4.02.2008

When the Celtics Try Hard, They Win

I got a few emails questioning my point that the Celtics have only lost one game, Ali-Frazier I, when they've tried hard to win.

Don't they always try hard to win? Many retorted.

I would say, no, they don't.

I wouldn't necessarily say they've mailed in the losses. But in the games they have lost, the Boston Celtics haven't played with as much zeal and focus as they have had the wins.

The Utah games was a perfect example.

Utah came into Boston and everything looked rosey.

--A 10-game winning streak overall

--An 11-game home winning streak

--A perfect record at home against the Western Conference

--An earlier victory on the road against the same Utah Jazz

After the game?

"I could tell off the bat, energy-wise," Garnett said, "we weren't our normal selves. These past couple of games we've probably been spoiled with the fact that we come out with really, really good energy, and tonight for whatever reason we just didn't."

"They just kicked our butt," Rivers said. "You have a 50-50 chance to get to every loose ball and it was about 98-2 in percentage. I thought they just wanted it more. They played harder, they played more aggressive, they were more physical, they were tougher and they beat us. It doesn't happen often, but it happened."

Paul Pierce never got it going, making only 1 of 7 shots and scoring just 8 points

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