BLOWOUT SERIES

110-79

Aside from a few minutes in Game 2 there has not been a closely contested well played game in this series yet.

After watching (some of) last night's game (see previous post for the reason I didn't see it all) it is hard to imagine how the Celtics have been challenged by the Pacers, never mind how they could lose 2 games. They demolished Indiana without Antoine Walker on their home court in a crucial swing game. The C's shot 56% while the Pacers built several houses and a high rise at an NBA Playoff record low 26%. All five Celtics starters were in double figures, the Pacers only had three players in double figures and only one, Stephen Jackson (24), with more than 12.

This was the worst playoff lost in franchise history.

There is not anything else to say about this. A 31 point margin does not make for the greatest blog fodder.

Game 5 is in Boston on Tuesday. Who knows which version of both of these teams will show up?

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Since it's a lazy, rainy Sunday afternoon I'm just going to spew some random thoughts as they occur to me.

-I'm watching the Red Sox play Texas right now and Kevin Youkilis is batting with Varitek on third and 1 out in the top of the 2nd, Texas is up 2-0 on Matt Clement. This is already Youkilis' second stint with the Red Sox this season after being sent down to make room for Curt Schilling on the roster. It must be incredibly difficult to be the 26th guy on a major league team. You go from a private plane, first class hotels, big cities, nice clubhouses, etc. to bus rides, rest stops, Best Westerns, small towns, and tiny band box stadiums. It must be at least twice as difficult having played in the playoffs and the World Series, broken a curse, been part of a legend, and ridden a Duck Boat down Boylston while 4 million people adored you. You think he talks about it all the time at Pawtuckett?

"Hey Hanley come here, did I ever tell you about the time we won game 7 at Yankee Stadium?"

"Ahh...yeah Youk you tell us about it everyday..."

"Yeah that was awesome...wanna see my World Series ring? I hope we stop at Wendy's soon."

By the way he walked. Varitek scored on Damon's grounder to second.

- It's nice to see that Donovan McNabb finally told T.O. to shut up. Can you imagine what McNabb is actually saying behind the scenes? Owens must really think that he can throw the ball to himself, apparently he doesn't remember when he basically had to do that in San Francisco. Talk about having no perspective on life, he's actually talking about sitting out the whole season! I hope he does for 2 reasons. 1. Phili fans will murder him. He won't be welcome anywhere in Pennsylvania (big loss there). Too bad there's no one in Phili with the chops to write anything more than a sentence about it with a link to a wire story and a picture. 2. The Eagles will still be the best team in the NFC and just like they did last year, will make it through the playoffs without him. Then what will he say about McNabb's fatigue?

- Clement doesn't look real impressive once again. He just worked out of a bases loaded jam in the second after giving up 2 in the first. The bases became loaded after a hit batter and 2 walks. This is why his hits to innings pitched ratio is such a telling stat, he's in trouble all the time and if he's walking people it's only going to get worse. He's been lucky so far but sometime real soon some big hits are going to start racking up his ERA if he doesn't straighten himself out.

- I really wish D.O. would take just one ball the other way so teams would stop going into the overshift with the shortstop playing just to the first base side of second. That defense is so debilitating for Ortiz not just because he pulls the ball all the time but because he goes up the middle as well. Twice last night Michael Young the Texas shortstop cut off Ortiz grounders behind the second base bag. Those are sure base hits in a normal defensive alignment.

Haha, wish granted, he just doubled to left.

- Back to the great city of Philadelphia for a second. The Sixers are up 8 on the Pistons with 6 minutes to play. Is there any way that both of these teams can lose this series? I can't stand Iverson and his 50 shots a game and the Pistons play such physical defense that it slows the game to an agonizing crawl that always keeps the scores under 100.

- Major League baseball teams are like 2nd grade classrooms. One person gets sick and it runs through the whole damn team over the course of a few weeks. I remember reading about this happening in Milwaukee recently and now a bunch of the Red Sox have what they're calling "The Mueller Flu". Bellhorn's not playing and Mueller just returned to the lineup after missing something like six games. Can we please get some anti-bacterial soap into the clubhouse? Maybe that's how the Orioles are in first place, they are carrying flu strains around in their bags and are releasing them into their opponents clubhouses.

- Ut oh here come the Pistons. 80-78 Phili with 50 seconds left. Billups on the line for 2 with a chance to tie. Iverson just made a bone head play, tried to play defense with his hands as Billups went by him. He hit both free throws, tie game.

Iverson just nailed a huge shot with 28.3 to play. It was a real tough fall away just outside the left side of the paint. He has 34 after putting up 39 and 15 assists in Game 3. I still think he's a ball hog thug but he has been huge offensively these last 2 games. He has played every minute so far.

Oh man, despite his offense Iverson may have just cost the Sixers the game. He just blew his assignment on Billups who hit a three to give the Pistons the lead. If he could have moved his feet he wouldn't have fouled Billups the last time down, now this. Gotta play both ends kid.

Okay, now Billups wants to be the goat, he just fouled Willie Green for no reason at all with 3.1 seconds left. BUT Green almost air balled the first free throw so now the best he can do is tie. He hit the second. Tie game, Pistons ball at halfcourt.

I hope Billups torches Iverson again. Of course even if the Sixers lose no one will mention that Iverson blew it on defense twice, all they'll talk about is his 34.

Wallace air balled a three at the buzzer. Going to overtime. I can't overstate how bad Iverson just was on defense. If he could have stopped Billups one out of the last 2 possessions the game would be over. We're not talking about Kobe here, it's Chauncy Billups.

- Clement in trouble again in the bottom of the 4th. 1st and 3rd one out. This time it burns him, Kevin Mench just hit a sacrifice fly to Manny, 3-2 Rangers. Has he ever had a 1,2,3 inning? He's at 78 pitches through 3 2/3 innings.

- The Ranger's mascot is a big guy in a horse suit and Ranger's uniform. It's the scariest mascot I have ever seen, you can almost hear children crying all over the stadium. The head is so huge it makes the thing like 11 feet tall.

- Rasheed Wallace just nailed a huge three with 2:45 to play to put the Pistons up 5, but Webber just nailed one on the other end to get back within 2. Iverson actually passed the ball on that possession.

Chauncy Billups just basically backhanded Iverson with his pimp hand as Iverson drove to the hoop. Of course he dropped to his back with that Iverson grimace he always makes whenever anything goes against him. Wallace just hit another three, they're real tough when he hits from outside.

30 seconds to play, Pistons ball up 1. Billups just blew past Iverson again but Webber saved him with a blocked shot but he tipped it too hard, out of bounds.

Richard Hamilton just hit a really tough shot to put Detroit up 3. He might be the only thing scarier than the Ranger's mascot in that creepy plastic mask. He looks like a horror movie villain. 14.5 seconds.

Well that's game. Kyle Korver just put up probably the most ill advised shot in the history of the NBA. He ducked under the defense, and put up a double clutch 2 with 7 seconds to go. Why did he even have the ball? If you're going to take a 2 when you're down three it better be a damn good shot, especially with that much time remaining. Definitely not his finest moment, and oh the poor bastard just put up another air ball at the buzzer, they were down 5 after Hamilton hit 2 free throws so it doesn't matter but that was an ugly sequence for Korver. Have to figure he won't be seeing the court for a while.

- The Red Sox are up 6-3 and the only thing I saw was a 2 run double by Nixon. Damn NBA taking my attention.

Okay that's enough, I just scrolled up and realized how boring this must be.