1.26.2009

It's a Green and Purple World

Ok.

You knew this was coming.

Why did the Celtics go 2-7 after starting the season 27-2?

Easy. The loss to the Lakers did a number on their psyche.

Why are the Celtics 8-0 since going through their slide?

Equally easy.

They are gearing up for the 2/5/09 rematch.

This blog has also argued that one reason the Celtics started the season on fire was because they were determined not to listen to how great the Lakers were for the first two months of the season. So they decided to steal some thunder from the purple and send a little message of their own to the Left Coast.

The motivation for their most recent hot streak is similar. The green understands that they need to be playing very well to win on 2/5, and so they better start ramping up early.

It's a green and purple world everyone.

It's sad how much I can milk one topic.

Isn't it?

14 comments:

FLCeltsFan said...

I think that the team wasn't playing up to their potential even during the 19 game win streak and won a lot of games they shouldn't have because they didn't play well, but they were in other teams' psyches and the other teams played even worse.
Then came that West coast swing and the encountered a few games where the teams played their absolute best and the Celtics were tired and couldn't pull it out.
Now they are a bit more rested and have been able to regroup and see what they were doing wrong and have fixed all the little quirks and are finally playing like they are capable of.

I'll have some numbers in an article I am working on to back this up.

Lex said...

Sounds good.

But your numbers would make me alter my conspiracy theory.

It's kind of like someone who's believed in the grassy knoll for his entire life.

You don't want to upset my worldview at this late stage, do you?

:)

Anonymous said...

Lex your theory is attractive but I have agree with FLCeltsFan they weren't playing well the first half of the season and it just caught up to them. This new streak is the best basketball they've played this season.

Lex said...

Booo.

Ok.

Y'all must have been really glad when I quit posting 4-6 lakers stories every day before the last meeting? :)

Anyway, I agree.

They are playing good ball.

But I remain adamant--it don't mean nuttin' unless they win on 2/5!!!

Lex said...

I posted another thought over at FCF's blog.

The Cs get an early break every year due to the schedule. My brother the Lakers fan always used to say that the celtics are the greatest team ever in november, by which he meant they always come out of the gates like gangbusters due to an easy schedule.

He was partly correct.

Look at last year. Had the Cs won that game against the pistons where TA fouled Billups, they would have won 19 in a row last season too.

But, wait, all of this detracts from my purple conspiracy theory.

I may need to go out to ebay and look at some kobe merchandise to get me back in the right frame of mind.

Anonymous said...

Lakers definitely need to be steamrolled when they get to the garden. Zen master is probably working on his excuses as we speak.

Anonymous said...

Celtics did not have an easy early sch. They had the most games of any team early on. THAT is the reason the slump happened more then anything. Notice how lately they have gotten more rest? They have won more games. I don't see them constantly talking about the Lakers. I just don't think it is an obsession if they aren't constantly talking about it unlike the steady obsession coming from the Lakers more then a month before the Christmas game.

Anonymous said...

Laker had a very easy sch. How many home games have they had? Quite a few.

Lex said...

Yeah, I didn't mean the # of games. I just meant that if you look at the first 29 games, a sizeable majority were at home against below .500 teams.

FLCeltsFan said...

But when they played the Celtics the Lakers had played all but 4 games on their home court and had played several games fewer than the Celtics had. Now THAT is an easy schedule.

While you are at it, I am certain that the Lakers are responsible for global warming also. Those dirty scoundrels! If it's bad, the Lakers had to have a hand in it.

Anonymous said...

Yeah the Celtics did have a comparatively easy schedule at the beginning. Cleveland and LA did too it'll be interesting to see how the top team's records hold up at the end.

Lex said...

Ok. So I guess we are all agreed on the root causes of the 27-2 start, 2-7 slump, and the 8-0 streak?

:)

The Kid said...

The 2-7 slump was simply because of shitty basketball and poor execution. To me if the team went 2-7 because of losing one game to the Lakers that does not bode too well for the future.

Lex said...

Here I am trying to cling to my religion and y'all ain't cooperating...