with a cliche filled column chock full of Shankisms:

Celtics did not go the way of Bruins and the spring hopes of a championship remain alive

Fear not, Boston sports fans. The Celtics aren’t going the way of the Bruins, who dropped out of sight quickly in Boston’s playoff spring of hope and expectation.

The sons of Red Auerbach and Bill Russell Sunday advanced to the NBA’s final four with a pulsating, 112-88 Game 7 thrashing of the Philadelphia 76ers. Jayson Tatum scored an NBA Game 7 record 51 points in a Mother’s Day celebration of Love & Basketball at TD Garden.

Your fabled hoop franchise will take on the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals starting Wednesday on Causeway Street. It’s always a mistake to get ahead of ourselves in these matters, but ... who can resist? If the favored Celtics beat the Heat, there’s a fair chance we’ll get Boston-LA in the NBA Finals, a renewal of Russell vs. Chamberlain, Bird vs. Magic, and Pierce vs. Kobe.

The Celtics are in this position because Tatum channeled his inner Bird/Sam Jones and buried the Sixers with a hail of 3-point heaves and Globetrotter drives to the basket. After struggling in Games 4, 5, and 6 of the series (Tatum shot 0 for 19 in the first quarter of those three games), he lit up the scoreboard and came within 3 points of John Havlicek’s franchise-playoff-best 54 points against the Hawks in 1973.

More bullshit and ball sucking at the link.

Outdated

Boston Radio Watch catches Shank after the Celtics win Game 7 against the 76'ers:

7 still uses Shank for postgame analysis? Good grief. That station needs a reset. pic.twitter.com/Tfhi5kjuKA

— Boston Radio Watch®️ (@bostonradio) May 14, 2023

Shank's article on the game will be commented on tomorrow.

DHL Dan CLXIX - The Right Side Of History

It's nteresting how two weeks can change things, especially for weathervanes like Shank. A fortnight ago he was telling you how easy this series would be for the Boston Celtics. Now that we're looking at Game 7 today, Shank's forced to play a different set of cards:

History is on Celtics’ side in another Game 7, and other thoughts

Picked-up pieces while wondering which Jayson Tatum shows up at the Garden Sunday …

▪ Hello Game 7, old friend.

We have Celtics-76ers in a winner-take-all conference semifinal game.

Historically, the Celtics are Mr. Game 7, the way Reggie Jackson is Mr. October, the way Billy Crystal is Mr. Saturday Night. Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart may know nothing of their forebears, but the fact remains that, historically, the Boston Celtics own Game 7.

The Celtics have played more Game 7s (35) than any other NBA team. Dating back to the days when Bill Russell roamed the parquet, the Celtics are 26-9 in Game 7s. Russell was 10-0 in ultimate games, winning the last game of his 13-year career with a Game 7 championship victory over the Wilt Chamberlain/Elgin Baylor/Jerry West Lakers in the LA Forum in 1969.

Boston’s fabled basketball team didn’t lose its first Game 7 until 1973, when Russell was gone and John Havlicek hurt his shoulder in an epic series with the New York Knicks.

What happened in those great old days has nothing to do with what will happen Sunday against Joel Embiid, but there’s some comfort in a legacy forged by Russell, Sam Jones, and Red Auerbach in ancient days when a smoke was still a smoke (Hoyo de Monterrey for Red) and having home court was a significant advantage in any winner-take-all NBA game.

Oddly, the New Garden has not been our friend this spring. The Bruins (remember them?) and Celtics have gone an aggregate 1-6 in seven playoff games on Causeway Street since the Bruins were first beaten by the Florida Panthers in Round 1 April 19.

Kind of shoots down the whole 'we got this game!' thingy, doesn't it? In karate, this is known as blocking a punch with your face.

On The Brink

The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Boston Celtics on their home floor last night. Naturally Shank is there to set up one of his favorite column themes - the epic failure:

After a stunning loss to the Sixers at home in Game 5, the Celtics are on the brink of becoming an epic failure

Perhaps the piece de resistance was Jaylen Brown (3 for 8 from the free throw line) going to the line for two free throws — when the Celtics seemed to be rallying — and missing both with 9:16 left and the Celtics trailing by 14.

Beyond weak. And these guys want you to think they are elite?

What have they won?

Ever?

They care about All-NBA and Subway sandwiches and social media love. But while playing for an organization that expects clutch plays and championships, they have done little to indicate they are anything more than posers.

There is still time for the 2022-23 Celtics to redeem themselves. It’s time for the two Jays (Jayson Tatum and Brown) to step up. This is supposed to be their time, but now they are on the threshold of an epic fail.

If / when that happens, expect no less than four columns about it.

Their Loss Is His Gain

Another loss by the Boston Celtics, another column by Shank with a familiar refrain:

With the game on the line, why wouldn’t Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla call a timeout?

PHILADELPHIA — Joe Mazzulla hates timeouts the way I hate mushrooms.

We saw this again Sunday after Boston Strangler James Harden splashed a 24-foot 3-pointer from the right corner with 19 seconds left to give the 76ers a 116-115 lead in overtime of Game 4.

Timeout, right? Call everybody over, draw up the old Picket Fence Play, and let the Sixers get caught watching the paint dry as one of Boston’s mighty Jays hits the game-winner or gets fouled and makes a pair to clinch it.

Nope. That would be the conventional Brad Stevens, Hoosier Way.

Joey M trusts his guys and lets them play it out.

So the coach didn't do something and they lost the game; let the second guessing commence!

Maybe It's You, Shank

Shank's in rare form right now - an epic loss by the Boston Bruins on Sunday, then the Philadelphia 76'ers come into the (TD) Garden last night and beat the Celtics in the first game in the Eastern Concerence semifinals:

What did we do to deserve this? First the Bruins, now the Celtics stunned at TD Garden?

At what point, precisely, did TD Garden become Boston’s House of Blues?

Seriously.

Less than 24 hours after the bottom-seeded Florida Panthers drove a pipe through the greatest regular-season team in NHL history (your Boston Bruins), the heavily-favored Celtics submitted an NBA meltdown of epic proportions and kicked away Game 1 of their conference semifinal, 119-115, against a Philadelphia 76ers team playing without presumed league MVP Joel Embiid.

I mean, what did Boston do to deserve this?

Maybe it's due to players reading constantly negative columns in the Boston Globe (and elsewhere)? Seems a plausible a reason as any.

Time To Worry?

The Celtics lost last night, but Shank sez 'Don't worry, be happy!'

PHILADELPHIA — Back in Boston this game will be reviewed as a mere annoyance — an unnecessary extension of a series that inevitably will be won by the Celtics. And the zebras will inspire the full fury of Tommy Heinsohn and Green Team Nation.

Here in Philly, it’s a different story. Folks in this esteemed hoop town are thinking their team can do what no NBA team has done in 129 previous tries. They think the down-and-almost-out Sixers can win four straight against the Celtics and advance to the Eastern Conference finals.

The Sixers beat the Celtics, 103-92, in Game 4 Monday to extend this series and force a Game 5 Wednesday in Boston. Demonstrating an amazing level of sophistication, and appropriate chagrin, the Philadelphia folks did not drop confetti after beating the Celts.

It's Official - Shank's On The Celtics Bandwagon

Sure took him long enough, didn't it?

PHILADELPHIA — Confetti flew from the ceiling of Wells Fargo Center at the end of regulation.

That’s how certain it was that the Celtics were going to lose.

It reminded me of the night Red Auerbach noticed balloons ready to be dropped from the rafters of the Los Angeles Forum before a Celtic-Laker Game 7 featuring Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell. Red made sure the Celtics knew of the Lakers’ celebration plans and the Celtics, of course, deflated the Lakers, then mocked the balloons.

And since he's on the bandwagon, Shank wonders:

Maybe it will take LeBron to stop the Celtics. Or maybe the Green Team can make it all the way to Oakland for a showdown with the World Champion Warriors.

No matter what, it’s going to be a fun ride.

Just Like The Old Days

Is Shank having a flashback?

Boston-Philadelphia. Basketball wars.

The Celtics are playing the Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the NBA playoffs and it is a renewal of hostilities that goes back 60 years. This is the 20th postseason meeting between Boston and Philadelphia. It is as close to Red Sox-Yankees as you are going to get in any Celtic spring.

In one of their more impressive wins of the season, the undermanned Celtics (no Jaylen Brown, no Kyrie Irving, no Gordon Hayward, no Malcolm Butler) thrashed the white-hot Sixers, 117-101, in a 48-minute Game 1 frenzy that honored six decades of playoffs featuring the Colonial rivals.

It’s odd that this is only the third time the cities have dueled in the NBA tournament in the last 33 years. Celtic fans of a certain age remember when it seemed like Boston and Philly jousted in the playoffs every spring.

That's where Shank tears open the time capsule. That part is interesting, mostly because we don't read about it often from Shank or anyone else.