From Basketbawful’s Worst of the Night:
What’s wrong with the Celtics? According to Doc Rivers, opposing teams are gunning for the champs, which requires them to maintain their peak mental focus and intensity on a nightly basis. “We told our team before the season it will be 82 Game 7s. Every time we play it’s a Game 7 for the other team. On the nights we’re not ready mentally for that, we’re going to have to get lucky and play over our head to win.” Now, I suppose there’s some credence to this. EVERY team wants to beat the champs, especially when the champs talk as much trash as these Celtics do. And for those of you who think other top teams like the Cavs and Lakers go through the same thing, you’re wrong. They are not the champs. The champs always take the best and hardest shots. Period.
That being said…I think Doc’s theory is only part of the story. I believe the championship hangover that everyone thought the Celtics had managed to avoid simply hit them later than expected. And I think that the 19-game winning streak made the hangover worse, because it lulled them into a false sense of security while simultaneously RAISING expectations. And, honestly, I think Kevin Garnett’s recent bouts of superdickery are a result of the increased pressure and expectation that they repeat AND dominate every game, every night. All of which means the challenge isn’t as “fun” as it was last season. Instead of enjoying a journey of rebirth and redemption, they’re being forced — for the first time in any of their careers — to fight and claw and scratch just to hold onto what they’ve got. Meanwhile, other teams (like the Cavs and Lakers) have gotten better…and Ainge’s “stand pat” method of offseason team mismanagement succeeded only in making the Celtics worse.
McHale goes on to compare the defending champs to the Larry Bird era Celtics. It’s a very interesting read.
Check it out here.
