Thoughts From the Celtics Comeback

That game took too much out of me to come up with any coherent essay, but this game deserves a couple quick comments:

-I can't remember seeing better team defense, ever, than what the Celtics did in the last 20 minutes or so. The Lakers didn't get any open jumpers, the Celtics stayed on their feet on pump fakes; Kobe got to the basket a few times, but everything else was a hand right in the face. Absolutely nothing other than their defense should be given credit (or blame, on the Lakers' side) for this win other than Boston's defense.

-My favorite moment of the game was that on the final Lakers possession (excluding the final 3 seconds): when the Celtics needed to deny Kobe the ball, they took Pierce off of him and put KG on. This is everything that I used to love about KG, which kind of got lost when he went complementary-style on the Celtics. But even in his older years, he's still the only 7-footer I can ever remember seeing that can guard guard all five positions on the floor, man-to-man, at a championship level.

-Phil Jackson might be my favorite press-conference coach ever. He just blew a 24-point lead, and yet he's being helpful, friendly, accommodating, and all other such synonyms. I can't even imagine someone like Popovich here. Maybe he's just trying to instill an upbeat/non-depressed attitude on his team by example, but it's still refreshing. Also loved when he said that he was worried at halftime that Kobe hadn't hit a shot, because everyone on the Lakers knew Kobe was gonna come out trying to get his. Matching up with his attitude otherwise, this was some serious passive-aggressive shit. And again, I'd say that maybe this is some of his subtle zen-tricks or whatever, but given that he just got blatantly out-coached by Doc Rivers...

-Two things are gonna be obscured by the second half (and lord knows I'm loathe to give the Lakers credit): (1) The Lakers were absolutely fantastic in that first half. Obviously they shot well, but that was the best team passing, from everyone on the floor, that I've seen since the Kings' heyday (too soon?); (2) Kobe may end up taking a lot of shit for only getting 6 field goals in that game, but the Lakers were at their best when he wasn't shooting (which, of course, makes Phil's "Kobe's gonna come out gunning" comment so awesome. Really, this can't be overstated.).

-I've always said Doc got way too little credit for getting this team (which, outside of Pierce, is comprised entirely of new or young/unproven players) together as quickly as he did; but, I also thought he was a terrible in-game coach. Well, after watching that game (and comebacks like this can probably be credited to coaches more than any other type of victory) and a remarkably coherent post-game presser, I might have to change my tune on that one.

-And finally, how can anyone go from this game, which included the first team to ever come back from a 21-point first quarter deficit (or an 18-point first half deficit--I can't decide which is more impressive), and then start throwing out the "no team has ever come back from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA finals" stat? Really, I know it's an impressive stat, but you really expect Paul Pierce to think that no-one's-ever-done-it matters?

It's Wedding Season!

Weddings are supposed to be fun. The bride gets to treat her best friends like crap for months because it's supposed to be her special day. The groom gets to be the butt of hundreds of ball and chain jokes from his still blissfully single friends. But all those friends (maybe just the male ones) are betrayed when someone schedules a wedding during a big game. In order to avoid such a conflict, here is Bobby Big Wheel's guide to scheduling your wedding.

Football Season (September-Early February):

This time period includes the baseball playoffs and both college and pro football’s entire seasons. Stay away from it at all costs. Especially the October World Series/football clusterfuck. Your friends might not come. If they do come, one will bring a portable TV of some sort and they won’t be focused on hooking up with your wife’s relatives. Which isn’t good for anyone

Conference/NCAA Tournaments (March-Early April):

True story: my sister’s Bat Mitzvah reception took place during the UConn-Ohio State national semifinal. Of course, my parents brought a TV for interested parties to watch. UConn Territory, baby! But perhaps your wife isn’t as understanding. So stay away from March and early April. Even non-diehard sports fans will appreciate it because everyone’s got a bracket. This also covers Opening Day if there are any baseball purists younger than 60 still out there.

NBA Playoffs (May-Mid June):

You probably don’t have to worry about the opening rounds, but maybe avoid late April in case there’s a Dallas-Golden State scenario. Those games were amazing to watch. But you definitely want to avoid having your nuptials during the later rounds. Imagine if you’d had it during last year’s LeBron breakout game. And if you’re getting married in Canada or Minnesota, this covers the NHL playoffs too. I think.

World Cup (June-July, every four years):

Yeah, Americans don’t care about soccer, but they still love the World Cup. It’s easy for us to get caught up in the hoopla. And fans of the Cup are more likely to be young (your friends). And what if the U.S. team advances deep again? You don’t want to miss that.

Summer Olympics (August, every four years):

Again, normally you don’t give a fuck about the decathalon or swimming but the hype machine at NBC revs up and you’re glued to your TV for a few days. Odds are your wedding wouldn’t go up against anything too momentous but you probably don’t want to risk it. I didn’t include the Winter Olympics because the only event people care about any more is figure skating. Let your wife worry about that one. Hockey doesn’t matter any more now that we don’t have amateurs and there can’t be a Miracle On Ice again.

So what’s left? In most years, you can use a good portion of the summer, but summer weddings can be a sweaty drag. For the sports fan, the best time to get married is mid-February or mid-April. That’s factoring in a week-long honeymoon. You don’t want to end up like that douchebag in the commercial watching TV on a horse.