Celtics Playoffs/Season In Review

Paul Pierce had a tough series overall vs. the New York Knicks

As the final buzzer sounded yesterday, the right word to describe how I was feeling was let down.  Yes, I knew the Boston Celtics were huge underdogs going against the New York Knicks being older (arguably), and not having the same caliber of players, but somehow, like always, the Celtics always found a way to keep things interesting.  I didn't think they would come back (especially being down by 26 at one point), but somehow, they almost did.  If that happened, it would have been equally as amazing as what the 04' Red Sox World Series title was to me, which in my opinion, will never be topped  Yes, I knew the Celtics weren't going to win the NBA title this year, but throughout the six year run since Kevin Garnett came to Boston, they always made you believe they could.

Describing the Celtics-Knicks series is painful, but somebody has to do it.  The first three games went to the Knicks, and while I give them credit for playing good defense, it's arguable the Celtics gave those games away by not scoring 80 points in any game, and turning the ball over a ton.  Carmelo played well, as well as J.R Smith, but the MVP of the first three games was Raymond Felton and Iman Shumpert for the defense they played, and the fact they actually hit shots consistently.  After losing the first three games, I thought, like many, that the Celtics would get swept, but they won game 4 in overtime and won game 5.  Credit could be given to Paul Pierce, Jeff Green, or even Jason Terry, but I give it to Kevin Garnett for his leadership and statistics.  Hell, even if the Celtics had Rajon Rondo healthy, I'd still think KG was more valuable, but that's a post for another day.

Game 7 was a debacle with the Celtics barely scoring for the first three quarters, until they exploded, and almost came back in the fourth.  It was the most excitement I had for the Celtics all season, but I knew it was over when Carmelo hit that three pointer to seal it.  Blame can be cast all over from Paul Pierce (4-18 shooting) to Danny Ainge for not giving the team a better supporting cast.  I'm usually one who supports loyalty since I think it's a lost thing in sports, but it's obvious the Celtics need to make a change.  Despite that feeling though, I can't bring myself to say the Celtics should trade Paul Pierce or Kevin Garnett.  They've given so much to the organization, and the Celtics wouldn't be who they are without them.  Maybe I'm being too sentimental, but these two Hall of Famer's deserve better ending considering all they've done.

I know I'm in the minority on this, and that's fine, but the season could have been so much different if Rondo and Jared Sullinger didn't get hurt.  I know we could say that about a lot of teams, but for this team, that statement definitely fits.  Other teams were hurt, but they didn't have Terrence Williams and Shavlik Randolph on the floor for their season.  I don't know what next year holds, which a lot of people feel, but I know I don't want to say good-bye yet.  Sure this season was tough with injuries and subpar play with the Celtics being older, but if the San Antonio Spurs can do it with Gregg Popavich, why can't the Celtics do it with Doc Rivers.  Out of the four major sports, the NBA is where you see the least upsets, but with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, they've taught us anything is possible, and to never give up until that final buzzer sounds.

Have Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce played their last games as Celtics?  Hopefully not, but if it's over, thanks for everything!

A Song To Say Good-Night To...

Recently, I just watched Woody Allen's masterpiece Crimes and Misdemeanors, and it ended with the song, "I'll Be Seeing You".  I could try and say whose version of the song is my favorite (which would be a toss up between this film's version, or the one played at the end of Star Trek Deep Space Nine), but that would take forever considering so many artists have covered the song.  Anyways, ever since I saw the film, I couldn't get that song out of my head, so I went on Youtube, and was looking up stuff on Paul Newman, (my favorite actor of all-time), when I found the In Memoriam video from the 81st Academy Awards, which is when he died.  They played this song during the tribute video which was rare because they usually don't have someone sing during the In Memoriam part, but they did this time with Queen Latifah.  I know most people are mixed on her, but I liked her version of this song.  I've never heard her sing before, so this was a welcome treat for me, and definitely a great song to end the night with.  Not just cause of how I feel about the Boston Celtics loss to the New York Knicks, but just to say good-night to.  Anyways, hope you all have a nice night, or morning, depending on where you read this from.  Enjoy the video!

A year where we lost many great people in cinema, but I'll always have a soft spot for Paul Newman

Bugs

Bugs, or insects (as they're correctly called), are one of the things I despise most in life.  You may think I'm joking, but ask anyone who knows me, and they'll tell you I can't stand them.  I don't know what I dislike about them the most.  Maybe it's the fact that they're pests, can kill people, and sometimes have no importance to the ecosystem.  I'll give it to you that bees are important, but I have a hard time believing all the species of beetles in the world are necessary, like the Asian ones that destroy trees.  Yeah, those are really helping us (I'm being sarcastic of course).

The reason why I'm blogging about this is because the past few days I've had bees that came into my room somehow, even though I never leave the door open, and always shut the windows.  I dispatched of them very quickly (and somewhat easily), but I was still scared as sh*t from the buzzing, and the fact that even though I clearly smashed it, it was still alive.  Yes, I know bugs are necessary for society, but I swear, if I was president, I would pass a bill that would eliminate any unnecessary bugs.  I'm sure people like PETA would be against me, but I wouldn't care.  I know that no one likes having a garbage fly or bee in their house, so the people would probably thank me.  It's one thing when we're talking about in nature, but in my house, it's my rules!

I know bugs are here to stay, so I have to live with them, but that doesn't mean I have to like them.  Maybe my fear of that will change as I get older, but till then, we'll always be enemies.

Bugs maybe cute to some, but unless they're the ones from Pokemon, they aren't getting near me

Yu-Gi-Oh Cards

Recently, I wrote a blog post about the Yu-Gi-Oh cartoon a few weeks ago, talking about how I was getting back into it, but not in the way I was as a teenager.  Well now, I'm here to say that's changed because recently, I've been playing the Yu-Gi-Oh Trading Card Game and video game, which has reignited my interest in the game itself.  I don't plan on ever playing in tournaments or dueling full time, but I love collecting things, so it's cool to collect something from my childhood I loved.  Most of the cards I've bought are older ones from the original Yu-Gi-Oh series and booster packs like Legend Of Blue Eyes or Pharoah's Servant.  The cards may be worst compared to the the cards now, but that's only because the new ones are so cheap with their synchro-summon, etc.  For my money, I'll take the original cards any day, and I am, as I try rebuilding my old deck with bunches of new cards.  I still have a long way to go, but it's time to RE-DUEL!  Now all I need is a duel disk.

Jason Collins And Chris Broussard

I know I'm late commenting on the Jason Collins "coming out" story, but I was on hiatus for a few days, so here are some of my thoughts.

• I think it's wonderful that Jason Collins was able to to be honest with himself and the world by revealing his homosexuality.  I know it couldn't have been easy for him to do, but I know it was even harder for him to keep bottled in (based on his article and people I know personally).  So I am sincerely happy for him. 
• With him doing what he did, he has now become a role model for closeted homosexual athletes, and possibly young kids who are struggling with that issue now.  Jason Collins may not be a Michael Jordan or Lebron James, but he is the right person to have done this.
• Jason Collins is a good person, but I don't know if he will find an NBA team next season like he wants.  I'm not saying that based on his decision, but if you watched any Boston Celtics games this season like I did, you'd agree he sucks.  He commits stupid plays and fouls out in record time.  Of course, many teams could use his size, so anything is possible.  
• I want to comment on Chris Broussard, the writer for ESPN who was/is under a lot of heat for his comments on Jason Collins.  For those of you who don't know, Chris Broussard is a writer and analyst for ESPN that I admire a lot for his work and articulation.  When the Jason Collins news broke out, he was on ESPN, and gave his opinion, which disagreed with Jason Collins lifestyle.  I don't have time to get into the details of it, but basically, Chris Broussard was calling Jason Collins a sinner because of his homosexual lifestyle (from what it says in the Bible).  Everyone basically attacked him, but I say that's not fair.  Chris Broussard was giving his opinion and using his right of free speech.  Yes, he doesn't agree with Jason Collins lifestyle religiously, but he didn't say he wasn't happy for him, or that he wanted genocide or something.  That would have been wrong.  Also, he said the same thing about heterosexuals who have premarital sex as well, so he wasn't just focusing on homosexuals either.  Nobody ever seems to listen or read the whole quote, but when you get down to it, Chris Broussard wasn't saying anything wrong.  He was just voicing his opinion based off what the Bible says.  Most of us disagree with it, so let's just leave it at that.  The world has too many issues to be focusing on one person from ESPN.  There are rumors he may lose his job, but I hope he doesn't because I would hate to see a good writer and analyst suffer for being honest.  Like I said, I disagree with Chris Broussard, but I think he's entitled to what he believes, like we all are.  We shouldn't attack him, otherwise, we're being hypocrites for not letting someone express themselves.
• What the hell was ESPN thinking when they put Chris Broussard on if they knew how he felt prior?  Were they setting him up or something, or just plain stupid?

Chris Broussard's opinion for those of you who are interested

• Lastly, somehow this story has become political and religious, which was bound to happen, but let's not forget the focus, which is on Jason Collins, and homosexuals everywhere, who just want to be accepted in the world like everyone else.

Classes Are Over!

Today is the first day of May, and while that is a glorious thing, that's not the reason I'm back and writing today.  I'm writing because I finished classes officially today, and it's a glorious feeling!  Don't get me wrong, this semester of school has been fantastic (possibly my best one yet), but like every person, I like break because it gives me a chance to relax, and hang out with friends.  Unfortunately, I'm taking a summer class, so I won't be away for long, but even a temporary break from class is better than none. 

Good luck on finals to all you students out there!