yardbird

Quote: Quote: I love Steve Smith but he isn't exactly the most intelligent guy in the world. To me that is much more important than nostalgia. I would hire him in a split second as an assistant coach though. Wow. Steve Smith is the kind of guy that finds himself the smartest guy in the room and smart enough to not let everyone now. Smitty is a very very bright guy. Smitty loves what he is doing with TV, his foundation, philanthropy and business. I'd be surprised if he is interested. I'm in agreement here. While Steve Smith's speech is natural and everyday enough to avoid putting off the average fan (as it should be, since that's his audience), he seems quite intelligent to me. Not sure why anyone would think he butchers the language. I think he does just fine. And his analysis is usually on point.

Quote: ALL the Hawks played like Zombies yesterday. Based on the season as a whole, MARVIN SUCKED!!! He has to toally change his game which currently includes making free throws and wide open jumpers. As marginal as the stats are, Marvin only puts up his numbers when the game is NOT on the line. The guy is a real tease, with little passion. His only chance in this organization is if he hits it off with Al and some passion wears off on him. I think Marvin will be shipped this year for somebody. Marvin is such a clod that his athleticism is a joke. Anyone else notice him tripping on HIS FACE trying to make a crossover dribble on the break in the playoffs. EMBARESSING... I hope like hell I am wrong about him. Hawk88 Let me be clear. Marvin is not where I'd want him to be in his third year. Currently, his move to the basket leaves a lot to be desired, and I agree that it is clumsy and I generally am surprised that he draws so many fouls on it since most times the shots in the lane seem unlikely to score even if they went uncontested. That's the bad part. I like to see the whole picture, however. We shouldn't overlook the ability to consistently knock down the open jumper, which Marvin does. Aside from Joe, no other Hawk delivers this, not even Bibby. Marvin also plays good position defense, and I think his ability to defend Pierce on one extreme and Garnett on the other (BEFORE he hurt his knee, Marvin did a fair job of this on switches) gives the Hawks a luxury few teams have (Chills also has this ability, though his defense is on positions 1 - 3 rather than 2 - 4). Are you forgetting his block on Garnett at the end of Game 6? Marvin also deserves credit for his rebounding in the series, which was decent and at times key. He's got a ways to go, and while I think the odds go down every day, he still has a chance of being an exceptional player. Even if that doesn't happen, he's on a path to average 17 points, 6 boards and 3 to 4 assists over the next 7 years while playing good defense. That's pretty decent as a third option on a team. While we all hoped for a 1st option from the #2 pick, those numbers are nothing to sneeze at, and I doubt we could get that from anyone we'd obtain in a trade for Marvin, at this point. At the same time, 22 points and 9 boards are not out of the question for him over the same period, so the only way I'd give up on him is if economics (i.e., the need to resign higher, more certain value players like JJ, Horf and Smooth) requires it or if someone else gives us a steal. Otherwise, he's a valuable piece of the mix, just not as valuable as his draft position would have suggested. That said, his upside is at least as high as Bogut's who went even higher.

Quote: People should be upset with Marvin. He doesn't even appear to a be future allstar, mustless a possible HOF player one day like DW and CP. His stats look decent, but the impression he leaves on the court doesn't satisfy people. It shouldn't be a shock because HE DIDN'T EVEN WATCH THE NBA before he was drafted. That should have been something alone that BK should have considered. Does that sound like a player with passion? I think Marvin gave a credible effort for a guy I didn't even expect to play yesterday, given his sprained knee 36 hours earlier. Why is he given no credit for that? Marvin's performance was at least as good as any other Hawk not named Joe Johnson yesterday.

Quote: Quote: I actually respect KG for what he did. He "got even" with Zaza for Zaza "showing him up" in Atlanta, with that "head butt". KG took the opportunity that presented itself. If that was "our guy", I'm sure you all would have been cheering. Sure he "leaned into it" a little more than unnecessary, but you can understand why he did what he did. Zaza has more than 50 pounds on KG and if he had his eyes open, he could have leaned back. Zaza went down like a 175 lb. sack of potatoes. He is the softest 275 pounder I have ever seen in my life. Yeah and I would have cheered if Zaza got up and kicked his ass. However, that doesn't make either action right and especially not dirty. That's my point. When Marvin fouled Rondo... The first thing I said was "damn, that was dirty... you're getting ejected for that". I didn't cheer it because it was uncalled for. By that same token... when a guy goes out purposely to commit a "hard foul" as payback.. why are we looking to see who's name is on the back of the Jersey? I promise you if KG does the same thing to Lebron in the next series... KG will be 1. Fined. 2. Suspended for at least 1 game. 3. Ejected from that game. What you fail to see is that there's different rules for different players. Either call it down the line or let's not have refs at all! I agree, except that the foul on Rondo was hard, not dirty. No layups in the playoffs. Rondo was grabbed around the shoulders and Marvin tried to hold him up rather than let him fall, and Marvin had an injured knee so probably couldn't elevate enough to go for the block.

For Atlanta. They still think their regular season achievements are worth a damn today, and their fans do to. Until they realize that this is a war, and a death match, they remain vulnerable to amazement when David smacks Goliath. Huge Advantage: Hawks. Normally, Game 7 is the ultimate This isn't one we look forward to By Dan Shaughnessy Globe Columnist / May 4, 2008 Game 7. The ultimate sports event. The top of the mountain. The pinnacle. Game 7 reminds us of Russell-Chamberlain, Bird-Magic, Bruins-Habs, Lonborg-Gibson, Grady Little's brain-lock, and Johnny Damon's first-inning homer off Kevin Brown. Game 7 is when fans start cheering halfway through the national anthem and drown out everything after "the rockets' red glare." It is the best game in sports. It is the thing that brings us to the games in the first place. But not today. Today is a Game 7 embarrassment. It is a Game 7 that was never supposed to happen. The Celtics and their fans just want to take their victory today, move on to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and pretend none of this ever happened. The Hawks are a 12-32 road team. They have lost three playoff games in Boston by an average of 22.3 points. They were the 19th-best team in the NBA this year, finishing 29 games behind the league-leading Celtics. They are an 8 seed playing a 1 seed and yet they are within one victory of sending the Celtics home for the summer. The Celtics have magically transformed the Hawks into America's team. Your 2007-08 Celtics started their season 29-3. Now here they are in the playoffs and they are 3-3 against a sub-.500 team. In a single series, the Hawks have done what it took the rest of the NBA 32 games to do - make Boston lose three times. Perhaps this is why the volcanic Stephen A. Smith stated on ESPN that if the Celtics lose Game 7, it will be "the worst defeat in history, as far as I'm concerned. It is that colossal." How'd you like to take the floor today with that hanging over your head? A chance to pull off "the worst defeat in history"? The Celtics and their fans remain supremely confident about winning today, of course. When playing in Boston, the Hawks have been the 37-win Hawks of 2007-08. They have been easily dismissed. It should happen again. But even if the Celtics win, the damage has been done. Cleveland, Detroit, Los Angeles, San Antonio, and the rest of the still-breathing NBA teams have been emboldened by what they've seen of the Celtics in Atlanta. Remember Andy Reid and his Eagles and the famed "blueprint" for beating the Patriots? The Giants ultimately used the Philly game plan to stun the Patriots in the Super Bowl. And now the book is out on the Green. They get rattled on the road. They lose their defensive aggressiveness. They stop attacking the basket and settle for jump shots. They bench Rajon Rondo and use Sam Cassell. Kevin Garnett doesn't look to take the big shot. Paul Pierce unravels like a 19-year-old rookie. Doc Rivers gets away from what brought him this far. All of the above explains why this is the NBA's only first-round series to go the max. Every other higher seed took care of business (not counting Utah over Houston, which was a 4-5 wash). But the Celtics are still playing and the rest of the league sees Boston's vulnerability. Today would be a good time for Pierce to start playing and behaving like the captain of the team. He disappeared again Friday (12 shots) before fouling out with 4:44 still left on the clock. The foul call was certainly dubious, but Pierce once again made things worse with knucklehead antics. A few years ago, it was the curious bandage he wrapped around his head for a postgame interview. Last week, it was the gang gesture he flashed at the end of Game 3. Friday it was a technical foul for throwing his headband after picking up his sixth personal. Pierce knows the rules. He knew that was an automatic "T." He did it anyway. Rivers said, "I was disturbed by it because we should never get a fourth-quarter technical; that's been our rule all year." Pierce broke the rule. And it mattered on every possession the rest of the game. Pierce didn't stick around to talk about any of it and has told reporters that he is boycotting the media until after the series. There's more leadership on parade for you. As for Garnett, I have only two words of warning: Alex Rodriguez. So today we have Game 7. The Celtics will win. And maybe when they beat the Cavaliers and Pistons we'll look back at this series as nothing more than an annoying speed bump - a peach-tree wake-up call that will make the Green Team better in the long run. But that's not how it feels right now. It feels like the Celtic supermen have been unmasked and exposed for all the NBA to see. Dan Shaughnessy is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at dshaughnessy@globe.com.

1. I like Bronnt's answer. 2. I agree, Horford should have played 3. It was a close game and one shot could have meant OT. JS was very emotional and hyped up, picking up fouls soon after returning to the game from being held out to protect him earlier. Maybe the thinking was that you'd like to have your best weak side defender available in OT.

Quote: Wow, thanks for that, great to hear about what it was like to be there. Damn I wish I was. Did you see this happen...from cnnsi.com.... Quote: Let's end with a little levity, shall we? During a timeout in the third quarter, the Hawks game crew put the "Kiss Cam," a popular gimmick in many NBA arenas where the camera zooms in on a couple and holds there until they kiss, on the JumboTron. At one point, the camera spotted a young girl (couldn't have been older than 9) sitting between two boys the same age. One of the boys was wearing a Celtics jersey, the other a Hawks one. The girl looked back and forth at both boys before dumping her drink on the one with the Celtics jersey on and planting a kiss on the cheek of the one supporting the hometown team. Hilarious. I saw it from the jumbotron, hilarious (though assuredly staged, like the deal they do when they have 2 women kiss, but someone stands up in front of the camera at the last second to block it from the crowd). Awesome game live, even better than game 4 which I thought couldn't be topped. I am so hoarse from screaming that I couldn't even type words when I came to the board last night (after watching the game again on TiVo). Tomorrow afternoon, early in the 3rd quarter, I predict KGs head will expose due to a combination of Hawks energy and pressure, excess personal rage channeled inwardly, and an esophagus clogged with his own cajones accidentally sucked through his abdomen. DrZ, is there a procedure to correct such an affliction?

to the continuation of J-Smooth's Shock the World tour? This board is awfully subdued after game 5. Like Joe said, it ain't over! I'll be in section 115, mid-court, screaming louder than I did on Monday. We ain't Philly, they have more height, but we have more HEART. Atlanta fans won games 3 and 4 as much as the players did. While Boston will be better prepared, we'll do it again tomorrow! LETS GET PUMPED . . . GO HAWKS!

Quote: You were actually a fan of the Rider/Jackson Hawks? I barely watched the Hawks at all for four years. Kudos to you, man, for suffering through that debacle. Losing Smitty then Mookie just ruined any connection I had to the team. I was at least on board for the 13 win season. They were bad, but they were fun to watch, at least. And it's the same crop of guys who are still here. Fun to watch. Frustrating, they make me want to pull my hair out most of the time, but they're capable of big things. I was really upset when we collapsed on that west coast road trip after the AS break because I recognized the talent and potential we have. They're still not even playing the most sound basketball. They'll have to step it up even further if they want to win a game in Boston to have a chance at taking home this series. But they're capable. I'm really proud of these guys. Even if they still make me scratch my head with their potential. I actually bought a season ticket package that year, thinking getting in on the ground floor in Philips opening season would have me in good shape when the team began to sell out. I became a fan when I moved to ATL in '85, watching Nique, Doc and Co. do their thing on the court and in da club . . .

I just posted the same thing in the thread with the clip! With the internet, we don't have to wait for the league to notice, we can create our own fervor. While I'd really rather win mano y mano with no excuses, if the shoe were on the other foot, our player would be suspended (remember the Miami replay?)!

you should do it. And e-mail the clip to Sekou. Get the world to notice so it can't be ignored. That is the beauty of the internet!

We were the sixth man! When the Hawks were down 10 going into the 4th, the crowd willed the team to cut the deficit.

IMO, those fouls against Marvin on Pierce could easily been offensive (Marvin actually draws fouls on similar calls quite a bit).

I'll be there.

Horford had another (Rondo's lucky backboard shot, too). Counting Horford and Rondo, the Hawks win accounted for 6 of the top ten plays yesterday on NBA TV. Bet we get some nationally televised games next year! You can see them at NBA.com if you don't have NBA TV.

Quote: I think Phx. Man, they're the biggest fools. Trying to change their identity in mid season was a stupid idea. Honestly, the Suns were past their prime anyway. They still have a good team, but I never got the feeling they were as good as they were the last few years. Denver doesn't look so hot either. And neither Denver nor PHX is playing the #1 seed in the whole league. Regardless of what happens the rest of the way, last night was a huge shot of confidence for some young players desperately in need of it. If our GM can add complimentary pieces, including one servicible big and a real bench, 2009 will be interesting.

Quote: Yeah Peirce was livid... he was walking towards the ATL bench and had to be restrained by none other than Brian Scalabrine in street clothes. Personally, I don't like it -- a Rookie on the worst team in the playoffs taunting a multiple All-Star and leader on the League's best team, not to mention a team that has destroyed us in our other five meetings season. I think it's bad form, unless Pierce did something to personally disrespect the Hawks or Al that I don't know about. We just gave ourselves a huge shot of confidence and I'd hate for Pierce to make game 4 his personal crusade.... Who cares? I'm sure Pierce intended to make game 3 a personal crusade as well. The Celts have been taunting us throughout, and given Horford's usual class act, I'm sure what he did was in response to Celtic's antics earlier, including game 2 (see my post yeserday about ESPN's Bill Simmons saying Atlanta was intimidated and Marvin peed his pants in game 2).

Quote: Oh, and great job, Woody - having Solo guard Rondo to close out the quarter. Did you conside that Solo was closest to Rondo and there wasn't a good opportunity to switch with the quarter winding down? Do you really think Woody would design a defense that isolates Solo on Rondo at the top of the key? The team and the coaches deserve kudos for stepping up. This means no sweep, shuts up naysayers (local and national), and raises the Hawks confidence so that the next 2-3 games should be competitive. I was afraid might witness a sweep when I go to the game Monday, instead I get to cheer my head off. Go Hawks!

I'd love to see a few Hawks show some balls in game 3, not enough to get ejected, just to maintain some pride on their home floor. There don't seem to be many candidates. Seems like a good poll. Josh Smith? Horford? Joe Johnson? Salim?

Also indirectly deals with what the Hawks can gain from this experience, even if swept, and the value of veteran leadership on young players.

Awards for 'Rajon the Late Bloomer' and others By Bill Simmons Page 2 (Archive | Contact) Updated: April 25, 2008, 4:25 PM ET Email Print "Rajon couldn't do anything right. He couldn't speak. He couldn't draw. He couldn't write. ... And then one day, Rajon could speak! He could draw! He could write!" Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images Rajon Rondo has developed into a steady leader who can hit big shots in crunch time. Sorry for bastardizing "Leo the Late Bloomer," one of my daughter's favorite bedtime stories and a true classic. But I couldn't help it. Not only has Rajon Rondo's belated emergence been the most fascinating subplot of a storybook Celtics season, but he's just like the character in that book. Like Leo, Rondo never spoke. Like Leo's father, Celts fans spent an inordinate amount of time wondering when Rondo would "draw" (in this case, play with consistency) or "write" (in this case, bang home open jumpers). Leo had patient parents who believed in him; Rondo had veterans such as Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, role models who provided the confidence and toughness he desperately needed, eventually springing him from his on-court shell and altering the course of his career. We always hear about the value of young teams adding veterans, but after watching the effects over the course of an 82-game season, it's probably impossible to exaggerrate the importance of polished, professional, competitive, proven veterans on young guys who don't know what the hell they're doing. It's the little things that made the trades for Garnett and Allen (and to a lesser extent, the pick-ups of Sam Cassell, James Posey and P.J. Brown) so successful and altered the careers of Rondo, Leon Powe, "Big Baby" Davis and Kendrick Perkins. They're everyday moments that go beyond KG crouching over Powe after a dunk and happily punching him in the chest. For instance, my father read a story about Rondo watching last Saturday's playoff games at Allen's house and critiquing the point guards with him. Let's say Seattle never traded Allen and the Celtics were coming off another 24-58 season. What do you think Rondo would have done Saturday? Would he have been planted in front of a plasma studying those games, or would he have been headed to the Bahamas or Vegas with some buddies? Think of young NBA players like "only-children" and it makes more sense -- yeah, you can turn out fine when you're an "only-child," but it's much easier if you have three older brothers giving you advice, looking out for you, molding you and believing in you. From Boston's game against Detroit on Dec.19 to Game 2 of the Atlanta series Wednesday -- two home games that I attended -- the difference in Rondo's on-court demeanor was remarkable. Old Rondo carried himself like a little brother who didn't want to screw things up for his big brothers, someone who had confidence in his athletic ability and little else. He never talked on the court, never bitched at the referees, never changed his expression and seemed like an odd fit for a particularly charismatic group of Celtics, somewhat of an enigma, the wild-card youngster for the season. When Chauncey Billups abused him in the second half of an eventual defeat, I remember walking back to my father's house in 10-degree weather and deciding the Celtics couldn't win a title with such a green point guard; they probably had a more realistic chance of prevailing in 2009. But Rondo kept getting better and better through the winter, and there was a pivotal moment in March when Rafer Alston got physical with him on the opening tip and Rondo belted him back, then defiantly stood his ground, ready to trade punches in a nationally televised road game. Watching from home, I remember thinking, "He made it! He's all grown up!" So, seeing Rondo thrive in Game 2 wasn't a total surprise, although it's a little weird seeing him control the tempo, bang home open jumpers, bark orders at teammates (at one point, he screamed at Pierce like an angry housewife), badly outplay Mike Bibby for the second straight game and openly relish the moment when the crowd chanted "Rondo's better!" at Bibby (who drew their ire for calling them "bandwagon" fans after Game 1). Even more surprisingly, the stands were littered with No. 9 jerseys -- not as many as No. 5, No. 20 or No. 34, but enough that you'd notice, nearly all of the No. 9s belonging to young kids and teenagers. His relatively sudden emergence as a fan favorite brings back memories of a pre-Eva Tony Parker, another late first-rounder who lucked into an ideal situation, improved mightily in his sophomore season and played a pivotal role for San Antonio's 2003 team ... only he couldn't get it done every game, which made Speedy Claxton's contributions so crucial that spring. (Remember, Parker was just shaky enough that the Spurs pulled out every stop to sign Jason Kidd that summer.) Playing for the same stakes on a similar team, Rondo is further ahead of the '03 Parker, which gives you an indication of his potential and where he's sitting already. Whether Sam Cassell has to pull a Speedy to save a few games remains to be seen. [+] EnlargeBrian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images After getting clocked by Chauncey Billups in December, Rondo has developed into a tough cookie. Did I see any of this coming? Actually, yes. Rondo played so well in the 2006-07 preseason that I stupidly picked him for "Rookie of the Year," bought a seat in the front row of the bandwagon, then broke three ribs when it careened off the Mass Pike on opening night. Poor Rondo didn't have the most fun rookie campaign, struggling with nerves in the first few games, getting his minutes stupidly yanked around, landing in Iverson trade rumors for a few weeks, getting his minutes stupidly yanked around some more and finally earning extended playing time in the last weeks of a lost season. By the summer, it was clear the Celtics had something -- they just didn't know what -- and when old friend Kevin McHale insisted on Rondo being included in the Garnett deal, Celtics GM Danny Ainge held his ground and refused. Nine months later, Rondo's a potential All-Star and the X factor of this playoff run. Amazing ... but not really. Again, you can't exaggerate the impact of veterans here, something that surfaced in Game 2 as a central theme -- the Celtics were furious about a hard foul that briefly sent Pierce to the locker room in the first half, so they spent the second half banging bodies, doling out retaliatory clotheslines, talking trash and intimidating the young Hawks in every way possible. TCIKG (The Completely Insane Kevin Garnett) was leading the way, as always, and other than Al Horford (a tough cookie who's going to be great), none of the young Hawks seemed interested in escalating things, getting each other's backs, sticking up for themselves, responding or even making eye contact with TCIKG. If anything, they went the other direction -- I think poor Marvin Williams peed his pants at one point. And if Rondo had been drafted by the Hawks two years ago, he would have been right there with them: Looking like a deer in the headlights, just waiting to get the hell out of Dodge. Instead, Rajon/Leo was doing as much woofing, glaring and posing as everyone else. After one of the 47 times when two Celtics tag-teamed a Hawk (in this case, Horford) for a hard foul, right as Horford was stumbling away and rubbing his head, he made the mistake of nearly walking into Rondo and took an elbow for his troubles, followed by Rondo whirling around and staring him down. Who knew? I thought Rondo might make it through an entire career without uttering a word -- now he's strutting around like Clint Eastwood. Which brings me back to my point: Basketball careers might hinge on talent and desire, but circumstance plays a much bigger role than most people realize. Would James Worthy have become "Big Game James" if the Lakers had drafted Dominique Wilkins over him in 1982? What would have happened to Wilkins if he had played with Magic Johnson for his entire career? Would Robert Parish have made the NBA's "50 at 50" list if the Celtics hadn't rescued him from the Warriors? What would have happened to Parker if the Spurs signed Kidd that summer? And so on and so on. In Rondo's case, there are two great "What ifs?": What if the KG and Allen trades never happened? And what if Phoenix had just drafted him in 2006 instead of selling the pick? Would Rondo have been better off or worse off in Phoenix backing up Nash? We'll never know, just like we'll never know if he would have matured into a potential All-Star without Garnett and company. But we do know what we see, and here's what we see: someone who has noticeably improved as a shooter and a leader, someone who has emerged as an elite defender, someone with a real chance to recreate the numbers from Fat Lever's prime sooner than later. The best thing you could say about Rajon Rondo is he brings a lot of stuff to the table and doesn't take much off it. The second best thing you could say is he's lucky enough to have influential teammates sitting at that same table. Regardless, I'm giving him the "Leo the Late Bloomer" Award for Round 1.

Quote: Quote: We'd be pretty lost without his defense at the end of the game when it was needed most. His defense was irrelevant at the end of the game because we were already out of it. That is what will happen if we don't play our best players, even with mild foul trouble. Were we out of the game b/c Josh wasn't in the game in the 2nd quarter when the Celts lead only increased from 6 (which they gained with Josh on the floor) by 3 (with JS out) to 9 (one could argue that we played better without him since Boston's net margin increased by less), or were we out of the game b/c the Celts outplayed us in the 3rd with JS on the floor? It's one of those questions that can never be answered. I don't pretend to know whether pulling him was the right thing to do or not, and since it happened the way it did (i.e., JS went out with 2 fouls), no one can ever know. My only point is that there was some logic to it. Coaches have to make judgment calls like this one. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. That's true with any coach, even those considered at the top of their game. Let's just agree to disagree on this one, and hope the team plays well enough tomorrow that there's no need to sweat the little things.

Being down 9 points at the half to the team with the best record in basketball on their home court in the first game of the playoffs is a game within reach. How many minutes was Smooth on the bench in the 3rd quarter when Boston put the game away? That was when Smooth had an opportunity to impact the game most, it just didn't work out. I don't have it right in front of me, but I think he ended with 4 fouls, right? So if he was allowed to play in the 2nd and picked up 4 in the first, as some here have suggested, let's say we were within 2 rather than within 9. But Smooth picked up the same two second half fouls and fouled out early in the 4th. We'd be pretty lost without his defense at the end of the game when it was needed most. As it turned out, we were out of the game by then, but I don't think playing Smooth in the 2nd quarter affected the outcome.

Quote: Quote: Okay well wait right here while I spend my free time pouring over stats to prove something to you that I already know to be true. Don't go anywhere, I'm sure I'll be right back with stats to back this up. Do you know what a stat is? The only stat i used is the number of fouls which is hardly open to interpretation. Your argument got clowned, simple as that. It is pretty funny that you claim that you know something to be true after it has been proven otherwise. it is also funny about how you can't seem to distinguish between past and present tense. Next thing you will be telling me the sky is green and the sun sets in the east. My opinion, it was conceivably a good strategy. Smooth tends to play pretty reckless, even at his best. That can lead to a lot of fouls quickly, two or three in a short period of time. We've seen it happen with him before, and so has Woody. Since the team kept the score close in the 2nd without Smooth (someone earlier quoted we went from 6 down to 9 down over the entire time he was out), if we had, as a team, been able to generate a 3rd quarter run, Smooth could play pretty aggressively without worrying about picking up a 4th foul in the 3rd (assuming he could not play the 2nd without an additional foul, a sound assumption I think). If we were competitive enough to steal a game in Boston, it would be a close game, perhaps an OT game, and we would have needed JS defense late in the game. Saving those fouls for late would have been brilliant, if we had been in the game late, and we didn't fall out of the game in the 2nd with Smooth out, we fell out in the 3rd, with Smooth in with a workable foul count. I know those who hate Woody will attack this post, and that's fine. But attack the logic, rather than the knee-jerk response that b/c Woody did it, it has to be wrong, please.

and don't forget their bench >>>>>>>>> than ours. While 2 games w/b nice, 4 competitive games squeezing out a win w/b satisfactory, so players gain experience for future years.