My dad says he'd look like Kevin Garnett if he shaved his head

I went to visit my dad last weekend.  For those of you that haven't met him and never will, you're definitely missing out on all sorts of humor. 

Here's his latest gem...

Dad: It's getting harder and harder to cover my bald spot.
Me: Just shave your head.
Dad: Then I'll look like Kevin Garnett...
Me (completely perplexed): Really?

I assure you.  My dad has never and will never resemble Boston Celtics, star Kevin Garnett, but he does know his basketball...  Then again, he did say he needs new glasses...


THE WIRK

NBA All-Star Saturday Night ~ Skills Challenge, 3-Point Contest, and Slam Dunk

Thanks to my friend, Teri, I scored a ticket to NBA All-Star Saturday night.  This is not an easy ticket.  When I stopped at VIP Tickets to see what they had in terms of inventory on my way back to the hotel, and they only had upper-level tickets left. They were selling them at face value.  I think that face value was $300-$315, I'm not really sure.  I don't sit in the upper-level so I never saw the ticket price.

I got a text that my ticket was waiting for me at Will Call and walked to the Staples Center.  I arrived just in time for the Skills Challenge.  Perfect timing.  Stephon Curry won the Skills Challenge, but here's a good one of Derrick Rose competing.

Cee Lo Green rocked green, performed his hit, and then found his seat for the 3-Point Contest. 

Cee Lo Green talking to Spike Lee on the way to his seat

After Cee Lo's performance, it was time for the 3-Point Contest.  Paul Pierce was the two-time champion and is from California, but since he's a Celtic the crowd booed him.  Ray Allen, who surpassed Reggie Miller as the 3-point king, also competed in the contest.  Surprisingly, out of the pack, the Miami Heat's James Jones ended up winning.  While Kevin Garnett and rooted on his teammates, Dwyane Wade (i.e. and his son) cheered Jones on from the front row.



Far East Movement performed after the 3-Point Contest.

Last but not least, was the highly-anticipated Slam Dunk Contest.  The favorite to win was Blake Griffin, but JaVale McGee and DeMar DeRozan weren't about to lie down and die.  Javale McGee dunked 3 balls at once.  He also brought out another hoop to dunk two balls at the "same" time.  Ultimately, Blake Griffin won and his final dunk was the one where he jumped over the front of a car with a gospel choir singing, "I Believe I can Fly".  Wild Stuff!

If you want to see the highlights, I'm sure you can Google for them.  I may try to upload the video I have later.  Until then, enjoy the pictures included.

THE WIRK

Celtics beat the Heat after a strong 3rd quarter ~ Garnett highlight video

The Boston Celtics beat the Miami Heat after coming out big in the 2nd half.  The Celtics escaped a late Heat rally in the 4th quarter, but the 35 points scored by the Celtics in the 3rd set the tone for the rest of the game.

My favorite play(s) of the game show Kevin Garnett's fire to win.  Garnett makes contact with Mike Miller and Dwyane Wade makes contact with Garnett.  Wade was obviously sending a message to KG that he saw what happened, and both men played on.  Messages sent and delivered, and the passion that the crowd expected to see in Boston was there after what seemed to be a relatively quiet 1st half.

It's the NBA and if you don't like contact, don't play the game.

For the Heat, Chris Bosh was the leading scorer with 24 points, and LeBron had 22.  I don't expect the Heat to win any game where Bosh is the leading scorer, so let him shoot all day long.

As for the Celtics, who came away with the W, Garnett led all scorers with 19.  There was double-digit, balanced scoring among the majority of the Celtics, except for Paul Pierce who only tallied 1 point.  ****  For the record, Nate Robinson was scoreless and Avery Bradley only played 9 seconds and was scoreless.  I'm sure Pierce, Bradley, and Robinson don't mind their individual stat lines this afternoon, since their team was victorious and is now on top of the Eastern Conference.

It came down to the wire, and Mike Miller missing a 3-pointer to tie the game.  Final score was Boston 85 - Heat 82.

Am I the only person that remembers that ridiculous clip of LeBron James counting on his hands the number of championships the Heat will win?!?!  Am I the only person who then heard him backtrack and talk about how it's going to take time for the Heat to build the same chemistry?!?!  Give me a break. 

It's official.  My LeBron Nope T-shirt is lucky!

THE WIRK

NBA: My thoughts on the Eastern Conference ~ Can't we just pick 6?

I was talking to my friend, Teri, over the weekend and we were talking about the Eastern Conference and how it's "weak" relative to the Western Conference. 

The final 2 spots in the East as of now are being held by 2 teams that are below .500.  When was the last time any of you basketball fans were clamoring to see the Sixers or the Pacers this year?  Yeah, I know.  Me neither.

1. Boston Celtics
2. Miami Heat
3. Chicago Bulls
4. Atlanta Hawks
5. Orlando Magic
6. New York Knicks
7. Philadelphia 76ers (17-23)
8. Indiana Pacers (16-22)

Granted it's still early, but my initial reaction is "ewwwwwww". 

I like the Boston Celitcs on top and with Kevin Garnett back in the line-up, let's hope they stay healthy. Now I just need to check and see if there's a time table for Kendrick Perkins. I know Perkins has practiced, but last I saw he was on the bench during the game.

I'm anti-Lebron but pro-Dwyane Wade/Erik Spoelstra/Pat Riley, so I'm torn when it comes to the Miami Heat. Even being anti-Lebron, I have to admit that play when he twisted his ankle, went out of bounds, and then drained a 3 from the corner was impressive. Yes, I'm not blind. I saw it, and I was impressed.

How about Derrick Rose's triple double (i.e. granted it was against the Memphis Grizzlies, but it still counts)?!?!  What about Kyle Korver's 3-point shooting?  If those guys can keep up the effort and keep making shots while Boozer is out, then I'd consider the Chicago Bulls to be a viable threat.  I'm just not sure about their strength with Joakim Noah still out of the line-up.

I think the biggest surprise is Atlanta. In the words of Elmer Fudd, they've been "very, very quiet" yet the numbers don't lie (27-15).

I like the Knicks and am impressed with how well Amare Stoudemire is playing.  I anticipate heading to Madison Square Garden again before the NBA All-Star break to catch the Los Angeles Clippers and/or the Los Angeles Lakers in town.  I'm not sure how long the Knicks can continue to "bring it", but I am pulling for them.   

Those are my thoughts on the East.


THE WIRK

Miami Heat v Boston Celtics ~ Thoughts from the 4th quarter

We're in the final stretch...  Miami Heat v Boston Celtics, 4th quarter action starts now.  Let's do this...

• Zydrunas is still in the game.  I think he played the entire 3rd quarter.  I think he just picked up his 4th foul.  He's hitting the bench with 10:53 in the 4th left.
• Chris Bosh missed.  He's now 3 for 11 from the field.
• Udonis Haslem hit his shot to cut the Boston lead to 5.  There are just under 9 minutes left on the clock.  ****  Yep, I was right.  It looks like Boston has let up.  Come on, Celtics!!!!
• Since I've seen it at least twice now, I should probably comment.  I like the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar commercial.  I'm glad they didn't show him wearing his shape ups though.  When I think "sexy, toned legs" I don't think of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
• I think the faux-hawk is working for Big Baby Davis.  He just extended the Celtics lead to 6 after some guy on the Heat had cut it to 4.
• Pierce must be feeling better, since he just drained a 3.  The Boston lead is back to 6 with just over 7 minutes to go.
• I need to check the roster.  Who is Jones on the Heat?  No, it's not Eddie. 
• That Jones guy on the Heat just fouled Paul Pierce behind the 3-point arc.  Thank you, Jones!  Pierce is perfect from the line (e.g. 6 for 6) and the Celtics lead by 11, with about 4 and a half minutes left.
• Kevin Garnett shot and got his own rebound and passed it to Big Baby who drained his shot.  Beautiful!  13 point Boston lead.
• Just saw the stat line.  LeBron has 26 points and the Heat is losing.
• LeBron is on fire.  Just drained a 3.  Still losing, but by 8 now.  He just launched another 3 and missed.  Hehehehe :-P
• They're showing Erik Spoelstra now.  I feel bad for him.  If he can't get those 3 guys to win, I'm guessing he's going to lose his job.  Don't worry, Erik!  I liked you when you were sitting on the other end of the bench, so you will still have a fan in me.
• Heat on an 8-0 run and the Boston lead is only 5.  Miami has the ball, and LeBron just cut the lead to 3.  LeBron now has 30 points.
• Under a minute to go, Boston with the ball, Ray Allen just drained a 3!  His mom and I are on our feet!!!!!!  Celtics up by 6 with 49.8 on the clock. 
• Dwyane Wade just missed his 3 point attempt. 
• Celtics using the clock, playing smart.  Wade waited a while, and fouled Pierce.  I wonder why he didn't foul right away.
• Pierce at the line with 27.4 on the clock.  He makes both free throws.  Celtics up by 8.
• The Boston crowd is loudly chanting O-VER-RATED.  I love it!!!!

Game over.  Celitics win 88-80.  LeBron had 31 points. Bosh and Wade's numbers aren't worth mentioning.  The Miami Heat are 0-1.  Only 81 more games to go!  ****  If I have to watch a Bosh interview after this I might scream.


THE WIRK

I respect Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but disagree about LeBron and college

I respect Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but I disagree with him about LeBron James and college...  His article can be found here:  http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/basketball/nba/05/12/abdul-jabbar.lebron.ap/index.html#ixzz0novQfhDk

First a little background:
According to Wikipedia: In 2005, the NBA and the players' union agreed upon a new collective bargaining agreement, which requires that:

• The minimum age for entry into the NBA is 19; players must have their nineteenth (or later) birthday in the calendar year of the draft in order to be eligible;
• Players who completed basketball eligibility at a U.S. high school, regardless of their nationality, must be at least one year removed from high school.
• However, NBA commissioner David Stern has made it clear that this age limit does not mean players are required to spend a year after high school in college. They can spend it overseas, like Brandon Jennings did before entering the 2009 NBA Draft. 

Now Me:
People say that hindsight is 20/20. It has a lot to do with “cause and effect”. For example, I touch the stove, and I get burned. Therefore I shouldn’t touch the stove ever, right? NO. Who’s to say I had the stove on earlier? Honestly, I travel a lot and right now I have a stack of mail on the burners of my stove. Who cares. The stove isn’t hot.

Get it? Cause and effect isn’t always 100%. I’ve taken enough quantitative analysis and statistics courses that I know that correlation doesn’t necessarily equal causation. I’m not about to Google basketball stats, but I do know that I disagree with Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s comments that LeBron would’ve benefited if he’d went to college. Further, I certainly disagree with raising the minimum age to 21 for the NBA.

I know that if I had any super-star athletic ability (i.e. I do have a mean cross-court backhand in tennis), my parents would’ve squandered it. My parents never valued athletics as much as they valued academics. If they had reared LeBron instead of Gloria, LeBron would be a doctor and no one aside from his recreation league would’ve known about him. It takes a special parent (e.g. Gloria James, Richard Williams, etc.) to see that his/her child is gifted and can take it to the highest level.

•  Moses Malone, Shawn Kemp, Kevin Garnett, etc . never went to college and they had/have exceptional careers. Yes, I threw Shawn Kemp in there. I like Shawn Kemp, but admit that he has had his share of struggles. However, let’s face it ~ I doubt college would’ve saved him from his personal issues.
• For players like Kwame Brown, DeSagana Diop, etc. it’d be easy for me to argue to send them to college or not draft them at all. But come on, it’s only because I’ve seen their body of work and I’m not that impressed with their level of play. They could follow in the footsteps of Michael Jordan and study geography, so that they can easily find the next team that they play for on a map. 

College is great, and I’m not going to downplay the value of education or the socialization that occurs in school. However, I’m wise enough to know that college doesn’t equal “smart”.  My first fiance never went to college and plays in the NBA. He is not stupid, and I’d argue he’s very smart. He doesn’t have a diploma on his wall. BFD. He speaks numerous languages and is intelligent. If he had to go to school, I assure you he’d be successful.

If LeBron went to college who knows what would’ve happened? He could’ve gotten injured. He could have ran with the wrong crew and fallen into trouble. He might have gone a year or so and dropped out, and then everyone would criticize that too. He could’ve been successful and won a title. I don’t know what would’ve happened and neither do you.

Could’ve, should’ve, would’ve, but DIDN’T. LeBron didn’t go to college. That’s the way it is, and speculating now is a complete waste of time, especially when all anyone is trying to do is kill time before

I'll leave you with an exchange between Erne Johnson and Charles Barkley (i.e. who completed 3 years at Auburn University)

EJ: "Did you graduate from Auburn?"

Charles: "No, but I have a couple people working for me who did."

Wait here's one more exchange, between me and an NBA player (i.e. in Cleveland during the pre-LeBron years, when Gund Arena was empty and quieter than your local library) who wanted to go out when I had to study for an exam in graduate school.

Him:  When was the last time 20,000 people showed up to watch you take a test?

Me:  When was the last time 20,000 people showed up to watch you play?

If LeBron could've benefited from college, than maybe I could've benefited from extra tennis lessons and basketball camps...  Hmmm ~ I need to call my mom and dad now...

Game 6 of the Cleveland Cavaliers v Boston Celtics series starts tonight at the TD Garden at 8.


THE WIRK

Calgon take me away (to Cleveland): Game 5: Celtics v Cavs tonight

Remember those commercials where the girl would be in a tub and say, "Calgon take me away."?  Well, I'm not foolish enough to believe that works.  I've clicked my heels three times and said, "There's no place like home."  However, my black flats don't even look like ruby slippers and let's face it ~ my name's not Dorothy so that won't work either.  If I had a private plane and could go anywhere tonight, I'd take that plane straight to Cleveland, Ohio.  Yes, I said it.  I'd even invite Joakim Noah to come with me, because we know he can't be busy.  That's just how nice a person I am!  Game 5 is tonight, and the Cleveland Cavaliers should be ready to exploit homecourt advantage and defeat the Boston Celtics.

I was watching TNT earlier this week and I heard Ernie Johnson use the term "LeBrondo".  That made me laugh.  Rajon Rondo was the story of Game 4, and LeBron James was the story for Game 3.  Both teams split games on their home floor (i.e. basically trading wins and losses).  I think I recall LeBron saying that he wanted to guard Rondo tonight.  Well, let's just hope that that doesn't open up the floor too much for Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen.  Can you tell that I'm a Cavs fan?!?!

I hope Cleveland is bringing more of its offense and defense to the table tonight and is ready to dominate.  I got into a discussion last night about the merit of Mike Brown.  My friend was saying that he couldn't coach.  I admit, I am a member of a "Fire Mike Brown" group.  We both remarked that the only play that Coach seems to call in the huddle (i.e. after a time-out, etc.) is the "Give the ball to LeBron" play.  Trust me ~ he and I are smart and have high basketball IQs, but I assure you that even the dimmest bulb on the shortest bus could figure that out! 

**** Coaches are in a very unenviable position. We love them when the team wins, and we second guess and join "Fire XYZ" forums when the team loses. I like Mike Brown, when the Cavs win and when he's not snubbing Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Regardless, I will still ultimately blame Danny Ferry if the Cavs don't win a NBA Championship this year.

Come on Cleveland, it's GO time at Quicken Loans Arena!!!


THE WIRK

Beyonce, Jay-Z, David Stern, and I watch the Cavs blowout the Celtics in Game 3

Friday night I was at the TD Garden for Game 3 of the Cleveland Cavaliers v Boston Celtics series.  I showed up.  David Stern, Jay-Z, Beyonce, LeBron, and LeBronsElbow were all in the building.  The Boston Celtics' defense and offense, however, were noticeably absent.  It was a crazy game.  After splitting the pair of games in Cleveland, all my friends who are Celtics fans started to send me messages that my series was over and that I should book a flight to Cleveland for LeBron's last game of the season on Monday.  Ummmm, yeah...  NO.

I flew Jet Blue from BWI to Boston and was asleep the minute I sat down.  Waking up in Boston, I cabbed to the Fenway to get settled in at my friend's place.  Ning is practically family.  She's one of the daughters of my mom's best friend and offered to house me this weekend.  Genghis is Ning's dog, and he's also a Celtics fan.  Needless to say, I was deep in enemy territory...

I took the T to TD Garden (i.e. my 67th venue) and it was fairly obvious that I need to get off at North Station since that's where everyone dressed up in Celtics garb exited the train.  Upon exiting the train station I saw the arena and to be honest, there isn't much to see. 

When I walked in I found a Ticketmaster kiosk and I was able to easily print out my ticket.  This was incredibly convenient since I didn't have to wait at will call.

I didn't walk into the souvenir shops.  I wasn't going to buy anything, and I didn't want to mess up my Cavs karma.  I was at the game to "ensure" a Cavs' victory.  I'm lucky like that.  I went to the concession stand and ordered my food, and that's when I heard someone call my name out.  I looked and sure enough it was my crush of many years.  I knew he'd be in Boston.  I just didn't know that he'd find me before I told him where I was.

I went to my seat and looked up into the rafters.  Here's the obligatory picture of all the banners.

The game started and I just knew that the Cavs were going to win.

LeBron was on fire

Based on the pics I took I was more interested in Jay-Z and Beyonce being at the game then the game itself. 

Beyonce and Jay-Z finding their chairs, and William Wesley (aka World Wide Wes) looks over

FYI ~ I'm pretty sure that's Kevin Garnett's wife next to Beyonce...

 The game was a blowout and the Celtics fans were not happy.  Many of the Boston fans left before the game even ended (i.e. with over 9 minutes left in the 4th quarter the Cavs had already scored 100 points).  The Bruins were playing the Flyers and that game was in overtime when the basketball game ended.  The Red Sox has lost to the Yankees.  It wasn't the best of days for Boston sports, but if anyone knows this city ~ you can never count the team "out"...  It's not over, until it's OVER.

When the game was over Jay-Z and Beyonce crossed over to the side of the court where the Cavs' tunnel was and here's video (i.e. that I shot) of Beyonce, Jay-Z and LeBron leaving the court.



After the game, my Cavs fans and I went to Canal Street to celebrate.  I learned what a LeBron Bomb was.  Actually, I still have no idea what it really is, but it's something along the lines of a fruity shooter and throwing sugar up in the air (i.e. to mimic LeBron's pre-game ritual).  It took a few stops, but finally we found a spot that would let us do it ~ but we had to substitute salt.

Later I found myself in Faneuil Hall and around the Red Auerbach statue and a bunch of other plaques.

For you Celtics fans...  Larry Bird's plaque.

The Cavs won game 3 with a score of 124-95.  Walking towards the tunnel, David Stern had a huge smile.  I'd never expected such a large margin of victory, but I did expect the win.  I'll be at Game 4 if anyone's curious as to my whereabouts...

THE WIRK

Celtics don't scare me, and I still need a ticket to the Super Bowl.... GO COLTS!!!!

List of thoughts because I'm too tired to write paragraphs right now.

Basketball
1.  Yesterday, Pat's dad couldn't go to the game Celtics v Wizards game, so I got called up.  Thanks, Pat. He's a Celtics fan so I compromised and wore lime green.  I will not put a Celtics hat on my head.

2.  I said to bet the Celtics -5.  If you did, you WON.  The Celtics didn't really play until the 4th Q, so sorry if you had to sweat it out.

Final score

2.  The Celtics are not scary.  As a Cavs fan, they'll have to show me more, before I BEGIN to consider them a credible threat in the East.  Garnett is definitely NOT back, even though he's playing.
3.  The only scare of the game happened when Paul Pierce went down, but he got back up and continued playing ~ eventually.

Paul Pierce getting treated on the bench.

4.  The Wizards are running some sort of promotion now through Chik Fil-A.  Chik Fil-A picks a player on the visiting team, and if that player misses both of his free throws, everyone in the arena gets a free sandwich.  Thank you, Big Baby Davis ~ for your poor shooting and my free lunch tomorrow (i.e. if I can drag myself out of my apartment and into the cold).
5. Can't watch another Wizards game for a long time.  Enough is a enough.  I walk out of the Verizon Center stressed out, and this is not good.
6.  I caught/picked up one of those free give away balls that they throw out into the crowd.  I was not standing and waving for it like a 6 year old child.  This proves you can get free stuff by sitting and "playing it cool". 

Yeah, I like free stuff

6.  Watching ESPN Sportscenter, and I'm disgusted.  You'd think Kobe Bryant walked on water last night.  Yes, I get it.  He's the all-time leading scorer for the franchise.  However, in my opinion, he's NOT the best Laker ever.  If you make me choose between Kobe or Magic ~ I'll take Magic any day.  To me, Magic is the Lakers' heart.
7.  Working on plans for NBA All-Star weekend. 
8.  I'm not Oprah and the last thing I want to do is read/sell books, but here's one for you.  I came across my copy recently, and it started me thinking. If you've never read "Homecourt Advantage" by Rita Ewing and Crystal McCrary ~ check it out. It reads quickly and will give you a good idea of what it's like to be a WAG in the NBA.
















Football
1.  Headed to Miami on Wednesday night/Thursday morning for the Super Bowl.  I need/want to be on the ground for all the festivities.
2.  Dwight Freeney and a torn ligament?!?!  Oh no!!!!  Dwight, please play!!!!!  GO COLTS!!!!
3.  I need a ticket to the Super Bowl.  Still.

Other
1.  Working on a logo for TheWirk.com
2.  Trying to come up with other sports ideas/events for this blog.
3.  Apologies to my trivia team, who I ditched to go to the game last night.
4.  Shout out to Fogdog and the Bryant brothers who I saw/ran into while at the game.


THE WIRK

"If the Celtics are healthy..." ~ Preview of Celtics v Wizards on Monday night...

I fell asleep early tonight and now I'm wide awake...  When I woke up I checked my text messages (habit), and I was happy to see a text from my friend, Pat.  For those of you that read this blog, he's the same Pat that went to Dallas with me.  Turns out Pat has an extra ticket for the Celtics v Wizards game and wanted to know if I wanted to go.  My only dilemma was that Monday is trivia night, but I easily got over my guilt as I texted my trivia team at 10 til 1 this morning to tell them I wasn't coming.  Seriously, WWMTTD (aka What Would My Trivia Teammates Do)?!!?  They would skip trivia also and go to the game ~ I know because they have skipped to go skiing, because they were tired, had a date, etc.  I'm sure they'll understand why I'm not going and that someone else is going to have answer any questions related to 80s music.

Sooooo, the Celtics....  I just checked and according to NBA.com the Celtics' record is 29-16 and they're coming into DC after losing 3 straight.  Incidentally, my Cavs are leading the East with a record of 38-11 and have won 8 straight.  I also checked and it looks like the line for the game is Boston -5. 

THE WIRK RECOMMENDS YOU BET THE HOUSE ON THE CELTICS.  Notice, I said "recommends".  I do NOT guarantee.  If I were energetic enough to go to Vegas tomorrow I'd bet the money line without question on the Celtics.  I seriously doubt they're going to lose 4 in a row.  I may have to eat these words tomorrow night, but I doubt it.

Back to the Celtics and the East.  Everyone I speak to either loves or hates Lebron and the Cavs.  However, the answer always seems to be the same, when I ask Cavs critics who they think can win the East.  The haters all reply the same way ~ "I think a healthy Celtics team can beat the Cavs".  This statement always amuses me.  I'm not sure what movie/show it's from, but it reminds me of the line, "If Grandma had balls, she'd be Grandpa".  The logic is completely flawed.  "If" is the premise and who really knows.  Injuries happen in sports and they're a huge determining factor when it comes to the success or failure of a team, but last I checked Kevin Garnett is back.

Kevin Garnett is back, but he's not BACK from his knee injury.  How could he be?!?!  The man just took to the practice court on Jan 19.  I just checked the box score from tonight's Lakers v Celtics matchup and KG played about 31 mins and went 5-9... He had 10 points, shot ZERO free throws, and was one short of a double double with only 9 boards.  Hmmmm ~ let me tell it to you straight.  I'm going to need KG to pull down a double double CONSISTENTLY in order for me to believe he's BACK from his injury.  AND, if the man isn't shooting any free throws, then it tells me that he's not driving the lane and is probably afraid to make contact ~ which also tells me he knows he's not "back" and that the knee is probably still ouchy.

WOW ~  I just looked at Rondo's numbers, and he exploded tonight!  On the contrary, Ray Allen only shot 2-10 in 34 mins of action and left with 7 points.  Hmmmm ~ I can be a very quantitative person at times, and these numbers do not scare me as a Cavs fan.

Then again, I wasn't scared of the Orlando Magic last year and we all know how that turned out.  YUCK!!!  Basketball is a team sport ~ regardless of what the numbers look lke and what the folks at Nike want the general population to believe.  We also know that some guys don't play "all out" every night, much less for the entire 48 minutes of game time.  "Just watch the last 2 minutes," is what all the NBA haters say when it comes to watching games.

Well - I'll be there tomorrow to see the Celts live and in person.  I'm going to see for myself how this team is playing.  I'm going to scout KG and the rest of the Celtics to satisfy my own curiosity, and then I'll decide whether or not, as a Cavs fan, I need to be scurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrred...  :-P

THE WIRK