Fab Melo might be that guy if KG sticks around and teaches him how to be a bruiser. Look how good Stiemer got under that brief mentorship, and Melo is a bigger talent. If he can bulk up (and he can) and listen to some vets (I'm not as confident about that), he might fill that functioning center gap.

Go Boston.

If you've read my posts before, you know that, generally speaking, I'm a positive guy who defends people. With that in mind: Fuck the NBA and fuck the Miami Heat. Go Celtics. Show the world what it means to rule us out.

I take it you don't live in Boston, Kricky. If you did, you'd know that Menino isn't much of a drinker and that he always talks in a disorganized, slurry way, and that he screws names up a lot. Whether or not he's a good mayor aside (I'm not big on him), don't beat up on a guy just because he has poor communication skills.

That chant was the most incredible thing I'd ever seen from fans in sports. It was really heartening to watch.

I work for the Freedom Trail. I can't help it.

Also, like the Americans, the Celtics relied on big, unexpected shots from the French.

I'm kind of at a loss about the post and some of the comments. Why is everyone so wrapped up in who's a better Celtics fan? We're all Celtics fans. I get comparing ourselves to our competitors fans (we're obviously better), but let's not throw mud at each other. Everyone everywhere got something wrong this season. It was weird and unpredictable and hard to call. But we're all here right now and we're all going fucking nuts with excitement because we're 2 wins away from a 3rd finals appearance in 5 years. Get positive. Gang Green are our people. Ubuntu is our philosophy. The Garden is our home. Who cares whether you thought they could six months ago. They did. And while they obviously have a myriad of reasons, economic and otherwise, for doing what they do, part of it is the tradition of a franchise and the pride of this city. Treat it for what it is - the success of the Boston Celtics is good for us as fans, it's good for our community economically and morally, and it is a good lesson to everyone: You can't just buy what you want - there are other contributing factors. Loyal and trusting teams can beat stars. Bird's Celtics did it to the Bulls in 1986, and these C's are going to do it to the Superfriends this week.

I'd say there's another kind of fan out there, and I think a lot of the RA staff and readers are among them: The fan that didn't think the Celtics could pull this off, but weren't jumping down their throats because they hoped this core could pull it out one last time. I count myself among those fans. I didn't think they could get to where they are, but I also didn't want them to blow up the team. I was and am a down-with-the-ship kind of guy. This is my team, and win or lose, I was and am grateful for their effort over the years and this season. I've said it a few times on twitter throughout these playoffs: #winorlosethankyou.

That's what happens to a floor after a while. Once their court is older than the NBA equivalent of preschool, they'll notice things deteriorate with heavy use.

Your argument is based on an inaccurate point. The Celtics have been beating elite teams all year. They beat the Heat multiple times this year. As far as the conference is concerned, they've beaten every playoff team this season at least once. And as for Dustin's point that Miami is "outplaying them," that may have been true in game 1, but it's just not in game 2. They only won by 3 points, and there are at least 7 points worth of disputed calls.

You absolutely are. Terrible call.

KWAPT, you made this? It's really great. Really. Go Celtics. Win or lose tonight, live or die, if this is the end of the road, I'm proud as hell of this team. I'm proud of what they gave to this city, and I'm proud to call myself a Celtics fan. Thanks, big 3.

I agree that this was terrible, but KWAPT is right, they do this on the regular. This by no means suggests that the Celtics are going to lose this series. They're coming back to the Garden for Game 7. We got this.

There is almost no major city in America that reminds me less of Paris than Philadelphia. What reminds him of the City of Light? Is it the total lack of public transportation, the absence of anything resembling world-class museums, or their riotous preoccupation with sports that Paris doesn't care about?

I agree. The Spurs are terrifying. The Thunder are scary, too. I don't see a way anyone from the East can beat either of those teams.

I agree. Friday has beast game written all over it. Gino time is coming. Celtics in 6.

Some of the below posts hit it. It's more a rant than an analysis. The grammar is rocky, the analogies are weak, and the argument doesn't persuade anybody who isn't already on your side. As a post on the top of the page, if it was the first one I read here, I wouldn't keep reading. The sentiment by Shane below is pretty spot-on. This blog is becoming a go-to for Celtics fans. I've seen good writing from all of the primaries who run this joint, and my constant (and very rarely negative) commenting is a testament to the esteem I hold for this page. That said, this entry is just bad. I'm certainly not saying you should not be homers sometimes - most of us are, but this reads like you read some angry comments on this or another blog, pumped out a blog post, and hit post without even looking over it. I'm certainly not above doing this in my writing here and there, but honest criticism from supporters doesn't hurt, either.

I don't disagree with the sentiment here, but this is a bit of an amateur-hour tangent of a post.

The Knicks are my "other team," and I like Stat a lot. This is not good news to me.

You're crazy. Thunder are going to take this.

He says "lousy analysis," not "lousy announcers."

There's no page 2 link.

I agree. This would be acceptable to chalk up to luck if the Cs didn't manhandle the Heat two weeks ago, but this is a pattern that can't feel good in the Heat's locker room.

I'm kind of surprised with the examples, given that the step-on-foot play that stuck out to me was when Tim Duncan stepped on Paul Pierce's foot while charging him and PP got the call against him.