Game Seven

The Celtics are definitely winning tonight. Why? Because Jake LaMotta got his title shot. Stay with me. Game Six was a "Raging Bull"moment for the Celtics. David Stern needed the series to go seven games so he had the Celtics take a dive, just like Jake LaMotta against Billy Fox. The difference here was the Lakers hit the Celtics. LaMotta's reward for laying down? A title shot against an inferior opponent everyone knew he would beat. Hmmm. Remember the scene in the locker room after LaMotta's dive? I can see the same scene in the Celtics locker room. KG sobbing uncontrollably and wailing "what'd I do?" in Tom Thibodeau's chest. Pierce smashing a chair against the wall. Doc saying "Don't play anymore. Its a a free country, don't play anymore" then slamming the door on the media and yelling "get outt here, get outta here!" Powerful.

The Celts took a bullet for Stern, who is the Tommy Como to the Celtic's Jake LaMotta. Now they get their title shot. LaMotta went on to pound the crap out of Marcel Cerdan. The Celtics will do likewise to the Lakers.

As for pregame inspirations*, I think Doc should reach into the past for some inspiration. He should get Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parrish to stand outside the locker room as he does his pregame speech. He'll begin to talk about Celtics history and how the team was in the doldrums in the 90s and early 2000s and how one title was a fluke and you need at least two as a group to make a dent in Celtics lore and truly return the franchise to it's previous heights. And then he will say that Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parrish are walking through that door.

* You know those Thunder Sticks. I love how they are alternately used as agents of encouragement and discouragement. My friend Jason and I have coined them alternately "Distraction Rods" and "Inspiration Tubes".